Arthur Russell Virgin

Arthur Russell Virgin (said Arthur R. Virgin) (born May 2, 1877 – 1968) (husband of Janet Blake) was a financier, corporate director, agricultural producer and philanthropist of North Hatley, in Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality, in Estrie, in Quebec, Canada.

For other people with the surname Virgin, see Virgin (disambiguation).
Arthur Russell Virgin
Born(1877-05-02)May 2, 1877
Died1968
NationalityAmerican and Canadian
OccupationAdministrator, financier, agricultural producer and philanthropist
Known forCreation of the Piggery Theatre
Director of United States Steel

Arthur Russell Virgin does not appear in the 1901 and 1911 Census of Canada. According to the 1921 Census of Canada, Arthur R. Virgin (44 old age and single) was born in the United States, immigrated to Canada in 1907, and lived on rent ($25 per month) in North Hatley. He only spoke English at the time. He worked as a manager, earning $2100 the last 12 months. He was of the Congregationalist faith.[1]

He married Janet Blake in 1928. He died in 1968 at 91 years old. His funeral was held at St. Barnabas Church, North Hatley, on July 22, 1968.[2]

Career

In November 1911, the Sherbrooke Daily Record reported that: "Mr. Arthur R. Virgin, of Concord, New York, who was secretary to the general manager of the Eastern Townships Bank for some time, has returned to town and will again be on the staff of the institution."[3] This institution merged on March 1, 1912, with the Canadian Bank of Commerce which subsequently became Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).

For many years, Arthur R Virgin was manager of the branch of the Commercial Bank (CIBC) of North Hatley, notably in 1917.[4] The village of North Hatley is well known as a resort. Since the very end of the 19th century, tourism has been the main industry in the village, especially in summer thanks to Massawippi Lake. Many vacationers are wealthy and many of them are from US. Thus, Arthur R Virgin then cultivated great social and business relationships with the affluent clientele of this financial institution.

Arthur R Virgin becomes one of the most prestigious directors of the powerful American company United States Steel.[5] Given his success in finance, he became a multimillionaire.

Ancestral home in North Hatley

His wife Janet Blake was a philanthropist, social event organizer, farmer specializing in the Jersey breed, as well as a well-engaged participant in regional and provincial farm shows. She was well regarded by the public and involved in the community of North Hatley.

On April 15, 1931, the Virgin-Blake couple moved into the large ancestral house of “Clematis Farm” in North Hatley.[6] After Janet Blake took possession of this farm, the ancestral home underwent extensive renovations.

Janet Blake took possession of this farm in 1931. She ran the farm herself with an average herd of 25 dairy cows, sometimes up to 30. This model farm was accredited for its purebred breeding program of the race Jerseys.

Community involvement of Arthur R Virgin

In January 1911, Arthur R Virgin was appointed one of the directors to the board of directors of the Sherbrooke Skating Club.[7]

In July 1914, the Sherbrooke Daily Record indicates that Arthur R Virgin left for Concord, N.H., his vacation home;[8] his parents lived there. In February 1915, Arthur R Virgin, then a resident of Sherbrooke, made a monetary donation to the Canadian War Contingent Association, which supported the Canadian military effort during the First World War.[9]

During World War I, Virgin became particularly interested in the work of the Canadian Red Cross Society in Europe. In 1918 Arthur R Virgin was appointed an officer of the North Hatley Patriotic Association, with Rev. E.B. Husband, Mrs W.E. LeBaron, Rev. M. Margraff, W.E. LeBaron and Miss Flora Bryant.”[10]

In 1942, Virgin was part of the North Hatley Victory Loan Campaign committee to financially support Canada's war effort in World War II.[11]

Between 1962 and 1964, the theatrical activities presented by the North Hatley Playhouse Guild (1956-1962) ceased suddenly, due to the collapse in the winter of 1962 of the roof of the old curling club under the weight of the snow. A group of citizens organized themselves to re-establish the activities of a summer theater. Arthur R Virgin was particularly involved in this cause.[12][13] In 1965, the latter had been treasurer of the first board of directors of the Guild.

The Piggery Theater - Le théâtre Piggery

Arthur R Virgin made a significant contribution to the Piggery Theatre (Français: Le Théâtre Piggery) by making a donation in 1964 to the Townships Playhouse Guild of an 11,831 m2 plot of land located at 215 Simard Road in Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley. This plot included a block building used initially as a pigsty; the latter was built in 1945, then turned into a warehouse.[14] In addition, Virgin donated $ 5,000 in cash. As a result of this generous donation, a fundraising of $ 60,000 allowed the launch of the theater project.[15][16][17] The Piggery is now the only English-language summer theater in the Eastern Townships.

The English term "piggery" means that the theater was set up in 1964–1965 in the piggery/warehouse of Arthur R Virgin.[18]

See also

References
  1. 1921 Census of Canada.
  2. Obituary of Arthur Russell Virgin, Sherbrooke Daily Record, 20 juillet 1968, p. 5.(in English)
  3. Article «City News», journal Sherbrooke Daily Record, November 22, 1911, p. 4.(in English)
  4. Article “City News” of Sherbrooke Daily Record, 14 avril 1917, p. 5, containing the message: “Mr. Arthur Virgin, of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, North Hatley, has returned from Baltimore, Md., where he spent Easter, the guest of Mrs. E. Daves.”(in English)
  5. Article "North-Hatley n’a pas oublié Jeannette Blake" (North-Hatley has not forgotten Jeannette Blake), by Gilles Dallaire, journal La Tribune, July 28, 1983, p. A4.(in French)
  6. Article of Sherbrooke Daily Record, April 17, 1931”.(in English)
  7. Article «City News», journal Sherbrooke Daily Record, 18 janvier 1911, p. 4.(in English)
  8. Article "Barnston", journal Sherbrooke Daily Record, 17 juillet 1914, p. 2.(in English)
  9. Article “Our Opportunity! Something We Can Do To Help”, journal Sherbrooke Daily Record, 26 février 1915, p. 1.(in English)
  10. “From The Record Files” article stating “Thirty Years Ago”: “The following officers were named for the North Hatley Patriotic Association: Rev. E.B. Husband, Mrs W.E. LeBaron, Rev. M. Margraff, W.E. LeBaron, A.R. Virgin and Miss Flora Bryant.”, Sherbrooke Daily Record, October 1, 1948, p. 4.(in English)
  11. Article «Total Objective For No. 6 Zone In Victory Loan Campaign Has Been Announced At $5,603,000”, Sherbrooke Daily Record, 17 octobre 1942, p. 3.(in English)
  12. Article “Le Théâtre Piggery - Un quart de siècle d’amour entre une communauté et son institution culturelle» (The Piggery Theater - A quarter of a century of love between a community and its cultural institution), by Pierrette Roy, journal La Tribune, May 26, 1990, cahier 6, p. 2.(in French)
  13. Article «York: People are power behind Piggery», by Claudia Villemaire, journal The Record, 8 juin 1990, supplement 1, p. 5.(in English)
  14. Article "Le Théâtre Piggery - Un quart de siècle d’amour entre une communauté et son institution culturelle" (The Piggery Theater - A quarter of a century of love between a community and its cultural institution), by Pierrette Roy, journal La Tribune, 26 mai 1990, cahier 6, p. 2.(in French)
  15. Article "Le Théâtre Piggery - Un quart de siècle d’amour entre une communauté et son institution culturelle", by Pierrette Roy, journal La Tribune, Mai 26, 1990, cahier 6, p. 2.(in French)
  16. Article "The Piggery: You’ve come a long way, piblet", by Timothy Belford, journal The Record, 2 juillet 1982.(in English)
  17. Article "North-Hatley n’a pas oublié Jeannette Blake" (North-Hatley has not forgotten Jeannette Blake), par Gilles Dallaire, journal La Tribune, 28 juillet 1983, p. A4.(in French)
  18. According to the assessment roll report of the Municipality of Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley for 2020(in English)
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