Close Alert Banner
Skip to Content

Lambton County Museums Logo

Contact Us
  • Lambton Heritage Museum
    • Visit the Museum
    • Events & Programs
    • Exhibits
    • Collections and Research
    • Learn
    • Museum @ Home
    • Virtual Education
    • News
    • Get Involved
    • About Us
  • Oil Museum of Canada
    • Visit the Museum
    • Events & Programs
    • Exhibits
    • Collections and Research
    • Learn
    • Get Involved
    • News
    • About Us
  • Lambton County Archives
    • Visit the Archives
    • Events & Programs
    • Exhibits
    • Collections and Research
    • Blog
    • News
    • Get Involved
    • About Us
  • Donate

A green gradient header with the Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame Logo and '2022'.

Mac Parker

More
Home...Virtual ExhibitsLambton Agricultural Hall of Fame2022 Mac Parker
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Email this page Email

Mac Parker in a suit. Image Caption: "Portrait of Mac Parker."Mac Parker’s involvement with the local agricultural community started early. As a youth, he was a member of the Watford 4-H Beef Club. After graduating, he became a leader of the same club. He lived by the 4-H motto, “Learn to do by doing”.

Parker bought his first farm when he was sixteen years old across the street from the family farm where he grew up. He graduated from Ridgetown Agricultural College in 1960 and began farming with his father. He eventually accumulated 450 acres of land, in parcels near enough to be effectively used for livestock and crops.

Beef cow calf formed the basis of his farming operation. According to Bryan Boyle (who submitted this nomination for the Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame), Parker “recognized shifting realities in the beef production system and progressed into a cross breeding system to capture the hybrid vigour that it allowed.” He created “new beef products on his farm including breeding bulls, 4-H Club steers, and replacement heifers for other producers as well as freezer beef for consumers.” His high-quality herd was in always in strong demand.

As president of the Lambton Federation of Agriculture, Parker was an active grassroots initiator of stable funding for farm organizations. This led to the Ontario Farm Registry Program. He was the first president of Lambton Rural Childcare and established the pilot program to provide reliable childcare to farm families. He also helped rejuvenate Warwick Township Junior Farmers. A respected conservationist, Parker was one of three people recruited by the Environmental Stewardship Program to promote, administer, and peer-review potential conservation projects in Lambton. These included windbreaks and no-till planting.

Mac parker and another receiving a trophy for beef cattle. Image Caption: "Mac Parker (right) wins first place in beef judging at the Junior Fair in Brigden, 1959."

Mac parker with 2 others posing with a bull at a bull sale.Image caption: "Father and son duo, Ivan and Mac Parker exhibited three shorthorn bulls at the Ontario Performance Tested Bull Sale in Oakville, ON in 1966. They took first, second, and third place. Here with the grand champion bull: (L-R) Ivan Parker, R.W. Gardhouse (buyer), and Mac Parker."

At the provincial level, Parker was an early adopter of Polled Shorthorn cattle and became president of the Ontario Polled Shorthorn Club. He was a director of the Ontario Performance Testing Association and encouraged performance testing for beef cattle. He was active in the Ontario Bull Sale, breeding bulls, and making superior genetics available to Ontario beef farmers.

Parker is described as a man of integrity who works for the common good. Concerns about farm drainage led to a two-year term as Warwick Township Councillor. Issues surrounding the expansion of the local landfill brought him back in 1991. He served three terms as Mayor of Warwick Township, a period that included the amalgamation with Watford.

Mac parker with the town council of Warwick and Watford.Community Contributions:

  • President, Lambton Federation of Agriculture
  • First president of Lambton Rural Childcare
  • Environmental Stewardship Program liaison
  • Youth member and leader of Watford Rotary 4-H Beef Club
  • President, Warwick Township Junior Farmers
  • President, Ontario Polled Shorthorn Club
  • Director, Ontario Performance Testing Association
  • Active in the Ontario Bull Sale
  • Councillor for Warwick Township
  • Three terms as Mayor of Warwick Township/Township of Warwick-Watford

Newspaper article about Mac Parker's family farm.

Lambton Heritage Museum
    • Visit the Museum
      Toggle Section Visit the Museum Menu
      • Accessibility
      • Group Tours
      • Gift Shop
      • Lambton Shores Farmers' Market
      • Woodland Heritage Trail
    • Events & Programs
      Toggle Section Events & Programs Menu
      • Events
      • Lambton Fall Colour & Craft Festival
      • Return of the Swans
        Toggle Section Return of the Swans Menu
        • The Tundra Swan
        • Tundra Swan Migration
        • Thedford Bog
        • Tundra Swan Migration Calendar
        • Tundra Swan Trivia
        • Origami Swans
    • Exhibits
      Toggle Section Exhibits Menu
      • Current Exhibits
        Toggle Section Current Exhibits Menu
        • Historic Buildings
      • Upcoming Exhibits
      • Virtual Exhibits
        Toggle Section Virtual Exhibits Menu
        • The Farmerettes
          Toggle Section The Farmerettes Menu
          • Recruitment
            Toggle Section Recruitment Menu
            • The Uniform
          • Camp Living
          • Leisure Time
          • Food for the Cause
            Toggle Section Food for the Cause Menu
            • The Doodlebug
          • Farmerette Stories
            Toggle Section Farmerette Stories Menu
            • Shirleyan English
            • Mary (Barnaby) Fountain
            • Mary Gardner
            • Janet (Howes) Hassan and Dorothy (Livermore) Flannagan
            • Farmer Jack A. MacDonald
            • Dorothy (Seymour) Maxwell
            • Moira Philp
            • Gwen (James) Phillips
            • Mary (Pulak) Pirie
            • Marilyn Purcell
            • Roberta (Henderson) Schofield
            • Joan (Hill) Tovey
            • Helen (Abernathy) Finn
            • Joy Yule
            • Alexia Clark
            • Janet (Hawkins) Firman
            • Ursula Rosser
        • Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame
          Toggle Section Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame Menu
          • 2022 Carolynne Griffith
          • 2022 Charlie Srokosz
          • 2022 Mac Parker
          • 2021 Dona Stewardson
          • 2021 Kevin Marriott
          • 2021 Sid Fraleigh
          • 2020 Bert Vandendool
          • 2019 Leonard McNeil
          • 2017 Brandon Bros. Stables
          • 2017 Robert and John McCormick
          • 2016 Art Griffith
          • 2016 W.P. MacDonald
          • 2015 Raymond Moorhouse
          • 2015 Tony Noorloos
          • 2014 Jerry Tiffen Ferguson
          • 2014 Charles Lawes
          • 2013 Ralph Ferguson
          • 2013 Lorne Henderson
          • 2012 J. Edgar Evans
          • 2012 Russell Hazzard
          • 2011 John Goodison
            Toggle Section 2011 John Goodison Menu
            • Goodison Artifacts in the Museum Collection
          • 2010 Lorne Gordon
        • Shine: Spotlight on Women of Lambton
          Toggle Section Shine: Spotlight on Women of Lambton Menu
          • Women Changing Roles
            Toggle Section Women Changing Roles Menu
            • The Evolution of Home Crafts
            • Changing Fashion, Changing Times
            • The Birth of Women's Rights
            • Women in the Military
          • Women Working Together
            Toggle Section Women Working Together Menu
            • The Temperance Movement
            • Bringing Art to Sarnia
            • Women's Institutes
            • Agricultural Societies and Fall Fairs
          • Local, Provincial & National Achievers
            Toggle Section Local, Provincial & National Achievers Menu
            • Teresa Altiman
            • Patricia Davidson
            • Charlotte Eleanor Englehart
            • Maud Hanna
            • Sadie Knowles
            • Pauline McGibbon
            • Maud Menten and Mary Jane Hutton
            • Eleanor Nielsen
          • Women at Work
            Toggle Section Women at Work Menu
            • Businesswomen Through Time
            • Agricultural Bees
            • Unusual Jobs
            • A Working Hymn
            • Telephone Operators
          • Women Who Provide
            Toggle Section Women Who Provide Menu
            • Guarding Family Knowledge
            • Early Nurses in Training
            • Family Ties in First Nations Communities
          • Women Sharing Wisdom
            Toggle Section Women Sharing Wisdom Menu
            • Teaching in the Community, Women's Institute
            • Teaching in the Home, 4-H
            • Teaching in the Classroom
          • Guiding Beacons
            Toggle Section Guiding Beacons Menu
            • City of Sarnia
            • Enniskillen Township
            • Municipality of Brooke-Alvinston
            • Municipality of Lambton Shores
            • St. Clair Township
            • Town of Petrolia
            • Town of Plympton-Wyoming
            • Township of Dawn-Euphemia
            • Village of Oil Springs
            • Village of Point Edward
            • Warwick Township
          • Thank You
        • Lambton At War
          Toggle Section Lambton At War Menu
          • The Rebellion of 1837-1838
          • The Fenian Raids and the Boer War
            Toggle Section The Fenian Raids and the Boer War Menu
            • Fenian Raid Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • Boer War Artifacts in the Museum Collection
          • The First World War
            Toggle Section The First World War Menu
            • WWI Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • The Home Front
            • Remembering War
            • The Youngest Drummer: Ned McRobie
            • Charles Oliver Fairbank
            • The 149th Battalion
              Toggle Section The 149th Battalion Menu
              • First Nations in the 149th
          • The Second World War
            Toggle Section The Second World War Menu
            • WWII Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • The Home Front
            • The Gibson Girl
            • A Legacy of Poetry and the Written Word: Malcom Moncreif MacDonald
          • Modern Conflict
            Toggle Section Modern Conflict Menu
            • Brent Poland Artifacts
        • Nnigiiwemin / We Are Going Home
      • Past Exhibits
        Toggle Section Past Exhibits Menu
        • Capturing the Moment: Photography in Lambton County
        • Memories of Rural Life
        • Nnigiiwemin / We Are Going Home
        • North Lambton Quilter's Guild Show
        • Paint Ontario
    • Collections and Research
      Toggle Section Collections and Research Menu
      • Researcher Access
    • Learn
      Toggle Section Learn Menu
      • Lambton Heritage Highlights
        Toggle Section Lambton Heritage Highlights Menu
        • A County Named for Radical Jack
        • The Lambton County Crest
        • Ask A Curator Day
        • Pressed Glass
        • The Blue Water Bridge
        • The Legacy of Maud Hanna: Environmentalist, Philanthropist, and City Builder
        • Summer Nights at the Lakeview Casino
        • Sweet Maple Sugar
        • A Tale of Two Tunnels: The St. Clair Tunnel
        • Collection Highlight: Petrolia’s Horse-drawn Ambulance
      • At Home Activities
        Toggle Section At Home Activities Menu
        • Interactive Schooldays
        • Make a Photo Cube
        • Make a Sampler
        • Crazy Quilt Collage
        • Fall Apple Craft
      • Education Programs
        Toggle Section Education Programs Menu
        • Interactive Lessons
        • Live Sessions
        • In-Person Programs
        • Travelling Trunk
    • Museum @ Home
      Toggle Section Museum @ Home Menu
      • Activities
      • Lambton Heritage Highlights
        Toggle Section Lambton Heritage Highlights Menu
        • Collection Highlight: Petrolia’s Horse-drawn Ambulance
        • The Kettles of Kettle and Stony Point
        • Samuel Smith: Early Surveyor of Lambton County
        • Crunch! A Bite About Our Apple Industry
        • Ask a Curator Day September 15, 2021
        • Collection Highlight: Outerwear and Accessories
        • Looking into Lambton’s Closet
        • The Monarchy in Lambton: A Royal Fascination
      • Virtual Tours
    • Virtual Education
      Toggle Section Virtual Education Menu
      • Interactive Lessons
      • Live Sessions
      • Virtual Tours
      • Museum @ Home
    • News
    • Get Involved
      Toggle Section Get Involved Menu
      • Canatara Cabin Fundraising
        Toggle Section Canatara Cabin Fundraising Menu
        • Canatara Cabin Supporters
      • Membership
      • Volunteering
      • Artifact Donation
      • Support the Museum
    • About Us
      Toggle Section About Us Menu
      • Acknowledgement of Ancestral Lands
      • Our Story
      • Facility Rentals
      • Contact Us
      • Services

Contact Us

Subscribe to this page

County of Lambton logo

About Us

Lambton County Museums is the home of Lambton Heritage Museum, the Oil Museum of Canada, and the Lambton County Archives.

Website

  • Lambton Heritage Museum
  • Oil Museum of Canada
  • Lambton County Archives

Resources

  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Use
  • Website Feedback

Discoveries that Matter Logo

Copyright © Lambton County Museum 2020

Designed by eSolutionsGroup

  • Sitemap
  • Contact
  • Accessibility
Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.