John Paris Bickell, known as Jack Bickell, was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist, and sports team owner.
40 Facts About Jack Bickell
1.
2.
Bickell's parents were Rev David Bickell and Annie Paris, who was a teacher.
3.
Jack Bickell's father died when he was six years old; his younger brother died when John was eight years old; and his older brother died in 1898 when John was 12 years old.
4.
Jack Bickell attended St Andrew's College, where he was one of the first 100 graduates.
5.
Jack Bickell sold his firm in 1919 to concentrate on his various movie and mining interests.
6.
Jack Bickell's hiatus from the industry did not last long as on April 15,1926, he was a senior partner in the New York brokerage firm of Thomson McKinnon.
7.
Jack Bickell left the firm in to take on his WWII responsibilities in late 1939.
8.
Jack Bickell was a key player in the development of the movie industry in Canada.
9.
Jack Bickell served as president of both Eastern Theatres Limited and Hamilton United Theatres Limited.
10.
Similarly, Jack Bickell served as vice-president of the Select Pictures Corporation, a Canadian distribution company, and was part of the team that acquired Montreal's Theatre St-Denis in October 1917.
11.
Jack Bickell was vice-president of the Regent Theatre Company, one of Toronto's first large movie theatres which stood on Adelaide between Yonge and Bay Streets.
12.
Ross, head of the Bank of Nova Scotia and later Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, Izaak Walton Killam of Royal Securities, Sir Herbert Samuel Holt of the Royal Bank, and Jack Bickell, were all members of the board of directors that underwrote the necessary million of the company's initial share offerings.
13.
Jack Bickell ultimately sold out his interests in the movie industry in 1930 to the president of the corporation, Adolph Zukor of New York.
14.
Jack Bickell became the president and later chairman, a position he held until his death.
15.
The initial assays were lean, but Jack Bickell kept the faith and the company afloat through these tough times.
16.
In 1924, Jack Bickell came into the hockey business when Charlie Querrie needed to financially reorganize his hockey team in Toronto called the Toronto St Patricks.
17.
Jack Bickell initially invested in the St Pats in 1924 as a favor to his friend Charlie Querrie.
18.
When Querrie needed to sell the team in 1927, Jack Bickell arranged for a group to buy the shares in the team and hired Conn Smythe to be the managing director, which kept the team in Toronto.
19.
Jack Bickell owned the majority stake in the team, which was renamed the Toronto Maple Leafs.
20.
Jack Bickell was to be the first president of Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd.
21.
Jack Bickell's name is on the Stanley Cup six times: 1932,1945,1947,1948,1949,1951.
22.
Jack Bickell was not included on the Cup with 1942 Toronto, as he was overseas serving in World War II.
23.
Jack Bickell died in 1951, and work was underway to appropriately honor his contribution to the organization.
24.
Jack Bickell was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978 in the Builders category.
25.
Jack Bickell's involvement in the club was significant as he had sat on the board of directors, and he loaned the club $50,000 during the depression and was a life member.
26.
Jack Bickell who gave Ada Mackenzie the final $8,000 two hours before her deadline to secure the land for the Ladies Golf Club of Toronto.
27.
In 1931, Jack Bickell served as a director of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club, owning an interest and joining the board of directors when George Oakley took control of the team.
28.
In 1939, Jack Bickell bought the 2600-acre island in Georgian Bay, Ontario.
29.
Jack Bickell served two years with the British Airplane Supply Board.
30.
Jack Bickell was recruited by his friend Lord Beaverbrook to become one of the famous "dollar-a-year" men who headed up wartime industry and special projects.
31.
Jack Bickell was tasked with increasing the Avro Lancaster bomber production resulting in one per day rolling off the assembly line.
32.
On September 12,1939, Jack Bickell donated his Grumman Goose G21A CF BKE to the RCAF, which took it on strength with the military serial RCAF924.
33.
In 1942 Jack Bickell wrote a cheque for five thousand dollars, which he donated to the RCAF's Benevolent Fund.
34.
Jack Bickell paid the $1,200 incorporation fee out of his own pocket, and personally backed a $2.5 million line of credit at the Canadian Bank of Commerce, of which he was a director.
35.
Dobson became the President and Jack Bickell became the chairman, a position he held until his death in August 1951.
36.
Jack Bickell was an active in healthcare, serving on several boards, including that of Wellesley Hospital, St John's Ambulance Association and he was the honorary president of the Health League of Canada.
37.
Jack Bickell Foundation managed by National Trust Company.
38.
Camp Jack Bickell is a non-profit children's camp that was established on Chapman Lake initially in 1939 with the assistance of Mr Jack Bickell and in 1949, he provided the necessary funds of $5,000 to permanently secure the land.
39.
Jack Bickell died in New York City on August 22,1951, at age 66 and was buried in the Mausoleum at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto.
40.
Jack Bickell's life work and philanthropy isn't well known because he was a private man who did not seek self promotion.