Wallace McCain facts for kids

George Wallace Ferguson McCain (April 9, 1930 – May 13, 2011) was a very successful Canadian businessman. He was best known for co-founding McCain Foods, a huge company that makes frozen foods. He was also known as one of the richest people in Canada.

Early Life and Family Roots

Wallace McCain was born in Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, Canada. His father, Andrew Davis McCain, was a respected farmer who grew special potatoes called "seed potatoes." The McCain family had been selling these potatoes since the 1900s, even sending them to places like Cuba and Latin America.

Education and Giving Back

Wallace McCain studied at Mount Allison University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1951. He believed in supporting education. Later in his life, he gave a lot of money to his old university. In 2011, he also donated $5 million to the University of New Brunswick to create the Wallace McCain Institute. This program helps business students and people who want to start their own companies.

Building a Food Empire

In 1956, Wallace McCain and his brother, Harrison McCain, started a company called McCain Foods. They worked hard and made it one of the biggest frozen food companies in the world.

Later, there was a disagreement between Wallace and Harrison about who would lead the company next. Because of this, Wallace's sons, Michael and Scott McCain, left McCain Foods. Wallace and Michael then went on to work with another big food company called Maple Leaf Foods.

Even after their disagreement, Wallace and Harrison eventually became friends again. Wallace also helped guide the people who took over running McCain Foods after the family.

After leaving McCain Foods, Wallace McCain joined forces with the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan to buy Maple Leaf Foods in 1995. He became the chairman of the board for this company. Today, his son Michael is the CEO of Maple Leaf Foods.

Personal Life

In 1955, Wallace McCain married Margaret McCain. She later became the first woman to hold the position of Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick.

Legacy and Honours

Wallace McCain passed away on May 13, 2011, at the age of 81. He was living in Toronto, Ontario, at the time.

Wallace and Margaret McCain made a generous gift of $5 million to create The Wallace McCain Centre for pancreatic cancer at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. This center helps doctors and scientists do important research to find out what causes pancreatic cancer and how to treat it. It also helps create a program for quick diagnosis.

Wallace McCain received many important awards for his business success and his contributions to Canada:

• In 1995, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's highest honours. He was later promoted to Companion in 2008.
• He was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 1993.
• In 1997, he was also added to the New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame.
• In 2003, he received the Order of New Brunswick.

He also received special honorary degrees from several universities, including Mount Allison University, the University of King's College, the University of New Brunswick, the University of Toronto, and St. Francis Xavier University.