Saint John & Beyond: July 2017

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Former "Saint John Chief of Police" Charlie Breen Passes Away - July 26, 2017

February 3, 1934 - July 26, 2017

Charles William "Charlie" Breen

Born in Saint John, N.B.

Charlie retired as the Chief of Police for the Saint John Police Department in 1988, a career that was very important to him. He was a gifted athlete, playing fastball for the Saint John Alpines and made it into the Saint John Sports Hall of Fame.

Resting at Brenan’s Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John, NB (634-7424) with visiting on Monday, July 31, 2017 from 2-4 and 6-8 pm. A Funeral Liturgy will be celebrated on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at 12:00 pm from Brenan’s Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will take place at Greenwood Cemetery. For those who wish, remembrances may be made to the Canadian Neuropathy Association, Canadian Cancer Society or any charity of the donor’s choice.

www.brenansfh.com

Monday, July 17, 2017

Donald Sutherland Born In Saint John - July 17, 1935

July 17, 1935

Donald Sutherland

(Photo;biography.com)

Born in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Sutherland is a Canadian actor whose film career spans more than five decades. He is the son of Dorothy (McNichol) and Frederick Sutherland, who worked in sales and ran the local gas, electricity and bus company. His teenage years were spent in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. He obtained his first part-time job, at the age of 14, as a news correspondent for local radio station CKBW.

Sutherland graduated from Bridgewater High School. He then studied at Victoria College, University of Toronto, where he graduated with a double major in engineering and drama. He had at one point been a member of the "UC Follies" comedy troupe in Toronto. He changed his mind about becoming an engineer and left Canada for Britain in 1957, studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Sutherland rose to fame after starring in series of successful films including The Dirty Dozen (1967), M*A*S*H (1970), Kelly's Heroes (1970), Klute (1971), Don't Look Now (1973), Fellini's Casanova (1976), 1900 (1976), Animal House (1978), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Ordinary People (1980) and Eye of the Needle (1981). Since then, he established himself as one of the most respected, prolific and versatile character actors of Canada.

He later went on to star in many other successful films where he appeared either in leading or supporting roles such as A Dry White Season (1989), JFK (1991), A Time to Kill (1996), Without Limits (1998), The Italian Job (2003), Cold Mountain (2003), Pride & Prejudice (2005), Aurora Borealis (2006) and The Hunger Games franchise (2012–2015).

Sutherland has been nominated for eight Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films Citizen X (1995) and Path to War (2002); the former also brought him a Primetime Emmy Award. Sutherland has also received a Canadian Academy Award for the drama film Threshold (1981). Several media outlets and movie critics describe him as one of the best actors who has never been nominated for an Oscar.

Sutherland was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on December 18, 1978. He is an inductee of Hollywood Walk of Fame and Canadian Walk of Fame.

He is father of actors Rossif Sutherland, Angus Sutherland, and Kiefer Sutherland. He maintains a home in Georgeville, Quebec.

(Photo;thefashionspot.com)

Kiefer and Donald Sutherland

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Wednesday, July 12, 2017

"MLB Player" Matt Stairs Born In Saint John - February 27, 1968

February 27, 1968

Matt Stairs

(Photo;nbsportshalloffame)

Born in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Growing up in Fredericton, Stairs showed athletic ability at an early age, playing Beaver League baseball a year before his age eligibility; he also excelled in hockey. After playing Bantam & Midget baseball, at age 16 and 17, he played for the local Marysville Royals of the New Brunswick Senior Baseball League and was voted "Rookie of The Year" in 1984 and the league's Most Valuable Player in 1985. He was also named Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League MVP in 1987 and '88 while playing for the Fredericton Schooners.

He attended the National Baseball Institute in Vancouver, British Columbia for one year and played for Canada at the 1987 World Amateur Championships in Italy where he was named to the "World All-Star" team. In 1988, he joined the Canadian Junior National team after graduating from Fredericton High School. From there he went on to play for the Canadian Olympic Team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

On January 17, 1989, Stairs was signed as an international free agent by the Montreal Expos. In his career, Stairs played for more teams than any position player in MLB history. He played for franchises, but technically 13 teams, as he played for both the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals.

He was the second Canadian-born player ever to hit more than thirty-five home runs in a season, and only the second to hit more than 25 home runs and drive in more than 100 runs in back-to-back seasons. He ranks either first or second in power hitting categories for Canadian major leaguers. Stairs also holds the all-time MLB record of home runs hit as a pinch-hitter with 23. His ability to pinch hit made him a valuable asset to several teams and earned him the nickname "Matt Stairs – Professional Hitter". Stairs, Larry Walker, Justin Morneau, Jason Bay and Joey Votto are the only Canadian MLB players to hit at least 200 career home runs.

On August 30, 2008, Stairs was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Stairs hit his first career postseason home run on October 13, 2008 in Game 4 of the 2008 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers off Jonathan Broxton, allowing the Phillies to take the lead and win the game. He won the first World Series ring of his 16-year career on October 29, 2008, when the Phillies won the series against the Rays, 4 games to 1. During his time with the team, T-shirts were marketed which touched on Stairs' pinch-hitting prowess in clutch situations. They used a warning which can be found in many elevators: "In Case of Emergency, Use Stairs."

On June 9, 2012, Stairs was elected to the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame. On February 4, 2015, Stairs was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. On November 21, 2016, Stairs was among those nominated and placed on the ballot for the 2017 Baseball Hall of Fame.

In November 2016, he was hired by the Philadelphia Phillies to be their hitting coach.