Douglas A. Wilson was born in Springhill, Nova Scotia.
He graduated from the Springhill High School at the age
of fifteen, and began to learn the printing trade with the
Springhill Record.
He was always interested in Church work, joining the
Church at 16, and at 18 years of age leading a Boy Scout
Troop in his home Church, St. David's Presbyterian in
Springhill. He enrolled in Acadia University at Wolfville,
N.S., and graduated with the Degree of Bachelor in Arts
in 1948. While at Acadia, Mr. Wilson took an active part in extra-curricular activities at the University. He continued his interest in printing, holding the positions of Circulation Manager of the Acadia Athenaem, and then became Business Manager. He also competed in sports, especially baseball and hockey. In his Senior year he was elected Treasurer of the Student's Union. He was also elected President of his class for three years, and was elected life President of the Class of' 48 upon graduation.
Mr. Wilson then entolled at Presbyterian College, Montreal, graduating with the
Testamur of the College in 1951.
Duting his student days, Mr. Wilson served on mission fields for five summers
in Pictou Presbytery, and one summer in Port Alberni, Btitish Columbia. On June
28th, 1951, he was ordained by the Presbytery of Pictou, and began his ministry in
Blue Mountain -Garden of Eden. In September, 1954, he was called to St. Andrew's
Church, Sydney Mines, where under his ministry eight young men entered the
Church, one of them being the present minister of Zion Church, the Reverend
Gordon Matheson. One young woman called to missionary service under his min-
istry, now serves in Taiwan.
In September, 1962, Mr. Wilson was called to St. Andrew's Church, Trenton,
where he served for fourteen years. In 1976, Mr. Wilson was inducted into First
Presbytetian Church, Collingwood, Ontario, where he now serves.
In the courts of the Church Mr. Wilson has served in many areas. He was a mem-
ber of the Board of Evangelism and Social Action for several years; he has served as
Moderator of the Presbytery of Cape Breton, and the Presbytery of Bartie; and in
1976 was elected Moderator of the largest Synod in the Presbyterian Church in
Canada, the Synod of Toronto and Kingston.
In 1954, Isabel MacDougall of Blue Mountain, Pictou County, became the btide
of Mr. Wilson, and they have three children, Joyce (Mrs. Douglas F. Agnew,
Ottawa), Ervin, a graduate student at the University of Western Ontario, and
Richard, a first year student at McMaster University, Hamilton.
During his ministry, Mr. Wilson has been interested in extending the Church,
not only in communicants, but in extension of the physical Church. In Blue
Mountain, a Choir room was added; in Trenton an extension was built on to the
Church; in Collingwood in 1980 a Christian Education Building was named after
Mr. Wilson. Present plans are for another extension on the Sanctuary to begin in
June of this year.
Mr. Wilson died in October, 1992.
