MINTO – Donald Alexander Logie MacLean was born in Chicago, Illinois on Aug. 14, 1901.
Donald’s father died in 1906 in Battleford, Saskatchewan. Donald, along with his brother Kenneth came to Harriston soon after to live with an uncle.
MacLean graduated from the University of Toronto in 1925 and qualified as a lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC). In 1928 MacLean received his qualification as a major in the RCAMC and in 1945 was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Donald MacLean was presented with this medal for passing his entrance exams into Harriston High School in 1915. At that time, the exams were a two-day process involving all students in Minto Township.
HARRISTON HIGH SCHOOL CIRCA 1908 Photos submitted by the Harriston Historical Society
Donald MacLean died in Toronto in 1969 and is buried in the Harriston Cemetery.
Before attending university, MacLean was a student at Harriston High School, where he passed his entrance examination in 1915.
In those days, each June entrance examinations were for Township of Minto students. All students in the entrance class would come to the high School in Harriston to write the examinations, which were prepared by the Ministry of Education. These exams were usually spread over a period of two days. The country students often stayed overnight with friends in town.
Submitted by the Harriston Historical Society
