Frank Parker Day (9 May 1881 – 30 July 1950) was a Canadian athlete, academic and author. Since Day's father was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister who moved to a new congregation every three years, Day spent his youth living throughout Nova Scotia, living in

Wallace Wallace may refer to: People * Clan Wallace in Scotland * Wallace (given name) * Wallace (surname) * Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back * Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name ...

, Acadia Mines,

Mahone Bay Mahone Bay is a bay on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada along the eastern end of Lunenburg County. The bay has many islands, and is a popular sailing area. Since 2003 the Mahone Islands Conservation Association has been working to prot ...

Boylston Boylston may refer to the following communities: ;Canada * Boylston, Nova Scotia ;United States * Boylston, Massachusetts * Boylston, New York * Boylston, Wisconsin * Boylston Junction, Wisconsin It may also refer to: * Helen Dore Boylston, au ...

, and

Lockeport Lockeport is a town and port in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a traditional Nova Scotian fishing town, situated on a peninsula in Allendale Bay. It is connected to the mainland by the Crescent Beach causeway. The area that sur ...

Early life and education

When he was seventeen, Day attended

Lunenburg Academy __NOTOC__ The Lunenburg Academy is a historic school building located in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Constructed in 1895 to replace a building that had been destroyed by fire, the academy operated as a school from 1895 until 2012, when the Town of Lu ...

and from there went on to earn a BA, in 1903 from

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not parti ...

. Day was a member of the varsity rugby football team while completing his undergraduate studies. On the school's new athletic field Day scored Mount Allison's first points in the intercollegiate Rugby football in 1900. He later won a

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

, studying at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1905. Day was an athlete, and won the Oxford-Cambridge Heavyweight Championship. Returning to Canada, he embarked on an academic career, teaching English at the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Ameri ...

, before being appointed president of

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

War service

Having served with the King Edward's Light Horse while at Oxford University, followed by a year with the 28th New Brunswick Dragoons before filling the position of junior major with the 85th Overseas Battalion. Day served in the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

. where he played a crucial role in recruiting and training of the 185th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Cape Breton Highlanders), CEF. Details of the 94th Victoria Regiment "Argyll Highlanders" were called out on active service on 6 August 1914 for local protection duties. The

85th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders), CEF The 85th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest glob ...

was authorized on 10 July 1915 and embarked for Great Britain on 12 October 1916. It disembarked in France on 10 February 1917, where it fought as part of the 12th Infantry Brigade, 4th Canadian Division in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battalion was subsequently disbanded on 15 September 1920. The 185th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Cape Breton Highlanders), CEF was authorized on 15 July 1916 with Day as its lieutenant colonel, and embarked for Great Britain on 12 October 1916. There it provided reinforcements for the Canadian Corps in the field until 15 February 1918, when its personnel were absorbed by the 17th Reserve Battalion, CEF. Day then commanded the 25th Battalion from August to October 1918.

Literary career

He practiced writing poetry, songs, essays, and news items during his student and army days. After the war he wrote stories for the

Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

and

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

Roses of Mercatel A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

, Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, School of Music and Drama, 1920 *

The Hour before Dawn ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

, Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, School of Music and Drama, 1921 *

An Epic of Marble Mountain An, AN, aN, or an may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Airlinair (IATA airline code AN) * Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy * AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey * Anime North, a Canadian an ...

, New York, 1923 * "

The Iroquois ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

1923

Writings

*''River of Strangers'' Doubleday, Page & Co., New York 1926 *''The Autobiography of a Fisherman'' Doubleday, Page & Co., New York 1927 *''

Rockbound ''Rockbound'' is a novel published in 1928 by Canadian writer Frank Parker Day. Overview The "Rockbound" mentioned in the title is name of small fictitious island inspired by East Ironbound, a remote island near Big Tancook Island off the coast ...

'' Minton, Balch & Co., New York 1928 *'' John Paul's Rock'' Minton, Balch & Co., New York 1932 * '' A Good Citizen'' Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB (Josiah Wood Lectures) 134pp

Awards

His novel ''

'' was chosen for inclusion in '' Canada Reads 2005'', championed by

Donna Morrissey Donna Morrissey (born in The Beaches, Newfoundland) is a Canadian author. At age 16, Morrissey left her birthplace of The Beaches, a small outport on the west coast of Newfoundland. She lived in various places in Canada before returning to St. J ...

. ''Rockbound'' eventually won the competition.

Later life

When the Days came back to Nova Scotia to live they still had a struggle to make a living as Frank's medical expenses had been considerable, including the cost of convalescing in the Southern States and the West Indies. Frank was unsuccessful in getting war disability allowance. His arthritis had stemmed from a blow on the back during a battle in World War I. Retiring to the family cottage the Days spend their time at the tiny village of Lake Annis in Yarmouth County. Where Frank spent his time with friends Harry Hamilton and Joe (Jim) Charles, the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the nort ...

guide in Hectanooga. They spend their season fishing, hunting, paddling the water ways of Yarmouth County.

References

External links

Frank Parker Day bio at Union College website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Frank Parker 1881 births 1950 deaths Canadian male novelists Canadian Methodists Mount Allison University alumni Angling writers Writers from Nova Scotia 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian male writers Presidents of Union College (New York) Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Canadian military personnel from Nova Scotia