Roy Fraser Armstrong (October 8, 1889 – October 11, 1986) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

hospital administrator and engineer who served as the Superintendent of

Kingston General Hospital The Kingston General Hospital (KGH) site is an acute-care teaching hospital affiliated with Queen's University located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Along with the Hotel Dieu Hospital (HDH) site, these hospitals form Kingston Health Sciences ...

from 1925 to 1957.

Early life

Armstrong was born on October 8, 1889, in

St. Andrews, New Brunswick Saint Andrews is a town in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada. The historic town is a national historic site of Canada, bearing many characteristics of a typical 18th century British colonial settlement, including the original grid layo ...

, to Robert Edwin and Margaret Patterson Armstrong. In 1910 he graduated from the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. From 1911 to 1915, he was a municipal consultant in

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. From 1913 to 1914, he took post-graduate courses in applied science at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

. In 1915, he was appointed engineer and superintendent of water and sewer in

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John () is a port#seaport, seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest Municipal corporation, incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign ...

Military

Armstrong enlisted in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

on May 4, 1916. He was appointed lieutenant in the 65th Battery of the

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. He was later transferred to the 14th Brigade. In

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, Armstrong served as an engineer. His duty was to ensure that the Canadian Expeditionary Force received an adequate supply of water. In 1918 he was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

at a ceremony in

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for distinguished action under enemy fire.

Town manager and consulting

In 1919, Armstrong became the first Town Manager of

Woodstock, New Brunswick Woodstock is a town in Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada on the Saint John River, upriver from Fredericton at the mouth of the Meduxnekeag River. It is near the Canada–United States border and Houlton, Maine and the intersection of Int ...

. In 1923 he married Muriel Smith of Woodstock. They had two children. That same year he went to work for the Citizens Research Institute of Canada, where he was employed as a consultant for public and industrial groups, including hospitals. His consulting work involved making administrative surveys and playing an active role in administrative reorganization. In 1924 he was appointed acting Superintendent of Victoria Hospital in

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

. He later returned to municipal management as Town Manager of

Windsor, Nova Scotia Windsor is a community located in Hants County, Nova Scotia, Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a service centre for the western part of the county and is situated on Nova Scotia Highway 101, Highway 101. The community has a history d ...

Kingston General Hospital

In 1924, Kingston General Hospital suffered from a number of personnel and management problems. Based on the recommendation of Dr. Horace Brittain, the hospital's Board of Governors decided to appoint someone with an administrative background rather than a medical one to run the hospital. Brittain also recommended that Armstrong be interviewed for the position. In March 1925, Armstrong was appointed Superintendent of Kingston General Hospital. Armstrong was able to balanced the hospital's budget while maintaining and adding new services. He led the hospital through the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Due to decreasing patient incomes during the Depression, Armstrong developed the Community Cooperative Group Hospital Plan, Ontario's first public health insurance plan. To help offset the reduction of rates caused by the Depression, In 1932, Armstrong and the entire hospital staff donated five percent of the salaries to the hospital. In 1942 he introduced a ten-year plan to expand the hospital. The expansion included the construction of the Victory Wing, which included the first cancer clinic in Ontario, a dietary wing, the Walter T. Connell Wing, and a children’s hospital. Armstrong retired from KGH in 1957, but stayed on as a consultant until the construction projects were completed. While at KGH, Armstrong was president of the

Ontario Hospital Association The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) is a member association that represents approximately 154 public hospitals in Ontario, Canada. History At the request of Dr. Fred W. Routley, then the Ontario Director of the Canadian Red Cross, a gr ...

and the Canadian Hospital Association, as well as was a fellow of the American College of Hospital Administrators.

Later life and death

After his retirement, Armstrong became a member of the Board of Governors of Kingston General Hospital. In 1976 KGH's outpatient building, the Fraser Armstrong Patient Centre, was named in his honor. He also worked as a representative of the

Montreal Trust Company The Montreal Trust Company is a Canadian trust company that has existed since 1889. In 1967, Paul Desmarais acquired minority control of the company. The following year, he transferred his shares in the company to the Power Corporation of Canada, ...

. In September 1983, Armstrong moved into a retirement home in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

. He died on October 11, 1986, from burns he suffered in a fire at the retirement home. He was 97 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, R. Fraser 1889 births 1986 deaths Accidental deaths in Ontario Canadian city managers and chief administrative officers Canadian civil engineers Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Canadian military engineers Canadian recipients of the Military Cross Deaths from fire Canadian hospital administrators McGill University Faculty of Science alumni People from Kingston, Ontario People from Saint Andrews, New Brunswick University of New Brunswick alumni Canadian military personnel of World War I Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery officers