MEAGHER, JOHN WILLIAM - John William Meagher, ONB, of Hanwell, N.B., died at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital, Fredericton, N.B., on Friday, Sept. 12, 2008. He was 81. He will be remembered in many ways. To his wife of 32 years, (Mary) Kathleen (Whitty), and to friends and colleagues, he was John. To his three children, he was Dad. To his two grandchildren, he was Grandpa. To his three nieces and five nephews, he was Uncle John. To his childhood friends in Montreal, he was Johnny. And to two generations of physical education students, he was Dr. Meagher -- an educator who insisted on academic excellence, complete effort and personal integrity. He led by example, in the classroom, in the rink and in the boardroom. He was an accomplished athlete in his own right. He played competitive hockey in his early adulthood and with the McGill Redmen football team in the 1940s. His love was hockey -- especially the Montreal Canadiens in their heyday -- but his passion was football. In 1957, he was hired by the late president of UNB, Dr. Colin B. Mackay, as head of what was to be the first degree program in physical education in the Atlantic provinces. He was a long-standing, devout Roman Catholic. He was the first president of the St. Dunstan's Church (Fredericton) parish council and a lay reader for many years. He was born in Montreal, Que., on June 22, 1927, the third son of the late Robert and Myrtle (Wayland) Meagher. He is survived by his wife; son Michael and wife Jackie and twin children Stephanie and Bobby, all of London, Ont.; son, David of Fredericton; and daughter, Kathryn, also of Fredericton. Also surviving are his brother-in-law, Michael Whitty (Deborah) of Ottawa; sisters-in-law, Margaret of Montreal, Sandra of Collingwood, Ont., and Clara Hocker of Bedford, Pa.; as well as several nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his parents; by his first wife, Dolores Mae (Hocker); and his brothers, Bob, Ed and Fred. He was a graduate of Loyola College (B.A.) and McGill University (B.Sc.P.E.) in Montreal as well as Pennsylvania State University (M.S. and D.Ed.) From 1950 to 1952, he served as director of athletics at Macdonald College, Quebec. From 1952 to 1957, he was on the faculty at McGill; and in 1957 he accepted an appointment as director of physical education at UNB. From 1972 to 1976, he was executive assistant to John M. Anderson, then president of UNB; and from 1980 to 1984, he served as chairman of the management committee of UNB's Third Century Fund capital campaign. He took early retirement from UNB in 1988 so that he could devote himself full-time to sport and recreation consulting in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and New England. He was involved as a consultant on more than 80 major projects including the civic centers in Campbellton and Woodstock, N.B.; the field houses at University College of Cape Breton, UNBSJ, UPEI and Memorial University of Newfoundland; as well as dozens of arenas including the Aitken University Centre. On his list of accomplishments were his 11 years as a member of the staff at the St. Andrews summer hockey school; his term as a member of the National Advisory Council on Fitness and Amateur Sport and the National Hockey Study Committee; his 15 years as a member of UNB's extension staff in Woodstock and Saint John; his membership on the boards of the Fredericton YMCA and the Monsignor Boyd Family Centre; his volunteer work with the Kidney Foundation of Canada; but, most of all, his 31 years working with and on behalf of the outstanding cadre of young men and young women who chose to pursue physical education degrees at UNB. He earned several athletic and professional awards throughout his career. He was made an honorary member of the University of New Brunswick Associated Alumni in September 2006 and received the Order of New Brunswick in November 2006. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008, at Holy Family Parish Church on the Hanwell Road with Father J. J. Dolan as celebrant. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of the donor's choice. Bishop's Funeral Home Ltd., 540 Woodstock Rd., has been entrusted with the arrangements. No visitation by request. www.bishopsfuneralhome.com