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John “Brother” MacDonald
The contributions of John Brother MacDonald to his community are legendary. Through athletics, education, community leadership and journalism, John Brother MacDonald has had a profound effect upon many generations and has been an icon in the community of Pictou County.
A native of Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, John Brother MacDonald is a graduate of both St. Francis Xavier and McGill universities. He is an inductee of the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame, the Pictou County Sports Hall of Fame, the St. F.X. Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame. An outstanding individual athlete in his own right, John Brother excelled in baseball, hockey, rugby and track and field and achieved many accolades. Under the guidance of the famous Father “Pops” McKenna, John Brother was an integral part of St. F.X. rugby and hockey championship teams as well as securing a 100 Yard Maritime Track Record and various baseball championships.
“John Brother” as he came to be known, arrived in Pictou County in 1947 as a highly recruited hockey player in the then elite senior hockey league. In 1948, he became Physical Education Director of the Town of New Glasgow schools. For more than three decades John Brother MacDonald became completely involved in the sports fabric of the community at large. The winning spirit and dedication experienced during his stellar collegiate and semi- pro baseball careers was passed on to his high school teams. Soon after his arrival to the New Glasgow area, John Brother built a partnership with the local service clubs, whereby the Kinsmen sponsored Little League Baseball and the Rotary Club sponsored Minor League Hockey. It is because of the leadership, dedication and foundation that John Brother MacDonald provided that both minor baseball and minor hockey continue to thrive in the community today. As a coach, John Brother led many high school and community teams to victory at the championship level.
John Brother MacDonald’s talents also extended to the field of journalism. He was the voice of sports in Pictou County through New Glasgow’s CKEC from the day the station opened its doors in 1953 to his retirement in 1995. The community would awaken to his famous introduction, “Good morning sports fans!” and to his closing, “We can’t all be good athletes but we can all be good sports.” He would offer sports reports three times per day and often would broadcast games during the golden era of junior and senior hockey in the area. John Brother could be found refereeing hockey at the collegiate, senior, junior and intermediate levels and was the ring announcer at many a boxing match as well.
John Brother inspired all of the athletes he coached to achieve his or her greatest potential and inspired in each a true love of the game. John Brother served not only as a teacher and coach to thousands of young people but perhaps even more importantly as a mentor, as a role model and as a friend. His service to community and to youth makes him a citizen that has had a significant and meaningful impact on life experienced in rural Nova Scotia.
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