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Note: Order of Canada
John R. Craig, C.M., D.C.L.
Full Name Honour Received City and Prov. or Terr.
Craig, John R. C.M. Halifax, Nova Scotia
Honour Appointment Investiture
C.M. (Member) May 4, 1995 February 15, 1996
Through his quiet and generous actions he has reminded others of their obligation to return some good to the community. A business leader in Atlantic Canada and model of the art of giving, he was instrumental in refinancing and reviving the Neptune Theatre and in focussing the arts community to generate support for a permanent home for the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.
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Monday October 17, 2016
CRAIG, John (Jack) Robert
Jack Craig passed away peacefully on October 11, 2016 at home in Parkland at the Gardens, Halifax. Jack was a successful businessman, patron of the arts, generous philanthropist, and friend to many. Most importantly he was the devoted husband of 62 years to Joan and father to Robert and Michael.
Born on the family farm in Cornwall, Ontario on May 26, 1930, he was the eldest son of Robert and Jessie Craig. Jack graduated from the Haileybury School of Mines and began a mining career that would not only change the trajectory of his life but countless others. In 1963, Jack and Joan moved their young family to Halifax where he took the position of Sales Manager for N.S. Tractors & Equipment Ltd. He became President and General Manager eight years later. In 1989, he also became President and CEO of Tractors & Equipment Ltd of Fredericton, and merged both companies into Atlantic Tractors & Equipment in 1992. In 1994, Jack's service to the profession was recognized with his induction as a Life Member of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum. Jack's leadership in business was recognized again in 2000, when he was named to the NS Business Hall of Fame.
Jack's leadership and vision extended to his community. He became Director of Neptune Theatre in 1974 and served as its President from 1976-1978 during its revival days. An avid art collector, he joined the Board of the Nova Scotia Art Gallery and served as Chair from 1980-1982. In 1985, he spearheaded a $4 million campaign for the Gallery's new location and was named Fundraising Volunteer of the Year for 1986 by the Canadian Fundraising Executives. In 1989 he was appointed Honorary Governor of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Jack served as President of the Halifax Club from 1986-1987, playing a major role in its reconstruction after a fire. He is a former Flag Officer of the Royal NS Yacht Squadron, past director of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Canada and served on the Board of Governors of the National Theatre School of Canada. Jack also served as member of the Arts and Cultural Industries SAGIT, which assessed the impact of free trade.
In recognition of his many achievements, Jack was awarded the honorary degrees of Doctor of Civil Law by the University of King's College (1989), Doctor of Fine Arts by the NS College of Art and Design (1995), and Doctor of Laws by Dalhousie University (1997), the Lescarbot Award in 1993 (for outstanding contribution to the enrichment of culture in Canada) and the Edmond C. Bovey Award in 1997 (for outstanding volunteer leadership in the arts in Canada). In 1995, the Governor General of Canada named Jack Craig to the Order of Canada as a patron of the arts.
In 1996, Jack and Joan established The Craig Foundation, which has been supporting visual and performing artists across Nova Scotia for 20 years. In 2001, Jack and Joan endowed a medical research Chair in Autism at Dalhousie University, the first of its kind in Canada. The following year, they founded Autism Nova Scotia to provide support to individuals, families, educators, healthcare professionals and researchers. Jack and Joan were named the Hedley G. Ivany Seniors of the Year for 2010 by the Northwood Foundation. In 2014, they were made Honorary Concertmasters by Symphony Nova Scotia and in 2016, they received the Jack Scholz Founders Award by Acadia University's S.M.I.L.E. Program.
Jack loved fast cars, good wine, and sharing a meal with friends. For several years (and to Joan's chagrin), he raced his Porsche at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant and was BMW's guest at the Monaco Grand Prix. He and Joan travelled the world and cruised its many seas. London's Savoy became their home at Christmas and they frequented the opera at NYC's Met. As a couple, they enjoyed cooking lessons together (though Jack was happiest manning the BBQ grill) and their parties on Blenheim Terrace were legendary. Jack extended his kind and generous spirit to everyone he knew. He was a true gentleman who was widely respected and admired. He will be missed.
Missing him the most will be his wife, best friend, and devoted life partner Joan, and his sons, Robert (Ottawa) and Michael (Vancouver). He is also survived by his sister Frances Dunlop, sister-in-law Charlotte Craig, nephews Angus Craig (Kim Newton) and Hugh Craig, niece Alex Dunlop, grandnieces Zoe and Merrilees, and grandnephew Harry. Jack was predeceased by parents Robert and Jessie, brother Harry, sister Mina, and niece Leslie Dunlop. Special thanks to the excellent staff at Parkland and to Matthew Garner for his friendship over the last two years. A memorial service will be held at Bethany United Church on October 30th at 2pm. If you wish to benefit the community in Jack's honour, please consider donating to Autism Nova Scotia (5945 Spring Garden Rd, Halifax, NS, B3H 1Y4)
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OBITUARY
Halifax entrepreneur John Craig was generous by nature
ALLISON LAWLOR
Special to The Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Oct. 28, 2016 5:53PM EDT
After building a successful business career in Nova Scotia, Jack Craig turned his attention to philanthropy and became a model in the art of giving back to the community.
Mr. Craig, who died on Oct. 11 in Halifax at the age of 86 after living with Alzheimer's disease for many years, was a leader in Halifax's business community as the owner of Atlantic Tractors and Equipment, the Caterpillar equipment dealer for the Maritimes.
At the urging of his wife, Joan, Mr. Craig developed an interest in music, art and live theatre. Before long, his appreciation evolved into philanthropy. His reach extended eventually to almost every arts organization in Nova Scotia.
"It's always proper, and the thing to do '96 the desire to give something back," he told The Chronicle Herald in 2000 after being inducted into the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame.
In 1996, Jack and Joan Craig established the Craig Foundation. For the past two decades, the small private foundation has supported visual and performing artists in Nova Scotia, including organizations such as Theatre Antigonish and Symphony Nova Scotia.
"He had a passion for seeing organizations and individuals succeed," said David Martin, a retired member of Symphony Nova Scotia's board.
In 2001, the Craigs provided $1-million to establish an autism research chair at Dalhousie University '96 the first of its kind in Canada. Having raised a son with autism with no support in the community at the time, Mr. Craig and his wife had a strong desire to help other families. They envisioned the autism chair being used to achieve better diagnosis, treatment and early intervention. They also supported the Autism Research Centre at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax.
A year after establishing Dalhousie's research chair, the couple, who have been called the "humble heroes" of the autism community, founded Autism Nova Scotia. Aside from providing support to families and health-care providers, the charity offers several services that previously didn't exist in the province, ranging from summer camps to job and life-skills programs.
"I have never met a more generous couple," said Victor Goldberg, a Halifax lawyer and Mr. Craig's friend. "They epitomized giving back to the community."
John Robert Craig was born on May 26, 1930, on a modest family farm near Cornwall, Ont. He was the second-eldest of the four children of Robert and Jessie Craig. Life on the farm was difficult during the Depression and the war years and his childhood was consumed by farm work, leaving little time for fun.
He longed to escape the seemingly endless work and eventually left the farm to attend the Haileybury School of Mines in Northern Ontario, aiming to land a good-paying job in the mining industry. One evening at a social function, a young woman named Joan Lewis, from Kirkland Lake, caught his eye. The couple eloped and married at a church in North Bay on Oct. 30, 1954.
They moved to South Porcupine, Ont., and from there Mr. Craig travelled around Northern Ontario selling equipment to mining companies. In 1955, the first of their two sons was born. They knew their son, Robert, was different from other babies, but with no supports in the community and no means of diagnosis they were left alone to raise a child they would later determine was on the Asperger syndrome side of the autism spectrum disorder. With Mr. Craig away from home much of the time on sales trips, motherhood was isolating and challenging for Mrs. Craig.
The couple eventually moved to Montreal where Mr. Craig continued his success in equipment sales and where their second son, Michael, was born in 1960. In the city, they found a nursery school designed for children with special needs. But there were still few supports and even fewer prospects for children with developmental brain disorders.
Mrs. Craig remembers being told bluntly by one medical professional that Robert would never amount to anything in life. She couldn't believe that.
"All I knew was that I had to do something for him," she said. With the support of her husband, she became the strongest advocate for their son, who eventually went to university and lives independently.
In 1963, the family moved to Halifax, where Mr. Craig became sales manager for N.S. Tractors and Equipment Ltd. Eight years later, he was the company's president and general manager.
"Jack was a salesman," said John Roy, his accountant and long-time friend. "He was always a salesman."
An astute businessman, with a down-to-earth, caring quality about him, Mr. Craig loved the thrill of business negotiations, Mr. Roy said.
"He was a deal maker with an exceptional ability to judge character," Mr. Goldberg agreed. "He had no airs. He was someone who liked people."
With little more than a $5,000 life insurance policy to use as collateral, Mr. Craig went to the Bank of Nova Scotia and got a small business loan. With it, he and a colleague bought N.S. Tractors in 1971. In 1985, Mr. Craig became the company's sole owner. Four years later, he purchased Tractors and Equipment Ltd. in Fredericton and in 1992, he merged both companies into Atlantic Tractors and Equipment. Not long after, he sold the company and retired, devoting more time to his philanthropic work.
"In 35 years [of his working life], I don't think he ever missed a complete week of work," Mrs. Craig said. "He was only sick on weekends."
Mr. Craig, well-known for his business acumen, was asked to lead several, often financially strapped, arts organizations. In 1974, he became director of Neptune Theatre in Halifax and served as its president from 1976 to 1978, helping to revive it.
An avid art collector, he joined the board of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and served as chair from 1980 to 1982. In 1985, he spearheaded a fundraising campaign to find a permanent home for the gallery and helped to raise nearly $12-million, far exceeding the target, said Bernard Riordon, founding director of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.
"He was a humble person and a very successful and determined person," Mr. Riordon said. "He had a determination and a compassion for the arts."
The Craigs' financial support allowed, among many other things, an exhibit of the works of Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis to travel across the country, as well as the development of an autism arts program at the gallery.
When the Craigs moved from their stately home in Halifax to a smaller apartment, they donated about 20 works of art to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and another 20 pieces to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton.
In retirement, Mr. Craig indulged his passion for fast cars, something he would never have taken the time to enjoy while running his business, his wife said. He bought himself a Ferrari, a Maserati and several Porsches. For years, he raced his Porsche at Circuit Mont-Tremblant, a 4.25-kilometre race circuit in Quebec, and went as a spectator to the Monaco Grand Prix.
When a picture of him driving his convertible Maserati appeared in 2002 in the Halifax edition of the satirical magazine Frank, he chuckled. Along with his picture ran the headline: "Mystery Middle-aged Maserati Man." The magazine printed a hotline for readers to call if they could identify the driver. Mr. Craig was identified in a subsequent issue. He kept a copy of the magazine for a good laugh.
Generous by nature, he loved to let others enjoy his cars. He lent them to charity events and to friends. When a devastated friend returned one of his sports cars with a scratch, Mr. Craig didn't think twice before responding calmly: "It's only a car."
Once, while travelling from Halifax to New Brunswick on business, he let Mr. Goldberg drive his Maserati, which was equipped with an illegal radar detector. When they heard police sirens and pulled over, Mr. Craig hid the device in the car. Knowing it was somewhere in the car, the police officer asked him to hand it over and proceeded to issue a ticket for speeding and another for possessing an unlawful detector. Years later, Mr. Craig loved to tell the story but was still upset that his radar detector was never returned.
One of his greatest pleasures was meeting Scottish-born Jackie Stewart, the British former Formula One driver. Having met at least five times over the years, the "Flying Scot" eventually came to recognize Mr. Craig, saying: "Oh, you're Jack from Halifax."
For his work and philanthropy, Mr. Craig received honorary degrees from the University of King's College, Dalhousie University and NSCAD University in Halifax. In 1995, he was named a member of the Order of Canada as a patron of the arts; Mrs. Craig was named a member of the order in 2007.
"He was just one of those people who make the world a better place," Mr. Goldberg said.
Mr. Craig leaves his wife, Joan; his sons, Robert and Michael; and his sister, Frances Dunlop.
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Note: HI84
Note: (Research):The Craig Gallery
The Craig Gallery at Alderney Landing The Craig Gallery provides an important opportunity for amateur and established artists to display their works. Painters, sculptors, and interactive multi-media artists have exhibited their works in the Gallery to date. Future plans for the Gallery include programs for children providing education and exposure to the world of visual art. We believe that Alderney Landing is an important component in the development and overall enhancement of the visual arts in our community.
"Thanks again for your guidance and support throughout my all-important first gallery show... My overall experience at the Craig Gallery was truly a positive one and I look forward to an opportunity to do another show at some point in the future. I firmly believe that venues such as the Craig Gallery at Alderney Landing are fundamental to the education and promotion of Arts and Fine Crafts in the Halifax-Dartmouth area. I certainly will continue promoting the Craig Gallery as a worthwhile destination."
- Denise E. Jeffery The Craig Foundation for the Visual and Performing Arts Founded by Jack and Joan Craig, this private family foundation supports the visual and performing arts in Nova Scotia. As long time philanthropists, Mr. and Mrs. Craig have contributed to a number of local and provincial organizations with emphasis on the visual and performing arts. The Craig Foundation has contributed significantly to Alderney Landing's Capital Campaign and in recognition of their donation; Alderney Landing's Art Gallery is designated in their honour.
Craig Gallery at Alderney Landing
2 Octerloney Street
PO Box 725
Dartmouth, NS
B2Y 3Z3
902-461-4698
(f) 902-461-4679
info@alderneylanding.com
Volunteering
The Craig Gallery is staffed by a dedicated group of volunteers, some of whom belong to the Dartmouth Visual Arts Society. Each volunteer dedicates two 3-hour shifts or more per month. The Craig Gallery Volunteer duties include sitting in the Gallery during opening hours, answering questions and discussing the current exhibits with gallery guests, and opening and closing the Gallery. Becoming a Craig Gallery Volunteer is a wonderful opportunity to see a wide variety of art, meet new people, and help support the arts in Dartmouth. Please call 902-461-4698 if you wish to become a volunteer at the Craig Gallery at Alderney Landing.
THE CRAIG GALLERY AT ALDERNEY LANDING is currently accepting proposals for exhibits. Interested artists should submit an exhibit proposal, current C.V,10 images on CD Rom, and 10 labeled slides to The Craig Gallery at Alderney Landing.
For any additional information or to make inquiries, please contact
Kim Farmer Craig Gallery Coordinator (902) 461-4698 kim@alderneylanding.com *************************************************************************
Dalhousie University and Craig Foundation
Achieve Funding Goal for Craig Chair in Autism Research
Wednesday, November 3, 2004: Halifax , Nova Scotia - The Joan and Jack Craig Chair in Autism Research at Dalhousie University is celebrating a major milestone. Thanks to a $1 million gift from The Craig Foundation of Halifax, Dalhousie University and its Faculty of Medicine recently reached their $2 million goal for this endowed Chair. Through the Craig Foundation, Joan and Jack Craig matched the $1 million raised by the University. Dalhousie's portion was raised through the generosity of six corporate and private donors. Four of the contributors were the R. Howard Webster Foundation, The Windsor Foundation, the Eric. T. Webster Foundation, and Brian and Irene MacLeod. The remaining two donors were anonymous.
The Joan and Jack Craig Chair in Autism Research was established in May 1999 at Dalhousie University in partnership with the IWK Health Centre, a teaching hospital affiliated with the University. The Chair was created to attract an outstanding individual in the field of autism to foster new knowledge and treatment practices, and to enhance diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in the Maritimes and beyond.
The Chair was established through another, initial gift from the Craigs. In October 2001, the Chair celebrated its second major milestone with the announcement of Dr. Susan Bryson, a world-renowned expert in Autistic Spectrum Disorder, as the first Chair holder.
"It's always an exciting occasion to announce the establishment of a university research chair. But it's even more significant to achieve the completion of the endowment for that Chair, which essentially guarantees that the important work of the Chair and the Chair holder can continue long into the future," says Dalhousie University President Dr. Tom Traves.
Autistic Spectrum Disorder, which includes autism and other pervasive developmental disorders, affects at least one in 500 people. Individuals with the disorder show differences in the areas of social development, communication and behaviour, and typically have learning deficits. Early identification and intervention are very important and can greatly improve the outcome of the lifelong disorder.
The Craig Chair in Autism was the first university research chair of its kind established in Canada. "The creation of this Chair represents a major step forward for autism research, and a tremendous gesture of vision and generosity on the part of the donors," says Dr. Harold Cook, Dean of Medicine. "With funding secured for this important Chair, ground-breaking research can continue and provide us with more and more answers to this perplexing disorder."
Chair holder Dr. Susan Bryson is a faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics at Dalhousie University and the IWK Health Centre.
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Media inquiries, contact :
Charmaine Gaudet, 902-494-2735 charmaine.gaudet@dal.ca
Jodi Reid, 902-494-1900, jodi.reid@dal.ca
Copyright © 2004 by Dalhousie University. All rights reserved. Disclaimer
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