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Sir John Coape Sherbrooke Heritage Award - 2001
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2001 Sir John Coape Sherbrooke Heritage Award
The second edition of the Sir John Coape Sherbrooke Heritage Awards took place at Sherbrooke Village on Saturday, May 19. Awards were presented by her Honour, the Honourable Myra Freeman, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, to Frank Jordan of Sherbrooke and Harold Verge of Bedford. Both men played significant roles in the early development of Sherbrooke Village.
The Awards are presented every second year and are given to "persons who have made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of the heritage of Historic Sherbrooke Village, Guysborough County, and Nova Scotia ."
In her address to the recipients and guests, her Honour spoke of the importance of preserving the links between our heritage and today’s culture. "Nova Scotians should take pride in their culture. We are a hard-working, selfless, fun-loving people, qualities passed down through the generations and we hope to pass them on to future generations. Sherbrooke Village hopes to ensure Nova Scotia's past will not be forgotten."
Dave MacLean of Antigonish, Master of Ceremonies for the evening, read a letter from Clary Croft, a recipient of the first Sir John Coape Sherbrooke Award held in 1999. In the letter, Mr. Croft congratulated both gentlemen, and welcomed them to the fellowship of Award recipients. Clary also shared some personal reminiscences of having visited Frank Jordan’s store in Sherbrooke, and absorbing a great deal of the area’s oral history.
Frank Jordan operated a general store for over 20 years in the community and has been an active participant in numerous community organizations, including at one time or another, having held every office in the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 56. Mr Jordan was a member of the Sherbrooke Restoration Commission in its formative years and served several terms with Mr. Verge. He is a life member and Honourary Director of the Historic Sherbrooke Village Development Society, the organization which organizes the biennial Awards.
Mr. Verge, widely recognized as "the grand-father of community economic development" in Nova Scotia, was one of the first proponents of a historic restoration in the Village of Sherbrooke. He undertook the first feasibility study of the project and was responsible for writing the draft legislation of the Sherbrooke Village Restoration Act. Like Mr. Jordan, he served for several terms on the Sherbrooke Restoration Commission during the early years.
The event was held on-site for the first time, with dinner being served in the Temperance Hall, and a post-event reception being held at the Exhibit Centre. Sherbrooke Village staff prepared and served the food, provided the entertainment, and staffed selected buildings to provide the vice-regal party with a short tour of the site, all on a volunteer basis.
The next Sir John Coape Sherbrooke Awards ceremony is scheduled for the fall of 2003.
Harold Verge
Harold Verge's friends, colleagues and students often refer to him as the grandfather of community economic development in Nova Scotia. Verge has been at it for over 40 years -and he's seen it work. "I have long been convinced of the importance of recognizing the connection between social and economic conditions in a region," he says. "I've applied that principle to my work many times,".
After graduating from high school at Acadia University's Horton Academy in the Annapolis Valley, Harold went on in the 1950s to study engineering in Halifax at what was then known as the Nova Scotia Technical College. From there, it was off to the University of Toronto for a graduate course in what was a relatively new discipline at the time: Town and Regional Planning. "The course," Verge remembers, "was offered by the university's School of Architecture, which – like Horton Academy – no longer exists."
In the mid-'60s, Harold was appointed Director of Community Planning for the province's Department of Municipal Affairs - "I was one of 2 people applying theories of community planning under the Province's newly enacted Town Planning Act," he says.
When Harold Verge first came to Sherbrooke he was quick to recognize the connection between heritage, and social and economic conditions - or rather the impact that heritage could one day have on social and economic conditions. Verge came here to look into problems with some wells in the community.
Among the things he found was a village whose character had not changed, in many ways, since the early days of the 20th century. Certainly there were buildings in disrepair, and most had seen better days, but they hadn't been unsympathetically renovated, or worse "vinylized".
Where others might have seen only decline and decay, Harold saw an opportunity to preserve the past - a past in which Nova Scotians were filled with a sense of pride which is just now being re-kindled as we sail into the 21st century. Having been familiar with Upper Canada Village in Ontario, Mr. Verge prepared some concept plans for a similar project in Sherbrooke. After gathering a great deal of support in the community and from Provincial and Federal agencies, including those responsible for Upper Canada Village, Mr Verge undertook a feasibility study in regards to a restoration in Sherbrooke. He also prepared draft legislation for the Sherbrooke Restoration Commission and attended its meetings during the first stages of the project's development.
Harold's vision for Sherbrooke Village was somewhat larger than what we see around us today. There were plans for a footbridge across the river to a campground on what is now known as Cameron's Road. The parking lot was to be on the Northwest Arm and a ferry was to shuttle people to and from the Village.
Frank Jordan
Frank Jordan was born in Sherbrooke on November 16, 1916 and attended school in Sherbrooke. Frank was active as an athlete and played hockey and baseball on a number of very successful Sherbrooke Teams. Like a great many of his generation, Frank was called on to serve King and Country during World War 2. From July 1941 until September 1945 Frank served with the RCAF ending up at Eastern Air Command Headquarters in Halifax, where he was (most honourably I might add,) discharged from service.
Frank was a general merchant in Sherbrooke for 24 years in the village of Sherbrooke. You heard Clary Croft, tell how "sitting in the corner of Frankie Jordan's Store, listening to stories of earlier days in Sherbrooke," inspired in him, a love of heritage and folklore.
Frank was Supervising Postmaster for the District for over 13 years and played a leading role in numerous community organizations, many of which exist to this day. At one time or another he has held all the Board offices of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 56, (located in the building in which we sit tonight) He oversaw the Legion Poppy Campaign for 36 years, and was a founding member and president for many years of the St. Mary's Historical Society.
Frank is a member of the NS Bird Society, NS Heritage Trust, the Royal Horticultural Society of London, a life member and Honourary Director of the Historic Sherbrooke Village Development Society, and the St. Mary's Boat Club - and these are not all of Frank's activities and memberships.
This list - incomplete though it is - gives us some sense of his commitment to his community. Frank was a member of the Sherbrooke Restoration Commission for seven of its formative years including a term as Chair. Perhaps not so coincidentally, he also served with tonight's other recipient Harold Verge. I'm sure they could share some very interesting stories of those early days and the planning stages of Sherbrooke Village.
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