- Canadian industrialist Roy Adelbert Jodrey, DCL, LLD,
Hantsport, died Sunday morning in Halifax. He was 84.
Born in White Rock, Kings County, he was a son of the
late Joseph P. and Annie (Hartington) Jodrey.
A son of a cabinet maker, Mr. Jodrey began his business
career growing and exporting apples from the Annapolis
Valley. With others, he built hydro-electric power plants at
White Rock and for several years was managing director
of Avon River Power Co. Ltd. He established Minas Basin
Pulp and Power Co. Ltd. in 1927. and Canadian Keyes
Fibre Co., Ltd. in 1933. His business interests extended
from Newfoundland to South America.
During his lifetime Mr. Jodrey was director and vice-president
of many Canadian companies, and in 1959 held the distinction
of sitting on more company boards then any man in Canada.
At the time of his death he was an honorary-director of
the Bank of Nova Scotia, Crown Life Insurance Co., Minas Basin
Pulp and Paper Co. Ltd. and Canadian Keyes Fibre Co. Ltd.
During his business career, Mr. Jodrey was president of Minas Basin
Pulp and Paper Co. Ltd. until 1969, and Canadian Keyes Fibre Co. Ltd.
He was vice-president of Eastern Chartered Trust Company and
director of Canadian Cement Co. Ltd., Fraser Companies Ltd.,
Nova Scotia Light and Power Co. Ltd. until 1969, Algoma Central
Railways companics, Hawker Siddeley Canada Ltd., Dominion Steel
and Coal Corp. Ltd., until 1957 and also Dominion Coal Co. Ltd.
Although Mr. Jodrey left school at 13, he made a major
contribution to higher education in Nova Scotia. In 1969
he donated $250,000. each, to Dalhousie University and
Acadia University to establish a chair of business administration
at Dalhousie and the Roy A. Jodrey chair in science at Acadia.
When Mr. Jodrey made the two donations, Dr. J. M. R. Beveridge
of Acadia, said “he (Mr. Jodrey) has demonstrated in clear and
unequivocal manner his high régard for universities." Mr. Jodrey
received a doctor of civil law from Acadia in 1963.
In 1964 he donated 400 acres of land for a provincial park
in the Cape Blomidon district in the Annapolis Valley for a
public park. The park was officially opened Friday.
Mr. Jodrey was chosen as the Annapolis Valley’s Man of The Year
in 1965. During the ceremony he told Valley residents that “people
have got to work hard.” He urged them to save their money and put
it to use in the Annapolis Valley. “Don't send it all out of the Valley
to keep places outside. Use it to develop land and industry here,
not to build up Ontario, the rest of Canada and the United States.
There’s hardly anything like the Annapolis Valley in the word,”
he said at the time.
In the same year he was honored when the Algoma Central and
Hudson Bay Railway Company, of which Mr. Jodrey was once a
director, named a Great Lakes vessel, the MV Roy A. Jodrey.
Mr. Jodrey was made an honorary member of the Nova Scotia
Fruitgrowers Association in 1960. During the presentation he
was described as one of Canada’s most outstanding financial figures.
In 1957 he opposed the taking over of Dosco by the A. V. Roe of
Canada Corporation, following his rejection from the board
of directors of Dosco. He said that as a Nova Scotian, he wanted
continuance of control by interests concerned with using raw
materials — coal and ore — produced in the Atlantic area.
Mr. Jodrey is survived by his wife, the former Lena Isabel
Coldwell; a son, John Joseph and two daughters, Florence
(Mrs. L. G. Bishop), Hantsport and Jean (Mrs. D. S. Hennigar)
of Sheffield Mills.
The remains are resting at Lohnes’ Funeral Home, Windsor.
Funeral service will be held Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Hantsport
United Baptist Church. Rev. Gordon Gower will officiate.
Burial will be in Gaspereau cemetery.
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1888 - 1973 (84 years)
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