Jon Green was born Jonathon Bedford Green on December 10, 1967 in Parry Sound to Yvonne and George Green, a brother to Tammy. He regularly jokes that the Toronto Maple Leafs have not won a Stanley Cup since he was born……this has never deterred him from being the ultimate Leaf Fan.
Jon attended McDougall Public School just outside of Parry Sound. He was a friendly, popular kid whose favourite subjects were phys-ed and recess. He loved sports and was lucky enough to have parents who dedicated a lot of time to keep Jon involved in hockey . He played hockey well into his twenties until responsibilities and fear of injuries prompted him to quit.
A long teacher’s strike at Parry Sound High School gave Jon the opportunity to attend Rosseau Lake College where he continued his passion for hockey, soccer, rugby and golf. It is also where Jon made several lifelong friends who continue to be a large part of his life. Jon graduated from Rosseau Lake College in 1987.
Jon’s report cards regularly stated that “Jon has a lot of potential if he would just apply himself……” Sadly, school could not measure his talents. Jon is a people person. His enthusiasm, positivity, compassion and sense of humour have served him well in the business world and in his volunteer endeavours.
For almost twenty years he worked at Parry Sound Auto Parts as an employee and then as a co-owner of the business with his sister Tammy. In that time he met and married his wife, Corine they now have two children, Maddy and Joey who keep him amused, entertained and broke.
For the last 6 years, Jon, along with his wife Corine, has been the owner of Hawkrigg Inc., a busy independent automotive repair shop just outside of Rosseau. Jon’s honesty, humour and strong relationships with his customers have made the shop the trusted place to go for the locals.
For several years Jon was a key organizer for the “snow cross” event in Parry Sound; a huge endeavour which required a lot of time and dedication. He was also involved from the very beginning stages of planning the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame. He, along with many other hardworking volunteers, spent many years’ co-ordinating efforts to see the dream of a Hall of Fame honouring Parry Sound’s Hero come to fruition. In July of 2003 the centre was opened to the public and has been the envy of many small towns across North America. No one was more excited to see the dream come true than Jon.
But as most of you are aware, constructing the building is only half of the work. Maintenance and Operational costs as well as updates to equipment and other capital costs needed a boost. Jon, along with Bobby Orr, was one of the first organizers of the Bobby Orr Celebrity Golf Classic. This highly successful event has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars revenue to help keep the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame and the Stockey Centre an exciting venue for visitors and locals. For the first five Celebrity golf Classics tournaments Jon, along with guidance from Bobby Orr, was the guy doing most of the organization for the event. It was a huge undertaking to create a world class event in small town with limited facilities. Luckily Parry Sound has a lot of dedicated volunteers and businesses willing to make it work. Even now that the event is largely being run by Bobby Orr Hall of Fame staff, they are very quick to admit, that it is Jon that provides the direction and support that ensure that the Celebrity Golf Classic is truly a Best in Class event. Jon has yet to play a round of golf or enjoy a meal.
The Celebrity Golf Classic, along with Jon Green’s involvement date back to 1999 and in addition to his role as chair of the Committee, Jon is also a member of the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame Advisory Committee. Jon has been there every step of the way and will always be the guy running around in the background making sure everyone else is have a good time…..because that is the kind of guy Jon Green is.
It is for that reason that we welcome Jon Green as an Honoured Member of the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame.
