Jack Tennant concluded an evening in his honour with grace, humility, wisdom and a call for giving that has defined him as a person over the years and has earned him the love and respect of Cochrane.
Nearly 200 people packed Killarney’s Cochrane pub Tuesday evening to recognize Tennant in what is hoped will become an annual event to acknowledge notable community citizens.
Dan Kroffat, host of the evening, said Tennant was the perfect pick for the first of hopefully many more similar events because he defines what it means to be a dedicated community builder.
Ordinary people like Tennant, Kroffat said, give of themselves to help their fellow citizens with no expectation of reward.
“There is no paid salary that is big enough to compensate you for the contribution you make in their lives,” he said.
Tennant, whose life in Cochrane is pinned by his involvement with the Cochrane Eagle as owner, publisher and columnist, is known for his candid demeanour. While his columns will be forever remembered for their pull-no-punches, hard-hitting slants, they are also famed for their dedication to promoting the community and nuggets of wisdom.
Some of that wisdom has guided Tennant throughout his own life. He recalled his early days as a columnist with the Kamloops Sentinel, when he jokingly said he would chisel the words out on stone tablets. A phrase he wrote back then has always stuck with him.
“There is no fault in trying and failing, the fault lies in failing to try,” he said.
It can easily be said Tennant has lived his life by those words. Whether it was through his winning struggle with substance and alcohol abuse or his now daily battle with health issues. But more so, it will be his dedication to striving to build community that will be his eternal legacy to that philosophy.
Former Cochrane mayoral candidate David Smith attended the event, reflecting on his more than 15-year friendship with Tennant.
“He loves politics – when I ran for mayor he would never take sides, but provided insight into strategy,” said Smith, well-remembering swapping stories over cups of coffee at the (now burned down and rebuilt) Chief Chiniki restaurant in Morley – a community Tennant has rolled up his sleeves to give back to in many capacities over the years.
He added that he and Tennant shared a common ground, as both spent less fortunate times in their younger years on the streets of Vancouver – something that shaped both men to devote much of their individual lives helping youth in need.
Though Tennant is not the kind to espouse his deeds, many people Tuesday night were more than willing to do so
“It is volunteers like you, Jack, who are the heart and soul of this community,” said Lynn Noble, program co-ordinator with Seniors For Kids Society of Cochrane. “His greatest gift is his gift of time.”
Tennant has given 10 years of his life to the organization that provides grandparent mentors to school-age children. Through the years, Noble said Tennant has interacted with children from all walks of life and through his ability to listen, his sense of humour, stories and wise words he has been a positive role model.
“He has accepted them all with an unconditional and loving heart,” said Noble.”
Roland Rollinmud, an elder from Morley, presented Tennant with a painting of a buffalo, describing the honoured animal as Tennant’s spirit creature because buffalo are great protectors.
Rollinmud was in the process of revitalizing Banff Indian Days in 2003 when he met Tennant.
“I felt stronger in my soul from the time he spent speaking to me,” Rollinmud said of the encounter.
“Jack is a protector of this valley,” said Rollinmud.
Janet Armstrong of Just Imajan Art Gallery & Studio was thrilled to attend the event in support of her friend and fellow artist of nearly 10 years.
Since 2009, Armstrong and Tennant have paired up to produce Jack & Janet original artworks, on display and for sale at the gallery where Armstrong paint-embellishes elements of Tennant’s photography on canvas.
“He’s not afraid to try anything,” said Armstrong, who regularly goes on “antique picking” trips with Tennant – whose own prized collection includes no less than 272 sets of bookends.
Rounding out the evening Tennant took the time to help promote the newest cause dear to his heart – the push for an emergency shelter in Cochrane.
A group of women in town have begun fundraising for a shelter, advocating that it is an amenity sorely needed in the community to protect people from domestic violence.
Following a short collection nearly $1,100 was raised for the shelter.
