The S. Norval Horner Trophy may not be the Stanley Cup, but to some of the lucky ones who have won it, they consider it quite an honour.
In the 1950s, the S. Norval Horner Trophy was presented to the Pontiac Agricultural Society. It was meant for the “Highest Aggregate.” Anyone who might inspect the trophy closely can even spot a mistake, “Junior Section Sawville (Shawville) Fair.”
Who is S. Norval Horner? Henry Horner, S. Norval’s great-nephew was able to offer a little glimpse.
Samuel Norval Horner had been born in North Clarendon, said Henry. He estimated that the Horner family moved out west around 1910. This was at the time when Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier was encouraging people to settle in Western Canada. The Horner clan put down their roots in Saskatchewan.
The connection to Samuel Norval goes with Henry’s grandfather – also named Henry – who died when he was only 32. He was S. Norval’s brother. After Grandpa Henry’s passing his wife and kids eventually made the decision to come to the Shawville and Clarendon area. Norval stayed in Saskatchewan and worked out on a farm, while making numerous trips back and forth through the years, according to Henry.
“He always had an interest in Shawville and agriculture,” said Henry. “It was always home, so he donated a trophy to the Shawville Fair.”
Henery debunked any talk that S. Norval was a Senator. S. Norval’s brother Byron had filled the role.
“The last time I saw [S. Norval] was in 1975,” said Henry. “I was just a little fellow, and took a trip out west to this old farm and had a visit.”
While the origin of trophy is very simple, how the criteria got picked for winning the prize will likely stay a bit of a mystery. Former recipients have noted that the way to lay claim the trophy has basically remained the same since the beginning.
To the lucky someone to be awarded with the S. Norval Horner, the result comes down to a combination of points from judging – meaning the participants take on the position of judge – and also with showmanship. There are a variety of categories from Holstein, beef, vegetables, potatoes to seeds and corn and even a quiz to do and a mystery class.
“It’s something that needs to be worked towards,” said Kayla McCann Vereyken, who won the trophy in 2004. “You have to be good at more than one thing. I know the kids that show more than one animal have to pick which one their points come from. If you are showing a small animal (chicken, rabbit, goat, sheep,) you’ll likely end up with more showmanship points, but you still have to do well with the judging.”
The first winner of the S. Norval Trophy was Ellard McBane. The headline found within the Pontiac Archives featured the news on Oct. 28, 1954.
“Ellard McBane, second son of Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy McBane of Quyon has distinguished himself in the agricultural field by winning the S.N. Horner Trophy to the highest aggregate score at the Inter-club competition in Shawville,” said the story.
George Pirie was the recipient in 1955. George’s wife, Winnifred remembered the S. Norval being a rather prestigious trophy.
Hillis Connelly was George’s roommate at McDonald College and Connelly’s name was able to get a spot on the S. Norval trophy in 1956. Connelly remembered the win happened during competition at the Shawville Fair. Now at 80 years old, he would have been around 20 years old when he won.
While Connelly has always been a Shawville man, he believed Ellard McBane has moved on to Burlington, ON.
Reggie Daley, Dalton Hodgins and James Graham rounded out the other winners for the 1950s. Dorothy Hetherington was the first woman recipient and also kicked off the 1960s.
Kenneth Kilgour was bestowed the S. Norval in 1961.
“I think back in my day, it was the trophy that was a pretty big deal,” said Kilgour. “And lucky to have a fairly successful career in showing and conformation, so I gave my full attention on winning the Horner trophy. It also included judging of not only livestock, but grains and food stuffs. That being the case, I concentrated on the latter and I guess got lucky…oh, to be 18 again.”
Rickey – or Rick – Younge won the trophy in 1975.
“It’s the most important trophy in 4-H,” said Younge. “It happened on the Saturday of the Shawville Fair. It was a very big day and a big honour to win it.”
Cheryl Stanley is one of the rarities as she has her name on the trophy twice in 1986 and 1988.
“I do remember winning it once,” she said. “I showed a heifer named Stanhow Starbuck Erica in 1986. We had an amazing year that ended with a trip to the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto. Looking back at 4-H photos from that year, I see a photo with a bunch of trophies and the Norval Horner is one of them. I completely forgot I won the trophy twice. The first time I won it was a huge deal.”
Cathy Stanley, Cheryl’s sister, is on the trophy for 1987.
There are some years which are missing since 1954 and nothing has been added since 2012. For the record, Emily Simms was the winner of that particular year.
12 year old Alex Mayhew was presented with the S. Norval during the 160th edition of the Shawville Fair. Mayhew’s mother, Jennifer Davies said that most of the competition is now conducted a couple weeks before the fair starts. The trophy usually was handed out during the 4-H banquet but such an occasion has not been organized in a few years.
“The beauty of the trophy is of course the names and the history,” said Kilgour.
By: Scott Campbell – September 2016