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Created in 2013, Skate Guard is a blog that focuses on overlooked and underappreciated areas of the history of figure skating, whether that means a topic completely unknown to most readers or a new look at a well-known skater, time period, or event. There's plenty to explore, so pour yourself a cup of coffee and get lost in the fascinating and fabulous history of everyone's favourite winter sport!

Jack MacDonald

Jack MacDonald

November 25, 1952-September 26, 1993 

Jack MacDonald was a musician, ice dancer and school teacher from the Boston area who moonlighted as a skating instructor and skate guard at Metropolitan District Commission rinks. He passed away on September 26, 1993 in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the age of forty.

Jack's obituary: "John (Jack) MacDonald, a Fenway resident for fifteen years, and a talented musician, athlete and teacher, died Sept. 26 after a four-year battle with AIDS. He was 40. Originally from Charlestown, Jack graduated from Boston Latin School and received his undergraduate degree in music from UMass, Boston, graduating with high honours. He taught music at Harvard Kent elementary school in Boston and mathematics at Hyde Park High School and Madison Park High. He also worked as a lifeguard and skate guard at MDC pools and rinks. In addition, Jack served on the client-advisory committee of the AIDS Action Committee and as a board member of the Boston Living Center. Jack was an accomplished pianist who often performed in concerts at the Museum of Fine Arts or dropped in for an impromptu jam session at King of Records on Queensberry Street. A multi-talented individual, he also excelled at figure skating, ice dancing, basketball and swimming. Jack was known by many in the Fenway as a warm-hearted, caring person who made friends easily. Whether he was teaching kids to ice skate or play basketball, inviting friends over for a singalong, or stopping the mugging of an elderly man, he always expressed concern for the welfare of others. About living with AIDS, he once said, 'AIDS is an albatross around your neck. I've lost everything. But at the same time, I've learned a lot. I've learned that I have many dear friends who will do anything for me, and I've learned to value life.'"

*Source for inclusion: Robert John Quinn's Memorial Books, The History Project (Boston and Massachusetts LGBTQ+ Archive)

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