Jumpin' Jack Proud donates 1940s college memorabilia to Holland College

A well-known businessman throughout Atlantic Canada has given back to the college where he says he had the best four years of his life.

"Jumpin"  Jack Proud, formerly of P.E.I. and now of Moncton, donated his collection of memorabilia from his time as a student at Prince of Wales College to Holland College.

The donation was made when Proud, a graduate of the class of 1947 and now 90 years old, was attending the former college's reunion. He donated yearbooks, pictures of various sporting teams and college organizations.

"I had tons of pictures and all kinds of articles in the paper, writeups for the games. I can cover three tables with it," he said of all the items he had.

"We played all kinds of sports, we played basketball, rugby, hockey - we had great hockey teams."

Proud told Mainstreet host Angela Walker how during the Second World War players from Prince of Wales would join with those from St. Dunstan's University to form a team to play the older guys.

"I was coming in one day and had football boots or skates over my shoulder and Dr. Steel says, 'Mr. Proud, what did you come,  to play or to study?' I said, 'both Sir,' and he never bothered me after that."

Proud said acceptance to Prince of Wales College meant you could get accepted at any university in the country, even Oxford in England.

Nickname and book

When asked where he got the nickname "Jumpin Jack," Proud said it was something he said all the time and it stuck.

Proud operated Rustico Resort and was a sales representative for World's Finest Chocolate. Through those businesses, he said he was involved in a number of organizations and associations.

"People know Jumpin' Jack from Newfoundland to Victoria," Proud said of the nickname. "If I told them my last name, they wouldn't believe it.

"My father, who was a blacksmith, he always said we are by name of what most people are by nature "

Proud said he loved pigs and raced them. "I wear pig ties, I wear pig shorts but I don't expose those. I raced pigs in Rustico when I used to have harness racing out at the golf course.

I used to race harness horses, I raced pigs. Oh, I used to race pigs in Summerside and in the sidewalk sales in Charlottetown."

Proud shares many of these stories in his self-titled book. He will be in Charlottetown at the Bookmark for a signing on Oct. 28.

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