James 'Big Jim' Pendergast was Kensington's version of the rugged individualist, a man who tasted life to the full through sports and adventure. Born in 1879, he completed school at Kensington and went on to Prince of Wales College, where he tested his mettle on the football gridiron. After graduation, Pendergast taught school for a few years on the Island, but the thrill-seeker in him soon got the upper hand and he packed his bags to head off in search of new sights.
He moved to Boston and found work as a
motorman on the Boston Elevated Railway, a job whose hard
physical labour was well suited to his brawny 6' 4",
225 pound frame. His strength began to attract attention
not only on the jobsite, but also in local
track-and-field competitions. At a field day sponsored by
his railway company, Big Jim almost swept the events.
Encouraged by this success, he began to train more
seriously in local gyms. Then in 1904, at Madison Square
Gardens 
in New York, he set a
world record for throwing the fifty-six pound weight,
heaving that poundage to a height of fifteen feet, eleven
and three quarter inches. His throw was not eclipsed
until two years later. Holding this world strongman mark
was quite an achievement for a man all the way from
little Kensington! He continued his athletic exploits in
the boxing ring, where he went toe-to-toe with such
well-known fighters as Jack 'Twin' Sullivan, Australian
Billy Warren, and 'Philadelphia' Billy Barker. A man that
tossed over fifty pounds high into the air must have
packed a pretty fair punch.
You
would think that-- between winning a world record and
playing the fight game-- Pendergast would have had his
fill of excitement. But in 1906 he was soon possessed
with wanderlust again, and lured by the promise of
riches, he struck out with his brother David for the
Klondike gold rush. They prospected for gold for a year
and then, perhaps realizing that their plans of instant
fortune were not panning out, Jim joined the fire
department in Dawson City where he served for several
years. The firefighters in Dawson kept a semi-tame bear
to symbolize their rough-and-ready character. But one day
the bear got loose, and made his way down into the
basement of the fire department. The company bulldog was
sent in to flush the bear out but soon returned with his
tail between his legs-- and clawmarks across his face. So
Big Jim offered to go in himself to get the bear, since
he had wrestled with the animal before and become quite
friendly with him. Jim approached the bear slowly and,
when it ducked its head to sniff his pantleg, he managed
to throw one leg over the bear's body and catch him by
the loose skin around the neck. You can imagine the look
on the faces of the Dawson City fire department when Jim
walked the bear right out of the basement!
In 1911, after his brother had passed away, Pendergast finally returned home from his wanderings across the continent, and settled down in Kensington to help his father on the farm. When he could not find enough excitement on the Island, he seemed determined to make some himself. In 1912, he became partners with John MacKinnon and Jim MacDonald in the development of the New Annan race track. The annual races at the track soon became the most action-packed day of the year, thanks in no small part to the boundless energy Pendergast devoted to the contest. Still an imposing figure, he helped serve as crowd control at his own event, where sometimes the spirits flowed as fast as the horses. If someone looked ready to start a commotion, the perpetrator would soon feel a heavy hand clamp upon his shoulder. Not many wanted to be personally involved in determining how far the former world champion could still throw.
In
1924, James Pendergast married Gertude Cullen of Sherwood
and, together, they had ten children. In 1949, he took a
bad fall on the ice and suffered a broken hip. He
underwent two different operations and was left with one
leg three inches shorter than the other, which sometimes
made even walking difficult. While this accident must
have been a devastating blow to a man who had pursued
such a vigorous lifestyle, he never uttered a word of
complaint.
Knowing that his days of participation were over, he shifted his involvements in the world of sports to the organizational side. One of his most lasting accomplishments was the organizing of a 9 mile marathon swim between Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick and Borden , P. E. I.-- the same route taken by the ferry crossing. The first Northumberland Strait Swim in 1963 attracted athletes from across the Maritimes, and by the following year, it drew internationally-known swimmers from as far away as Holland, Egypt, and Britain. In 1963, Pendergast was voted Islander of the Year for founding such a prestigious event, and for devoting his life to building the community through sport. More accolades followed in 1972, with a richly-deserved induction into the Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame.
This Hall of Fame ceremony, which took place in his ninetieth year, was the last public function which the sports star ever attended. Pendergast passed away on January 25, 1975 at the age of ninety five, after a life which could not have been more active or full. Immediately after the funeral, a memorial scholarship fund was established, which grants annual scholarships to a girl and boy graduating from Kensington High School. While Kensington may never produce another world-record holder, Big Jim's legacy of athletic excellence lives on.
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