Hon. Dr. Rev. Howard Primrose Whidden (s/o: Charles Blanchard and Eunice Caroline (Graham) Whidden) was b. 12 Jul 1871 in Antigonish Harbour, NS. He d. 30 Mar 1952 in Toronto, Ontario and bur. 2 apr 1952 Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto. Howard m. Katherine "Kit" Louise Ganong (d/o: James Harvey and Susan E. (Brittain) Ganong) b. 14 Feb 1870 in St. Stephan, NB. She d. 4 Apr 1959 at the home of her son in Wolfville, NS and bur. 8 Apr 1959 beside her husband and dau. Susan in Mt. Pleasant cemetery, Toronto. Their plots are near the plots of musician Glenn Gould (a piano shaped stone), hockey great Charlie Connacher and medical researchers Banting and Best.
Howard was a churchman, member of Parliament, educator, scholar and editor of Canadian Baptist: he was Baptist minister in Dayton, Ohio and likely knew John D. Rockefeller and may have instrumental, along with Cyrus' uncle Charles Eaton in Cleveland, in his meeting Cyrus Stehen Eaton, president of Brandon College, Brandon, Manitoba, sat in parliament for four years as a member of the Borden/Conservative led Union government of 1917, appointed in 1923 sixth Chancellor of McMaster University, then in Toronto, Ontario, later moved to Hamilton, Ontario and served for 18 years to 1941.
Whidden Hall at McMaster University is named after Chancellor Whidden, as is the Whidden scholarship at McMaster University.
Howard and Catherine had eight children:
Charles Ganong b. 22 Aug 1895 and d. 27 Jul 1978.
Susan Gwendolyn b. 5 Jan 1897 in Waterloo, Ontario, d. 1963 and bur. in Mt. Pleasant cemetery, Toronto, Ontrio.
Rev. Dr. Evan b. 9 Jul 1898 and d. 11 Mar 1980.
James Gilbert b. 13 Jan 1901 in Brandon, Manitoba and d. 15 Apr 1901.
William Francis b. 19 Mar 1902 in Brandon, Manitoba and d. 4 Jul 1905.
Prof. Reginald Wilbur b. 18 Dec 1904.
Bruce Cuthbert b. 29 Mar 1909 and d. 17 Mar 1972.
Howard Primrose, Ph.D., LL.D. b. 4 Aug 1910 and d. 12 Mar. 1977.