October 16th, 1916 - December 10th, 1983

Once again, it falls our lot to report, with deep regret, the passing of one of our members. James McDonald Kidd died suddenly at his home on Saturday, December 10th, 1983. Funeral services were held at Runnymede Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, December 13th, with a delegation of T.M.H.S. members in attendance.

Jim Kidd was one of the founding members of the Toronto Marine Historical Society, and had acted as Treasurer of the Society since its inception. A lifetime resident of Toronto, Jim became interested in lake shipping about 1930, and since then had been recording the various vessels on film. He also kept voluminous records of the ownership and movements of the ships, especially the canallers of pre-Seaway days. Not content with shipwatching only along the Toronto waterfront, Jim also journeyed to the Welland Canal in the early days, taking his bicycle along with him to Port Dalhousie on board either NORTHUMBERLAND or DALHOUSIE CITY.

His efforts in preserving the history of lake shipping were recognized by the Marine Historical Society of Detroit, when it awarded him its "Marine Historian of the Year" award in 1981.

In addition to being the watchdog of our T.M.H.S. finances and attending to matters involving memberships and renewals, Jim took a most active interest in the publication of "Scanner", and was of invaluable assistance in gathering information for inclusion in its pages.

The Toronto Marine Historical Society extends deepest sympathy to his wife, Margaret, and to his daughters Betty, Nancy and Lorraine and their families. In remembrance of Jim, our long-time friend and fellow member, this Society has made a donation to one of his favourite charitable organizations.

We shall miss him.

*****

Business must go on, however, and we are pleased to announce that William R. Wilson has accepted your Executive Committee's unanimous nomination and has agreed to take over the reins as T.M.H.S. Treasurer. Bill has been a member of the Society since its founding and, like Jim, was part of the group that met regularly at members' homes before the actual formation of T.M.H.S. He has been a member of the Executive Committee for a number of years and has done yeoman duty each year in arranging the details of our Annual Dinner Meeting. We know that he will carry on the dedication to duty in respect of the Society's finances that Jim always evidenced, and we welcome him to the position.

Members who may have correspondence in respect of membership, renewal, or other financial considerations, may address our new Treasurer as follows: *** WILLIAM R. WILSON, 173 Glenrose Avenue, TORONTO, Ontario M4T IK7. ***

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