The Forgotten Legend

Book excerpt: For generations, Canadian artists have made their mark on the world, with countless individuals rising to fame on stage and screen, and as frontrunners in the various arts, inspiring and influencing all who come after them. One of these legends has been largely forgotten, though his contribution to the arts have inspired the likes of Monty Python and Kids in the Hall, and brought hope and laughter to troops serving their countries at home and overseas, all the while pushing boundaries as a prolific artist, illustrator, author, and actor. This book tells the story of forgotten legend John Wilson (Jack) McLaren from his birth in Scotland to his early years in Canada, becoming a soldier in WWI, entertaining his comrades in arms on the stages of Europe, his business career after the war, his deep involvement with the Group of Seven, his membership in Toronto’s famed Arts & Letters Club, and his eventual retirement to the community of Benmiller, near Goderich, Ontario, where he passed away in 1988. His is a story that deserves to be told ... and remembered.