Agnes May (Condie) McArthur

The calling card for many Hall of Fame caliber athletes is their expert proficiency and success in one particular sport. For others, the claim to fame is adeptness at several sporting activities.

Agnes Condie-McArthur, on the other hand, fulfilled both criteria and accordingly, she will be inducted into the Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame next Wednesday night. Agnes (Aggie) Condie was born in Bainsville in 1898. Her reputation as an all-around athlete began at Williamstown High School, from which she graduated in 1916.

Condie participated in such varied sports as basketball and the needle race while attending WHS, and excelled at all her athletic endeavors. While girls and women of later generations would be scorned for their involvement in athletics, women’s sports were surprisingly poplar in the early 20th century

For example. many people believe women’s ice hockey to be a fairly recent innovation. In actual fact, women have been playing hockey for almost as long as the sport has existed. Women’s hockey was a varsity sport at the time Condie attended university, and she played left wing for the Queen’s team.

Condie also played field hockey and basketball while at Queen’s and she helped the Kingston school win championships in both sports. Queen’s won the field hockey crown in both 1917-18 and in 1918-19 and the basketball title in 1919-20. She was also captain and president of the field hockey team in 1919-20.

Condie graduated from Queen’s in 1920 (along with fellow Williamstown H.S. graduates Beryl Mowat, Edith Sangster and Margaret Cattanach and the school yearbook from that year contains the following comments about Bainsville’s great all-round athlete: “Agnes is essentially an outdoor girl, interested in sports. She played on the Queen’s Junior Basketball team and on the year championships team in 1920, and was the strong left wing on the ice-hockey team. But especially in ground (field) hockey did Agnes excel… Not only was Agnes known in the field of sport, but also as a member of Y.W. (Young Women’s) executives. As treasurer and convener of extension work, Agnes ably displayed her Scotch trustworthiness. Also her naturalness and straightforwardness won her many firm friends…”