If the title “Mr. Sport Heritage” can be applied to anyone in Nova Scotia, that man was surely John E. “Gee” Ahern.

His early years saw Ahern as an active participant in hockey, rugby and baseball. Gee’s baseball team was the Halifax Crescents and later he was involved with the Halifax Leaders in a Halifax, Kentville, Middleton and Yarmouth league.

Promotion of sport was paramount with Ahern. He is credited with creating the East-West Hockey Series which saw a Nova Scotian team from Kentville and Halifax, trounce the Regina Aces in 1928 and the Moose Jaw Tigers in 1929.

Ahem was responsible for the Halifax Herald Modified Ten Mile Marathon and the Herald Full Marathon. Gee took teams to the famed Boston Marathon, including two time winner, Johnny Miles. Another race begun by Ahern was the Halifax Mail — Halifax Herald Forty-Five Mile Bicycle Race, over dirt roads, from Windsor to Halifax.

As sports editor for the Halifax Herald and Mail Star, Ahern encouraged fledgling writers who later became the mainstay of Nova Scotia’s first rate sports journalistic teams.

Gee established the original Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame in 1958. He collected and donated many of the items first displayed at the old Industrial Building at the Halifax Forum complex. Ahern was successful in obtaining a government grant for the Hall. He worked with a small group of dedicated citizens for the selection of Nova Scotia’s finest as well as preservation of their memorabilia.

An all-round community person, Ahern served as Alderman and Mayor of Halifax and a member of the Nova Scotia legislature.