John J. MacDonald

“Joe,” “J.J.” or “Joe Blue Room” as he was popularly known was the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. John Laughlin MacDonald, lot 22, 2nd Concession, Lochiel (Glen Robertson road). He was born April 30, 1891.

In his youth, Joe MacDonald played soccer with 2nd Lochiel-Glen Robertson teams. However, it was in later years that his aptitude in promoting sport became his trademark in Glengarry with Alexandria and later Cornwall, the beneficiaries.

In 1921 Joe MacDonald founded the Blue Room restaurant on Main Street, Alexandria remodelling the pioneer John McLeister drug store that flanked another ancient business establishment, the Meloche and Sabourin butcher shop.

The Blue Room became a popular social meeting place with Mrs. MacDonald, the former Agnes “Sandy Ranald” MacDonald, Glengarry’s all time great pianist, as joint hostess.

During this time “Joe Blue Room” became one of the Alexandria pillars in reorganizing, after World War One interruption, hockey, lacrosse, building the curling rink and the lawn bowling green on the now Shepherd Brothers site facing Elgin Street at Main. Among the fellow sportsmen associated were Donald Sandfield Macdonald, John R. MacRae and Dr. H. L. Cheney.

Soccer from day one was played throughout Glengarry except in the lacrosse strongholds of Williamstown and Alexandria. A delegation of soccer enthusiasts met at what has become the historic organizing meeting in Dunvegan’s Orange Hall.

Their application was unanimously endorsed and for the first time in Glengarry sport history, soccer and lacrosse shared the Alexandria Fairgrounds’ field located across the McCormick Road at the monastery.

During the mid-20’s “J.J.” was an executive leader of Alexandria hockey and the lacrosse team that were Eastern Ontario intermediate champions. That was the last era of field lacrosse, replaced by the hockey style box lacrosse in 1930-31.

Another hall of fame member and sportsman, Rt. Rev. Ewen J, Macdonald, donated the box site, Chisholm Park, where Alexandria town hall is now located.

In this compact grounds with bleacher seats made from the long gone fairgrounds’ grandstand, sporting bouts were held. There were no local boxers in the class of still another hall of fame athlete, Joe Grant, and as class boxers were too costly, the promotion was discarded.

“Joe Blue Room” was an avid curler and became a skilled skip. After transferring his restaurant enterprise to the now Jade Garden in Cornwall, he joined the Cornwall Curling Club. Among his cherished memories apart from playing in championship bonspiels was one night skipping his rink to the unique honor of scoring an eight ender. With his daughter Shirley as assistant manager, they renovated the building next to the Cornwallis Hotel and this locale became widely known as “Shirley’s” Restaurant.

Ill health forced “Joe” MacDonald into retirement and he died a few months later, January 26, 1966.