Malcom Fraser
Malcolm Fraser is the oldest of five sons born to William Fraser and Olive McIllwain and raised on the family farm near Lochinvar. He attended the one room school house S.S. #1 Lochiel and then went on to Alexandria High School for his secondary studies. He never missed an opportunity to play sports on the farm with his brothers, school yard, or in the community. Malcolm took a “gap year” after high school; he stayed at home to work on the farm before deciding to attend Ontario Teachers’ College in Ottawa. After graduation, in 1960, he began teaching at Vincent Massey School in Cornwall and continued to study part time to receive his high school teaching qualifications.
Malcolm transferred to secondary school where he was hired to teach math and Phys Ed at GDHS and remained there from 1965-1977. He became part of the dynamic Phys Ed staff, affectionately known as the “Original Six”, namely Tina Cairncross, Fran Kelly, Jaqueline Fraser, Jean Yves Jeaurond, Stanley Fraser, and Malcolm. Like his Phys Ed colleagues, Malcolm was most generous to volunteer his time and quickly established himself as a well rounded coach by guiding Gaels teams in junior football, basketball, track and field and soccer. It was as a soccer coach that Malcolm and his teams experienced the greatest successes. During his 12 years at Glengarry, Malcolm coached teams to the SDG Championships seven times thus leading to EOSSA participation. The 1974-75 year was one of the most memorable when the Gaels’ Senior Boys’ team lost a close semi final game at OFFSA. He was always proud of his teams’ level of competitiveness noting that during his coaching years, EOSSA and OFFSA championships saw teams from smaller-sized rural schools compete against teams from large urban and inner city schools. Glengarry’s teams were always well prepared and competitive under Malcolm’s guidance.
In September ’77, Malcolm transferred to CCVS in Cornwall. Five years later, he was on the move again this time to Char Lan High School where he became department head of Phys Ed and he would remain in this position for 13 years until his retirement in 1995. Malcolm’s analytical coaching style left a positive impact on many of his players. One such player was the late Brian Filion, a 2003 Hall of Fame Inductee. He followed in Malcolm’s footsteps and became a teacher and soccer coach at GD. During the early 90’s Malcolm’s Char Lan Crusaders would meet Brian’s Gaels in hard fought league championship play. Brian is quoted in the April 19, 1972 edition of the Glengarry News saying that “..much of Glengarry’s soccer success in the 70’s can be attribute to Malcolm’s coaching skills. He was a good motivator and a good practice coach and he’s a very intense individual. He was really smart at putting his players in the proper position and maximizing the talent”.
In retirement, Malcolm has played Old Timers’ Hockey, and currently enjoys pickleball and curling. He has continued to volunteer and given back time and again to his community. He served as secretary for the Glengarry Football League, was a long time Director with the Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame, a driver for the Cancer Society and the Meals of Wheels program. Retirement life continues to serve Malcolm well as he spends time with his wife Jean, children Innes and Shona, and their families.
