Blessed with the love of a lifetime, local philanthropist Frank Uniac is keeping the legacy of generosity and caring started by he and his wife, Mary, going at St. Clair College Thames Campus in Chatham.
Uniac, married to his wife for 56 before her passing in 2010, was honoured recently for his donation to renovate a large auditorium classroom at Thames Campus. Seating 120 students, the auditorium was named in honour of Uniac’s father-in-law, A.W. (Alva) Clapp.
Alva and his wife, Christina, lived in Chatham township where he owned and operated a general store and farmed. He was the Post Master in Eberts for more than 40 years. During that time, he would care for many of the families in the community, providing baskets for children so that no one would be without a Christmas, and allowing families to carry accounts throughout the depression until they could afford to pay the money that they owed.
“It is this spirit of generosity and care that is celebrated in the naming of this room. Like A.W., it is the family’s hope that others will share that same spirit of care and concern for those in the community around them,” according to John Fairley, vice president college and community relations.
Uniac, now 91, spoke with his long-time friend and neighbour Mike Peach at his side. His reverence and love for his wife obvious, Uniac said he spoke with Mary before she died about what she wanted their legacy to be. As a nurse, Mary dedicated her whole life to the well-being of her patients, and knew good training was part of her success. Peach noted Mary was a graduate of the Ursuline College nursing program and was a nurse at Navistar for 34 years before her retirement.
“My wife told me to give it (money) to the community; the college, the hospital,” Uniac said at the dedication ceremony. “Mary kept me honest. She was a good person and I will remember her for the rest of my life.”
In 2013, the Uniacs’§ commitment to the college started with the opening of the state-of-the-art Mary Uniac Health Sciences Education Centre. The Centre was renovated to provide labs and simulation suites for more than 400 students studying in nursing and personal support worker programs.
Close to $600,000 has been donated to college so far from the Uniacs, according to Peach, who helped Uniac set up his foundation, which includes donations set up for both the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance and St. Clair College.
