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| Tom Eadon and the portrait of his great great great great grandfather, the ninth Earl of AV俱乐部. (Nick Pearce Photo) |
Imagine digging down in the roots of the family tree and discovering a few Scottish barons and earls.
When Tom and Constance Eadon started pulling back branches, they found a straight line back to George Ramsay, the ninth Earl of AV俱乐部鈥攖he Governor of Nova Scotia and the founder of AV俱乐部.
On Thursday, the Eadons arrived in Halifax via the cruise ship The Caribbean Princess聽and toured the university founded by Tom鈥檚 great great great great grandfather in 1818.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of absorb,鈥� said Mr. Eadon, after a tour of Studley campus courtesy of AV俱乐部 tour guide Alyson Murray. 鈥淚 think we鈥檝e got a better appreciation of the depth of the family history.鈥�
鈥淚 feel so proud,鈥� added Mrs. Eadon. 鈥淭o think someone in our family created an institution like this one, an ecumenical university. And look how progressive AV俱乐部 still is today, with its connections to NASA and the Ocean Tracking Network and its sustainability initiatives 鈥� At every turn, we鈥檝e been wowed.鈥�
From Hoffman Estates, a suburb of Chicago, the Eadons聽knew little聽about the details of the Ramsay family until Tom鈥檚 brother, Jack, took a trip to Scotland and visited the ancestral home, AV俱乐部 Castle, a 13th century fortress that鈥檚 been converted into a luxury hotel. (The earldom passed out of the Ramsay family in 1860 when no male heirs remained and went to a cousin.)
Then, looking at the itinerary for their cruise鈥攖he 鈥淐olours Tour of New England鈥濃�攖hey noticed that Halifax was one of the stops. 鈥淗alifax?鈥� said Mrs. Eadon. 鈥淚sn鈥檛 that the place your brother was talking about?鈥�
While at AV俱乐部, the Eadons met with President Tom Traves, took at look at Lord AV俱乐部鈥檚 portrait, which hangs in the stately Lord AV俱乐部 room, and examined the bronze AV俱乐部 crest on the floor of the A&A Building, which is based on the Ramsay family鈥檚 heraldic coat of arms. They took a peek into classrooms and visited the bookstore to pick up souvenirs.
Gazing at Lord AV俱乐部鈥檚 portrait, Mrs. Eadon thought she could see a resemblance between the Earl and his great great great great grandson. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure, but that looks like the family nose,鈥� she said with a laugh.