UPEI mourns the passing of honorary degree recipient Dr. Charlie Scranton
The University of Prince Edward Island extends its condolences to the family of Charles Scranton, CM, LLD who passed away on December 10, 2013 at the age of 97. Dr. Scranton received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University in 2005.
"Charlie Scranton made an outstanding contribution to his country as a second world war veteran and as a champion of the agricultural sector,' said President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. 'The community has lost a great man who had a long and distinguished career and gave tremendously to his community.'
Born near Guysborough, N.S. in 1916, Charles Stewart Scranton graduated from Guysborough Academy and then studied agriculture at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College and business at Northern Vocational School in Toronto.
Following service during World War II, he began a 32-year career with the Federal Government, moving to PEI in 1940. His first position was that of Poultry Fieldman and he was eventually promoted to the position of Inspector in Charge of the Poultry Division of Agriculture Canada for PEI, retiring early to devote his full time to the raising and promotion of Hereford cattle. The high quality Herefords of Scranton Park Ranch achieved national fame.
Dr. Scranton was inducted into the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1981, served as president of the Canadian Hereford Association in 1983, and was later placed on its honour roll. In 1989, the Hereford show at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto was named in his honour. Scranton was secretary-treasurer of the PEI Hereford Association for a decade and represented the province as a director of the Maritime Beef Testing Society for 19 years. He also served on the board for the PEI Federation of Agriculture and the PEI Provincial Exhibition, which presented him with a plaque for 50 years of meritorious service. He became member of the Order of Canada in 2006.
In addition to his contributions in agriculture, Scranton spent many years in service to his community-he was past vice-president of the Maritime Baptist Convention, and was co-founder of Camp Seggie in Rice Point, one of the largest Baptist camps in Atlantic Canada.
In 2010, Dr. Scranton was interviewed for the digitized 'Island Voices' collection as part of the Island Archives at UPEI's Robertson Library. Listen to the interview where he talks about his birth, his ancestors and the family farm, his parents, fishing and farming, the Guysborough area, religion, the Moases Coady Institute, his brothers, his first jobs, his work with poultry, and various other topics.
