Ned’s passion extended to many spheres in his life. To anyone who met with Ned in his office, it was clear that this was a true family man. His desk was covered in family photos. He was also devoted to his community, creating learning and job opportunities for youth, and sharing the town’s history with anyone who would listen.
He always thought about the big picture and looked for ways to move the museum forward. Ever positive, Ned was always eager to hear about the latest developments and special projects that would help to boost the profile of both the museum and the community in educational and creative ways. Over the past few years, this has meant photographing the collection and sharing artifact records and stories on the Virtual Museum of Canada. In 2009, Ned’s paintings were the inspiration for our pan-provincial research project on art objects in museum collections. He was typically Nova Scotian in his modesty about showcasing his own works online, and asked numerous times if we wouldn’t rather show off something “better”. The museum had also just received a contract from the Canadian Heritage Information Network to complete a Community Memories Project, a virtual exhibit entitled "The Broken Ground: A History of a Cape Breton Coal Mining Community".
Because of his busy schedule, Ned did not often get to attend regional workshops or heritage meetings. When he walked into the conference on Friday morning, he was grinning ear to ear. He glowed with pride as he shared the success stories of the Miner’s Museum; he relished the opportunity to share the news from Inverness.
We extend our deepest sympathies to Ned’s family and friends. His enthusiasm and dedication will be greatly missed. It won’t be the same without him.
