Who Started the Doug Mackey Art Gallery?

Doug had a restless mind and a tireless spirit, and wore many hats in his long and eventful life.  Doug was born in Port Colborne, Ontario and attended Hamilton Teachers College in 1950. He taught at various institutions in Ottawa, Port Colborne, Burlington and Oshawa, all while continuing to quench his curiosity by pursuing studies in higher education. He had a two-year secondment with the Ministry of Education to help with the introduction of Special Education in Ontario, as well as a three-year secondment at the Trillium School for Children with Learning Disabilities in Milton, Ontario. 

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Upon his “early” retirement, Doug embarked on a whole new set of career paths. He wrote more than 400 “Heritage Perspectives'' columns for the Community Voices newspaper published by the North Bay Nugget. He also co-authored several books on local history with his son Paul, one of which, The Fossmill Story, was awarded the Fred Landon award from the Ontario Historical Society in 2001. He also started the Downstairs Art Gallery (Recently renamed the Doug Mackey Art Gallery) in the Powassan and District Union Public Library.