Remember This? John Rhodes

From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:

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Remember This?. . . John Rhodes; more than just a community centre

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in the Sault who doesn’t know about the John Rhodes Community Centre but how much do you know about John Rhodes the man?

John Reginald Rhodes was born to Amelia and Jack Rhodes on September 26, 1929 in Sault Ste. Marie. He attended Sault Collegiate Institute and played on the football team. 

He had a variety of careers during his lifetime. After high school he went into private industry for a time before becoming a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Department where he rose to the rank of Sergeant. He eventually left the police department and entered the field of broadcasting, in both television and radio. As the sports director of CJIC radio and TV station and the morning radio announcer until 1971, he was a familiar face to many. 

He decided to enter the field of municipal politics and served as Sault Ste. Marie City Council Alderman for Ward 2 from 1963 to 1966.  Initially Rhodes claimed (in a newspaper article) that he ran as a lark but he soon became much more serious about the city’s political future.

In 1968 he ran for Mayor of Sault Ste. Marie and beat Nick Trbovich for the mayor’s seat with a vote of 12,170 to 10,492 and served the Sault as Mayor until 1971. Rhodes served on a variety of boards including the Sault Ste. Marie Planning Board from 1964 to 1967 and was director of the Ontario Mayors’ and Reeves’ Association in 1970.

In 1971, Rhodes decided to run for provincial office and was elected as an MPP in the 1971 provincial election as the Progressive Conservative candidate for the riding of Sault Ste. Marie.  

He quickly rose to prominence.  

In March 1972, Rhodes was appointed Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources, served as Chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Revision of the Mining Act and was Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Administration Study Committee.

In 1974, he was appointed to Provincial Cabinet as Minister of Transportation and Communications. In October 1975 he was shuffled to the Ministry of Housing and in January 1978 he was moved to the Ministry of Industry and Tourism.  During his time in provincial office he became a driving force for the move to widen Highway 17 to four lanes between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury.  The four-lane highway project began east of Sault Ste. Marie and west of Sudbury but unfortunately it has never been completed.  Passing lanes were added to help move traffic safely between the two four lane sections.  

Rhodes left for Europe and the Middle East on a trade mission on September 18, 1978.

At the time he told the Sault Star that “the main objective of the trip (was) to develop an export market for Ontario manufacturing." 

During the two-week trip, Rhodes was to visit Egypt, Iran, France and Belgium. Unfortunately, he never completed the trip.

After leaving Cairo, he arrived in Iran and Rhodes suffered a massive heart attack. He died in the Iranian capital of Tehran on September 25, 1978; a day before his 49th birthday.  He was survived by his wife Vivian Rhodes and children Paul, Sandra and Janet. 

In a Sault Star article from September 1978, then Alderman Walter Chisholm said of Rhodes, “He was a man who studied both sides of a question to make sure people got a square deal.” 

Alderman Frank Manzo was quoted as saying, “He worked too hard for his health. He was a go-getter. He always tried. He was on the go all the time.”

Alderman Bill Syms added, “Perhaps he died because of the tremendous amount of work he tried to do for people. It didn’t matter who you were – the president of a corporation or a ‘nobody’. He was ready to work for you.”

In March of 1979 city council unanimously endorsed a resolution to name the new $1.38-million dollar sports complex at Queen Elizabeth Park after John Reginald Rhodes to recognize his contribution to the Sault Ste. Marie community.

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Each week, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and its Archives provides SooToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.

Find out more of what the Public Library has to offer at www.ssmpl.ca and look for more Remember This? columns here