Taking The Lead

Tom Eagles

PHOTO: PATRICK RILEY

DOMINION PRESIDENT TOM EAGLES, 57, has spent 37 years serving the Legion. He is a life member of Marble Arch Branch in his hometown of Plaster Rock, N.B., and has served as branch president, district commander and provincial command president.

Eagles joined the Dominion Executive Council in 2003 and has since served at the national level as a member of constitution and laws, finance/budget, poppy and remembrance and outreach and community relations committees. Currently he is chairman of veterans, service and seniors, Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL) and dominion convention committees and vice-chairman of pay, finance/budget, investment and staff pension. He is also a member of the veterans consultation committee. This past summer he was appointed vice-chairman of the Canvet Publications Ltd. Board of Directors.

He is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal, 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. He worked in the Public Works and Recreation Department of the municipality of Plaster Rock for 35 years, is past president of Plaster Rock’s Minor Hockey League and spent five years on the Tobique Valley Manor Board of Directors. His hobbies include hockey, baseball and golf. He and his wife, Cheryl Giberson, have four children—Ryan, Daniel, Brook and Brett and two granddaughters, Killian and Ella.

Dave Flannigan

PHOTO: PATRICK RILEY

FIRST VICE DAVE FLANNIGAN, 58, has served the Legion for 39 years and is a life member of Labrador City Branch. He was district commander in 2001 and has held every branch office. In 2007-2009 he was president of Newfoundland and Labrador Command. He joined Dominion Executive Council in 2007 and served as a member of finance/budget and focus on the future. He also went on to serve as chairman of sports and poppy and remembrance. Currently, he is co-chairman of membership and outreach, vice-chairman of veterans, service and seniors and a member of RCEL, pay, dominion convention, finance/budget and veterans consultation committees. This past summer he was appointed chairman of the Canvet Publications Ltd. Board of Directors.

In 2004, after 29 years, Flannigan retired from the Iron Ore Co. of Canada and for the next three years owned and operated Tool Maintenance Plus. He spent five years as a sales manager at Hercules SLR Inc. in Labrador City, and served on the Legion hospital telethon committee. In his spare time he enjoys sports. Flannigan has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals.

He and his wife, Vera, have six children, Mitchell, Tanya, Dale, Dean, Dwayne and Danny and 12 grandchildren.

Thomas Irvine

PHOTO: PATRICK RILEY

VICE-PRESIDENT THOMAS IRVINE, 59, served for 23 years with the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, including active duty in Egypt with the United Nations Emergency Force. He has spent 26 years serving the Legion and is currently a member of Hemmingford, Que., Branch. Irvine rose to become provincial vice-chairman, vice-president and served three terms as Quebec Command provincial chairman.

For 10 years Irvine served as dominion chairman and on national committees, including membership, constitution and laws, finance/budget, dominion convention, focus on the future, leadership development and youth, poppy and remembrance and sports. He is co-chairman of membership and outreach and a member of finance/budget committee.

Irvine retired from TD Canada Trust in 2004 and is a seven-time past master of Argyle-Elgin Lodge No. 7. His is also a member of Montreal’s Black Watch Veterans Association. Irvine is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. His hobbies include walking and public speaking. He and his wife, Paulette, have four children, Jennifer, Wanda, Tom and Tim, and four grandchildren.

Ed Pigeau

PHOTO: PATRICK RILEY

VICE-PRESIDENT ED PIGEAU, 58, has 34 years of Legion service. He is a life member of the Thessalon, Ont., Branch, where he still serves as a branch service officer. He was first elected to the branch executive in 1982. He joined the Dominion Executive Council in 2003 and the next year began serving on committees. In 2009 he was elected president of Ontario Command. He has served as Dominion Chairman of sports, training and development and as a member of finance/budget, veterans service and seniors, poppy and remembrance and focus on the future committees. He now serves as chairman of poppy and remembrance and leadership development and as a member of finance/budget committees.

Pigeau owns Quality Building and Renovations, and enjoys woodworking, vegetable gardening, cooking and baking. He has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. He and his wife, Judy, now live in Thessalon.

André Paquette

PHOTO: PATRICK RILEY

VICE-PRESIDENT ANDRÉ PAQUETTE, 62, has served the Legion for 40 years and is a life member of Harry Searle Branch in Chapleau, Ont. He has served extensively at the branch, zone and district levels, rising to president of Ontario Command in 2011. At the national level he served on the membership committee in 2009 and joined the Dominion Executive Council in 2011. In 2012 he served as a member of veterans, service and seniors committee and is currently chairman of sports and a member of finance/budget.

He is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. He served four years in the reserves and 40 years with the Canadian Pacific Railway. Paquette is retired and enjoys hunting, fishing and camping. He and his wife, Jane, have four boys, Ian, Brian, Scott and Patrick Joseph (PJ).

Mark Barham

PHOTO: PATRICK RILEY

TREASURER MARK BARHAM, 56, is an associate member of North Calgary Branch. He has been active with the Legion for 39 years and risen through the ranks to become Treasurer of Alberta-Northwest Territories Command. Currently, Barham serves at the national level on the Dominion Executive Council and is chairman of pay, finance/budget, investment and staff pension committees.

He is a director of the Whitney Victoria Barham Foundation and a contributor to the Tim Hortons Children’s Foundation. He and his wife own seven Tim Hortons restaurants in Calgary. He enjoys fishing, hunting, hockey and writing. He and his wife, Caroline, raised two children, Whitney (deceased) and Kelsey.

Jack Frost

PHOTO: PATRICK RILEY

CHAIRMAN JACK FROST, 66, is a life member with 40 years Legion service. After joining Port Elgin, Ont., Branch, he rose to become Ontario Command president in 1999. He is currently serving as honorary grand president. At the national level he was vice-chairman of training and development and has served on veterans, service and seniors, finance, RCEL, investment, staff pension, dominion convention, RCL governance, poppy and remembrance, sports, commemoration and pay committees. He is vice-chairman of leadership development and a member of constitution and laws, finance/budget and dominion convention committees. Frost was Dominion President from 2006-2008.

In 2002 he retired from Ontario Hydro. He enjoys hiking, photography, gardening and golfing. He is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. He and his wife, Lynn, have two daughters, Sarah Lynn and Estelle Yvonne and five grandchildren.

Gordon Moore

PHOTO: PATRICK RILEY

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT GORDON MOORE, 61, has more than 29 years with the Legion and served with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. He is a life member of Elmira, Ont., Branch and worked his way up through the ranks to become president of Ontario Command in 2005. Moore joined the Dominion Executive Council  in 1999 and served as chairman of RCEL, veterans, service and seniors, dominion convention, focus on the future, poppy and remembrance, vice-chairman of pay, finance/budget, investment, staff pension and a member of public relations, The Royal Canadian Legion governance commission, veterans, service and seniors, membership, veterans consultation group committees. He is vice-chairman of RCEL and a member of membership and outreach and leadership development committees. He was chairman of the Canvet Publications Ltd. Board of Directors, 2010-2012.

Moore spent 32 years in sales and marketing and has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals, Chief Military Personnel Command Commendation and Minister of Veteran Affairs Commendation.

He and his wife, Kathy, have a daughter, Dawn Melinda and two grandsons, Drew and Reed. They enjoy gardening and golf.

Larry Murray

PHOTO: PATRICK RILEY

GRAND PRESIDENT LARRY MURRAY, 67, retired in 1997 after 33 years with the Royal Canadian Navy and as acting chief of the defence staff with the Canadian Armed Forces. He joined Fisheries and Oceans that year and was appointed associate deputy minister. In 1999 Murray moved to Veterans Affairs Canada where he served as deputy minister followed by Fisheries and Oceans again in 2003. He is retired and volunteers as an ordinary member of Dominion Ottawa Branch.

At the Legion’s national level he was chairman of the veterans consultation group and facilitator of focus on the future and a member of veterans service and seniors committees and ex-officio of defence and security committee. He continues as chairman of veterans consultation, ex-officio of defence and security and veterans, service and seniors committees. Murray is the chair of the Board of Directors of the Public Policy Forum and past-president of the Nova Scotia Mainland Division of the Navy League of Canada. He was the first chairman of the Veterans Ombudsman Advisory Committee, an external member of the National Defence Audit Committee and honorary Colonel Commandant of the Chaplain Branch of the CAF.

Murray’s list of honours and awards includes member of the Order of Canada, Commander of the Order of Military Merit, member of the Order of St-John of Jerusalem, NATO Special Services Medal, Vimy Award from the Conference of Canadian Defence Associations, Chief of Defence Staff Commendation, Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation, 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals.

He and his wife, Claudia Buckley, have six children and enjoy spending time with their five grandchildren. He enjoys volunteering, kayaking, gardening and jogging.