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1969 Leacock Medal Winner

Trueman Trivia

Stuart Trueman, a reporter and editor, worked for the daily newspapers in his native city of Saint John, New Brunswick (the Telegraph Journal and Evening Times Globe) for over 60 years if you count his post-retirement freelance work for the papers.  He retired in 1971 and passed away in 1995 at the age of 84.
  • Initially a cartoonist, Trueman began working at the Telegraph Journal at the age of 18 right out of high school.  He illustrated his 1969 Leacock Medal winning book, You’re Only as Old as You Act, and others with his own drawings.
  • Despite other interests and roles, newspaper work in his home town would be his career anchor for the rest of his life. Trueman soon added reporting to his cartooning duties at the paper and eventually became editor-and-chief of the paper.
  • One of the men credited with the “discovery” of Magnetic Hill, the visual phenomenon that became a major tourist attraction, Trueman was an extremely energetic promoter of New Brunswick natural phenomena and historical sites.
  • He served in many official capacities including, for close to thirty years, as an alternate member of the Commission overseeing the Roosevelt Campobello International Park.  
  • Trueman was often referred to as “Mr. New Brunswick” because of his knowledge and promotion of the history of his province and of its scenic and cultural attractions.
  • As a 21-year-old reporter, on 19 May 1932, he interviewed Amelia Earhart at the Saint John Airport as she was preparing for her historic flight across the Atlantic.
  • In addition to You’re Only as Old as You Act, Trueman wrote thirteen other books and published more than three hundred humorous articles in publications like Weekend, Maclean’s, and Saturday Evening Post.
  • He wrote two of the books after the age of 70. They were cookbooks based on New Brunswick heritage recipes co-written with his wife, Mildred.