John Joseph Edward McCague was born on Feb. 15 1899 at Victoria Square in York County. The family homestead was just northeast of Richmond Hill on Woodbine Avenue. His pioneer parents were of Scottish and Irish ancestry. They were successful farmers and they raised their children on the farm and provided them with an excellent education and they became successful people who left their mark on various communities.

Mr. and Mrs. McCague raised four boys and two girls at Victoria Square. Little J.J.E. (Jack), suffered from rheumatic fever as a child and so he would not be able to perform heavy labour during his lifetime because it left his heart damaged. He grew to be, however, a very good student and an intelligent and gifted man and he was to accomplish great things in his life which would end two days before his 60th birthday.

Jack's early education was at Richmond Hill and Woodstock College and then in 1921 he graduated from the Ontario Agricultural College at Guelph, Ont.

In the same year, the young agriculturalist opened South Simcoe's first agricultural office for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF). In fact, at that time, he represented all of Simcoe County. He was provided with a car and a secretary and his office was in Alliston. The young agriculture rep spent a lot of time talking to our local farmers and introduced purebred livestock and certified seed potatoes to our farm community. He worked a lot with the Junior Farmers organization too and in time those efforts paid off as the young folk became some of Canada's best farmers.

Mr. McCague was transferred to Carleton County in the Ottawa area and there were several of Canada's finest dairy herds there. At Mt. Victoria, Mr. T.B. MacCauley, a Montreal millionaire (president of Sun Life Insurance Co.) owned one of them. Hopkins Bros. owned an excellent herd too. No doubt, Jack learned a lot from them, and about then his dream was born. His life was about to take a new direction.

The year was 1928 when Jack was contacted by a man who was well know in Allston, as a grocery tycoon and a locally born philanthropist who used part of his supermarket fortune to bless his hometown of Alliston. His name was T.P. Loblaw. He owned his grandparents' farm (Stevenson Farm) on the Camp Borden Road and probably knew McCague while he was the county ag. rep.

Mr. Loblaw loved the old farm and enjoyed spending time there but his life was in the big city. He wanted the best available man to manage that farm and he was determined to hire this agricultural specialist to manage his property fulltime. Apparently he was not going to take no for an answer.

In 1927, Jack had married his sweetheart, Lillian Mae Meek, a fine young lady that he knew from school days. Mae was the daughter of a railroad man whose wife had died young. He left his daughter to be raised by her grandparents. Unlike her mother, she would live to the ripe old age of 96.

Loblaw's offer sounded interesting and the Burns community just north of Alliston seemed like a fine place for the couple to put down roots and raise a family. They met with the wealthy farm owner at the farm to learn more about his offer. Jack asked, "Where would we live? I'll build you a nice house right where you are standing." He replied. And so a new and wonderful chapter opened in the life of the McCagues that day.

Apparently J.J.E. McCague was really in his element on the new job. Here was the opportunity to pursue a hands-on test of the things for which he had been trained. Soon he had established fine herds of Holstein and Shorthorn cattle as well as Yorkshire hogs and even the silver foxes that were so in demand for their wonderful fur. No doubt his employer was well pleased.

The farm manager had other duties too. Loblaw liked to bring friends and employees to the farm to entertain them. There were riding horses to care for and three teams of fine carriage horses and lovely carriages to take the guests on farm tours.

The fine old Stevenson home had been enlarged to include a large ballroom for the evening parties. No doubt the manager was a busy man indeed but apparently he enjoyed his work and his management skills were growing day by day. He could not have foreseen how, with a change of circumstances, a new chapter would soon open in their lives.

What a shock it must have been when in 1933, the terrible news arrived, that the great merchant prince and philanthropist had suddenly died in the prime of his life during a routine operation. The whole community went into mourning for the good Christian man who had done so much for others, including building Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Alliston.

Jack and Mae had been very content in their little home on the farm. The Good Lord had blessed them with fine children, George, Joanne (Clayton), Katharine (Gilroy), Brian and Janet (Brayford). Of course, the great Loblaw estate would have to be settled. This would be the logical time for Jack and his family to move on and follow their dream.

Mr. McCague realized, better than anyone, what a fine agricultural jewel the Stevenson Farm was because he was undoubtedly the person who had perfected it through his management expertise. As soon as it became available he purchased 100 acres of good land from the estate and 100 acres on the other side of the road. This was how the McCague family moved to the second concession of Essa Township (the Scotch Line). They demolished the old log house and built their new home there and also a new barn. What an exciting time it was for that family!

Of course, Jack purchased part of the young Holstein herd and the fox ranch. Next, he purchased some outstanding Holsteins from the great herds of Hopkins, Mount Victoria and several others to build a herd that would become internationally famous. He was fortunate to hire the great herdsman, Mort Butchers too. They purchased that wonderful bull, Montvic Rag Apple Marksman who would be named the Champion All Canadian Bull at the Royal Winter Fair seven times, a feat that has never been equaled.

The farm was given the name Glenafton because it had a pretty glen with a little stream that reminded Mae of the words of an old Scottish poem, "Flow gently sweet Afton." The farm name would become famous in at least 34 countries where its Holsteins were sold. Brian recalls a boat trip to Brazil with 12 of Glenafton's fine bred heifers.

With great employees such as George Jaffray at the mink and silver fox ranch and Mort Butchers as herdsman, J.J.E. had time for friends and community. Some of those friends were Dos Boyes, George Drennan and "Foxy Bill" Ruthven, just to name a few.

The McCague family remembers their Dad's advice about a balanced life. He said, "Always remember the importance of family, church, and work." He knew he had been greatly blessed by The Lord and he wanted to serve God. He remembered the words of the Bible which tell us that without God we are nothing. He loved the Burns community and the little church where he served as Sunday school superintendent for many years. He knew his Bible well and taught the young men's Bible class while Mae taught the young ladies. They were extremely active in their church and I have noticed that the same has been true of most of the great ones who worked to make our community what it is today. In those days, that's the way we were then.

In this condensed version, it is not possible to list all the great accomplishments of this fine family but these are a few of J.J.E. McCague's accomplishments:

Chairman of Canadian Livestock Records. President of the Canadian Swine Breeders Association.  President of the Holstein-Friesian Association of Cananda. President of the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Director of the Canadian National Exhibition and first farmer director of a chartered bank (Toronto-Dominion Bank.)

Of course, his picture hangs on the wall of the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame. He was known as a great Master Breeder.

Sometimes the lives of the great ones are cut short and we mortals can never really understand it. But some in a short time accomplish more than others who live long lives. Perhaps a teacher of the Bible, as Mr. McCague was, might say that only our Creator knows the day and the hour when He will take us home to be with him. We must always be prepared.

People far and wide mourned the great man's passing, two days before his 60th birthday on Feb. 13, 1959 and his beloved widow, Mae lived on in Alliston until she was 96 years old. She had been very active there and she too was greatly missed.

They had lived great lives and the McCague name lives on in the successful lives of their descendants who remember that in those days, that's the way we were then.

*From information kindly provided by Mr. Brian McCague

For more stories about the yesteryears of our community see next Tuesday's edition of The Alliston Herald. The 2008 stories have been published as Book I and are about to become available at a book signing to be announced in this newspaper very soon.