Lifelong Niagara resident Jim Garner spent his working career in management roles with industry and education, but has devoted much of his retirement years to the Fonthill Legion.
Born in Niagara Falls, Garner moved to Fonthill with his family in 1963, and grew up on North Pelham Street across from Holy Trinity Anglican Church. After graduating from E.L. Crossley, he attended Seneca College before transferring to Niagara College, then ultimately finished an undergraduate degree in business administration at Niagara University in Lewiston, New York.
Garner’s first job was as a purchasing agent for Cyanamid Canada, an industrial chemical conglomerate, where he made the switch to the human resources side of the company. By the end of his career with Cyanamid, he had personnel responsibility for two plants, and had a hand in organizing the eventual closure of the Niagara plant.
“I took on the job of Human Resources Director at Niagara College back in 1992,” said Garner. “Dan Patterson became the president three years into my tenure there, and through his perseverance, was successful in getting the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus built.”
Garner retired from Niagara College in 2015, and got remarried the same year.
“I had lost my first wife to cancer in 2006,” he said. “I lost one angel, and found another. My kids are grown and still local. My son is in human resources, following in his father's footsteps, while my daughter is an environmental consultant. I've really had a fortunate life. It was tough losing my wife. But I moved forward, with a lot of good memories.”
One of Garner’s highlights while at Niagara College was travelling to Saudi Arabia to participate in the start-up of a satellite campus for the school. Niagara now has four technical and vocational training colleges throughout the Kingdom.
“I really enjoyed my brief experience in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “There was a lot of good work accomplished in a fairly compressed time. In total, I had 23 wonderful years at the college.”
Garner’s association with the Canadian Legion extends back nearly three decades.
“I would come to the Legion for a drink after playing some recreational sports, and met people, including World War II veterans. At first, they were quite guarded, but once they got to know me they opened up to some of the challenges that they faced, including when they were in the service of the country, in the armed forces. I didn’t serve, nor did my father, but my grandfather and uncle did. My dad was a 44-year veteran of the Cyanamid plant, which converted to manufacturing munitions in World War II. But the more I sat down and talked to the veterans, I became interested in making sure that their needs would always be looked after, and that their commitment to their country during the most difficult times wouldn't be forgotten.”
Garner joined the executive committee at the Fonthill Legion in 2013, and has served for years as a vice president. The Canadian Legion has relaxed its requirements with regard to membership in recent years, said Garner, due to the realization that the number of veterans will continue to dwindle.
"The challenge for me and the executive committee is to convert those new members into active participants"
“We have a good corps of volunteers here at the Fonthill branch, and the membership keeps growing,” said Garner. “We just crossed the threshold of 300 members. The challenge for me and the executive committee is to convert those new members into active participants. We require help with the ongoing renovations and activities, and need to ensure that we have a succession plan in place when people step down from the Poppy Committee and other such important roles. We must continue our engagement with the community, which is going very well, as witnessed by the record attendance at our most recent Remembrance Day service on November 11.”
Planning for the Remembrance Day service commences in August, said Garner.
“We want to make sure that the program remains vibrant, so that it doesn't become stale in the eyes of the community,” he said. “I think that we've been able to do that. With Niagara College staff and students from their TV production program doing a simulcast, it's a great opportunity for us to promote the service more broadly. And we have a very good commitment from the Town of Pelham and Town Council. They help us with our banner program around Fonthill, and also sponsor the flyover.”
The Fonthill Legion was recently successful in three grant applications, one of which allowed the procurement of a walk-in cooler and freezer, and another to overhaul two washrooms. The third grant will fund reconstruction of a new front entrance to make the building fully accessible to those with physical limitations.
“The government recognizes that volunteer organizations aren't flush with cash,” said Garner. “If anyone thinks the Legion will survive on the bar revenue, they're sorely mistaken. It’s a social gathering spot, but it's not a big profit centre. We do a pretty brisk hall rental business, and our banquet crew has a very good reputation. During the pandemic, our kitchen prepared heat-and-serve meals for those in need, which earned us a Region Impact Award. We’ve surpassed 33,000 of the take-out meals, and are very proud of our service to veterans and the community. We’re a full-fledged service club. Not that long ago, people looked at the local Legions as a cheap place to drink beer, but we’ve evolved well beyond that.”
The Legion’s annual Poppy Fund provided $25,000 in donations this year to local groups, and the organization’s general account funds a range of projects, including student scholarships and Pelham Cares.
“We assist where we can, and I think the citizens of Pelham recognize that we have a darn good reputation in the community, that we’ve worked hard to earn.”
Garner’s health is good, despite a run-in with melanoma 20 years ago.
“I have to watch myself because I'm fair-skinned and full of freckles, and I burn easily,” said Garner. “I see the dermatologist every six months. All those years growing up, with no suntan lotion, and no hat. I’m paying for it now.”
These days, Garner keeps active playing golf once or twice a week when weather allows, and is an avid gardener, along with his wife, Wendy. They like to travel to Florida in January to visit Garner’s sister in Naples, and have planned a vacation in the Dominican Republic at the end of March to celebrate his 70th birthday with over a dozen family members.
During the winter months he enjoys hockey on TV, and cheers on the Toronto Maple Leafs, barely cognizant of the futility of his efforts. He likes the Buffalo Bills in the NFL, much to the chagrin of Wendy, who is a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan.
“This will be my first Christmas without my daughter here,” said Garner. “She will be with her boyfriend, a ship pilot, in Newfoundland. But we'll have the rest of the family home, including Wendy’s two children. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve enjoyed a very fulfilling life.”
