Tag Archives: Monctonians


5 Famous Monctonians

Antonine MailletThe Honourable Antonine Maillet in 1984

Moncton has been the home of a number of notable people. Here is a small sample:

 

Russ Howard

Russ Howard (born 1956) is a two time world champion and Olympic gold medallist men’s curler. Howard has been to the Brier 14 times and won twice. He is also a 2-time world champion, winning in 1987 and 1993. In 2006, Howard was a member of the Canadian team that won a gold medal tat the Turin Winter Olympic, the first time that a Canadian team had won the gold medal for men’s curling. Howard, who turned 50 during the Olympics, is the oldest Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal.

In 2006, Howard was inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame. Hecurrently lives in Moncton and curls at Curling Beausejour. In 2007 he published his autobiography Hurry Hard: the Russ Howard Story.

 

Antonine Maillet

Antonine Maillet (born 1929) is an Acadian novelist, playwright, and scholar. She was born in Bouctouche, New Brunswick. Early in her career she was a a scriptwriter and broadcaster for Radio-Canada in Moncton. Antonine Maillet is one of the best-known Canadian writers on both the national and the international scene. Most of her writing focuses on Acadian people and culture.

She is a recipient of the Order of Canada and the first non-French winner of the “Prix Goncourt“, the highest honour in francophone literature. Maillet was Chancellor of the Université de Moncton from 1989-2001.

 

Northrop Frye

Herman (“Norrie”) Northrop Frye (1912-1991) was considered one of the most influential literary critics and theorists of the 20th century. Frye’s contributions to cultural and social criticism spanned a long career during which he earned widespread recognition and received many honours. He gained international fame with his first book, Fearful Symmetry (1947). His lasting reputation rests principally on the theory of literary criticism that he developed in Anatomy of Criticism (1957).

Frye was raised in Moncton ands retained close ties to the city throughout his life. Hr continues to be a prominent figure in Moncton culture, with The Frye Festival, an annual literary festival bearing his name. Northrop Frye School in Moncton was also named in his honour.

 

Robb Wells

Robb Wells (born 1971) is a Canadian actor and screenwriter who portrayed Ricky on the Trailer Park Boys television series. Wells was born in Moncton where his dad worked as a civilian officer in charge of the RCMP Forensic Crime Lab, but moved to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia when he was eight years old. In 2006, The Globe and Mail revealed that Wells is a distant cousin of  Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

 

Romeo LeBlanc 

Roméo-Adrien LeBlanc (1927 – 2009) was a Canadian journalist, politician, and statesman. He was born and raised in nearby Memramcook. Leblanc was elected to the House of Commons in 1972, and served as a minister of the Crown until 1984, when he was appointed to Canada’s Senate and named Speaker.

In 1994 he was named the 25th Governor General of Canada, where he was praised for opening up Rideau Hall to ordinary Canadians and tourists alike. Throughout his life, LeBlanc was viewed as a role model for Acadians, and was complimented for having drawn the attention of the country to Acadian history and culture. LeBlanc died of Alzheimer’s disease on June 24, 2009.