The Rural Voice, 2000-07, Page 54People
Hall of Fame honours Russell Bolton
The family of the late Russell T.
Bolton was on hand at the Farm
Museum in Milton, June 11 when he
was inducted into the Ontario
Agriculture Hall of Fame.
Those in attendance included his
sons Art, who now runs the pedigree
seed business established by his
father and Mac, former Ag Rep in
Bruce County.
"It was very dignified. It was well
appreciated," said Art Bolton of the
ceremony to honour his father who
died in 1986 at age 85. "It was a very
important day for our family."
A citation to be hung on the wall
of the Hall of Fame Gallery notes
that Russell Bolton was "widely
known as a Huron County pedigreed
seed grower and 10 -time winner of
the World Hay Championship at the
Royal Winter Fair."
As well, he helped establish the
marketing agency under the Ontario
Wheat Producers' Marketing Board
in the 1960s. He also, through the
Bacon Litter Competitions in 1932,
helped establish the concept of
adding protein to grains to provide
proper nutrition for pigs.
In 1956, he began producing and
selling registered and certified seed
through the Canadian Seed Grower's
Association and became a "select"
seed grower in 1966. He received the
Canadian Seed Growers'
Association's "long service"
certificate for his contributions to the
pedigree seed business.
As well, Bolton was an organizer
and early president of the Huron Soil
and Crop Improvement Association
and was a 1941 charter member of
the Huron County Federation of
Agriculture which became one of the
largest branches in Ontario. Through
the Federation, the Huron County
Medical Service Co-operative was
formed and Bolton became the first
president.
"That model was the forerunner of
the current Ontario Health Insurance
Program," notes the Hall of Fame
Citation.
Bolton was also on the Seaforth
High School Board and played with
the Seaforth Highland Band.
Among those inducted in the same
ceremony were: Samuel Nelson
Monteith of Sebringville who was
inister in 1907 when the
. were appointed; the
Stewart, seed producer,
of Ailsa Craig; the late Gerry Long
of Delaware; Graydon Thomas
Bowman of Temiskaming and Bob
Serson Sparling of Kinburn in
eastern Ontario.0
Rural Voice celebrates 25 years
Several editors and columnists
from the past were on hand, June 10
when the 25th anniversary of the
founding of The Rural Voice was
celebrated with a dinner and party in
Blyth.
Susan White, editor of the
magazine when her father Andy
McLean was publisher from 1978 to
1982, was on hand to meet former
staffers. White is now a journalism
instructor at Loyalist College in
Belleville.
Also present was Lise Gunby,
who was part of the Gunby family
operation in the 1980s. Today Lise is
a freelance writer and homemaker
living in Grey County.
Sheila Gunby and Bev Brown, the
dynamic duo who took the magazine
to new heights in the mid-1980s were
on hand. Gunby, as editor, and
Brown, in advertising sales, took
over the magazine from the McLeans.
Former controversial columnist
Adrian Vos was present. He now
lives retired on the farm where he
produced hogs for many years. He
joined present columnists Rhea
Hamilton -Seeger, Patti Robertson,
Janice Becker and Bonnie Gropp.
Unable to attend were Gisele Ireland
and Robert Mercer.
Allen Hughes, vice-president of
the Perth County Federation of
Agriculture, Murray Clark, president
of the Bruce County Federation and
Brenda McIntosh of the Huron
Federation brought greetings from
their organizations.0
Actor takes his
part seriously
Call Christopher Morris an
actor who takes his part seriously.
Last summer Morris and other
actors preparing to take part in Paul
Thompson's collectively -created
play Death of the Hired Man at the
Blyth Festival, worked on the farm
of Mike and Cynthia Beretta near
Bluevale. On the final day he
recalls realizing he didn't want to
leave the field.
So, after the show closed,
Morris stayed on at the Beretta
farm, helping out. When the
Berettas closed their Brussels
abattoir and butcher shop and took
the job managing an organic farm
near King City, Morris went with
them. He hasn't given up acting (he
performed in the remount of the
play at Blyth in June) and his new
location allows him to both act in
Toronto and help out on the farm.0
Gaunt honoured
at CKNX
celebration
The old TV studio at CKNX is
mostly unused these day but on
May 27 it was filled with friends
and associates as CKNX paid
tribute to long-time farm director
Murray Gaunt on his retirement.
Representatives of farm groups,
old neighbours and colleagues from
the media were all invited to the
event. Among those speaking was
Bill French, a Mitchell -area farmer
who is a member of the CKNX
Radio Farm Advisory Board. Also
speaking was Don Pullen, former
Ag Rep from Huron and a long-
time friend. Pullen presented Gaunt
with a lambskin which came from a
sheep descended from stock his
wife Florence bought from
Murray's father Andy. Pullen also
recalled how Gaunt, who won the
Queen's Guineas at the Royal
Winter Fair in 1955, helped coach
him when he won the title in
1956.0