A long-running tradition kicked to the curb by Ed Lumley, elected the city’s youngest mayor in December 1971, returned in January 1975.
Freshly-minted mayor Gerald Parisien, former alderman/broadcaster, after taking the oath of office in a quiet ceremony in his city hall digs on Jan. 2, said he would restore the tradition of the mayor wearing the chain of office at regular city council meetings.
Lumley wore the chain at two meetings: his first and last. He became the first city mayor not to wear the symbol of the office at all council meetings, which didn’t go over well with hard-core traditionalists.
He also made history when he served out his final months as both Cornwall’s mayor and MP for Stormont-Dundas.
After he was elected MP on July 8, 1974, Lumley decided to finish out his term as mayor while serving in the House of Commons, which was allowed in the day. Nobody could recall another mayor serving in the House of Commons.
The chain, which contains pure silver, was donated by the Kinsmen Club in 1945, when the city gained city status.
Parisien’s list of priorities included a decision on the Capitol Theatre (restore it or tear it down), start of the new civic complex, redevelopment of Lamoureux Park and more gear-to-income and senior housing.
* University of Ottawa approved establishment of a $4 million education complex in Cornwall with the province offering financial support. (Never happened).
* Construction of the Combustion Engineering plant on the western limit of the city was started. When first announced, the plant was expected to employ 1,000 people but it was scaled back to a couple of hundred.
* Talk about missing the mark. When the planning board recommended that only seven of the city’s 60 full-service stations be designated self-service, some aldermen dismissed the move to self-service as a fad. Ald. Angelo Lebano, who spoke against the move, said he was concerned with safety and job losses. Stations in the city were operated by 10 major oil companies and two independents.
* Arthur Youngs, Central Public principal for the past 18 years, notified the SD and G Public School Board that would retire at the end of the school year. He started his teaching career in 1930 at a one-room school in Mille Roches.
* Bird Construction was awarded a $25 million contract to build the new Transport Canada Training Institute (now Dev Centre).
* A study of drinking water showed that Cornwall had the fourth-highest asbestos fibre count in the province. Some claimed that it was behind high cancer rates in the city.
* The Soviet Union defeated Canada 4-3 to win a second straight World Junior Hockey title. The Canadian team was made up of Western Hockey League players. This was before the national team concept.
* City CAO Maurice Engels said firefighters were seeking a “substantial” salary increase and improved pension benefits that would “cost taxpayers an enormous amount of money.”
* The YM-YWCA took over operation of the Domtar ski hill (aka Big Ben).
* A new self-serve Ontario liquor store was set to open in theBrookdale Plaze.
* A 25-year-old Winnipeg resident became the first female RCMP officer. Meanwhile, in Wesport, Wash., five female police officers were fired after demanding the same pay as their male colleagues.
* The Consumers Association of Canada urged the Ontario Conservative government to make seat belts in all vehicles mandatory.
* Nixon aides John Ehrlichman and H. R. Haldeman were convicted in the Watergate cover-up scandal.
* Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler was named the NFL’s most valuable player. Joe Namath signed a two-year, $1 million contract with the New York Jets.
AROUND AND ‘BOUT In offering his unsolicited opinion(and at this stage who cares) on the U.S. presidential election, J. Trudeau chastised the U.S. for not electing a female president. “Shouldn’t be that way,” said Trudeau. Gee, I might have missed the memo, but who was the last female leader of the federal Liberals? And Canada’s sole female PM was theunelected Kim Campbell who inherited the job but couldn’t get elected PM in the federal election. In fact, she lost her own seat. Her 132-days as PM is the third shortest reign. … No Major League player struck out more times (2,600) than the great Reggie Jackson, yet he is remember not for his record-setting misses at the plate but for all the home runs he hit. … Hey, remember Bazooka Gum, Atomic Fireballs, Pop Rocksand Hot Tamales? ... The indoor pool at at Murphy’s Inn Second Street West. … The Smith Transport depot on SecondStreet West.
TRIVIA ANSWER James Naismith, who invented basketball in 1891, was a Canadian born and raised in Almonte, Ont.
TRIVIA Founded in 1871 and 1876, these are the two oldest Major League baseball teams. 1) Atlanta Braves, 2) Chicago Cubs, 3) New York Yankees, 4) Los Angeles Dodgers, 5) Chicago White Sox.
QUOTED “Whoever said, ‘It’s not whether you win or lose that counts,’ probably lost.” – Martina Navratilova