Patricia McLean | Sarnia, Ontario
Recognizing a lifetime dedicated to volunteer work and the community’s heritage, in July of 2023 the City of Sarnia unveiled a plaque honouring Patricia McLean.
Family members; past and present Sarnia Heritage Committee members; and City Council representatives gathered at the Centennial Cairn and recently installed parkette on the southwest corner of the City Hall property, for a dedication ceremony and plaque unveiling.
The posthumous honour recognizes McLean’s lifelong service to the community, notably as a founding member of the Sarnia Heritage Committee. She served on the committee from 1987 to 2019, the year that she died.
Patricia McLean was born in Sarnia on May 13, 1933 and graduated from S.C.I.T.S. in 1951. In the 1970s she drove Sarnia’s tennis kids to tennis tournaments across the province. Pat was passionate about her city, and as a tireless volunteer throughout her life, she was recognized by Premier David Peterson in 1986 for her work with the Sarnia Housing Authority and was the United Way Volunteer of the Year in 1990. Her true love for the City of Sarnia was reflected in her work on the Sarnia Heritage Committee from 1987 to 2019. Pat was responsible for the restoration of the Boer War Memorial Fountain, and, at Lakeview Cemetery, she oversaw the restoration of the Alexander Mackenzie monument by Parks Canada and produced both the Mackenzie brochure and their History Tour brochure.
She served on various boards, including the Arthritis Board, the YMCA Board, and the International Symphony Board. Her philanthropic work was an extension of her commitment to her community as a longstanding member in Delta Chi Sigma Sorority.
“This is truly fitting, to dedicate this site, especially the historic Centennial Cairn, to Pat. She was so dedicated to preserving this community’s heritage, so it is only fitting that this piece of our heritage stands in her honour,” said Mayor Mike Bradley, who recognized McLean as a Mayor’s Honour List recipient in 2014.
The Centennial Cairn at City Hall is a replica of an original that marked the City’s 100th anniversary in 1936, first constructed at what is now Veteran’s Park. The original was removed in the 1950s, and the replica was constructed at City Hall in 2004. At that time, it was McLean who paid for the custom-built replica thermometer that tops the Cairn today.
She also was responsible for the restoration of the Boer War Memorial Fountain and oversaw the restoration by Parks Canada of the Alexander Mackenzie monument at Lakeview Cemetery.
The Cairn was refurbished by the city in 2022, alongside the installation of a small landscaped parkette.
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