Four new members will be inducted into the Glengarry Agricultural Wall of Fame at a special induction dinner on Saturday, April 22, at the Metcalfe Centre in Maxville.
The inductees for 2023 are William R. MacEwen, Clark McCuaig, Douglas McDonell and Marion Myers. The social hour for the evening will begin at 6:30 p.m., with dinner at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at $50 per person from any of the members of the Agriculural Wall of Fame, or by email to [email protected].
Below are the biographies for William R. MacEwan and Clark McCuaig. The Review will be publishing biographies for Douglas McDonell and Marion Myers in an upcoming issue.
WILLIAM R. MACEWEN (1928-1985)
William R. MacEwen (Bill) was born in Maxville in 1928, son of William A. and Rachel (MacLeod) MacEwen. Bill was educated in the two local schools and then attended business college in Toronto. On his return he entered the feed and seed business with his father. He married Vera Grant and they had 3 children (Kathleen, Allan and Jim).
In 1955, Bill purchased the business from his father, as the Maxville Feed and Seed Co. Ltd. and became a very successful businessman. He established a hardware store, which later became Maxville Home Hardware, and also established the Ford Mercury dealership on Highway 34, south of Alexandria.
While in the feed business, Bill introduced and initiated the use of a mobile feed mixer and grinder (called a Daffin) which became a very popular machine in the area and was used extensively until more farmers purchased their own grinders. The feed business was sold in 1975 to Maple Leaf Mills. In 1980, with his son, Allan, Bill started MacEwen Grain Inc. and MacEwen Fuels Ltd. On the farmland that he purchased, grain corn has been produced extensively and poultry and hogs were raised.
In 1983, Bill’s son, Jim, bought back the feed business as MacEwen Feed and Fertilizer Inc., and in 1992 it was renamed MacEwen Agricentre, which currently operates from three locations: Maxville, Vars and Cobden, employing more than 100 people, continually growing and showing innovative leadership in the agricultural community.
Bill was always involved in community activities. The Masonic orders benefited from his dedication to fraternal work. He was active with the Shriners for several years and in 1974 was elected to the Divan at Karnak Temple in Montreal and was elected Potentate in 1979. Like his father, Bill served on the Maxville Village Council, both as Councillor and Reeve. He was a Past-President of the Glengarry Highland Games, a member of the Maxville and District Lions Club and a Founding Director of the Maxville Manor. At the time of his death, he was an Elder of his church, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian, in Maxville. In Cornwall, he was on the advisory board of the local branch of Guaranty Trust for several years and on the board of Directors of the Cornwall General Hospital.
Throughout his life, Bill demonstrated a fine sense of responsibility and achievement which has been carried on by his family who continually support their community and local initiatives.
CLARK McCUAIG (1934 – )
Clark McCuaig was born on January 23, 1934 on Finney Creek Farm and has remained in his ancestral home in South Glengarry. He spent a lifetime learning and working to be a successful farmer, creating a legacy of milestones and achievements. He dedicated time to participate in community organizations that provided opportunities for others.
Clark has always exemplified the 4-H motto “Learn to do by Doing”. He showed calves, learned the skill of judging, excelling to become a top achiever at the Williamstown Fair, the Ottawa Winter Fair and the Royal Winter Fair. He was part of judging teams and became a certified Holstein judge. He was a county rep. for Eastern Breeders Inc., serving on the Sire Selection Committee during the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1967, Finney Creek Suzie Rockman Girl was named the top four-year-old and Grand Champion in Ottawa, placing fourth at the Royal, then named “Honourable Mention All Canadian”. Clark claims that Suzie was his crowning achievement. He created his own farm prefix Glenmaple, best known for the EBI bull Glenmaple Citation Star, whose semen outsold all others in 1982.
As a young man, Clark became involved and filled roles such as elder, trustee, board of managers, director and president in the following: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in South Lancaster, Williamstown Fair Board, Glengarry Holstein Club, Glengarry Federation of Agriculture and Glengarry Soil and Crop Association.
As a modern dairy farmer, Clark adopted leading edge methods that grew into innovations. In the 60’s he installed a dumping station with a glass pipeline. He was one of the first to store high moisture corn in an upright silo in the early 1970s. He used embryo transplant technology and Glenmaple embryos were sold worldwide. In the late 1980s a free stall barn and a flat parlour were constructed. The latest innovation he experienced has been a new stable centered on robotic milkers, initiated by his son, Bruce.
Clark’s life has been enriched by his wife of 51 years, Isabelle (nee Farlinger) and by his children Bruce, Jane, and Ann Margaret, who are also active in their careers, interests and community involvement. The legacy continues with six grandchildren: Ainsley, Rory, Allister, Angus, Jamie, and Liam.
