Friday December 29, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A3 r [EAR 1 We're not suggesting you s it qu ie tly du rin g ou r big New Year's Eve bash we ju s t w a n t you to make your reservations early. W e'd hate fo r you to m iss o u t on th is aw esom e celebration: A spe cia lly-p riced New Year's m enu · Live DJ until 2 a.m. Bring the whole gang and celebrate! Pfease call soon, as reservations fill i 407 Speers Road, Oakville 905*815-9689 Bill Hughes outside his home with special flag...Santa by any other name for 49 years. Bill H ughes, 80 Played Santa role for generations A funeral mass was held Thursday at St. Andrew's Church for Bill Hughes, Oakville's Santa Claus for 49 years. He died at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital on Dec. 22nd. He was 80 years old. Hughes was bom in Newark, N.J., on Oct. 5, 1920, and moved to Oakville following his marriage on Aug. 16, 1947. "Bill joined the Oakville Junior Chamber of Commerce (also known as the Jaycees), and they decided to have a parade," said his wife Jean Hughes. "Before that, Oakville didn't have a parade." Hughes was club president at the time. "And, he decided to be Santa." That was 1948, and for the next 49 years, Hughes donned his Santa Claus suit and rode in the annual parade, greeting children along the route with a cheerful `Ho Ho Ho.' In 1998, he announced his retirement as Santa, and instead was that year's parade marshall, riding at the front of the parade with his wife sitting beside him. Hughes, dressed as Santa Claus, vis ited children at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, delighted local seniors groups, and was Santa at Christmas parties held by local fire fighters, police, seniors' centres and companies. Although he was best known as Santa - he even urged parents along the parade route and at local functions to call him Santa - Hughes managed the former Royal Oak Hotel and worked as a liquor salesman before retiring in the mid-1980s. At one time, he coached the Jolly Rogers basketball team, and was founding president of the Black Knights football team during the 1950s and 1960s. "Bill was really a fine man," said friend Kirk Simpson, former publisher of the Oakville Beaver. "When I came to Oakville in 1957, he was one of the first people I met." Simpson was trans ferred to the former Trafalgar Journal where another of Hughes' friends, the late Bill Cotton, was publisher. "I met Bill Cotton at 10:30 a.m. on my first day on the job, and by noon we were having lunch with Bill Hughes at the (former) Halton Inn. It led to a good and lasting friendship. We became very good friends. "Seeing Bill Hughes as Santa in the parade was a big highlight for me and my three daughters. He would always say `Hello Kirk' when he spotted me along the route." Bud Brown, formerly with Oakville Parks and Recreation, remembers Hughes as "a good man, a good com munity man, a friend to all. You can ask anybody on the street in downtown Oakville and they'll tell you that he was a good man. `Santa Claus' Hughes was special to everybody." Prior to moving to Oakville, Hughes played the role of Santa in his native Newark. Dressed as Santa, he collected donations for the Salvation Army dur ing the 1930s, and was employed as a Macy's Santa in its toy department for a year. He joined the American Army Air Corps, after graduating from high school, and entertained troops as Santa for the three years he served in the' South Pacific during World War II. Hughes believed in Santa. He owned two Santa suits; filled his home with Santa memorabilia and hoisted a Santa flag at his home every year. Letters addressed to Santa would appear in his mailbox. Each year, before every paradeji he would have Santa's hair and beard cleaned and styled. He treasured a hand-made wooden plaque the Jaycees gave him for his 35th year, showing Santa in the" parade and Hughes relaxing in his easy chair at home, bearing the inscription Bill `Santa Claus' Hughes. Last spring, Hughes was named a Paul Harris Fellow, for his role as Santa, at a dinner hosted by Oakville's four Rotary Clubs. In addition to being a Jaycee, he was a member of the Oakville Lions Club, the former American Men's Club, and a life member of the American Legion in Hamilton. He is survived by his wife Jean, daughters Ann Girard and Heather Dixon, brothers Bemie and Roddy, and five grandchildren. In memorial donations may be sent to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital or the Halton VON. N A PO LEO N 1 j Cjow&ort M o re th a n r e s o lu tio n s n e e d e d to q u it s m o k in g Smokers in Halton, who are ready to quit often set a quit date as a New Year's resolution. But when it comes to stopping smoking, res olutions are not enough. Especially since smoking ranks as one of the roughest addictions to stop. People who have chosen 2001 as the time to stop smoking can do so with the help of the free Stop Smoking Clinic, sponsored by The Halton Regional Health Department as one of the services available in Halton to help people quit smoking. It is supported with personal counselling to help people succeed under the guidance of Dr. Douglas Wilson of McMaster University. "We know how difficult it is to stop smoking," says Wilson. "The clinic provides individual coun selling and help people work up to quitting. By the time they come to the clinic, many smokers are often caught in a love-hate relationship with cigarettes." Wilson has dedi cated his career to working with smokers to help them quit. It may take one, two or even five tries before you are successful at kick ing the habit. But each time you try, you are one step closer to suc cess. So if your New Year's resolu tion is to quit smoking, then call The Halton Region Health Department Stop Smoking Clinic for an appointment at 905-8255060 ext. 7525 or 1-866-442-5866 ext. 7525. When you can't - let the Emergency Information Vial speak for you Keep emergency health information in your fridge using the Emergency Information Vial. Emergency Services personnel in Halton are trained to look for this information and ensure that it follows you to the hospital in the event of an emergency. This program is primarily for seniors and others with special needs. You may pick up your free vial at these Halton locations: · Seniors Centres in Halton · Local Police and Fire Stations If you already have an Emergency Information Vial, the new year is a good time to review and update your infor mation and medication list Take a few moments to be sure your information is current For further information, please contact · ConnectCARE, Oakville - (905) 3384357 or 1-800665-7853 · Halton Hills Community Support and Information (905)8736502 Healthy Community Funders of Halton `on all rpq priced products TIR ED OLD FURNACE? NEED AN UPDATE? Your Indoor Weather Expert CALL TO D AY! B u rlin g to n H e ig h ts Plaza · U pper M id d le & G uelph L in e 3 3 2 -2 2 0 2 O a k v ille Town Centre 1 · D o rva l & N. 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