John Lecky
Encyclopedia
John MacMillan Stirling Lecky (29 August 1940 - 25 February 2003) was a Canadian rower
, entrepreneur
and philanthropist
. He won a silver medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics
.
. John Lecky was the eldest grandson of H R MacMillan, a timber and paper magnate, who impressed on him the importance of setting demanding goals in life and of applying hard work and iron self-discipline to achieve them. He attended Shawnigan Lake School
on Vancouver Island, where his interest in rugby
was kindled through a training session run by Dicky Jeeps, the English scrum half who was on a tour with the British Lions. Lecky then went to University of British Columbia
to study Economics and started to row. At the age of 20, he won a silver medal for Canada
as part of the eights
crew at the 1960 Summer Olympics
in Rome. He then went to read Law
at Jesus College, Cambridge
.
boats in the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races in 1962 and 1964. At the same time, Lecky was a member of the Canadian rugby
team which toured the British Isles, surprising his tutors by appearing on television in a match against England when they could not remember him asking permission to be absent from the university in term time. He was also President of the Hawks' Club
. Also in 1964, Lecky won in record time the Silver Goblets coxless pair
s at Henley Royal Regatta
partnering John Keily.
In 1976, Lecky competed in the Silver Goblets again, reaching the finals. After retiring from rowing, he became an active member of the executive board of the Canadian Olympic Association, and was chef de mission of the Canadian Olympic Team in Los Angeles. His efforts helped Canada to win 44 medals, its largest number ever.
In 1979, his company, Resource Service Group, took a one-third interest in Westgrowth Petroleum, and a year later he moved his company to Calgary, Alberta.
Lecky helped John Crosbie in his unsuccessful campaign for the federal Progressive Conservative
leadership in 1983
.
Lecky became chairman and principal shareholder of the charter airline Canada 3000
. This grew to be the second largest in Canada, flying into Gatwick and Manchester. The company took record bookings on September 10, 2001, but had to close within two months of the September 11, 2001 attacks
in America the following day.
Lecky also became a keen mountaineer in later life, climbing in the Rockies
and in the Alps
. He climbed Aconcagua
in Chile, and Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya
in Africa. In 1993, he reached 23,000 ft without oxygen on Masa Gang, in Bhutan.
Lecky died in Calgary at the age of 62.
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. He won a silver medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
.
Early life
Lecky was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, descended from a Quaker family which was involved in the Irish jute industry. The family included the 19th-century historian and MP William Edward Hartpole LeckyWilliam Edward Hartpole Lecky
William Edward Hartpole Lecky, OM was an Irish historian.-Early life:Born at Newtown Park, near Dublin, he was the eldest son of John Hartpole Lecky, a landowner....
. John Lecky was the eldest grandson of H R MacMillan, a timber and paper magnate, who impressed on him the importance of setting demanding goals in life and of applying hard work and iron self-discipline to achieve them. He attended Shawnigan Lake School
Shawnigan Lake School
Shawnigan Lake School is a private boarding school, located in Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia, Canada. It was founded by Englishman, Christopher Windley 'C. W.' Lonsdale in 1916, and partly modelled on one of England's leading private schools, Westminster School.- Location :Shawnigan Lake School...
on Vancouver Island, where his interest in rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
was kindled through a training session run by Dicky Jeeps, the English scrum half who was on a tour with the British Lions. Lecky then went to University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
to study Economics and started to row. At the age of 20, he won a silver medal for Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
as part of the eights
Eight (rowing)
An Eight is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for eight rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars, and is steered by a coxswain, or cox....
crew at the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
in Rome. He then went to read Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
.
Cambridge University
At Cambridge Lecky rowed at number 5 in the winning CambridgeCambridge University Boat Club
The Cambridge University Boat Club is the rowing club of the University of Cambridge, England, located on the River Cam at Cambridge, although training primarily takes place on the River Great Ouse at Ely. The club was founded in 1828...
boats in the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races in 1962 and 1964. At the same time, Lecky was a member of the Canadian rugby
Rugby Canada
Rugby Canada, is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in Canada. Rugby Canada was incorporated in 1974, and stems from the Canadian Rugby Football Union, a body established in 1884 that now governs amateur Canadian football as Football Canada; and the now-defunct Rugby Union of...
team which toured the British Isles, surprising his tutors by appearing on television in a match against England when they could not remember him asking permission to be absent from the university in term time. He was also President of the Hawks' Club
Hawks' Club
The Hawks' Club is a members-only social club for sportsmen at the University of Cambridge. It was founded in 1872.-Eligibility criteria:Application for membership is open to any man who is either a member of any college at the University of Cambridge or who has been admitted ad eundem to the...
. Also in 1964, Lecky won in record time the Silver Goblets coxless pair
Coxless pair
A Coxless pair is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars.The crew consists of a pair of rowers, each having one oar, one on the stroke side and one on the bow side...
s at Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
partnering John Keily.
Business and later career
In 1964 Lecky was awarded the Mackenzie King Scholarship in International Law. He began his business career as an investment analyst with Greenshields in Montreal in 1965. Seven years later, he formed the Resource Service Group, a company whose operations over the years have included well-head services and petroleum exploration.In 1976, Lecky competed in the Silver Goblets again, reaching the finals. After retiring from rowing, he became an active member of the executive board of the Canadian Olympic Association, and was chef de mission of the Canadian Olympic Team in Los Angeles. His efforts helped Canada to win 44 medals, its largest number ever.
In 1979, his company, Resource Service Group, took a one-third interest in Westgrowth Petroleum, and a year later he moved his company to Calgary, Alberta.
Lecky helped John Crosbie in his unsuccessful campaign for the federal Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
leadership in 1983
Progressive Conservative leadership convention, 1983
The 1983 Progressive Conservative leadership election was held on June 11, 1983 in Ottawa, Ontario to elect a leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada...
.
Lecky became chairman and principal shareholder of the charter airline Canada 3000
Canada 3000
Canada 3000 Inc. was a Canadian discount charter airline offering domestic and international flights. It was the largest charter airline in the world at the time of its operation, with over 90 destinations worldwide, although it changed to scheduled service in 2000 after the Canadian Airlines and...
. This grew to be the second largest in Canada, flying into Gatwick and Manchester. The company took record bookings on September 10, 2001, but had to close within two months of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
in America the following day.
Lecky also became a keen mountaineer in later life, climbing in the Rockies
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
and in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. He climbed Aconcagua
Aconcagua
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...
in Chile, and Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian , Nelion and Point Lenana . Mount Kenya is located in central Kenya, just south of the equator, around north-northeast of the capital Nairobi...
in Africa. In 1993, he reached 23,000 ft without oxygen on Masa Gang, in Bhutan.
Lecky died in Calgary at the age of 62.