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BY '1‘. ROGERS GARDHAM There are certain people, who when their names are mentioned, conjure up images of warmth, jus- tice, human caring, and leadership in a community. The person may be a community leader, preacher, teacher or business person. He was presented with the Fair’s Award (first time ever in its 164-year history) for meritorious service to the communities, agriculture and Markham Fair. Stouflville’s Blair Seeley. (right), president of the Markham Fair, presents an award to Sun-Tribune columnist Jim Thomas at the fair’s president’s night Saturday. Mr. Thomas was honoured for his decades of work with fair board members. See Mr. Thomas’ column on page 7 for the story of Mr. Seeley, who received a kidney transplant while serving as president. Today we call such people com~ munity icons, in this case two com- munities, Markham and Stoufiville. Iirn Thomas is such a person. A crowd of more than 600 people, including Markham Fair directors, committees, volunteers and com- munity representatives, gathered in the fair’s General Exhibits building for the annual President’s Banquet, rose from their seats as one, and accorded Jim a standing ovation. In his presentation remarks, Den- nis Seeley, a past president (1981), praised Jim, who he referred to as “Scoop” Thomas, for his constancy in supporting the fair with newspaâ€" per coverage, through fair times and foul, for more than 50 years. Jim was born April 9, 1929, on the 100â€"acre family farm of Herb and Catherine Thomas on the Ninth Line of Markham, just north of where the hospital is now located. ( 'l 1/ ’Come celebrate... ,/ i ( ) ,1 711w}: .1 50/1 (/3/11/(411 * * . SUN-TRIBUNE WRITER JIM THOMAS SALUTED AS COMMUNITY ICON ‘Scoop’s’ career toasted by fair board SUNâ€"TRIBUNE PEOPLE He has two brothers, Bob (Edna) and Don (Doris, a 36 year volunteer and former director of the Fair) and a sister, Betty (Norman). The living room of the Thomas’s home in Stoufiville exudes a feeling of warmth and horniness. A picture is observed in the hallway of Jim, his wife, Jean, and their three girls and three boys standing on a foot bridge in a park There are seven grandchildren. ROOKIE SPORTSWRITER As a newspaper man, Jim has an uncommon interest in, and insight into, people, a gift he attributes to his close relationship with his moth- er, a teacher who was instrumental in his becoming a reporter. Jim was asked to work for the Stouffville Tribune in 1951, mainlyas a sports writer. He lights up when he talks about the Stouffville Clippers hockey team winning the Ontario Sr. B championship in 1952. He is almost apologetic when he explains he has not been heav- ily involved with the fair. in spite of attending annually for 70 years. He does highlight the fact when he was a kid on the farm all work ceased on Saturday at noon and the whole family went to “the Fair". He also says with pride, “due to Gerri Seeley", he was judge for three years of Miss Markham Fair (“a tough job, but someone had to do it”) and “for two years, thanks to Marion Norton, I judged the pet contest”. It was then he began writing about Markham Fair. Jim has always been a strong fan of the fair and when he became editor of the Markham Economist in 1974, he committed to give the fair increased coverage. He recalls an early conversation with the then fair’s secretary, Gerry Mann. “The fair had not been used to extensive paper coverage and in my exuberance I began to set deadlines for fair reports, especially horse racâ€" ing and livestock class winners," Jim said. “Gerry, in his inimitable way, explained, ‘well, Jim, I have to wait for the races to be run and the judg- ing to be completed before I can give the results’; I learned a lot about the Fair that year! " Jim was editor of the Markham Economist 81 Sun and the Stouffville Tribune at a time when both com- munities were in the grip of massive change. Iim also appreciates the great relationsz he has had with other fair secretaries, Tony Arkell, Dave Morrison and Dan O'Brien. His support for the fair was most pronounced through the 19703 when the fair board sold its property at highways 7 and 48. Boundaries changed, the pop- ulation exploded, Markham Fair moved and Markham Stouffville Hospital was approved. The annual fair had been held there for more than a century, and the move in 1977 was not universally accepted by residents. Throughout these major changes ‘Iim’s papers' provided accurate information and general support for the fair's direc~ it did. Thanks to excellent indoor facilities, most programs were car- ried through on schedule, even some that hadn't been planned for thme locations. Strained between feelings of disappointment and a desire to make the best of a bad situation, offi- cials concluded that Markham Fair being a ‘people place: the best inter- ests of the people should prevail All things being right, this year would have set a new (attendance) record. The Fair With a Future will see better (and brighter) days ahead '1 The first fair at the new location was greeted by what was described as “the worst wind and rain storms in 30 years”, which started during Friday night and ended around 6 pm. on Sunday. MOVING TIME FOR FAIR Here's an excerpt from an edito- rial published following that fair: tors, which had a positive influence on the public at a time when con- versations were rife with rumours. “Brighter fair days ahead - The weatherman dealt fair oflicials a cruel blow. Outside activities could only be described as a ‘washouti Still the show had to go on, and go on Although he retired in 1989, Jim still writes a weekly column for the Stouffville Sun-Tribune. Besides pro viding insight into fair happenings, he also paints beautiful word porâ€" traits with feeling on the people who also serve and appreciate the fair. 7? Rogers Gardham is past-presiâ€" dent of Markham Fair who still volâ€" unteers with the fall tradition. Stouffville Sun-'I‘ribunel '1 'hursduy, Nov. 6, .2008 Whitchurchâ€"Stouffville resi- dents will have three chances to remember this week, thanks to Stouffville Branch 459 of the Royal Canadian Legion. Remembrance Day events hosted by Stoufivllle Legion A remembrance service will be held Sunday at l p.m. in the Stouffville Cemetery, Tenth Line south of Main Street. The larger Remembrance Day Service and laying of wreaths is scheduled for the cenotaph at the Ninth Line legion hall 'Ihes- day at 10.45 am. Refreshments will be served in the hall fol- lowing the service. Everyone is welcome. The event goes from 9 am. to 3 pm. at the hall. The legion’s ladies auxiliary hosts its Remembrance Day tea, bake show and craft show Sat- urday. All proceeds go to veterans' welfare. A light lunch is available Admission is free. For more information. call 905-640â€"3272 for 905â€"640-3604. Whitchurch-Stouffviile News Digest ' Celebration of Arts winner sings at schools’ concert The Town of Whitchurch- Stouffville bursary winner at last month's YRMG Celebration of the Arts concert will be back on stage tomorrow night. A]. de Boer, 13. will perform at Friday’s Student Music Schol- arship Concert at Stouffville Disâ€" trict Secondary School. The event, sponsored by St. James Presbyterian Church in Stoufi‘ville. has raised $57,000 for music programs in local schools. Have something to say about these or other ston‘es? E-mail us at jmason@yrmg.com Seven local schools will be represented by choirs and bands in the 16th annual show. Visit yorkregion.com for more on these and other stories The Show begins SOUND OFF 30 pm