C.B.H.F.
|
|
Class of 1992
Arthur D. Ganong was President of Ganong Brothers for 40 years. The candy and chocolate manufacturing company was jointly founded in 1872 by Arthur’s father and uncle, James and Gilbert Ganong.
Arthur was born in St. Stephen, New Brunswick in 1896, at age 19, he became an apprentice candy maker with the family owned business. Within two years, Arthur was managing the company. It was in 1906 when his innovative idea of fancy shaped candy boxes pushed the company into national prominence.
Arthur constantly impressed upon new employees that quality should never be compromised. Hew knew his product well, tasting pounds of it every day. When other manufactures moved to machine made candy, he resisted, firmly believing the Ganong hand made chocolate would be superior in taste.
In 1910, while planning for a trip, Arthur decided small slabs of milk chocolate, filled with chopped nuts, would be easier to carry than boxed chocolates. His slabs are credited with becoming the first chocolate bars.
Appointed President in 1917, Arthur directed operations for the next 40 years. He was first to introduce protective cellophane wrapping around candy boxes in 1920. New markets resulted following a bold move by Arthur to become the first candy maker to advertise on television and use colour magazine ads. At the height of the Depression, Ganong’s 700 employees continued to produce over a thousand products. A popular promotion, initiated in 1932 by Arthur, was the introduction of the first Valentine heart box.
When Arthur died at age 83, he was described as the man with “an inevitable chocolate stain on his collar, a gentle spirit with kind eyes, a man of mettle.”