Being a good sport pays off
With the lifetime of experience he’s had, it’s fitting that Doug Johnston will be a keeper of the Island’s sports legacy.
He and his older brothers were competitive sailors before he went on to play centre for the Mount Allison Mounties hockey team, including four-straight championship game appearances. So when Johnston was asked to represent Kings County on the Island’s Sports Hall of Fame and Museum board, he applied through Engage PEI.
“I can offer my experience, which is fairly extensive, in sports and community involvement,” said the Brudenell resident, adding he was the former chair of the hospital board and chaired the Montague Waterfront Development Corporation.
The retired civil engineer served as deputy minister of fisheries for both the Pat Binns and Joe Ghiz governments and represented Prince Edward Island on the team that solidified the Canada-U.S. trade agreement in 1987.
The Board of Directors for the Sports Hall of Fame and Museum manages the operations of the hall of fame and reviews applications for potential inductees. Johnston noted, however, that the final decision on hall of fame inductees is left to an arm’s-length committee. Since its inception in 1968, the Sports Hall of Fame has inducted more than 170 individuals and sports teams as honoured members. The hall of fame is housed at Credit Union Place in Summerside.
For a small province, there are some big names in the hall – from NHLer Forbes Kennedy to golfer Lorie Kane.
“It’s important to recognize the contributions they’ve made for Prince Edward Island in the field of sport,” he said.
Today, at age 83, Johnston cheers for the Ottawa Senators and is a powerhouse golfer; he shot an 81 at the Brudenell Club classic last year.
“That’s two strokes under my age,” he laughed.
Doug and his wife Beverly, a retired schoolteacher, have three grown children: a daughter who is a doctor in Sackville, New Brunswick, and two sons in Ottawa, one a tax lawyer and the other a writer.
Engage PEI matches Islanders with more than 70 provincial government agencies, boards, and commissions. To apply for an agency, board or commission that matches your interests, visit Engage PEI