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| - MacAdam Website - (Descendants of Alban Bertram and Margaret Tena - MacDonald - MacAdam) Morell, PEI, Canada |
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| 1916 |
| 1967 |
| BIOGRAPHY - WALTER ALPHONSUS (BABE) MACADAM (Born: September 23, 1928) Walter was born at his parent's home in Morell on September 23, 1928. The doctor wasn't available at the time so a midwife assisted Tena in delivering him. Tena asked, "What is it?" to which the midwife responded, "It's a beautiful babe! And it's a boy!" (Many of us thought dad got the name Babe because he was the youngest of the boys but the name Babe was given to him in that first minute and like most Island nicknames, it stuck for life). Babe's first day in school was the day that Reg took him to school because there were no babysitters available at home that day. When the teacher saw him trimming his nails with a razor blade, he got his first strapping and promptly ran away from school landing at Rossiters where he picked up Joe and went boating in a punt behind Ed Rossiter's. When he finally was old enough to go to school, he hung out with Joe Rossiter and David Cox. The three of them had several things in common and the worst was that all three had sisters teaching at the school - Rita MacAdam, Mary Rossiter, and Helen Cox. I'm told that the students and the teachers made life equally miserable for each other. Dad's favorite school prank was blocking the stove pipe of the pot-bellied stove on especially good hockey days - when the smoke backed into the school room, the class was dismissed. Babe was an early riser, mostly to get up before all the breakfast was gone. There were always potatoes and fish available at home. Later, he finished his high schooling at St. Dunstan's College, about 1940. Babe was too young to join his brothers in battle in World War II. Those years he spent fishing with his father and working for brother Gerry's Transfer Trucking business on the Cream Route and in driving the transfer trucks as far as Boston and before he was old enough to get a licence. He joined the Army Reserve and took officer's training at Petawawa Base and Camp Borden. The first job that Babe worked at outside of the family was at the Morell CO-OP. When Byron Webster started at the CO-OP's plumbing and heating business, Babe worked with him. He later opened MacAdam's Plumbing and Heating in 1965. He was president of both the PEI and National Mechanical Plumbing and Heating Association. One of his worst experiences ever was making a speech at the National Conference. However, his back surgery to remove a disk and his hip replacement surgery with 4-6 kids and a wife at home must have been scary also (there was no Worker's Compensation back then). Babe married Daphne Perry from Bristol on August 13th, 1952. Buddy was the groomsmen and Alban Eldershaw and Jack Coffin were the ushers. Lale O'Hanley and Cathy MacDonald were mom's bridesmaids in the ceremony conducted by Fr. Phalen McKenna. They got to take Jean's car on their honeymoon. On their return, they moved into their first of three homes in Morell. They have three sons, three daughters (five teachers and a tourism center manager), 17 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren so far. The entire family gets together for many family gatherings (all still Islanders) and Dad likes Christmas and the Annual Father's Day Canoe Run (begun in 1985) the best. In the Community of Morell, Babe has spent time on the Village commission, St. Theresa's Parish Council, Rink Committee, Knights of Columbus, and the Morell Fire Department, which he left when his three sons began to arrive. At Lakeside, Babe built one of the original cottages (the fifth) and his was the first to have plumbing and electricity. He later sold or gave his eighteen lots to family and friends. Babe is a great story teller and is well known as Mr. Fix It - he'll fix it for you or tell you how to fix it. This page is too short for much more! Thanks for everything Dad! |