Alexander Frank Thomson
Born in 1934 on a farm that had been in the family since 1813, Frank鈥檚 early years were shaped by the struggles endured by rural folks in the depression, the war years and the lean times of the late 1940s and 1950s.
Along with three siblings, Frank attended local schools. When his father broke his leg in a logging accident - at the age of 16, Frank鈥檚 formal education came to an abrupt end because he was needed at home to operate the farm. In the early years the Thomson鈥檚 shipped cream, a contract that was later replaced by a fluid milk quota.
As a young man in the 1950s, Frank assisted in the organization of the 鈥淔armers Forum Program鈥� where neighbours gathered at one another鈥檚 homes to discuss various aspects of agriculture. Later in that decade he was instrumental in establishing the first 4-H club in the West River area of Antigonish.
For Frank, the 1960s were years of transition. In 1962, Frank married Betty Van Berkel, a daughter of Dutch Immigrants who in the early 1950s had settled on a farm across the river from the Thomson鈥檚. Together they set upon the task to convert this century old mixed farm into a very successful modern dairy enterprise. They joined the Holstein Association, enrolled in the ROP Program and established the Gleann Farm prefix.
Frank鈥檚 involvement in and dedication to issues pertaining to the agricultural community is extensive. For many years Frank was a director and board member of the Antigonish Federation of Agriculture, The Eastern Nova Scotia Exhibition, The Eastern Nova Scotia Holstein Club, Eastern Dairyfoods Coop and later Scotsburn Coop, The Braemore Coop, Antigonish Farm and Garden Coop, Soils and Crops Association of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Grains Commission. In a number of these organizations, he held executive positions of president and/or vice president. Purpose and integrity are the hallmarks used to describe Frank Thomson鈥檚 character.
Besides being a director of the Eastern Nova Scotia Exhibition in Antigonish, Frank was an active exhibitor for over 60 years. Along the way he showed in many arenas, among them Pictou, Truro, Halifax, Moncton and Toronto. He won many awards.
Winning Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor awards at the Eastern Nova Scotia Exhibition; the recognition by his peers in the 1984 Farmer of the Year Award and the Gleann prefix all Canadian Holstein Master Breeder Award in 2005, are among the most coveted of Frank鈥檚 many accomplishments.
Community involvement outside the agriculture sphere saw Frank twice elected to the Antigonish District School Board and completing several terms with the Antigonish Homemakers Association.
Frank and Betty have four children, Bruce, Jack, Janine and Craig. The oldest three have remained in agriculture running dairy farms of their own.
Nominated by the Antigonish Guysborough Federation of Agriculture for his significant contribution to the growth and expansion of agriculture in Nova Scotia, Frank Thomson is a very worthy inductee into the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame.