HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-11-05, Page 83195
CHIIMPIDN
GSS/Wednesday Nov 5 1986
Grader Jack
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Jack MacDonald designed the 1946 grader (above)
and is still active at the drawing board today.
grader Jack
He designed 1946
Champion model grader
His middle name may be
Graham, but during his
40 -year association with
Champion Road Machinery. Ltd., he
was known as J. `Grader'
MacDonald. And for good reason. .
Jack MacDonald began working
for Champion as a draftsman in 1945
and over his 40 year association with
the manufacturer, he held 12 patents
on grader and component designs.
Still active in the design area on a
part-time basis, when Jack retired
from full-time duty in 1978, the
employees jokingly "took out a
patent on me." .
The Champion grader and many of
its components were a direct result
of the concept and designing
capabilities of Jack. And today, at
the age of 73, he is still involved in
what has become a passion;
designing road graders.
His career started in 1945 after he
had just been discharged from the
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
after a brief stint in headquarters in
Ottawa. Air Vice Marshall J. A.
Sully phoned MacDonald in August
1945, informed him he had purchased
a company in Goderich, and wanted
him to come and work.
I had no idea how, out of the
thousands of servicemen, he selected
me," MacDonald wondered. "He
was in charge of personnel so he had
access to thousandsof men. So I
came to Goderich to work for this
company. It was a crude setup and
there was on_; one draftsman."
The company had just moved to
the Maitland Road plant in 1943 and
MacDonald recalls that Art Roberts
was the general manager at the time
while Bud Jerry and Mary
MacLaren were running the office
operation. And it seemed to him the
company was having difficulty
deciding what i ,should
manufacture.
"They weren't building graders
then and were really betwixt and
between on work. They started
building gravel crushing and
screening equipment and they did
some boat work and also built
snowblowers," he said.
"So I came to Goderich arid it was
Labour Day, 1945, and the Air Vice
Marshall asked me what we should
build. "Road graders" I'told him
Photo by Dave Sykes
and he said, "Why?" and I told him
because I wanted to build something
with wheels and an engine. He asked
if I knew anything about the
machines and I told him "No, but I'll
find out."
MacDonald visited a Department
of Highways official in Collingwood
where he knew they used a grader,
with a coal stove in the cab, to plow
the road between Owen Sound and
Tobermory.
"He described the machine to me,
I dug out old manuals and made a
drawing. When I showed them to the
Air Vice Marshall, he liked 'them, so
I started drafting and we built a
prototype,'V MacDonald recalled.
International Harvester was so
Continued on Page 20
INCE 1914
Hay Stationery Incorporated was founded in 1914 and
has been serving Southwestern Ontario businesses
ever since. Just this year we moved into our new
50,000 sq. ft. headquarters to give our customers even
better service. „
Congratulations Champion, we share in your sense of
pride for Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow!
Hay
Stationery
Incorporated
1950 Oxford St. E., London, Ontario N5V 2Z8
Phone: 455-0055.. Toll Free: 1-800-265-1953
Over 20 years
Experience.
Complete collision repair
WEST SIDE
AUTO BODY
& COLLISION
38 Victoria St. N., Goderich 524-2494
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