Mr. Pate was a very influential man. He served as justice of the peace, magistrate and village coroner for many years. His courtroom was located on the east side of what is now the Guardian Drug Store. He was an agent for the International Harvester Company. It was RN. Pate’s influence that was directly responsible for bringing Dr. MacLaughlin, his brother-in-law, to O’Leary.

In 1893, he was elected secretary for the Prince County Liberal Party; in 1899, he was elected president.

He married Miss Margaret MacLaughlin and had four children: Peter (who was a lawyer), John (who owned a meat market next door), Florence (who married William Kennedy), and Annie (Dot- who was Mrs. Charles Dennis).

RN. Pate had many other interests including a fox ranch, an orchard, and a garden; he became unable to give adequate attention to the store. In 1918, his daughter, Florence, got involved in the management of the business and after her father’s death, February 5, 1926, she took it over completely. Mr. Pate's grandson, Marne Kennedy, became owner and manager of the store in 1945. In 1968, Marne sold the building to Stanley MacDonald, a local druggist.

ALTON RAYNER

Alton Winfield Rayner was born in Cascumpeque on December 31, 1903. His parents were Sarah Ann (Webb) and Robert H. Rayner. He was educated in Cascumpeque and at the Truro Agricultural College.

Prior to his marriage in 1928 to a teacher, Margaret Laura Gordon, Alton assisted with the family farm. In 1927, he started employment with the Department of Agriculture as seed potato inspector. His district included communities from MacNeill’s Mills to Tignish. He also travelled to other areas in the province as needed. In 1929 Alton and Laura moved into their new home on their own mixed farm. They also raised foxes for a number of years.

In 1948, they sold their farm and moved into O’Leary, where in 1959, Alton was appointed inspector in charge of the Field Inspection Office. It was during this time as inspector that Alton rec- ognized and named the potato disease “Little Leaf”. Alton was instru- mental in developing the Elite Seed Potato Farm on Fox Island - a farm near Alberton owned and operated by the RBI Potato Marketing Board. After retiring from federal service, he became the farm's first manager in 1969, a position he held until 1978. For his efforts in making the farm a reality, Alton received an award from the Prince County Exhibition Association.

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