Norm Jary
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Norman Willard Jary (April 8, 1929 – January 8, 2021) was a Canadian politician and broadcaster who served as Mayor of Guelph 1970 from 1985. He is the longest serving mayor in Guelph’s history. Outside of politics, Jary served as the news and sports director of CJOY and had a one year stint as the play-by-play announcer of the
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
.


Broadcasting

Jary was born on April 8, 1929, in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
. He graduated from
Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District in downtown Toronto, although i ...
's Academy of Radio and Television Arts. In 1951, he joined CJCS-FM in
Stratford, Ontario Stratford is a city on the Avon River (Ontario), Avon River within Perth County, Ontario, Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a 2021 Canadian census, 2021 population of 33,232 in a land area of . Stratford is the County seat, s ...
. In 1954 he was hired by CJOY as sports director and hockey play-by-play announcer. He eventually took on the role of news director as well. During his tenure at CJOY, he called games for the
Guelph Biltmores The Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1940 to 1942, and 1947 to 1960. The team was often known as the "Biltmores" and sponsored by the Guelph Biltmore Hat Company, and ...
, Guelph Royals, Guelph CMC’s/Mad Hatters/Platers, and Guelph Regals. He also playoff games for the Galt Hornets and
Chatham Maroons The Chatham Maroons are a junior hockey, junior ice hockey team based in Chatham, Ontario, Chatham, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). The Maroons were the 1970 Western Ontari ...
and filled-in for
Foster Hewitt Foster William Hewitt, (November 21, 1902 – April 21, 1985) was a Canadian radio broadcaster most famous for his play-by-play calls for ''Hockey Night in Canada''. He was the son of W. A. Hewitt, and the father of Bill Hewitt. Early life ...
on CKFH’s broadcasts of the
Toronto Marlboros The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was an ice hockey franchise in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 1903, it operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and la ...
and Toronto St. Michael's Majors. Jary was a member of the New York Rangers television broadcast team during the 1965-66 season. He was behind the microphone when
Bobby Hull Robert Marvin Hull (January 3, 1939 – January 30, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blond hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot t ...
broke
Maurice Richard Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard ( , ; August 4, 1921 – May 27, 2000) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens. He was the first player in NHL his ...
's single season record for goals scored. He also called the first
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
game televised in colour in the United States. Jary continued to live in Guelph during his season with the Rangers, commuting to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
on the weekend. He remained with CJOY until his retirement in 1994.


Politics

Jary began his political career in 1963 as the Progressive Conservative nominee for the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...
seat in Wellington South. He lost to incumbent Harry Worton. He was the PC nominee again in 1967, but again lost to Worton. Jary was elected to the Guelph board of aldermen in 1963. In 1970, Mayor Ralph Smith resigned to accept the position of city industrial commissioner and Jary was chosen by his fellow aldermen to fill the vacancy. He ran unopposed in 1971 and continued to serve until 1985, when he chose to instead run for city council to "avoid burnout". As mayor, Jary instituted reforms that allowed for greater public participation during city council meetings. He cast tie-breaking votes against granting a heritage designation to the Canada Trust building, in favour of the building of the Hanlon Expressway, and in favour of accepting the donation of the nude fountain to be placed in St. George's Square. Jary worked with
Wellington County, Ontario Wellington County is a county and census division located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The county consists of two towns and five townships, with its seat in the City of Guelph, which is geograp ...
, to assess the impact of creating a
Regional municipality A regional municipality (or region) is a type of Canadian municipal government similar to and at the same municipal government level as a county, although the specific structure and servicing responsibilities may vary from place to place. R ...
. Guelph and Wellington decided not to adopt this form of government. During his tenure, the Hanlon Expressway, Stone Road Mall, Willow West Mall, Guelph Auto Mall, New Guelph Civic Museum, Victoria Road Recreation Centre, Centennial Arena, and Eaton Centre were all constructed. Jary hosted a number of dignitaries, including four governors general and three prime ministers of Canada, three premiers of Ontario,
Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...
, the
Shah of Iran The monarchs of Iran ruled for over two and a half millennia, beginning as early as the 7th century BC and enduring until the 20th century AD. The earliest Iranian king is generally considered to have been either Deioces of the Median dynasty () ...
, and the
Premier of the People's Republic of China The premier of China, officially the Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, is the head of government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and leader of the State Council. This post was established in 1911 near the e ...
. He also greeted
Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, having had one leg amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for can ...
during his Marathon of Hope. From 1985 to 2000, Jary represented Ward 3 on the Guelph city council. In 1999, the council voted to rename Willowdale Park in Jary’s honor.


Later life

After leaving the council, Jary remained involved in the Guelph community through charitable work. From 1978 to 2019 he hosted the Norm Jary Golf Tournament, which raised money for Community Living Guelph Wellington. In 2015 his wife of 64 years, Jean, died. Jary spent his later years in a Guelph retirement community. He died on January 8, 2021, at the age of 91.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jary, Norm 1929 births 2021 deaths Canadian radio journalists Journalists from Toronto Mayors of Guelph New York Rangers announcers Politicians from Toronto Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario candidates in Ontario provincial elections Toronto Metropolitan University alumni 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario