They call him ‘The Tie Guy’
Cameron Frost is retired from teaching — and now his most memorable ties have followed suit
‘The Tie Guy’ is retired from the teaching profession and now his most precious ties have followed suit.
Cameron Frost, former principal of Eskasoni Elementary and Middle School, has been collecting ties for 30 years, and out of the hundreds in his collection, about 50 of his more memorable ones have been laid to rest in a quilt made by friend Betty Bauman of Glace Bay.
“Looking at the quilt, I can almost tell you a story for every tie,” he said.
Growing up, Frost never had an interest in ever wearing a tie.
“As a young fellow, no way you were putting one on me.”
In 1982 he graduated from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax and soon after began his teaching career in Pelican Narrows, Saskatchewan.
He began buying ties to wear to work or to other occasions that would warrant one. However, he said, his ties back then had a conservative touch to them.
“When getting a new shirt or something it would be about picking out a nice tie to match it.”
In 1984 he moved back to Cape Breton and began teaching at the Eskasoni Elementary School. He said working with kids from Primary to Grade 9, they began to notice his ties so he started picking up ones that were a little more fun.
”I would find cartoon ones that I’d thought would be funny.”
His love for ties continued to grow and he ended up with ties for all occasions, including Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Halloween. He even has a Royal Canadian Legion tie.
He has many Christmas ties, of course, including one with eyes that lit up.
“I have at least 30 Christmas ties, “he said. “I’ve always had all the occasions sewed up — I even have a couple Canada Day ones.”
Over the years people began noticing his ties more and more and he’d even be referred to as “the Tie Guy.”
“It kind of became a trademark,” he said.
His birthday and Christmas presents would often be ties and when he’d go away on a trip, his souvenirs would be ties.
He said it actually became an obsession to find unique ties and he’d explore for creative ones in second hand stores such as Value Village.
“I was really becoming a second hand store guy. Anytime I was in another community I’d be drawn to any second hand stores to see if there were any different ties in there and often I’d find one or two.
“Over the years I ended up with every colour and size tie possible.”
Cameron worked at the Eskasoni school — now Eskasoni Elementary and Middle School — for 26 years in administration, including the last five as principal.
Ties were such a big part of his life when he retired in 2014, that a couple of colleagues close to him throughout his career each requested one.
“They wanted them as mementos — and the funny thing is both are women!”
There were also emotional occasions when he was remembered through his ties.
“One of my friends passed away and his family asked if he could be wearing one of my ties for his final resting place,” he said. “We were really good friends and he always got a kick out of my ties.”
Frost said most of his ties remained in pretty good shape over the years, mostly because when you have that many ties, you don’t wear any one tie all that often. However, some would get old and frayed so would be discarded.
“They were carefully selected, they weren’t my babies.”
He said collecting ties does have its issues though.
“They are like dealing with slimy fish — they are hard to hold on to, hard to hang — and there were so many it can become a real issue.”
In the meantime, Cameron’s wife, Phyllis, said every week last spring a group of their family members would go to the Big Fiddle in Sydney for the Ashby Chase the Ace event and one day a woman named Betty Bauman of Glace Bay came in alone and asked if anyone was sitting in the chair at the end of the table. Phyllis said her family would have anywhere from four to 10 family members who would go together.
“We told her to sit down and join us. I introduced her to everyone.”
Phyllis said they became good friends, even talking on the phone a couple times a week and always meeting up for the Chase the Ace event.
Bauman told Phyllis she does crafts and makes a lot of baby quilts. After coming up with the idea to retire and preserve Cameron’s most precious ties they asked Bauman if she’d make a quilt from them. Bauman delivered the quilt about a week ago.
“It is so beautiful, she does most of it by hand, she does amazing work.”
Cameron said although his more memorable ties are now presevered forever in the quilt, he has those that didn’t make the cut and special ones he still wears, including a handmade tie with a native theme to it.
“It is a treasured one that I didn’t want in the quilt; it’s one I will continue to wear on special occasions.”
Bauman said she has sewed and done crafts for years and enjoys making quilts and has made many for family and even some for charity.
She has had requests for many different quilts but this would be her most unusual one. She said it took about two weeks to make sewing “off and on.”
Bauman bought quilted material but much of the work was done by hand with small needles.
“All the back and sides and ties are all hand done.”
She said Cameron selected his most memorable ties for the quilt.
And although he does have a massive number of ties, there is one particular type of accessory that can’t be found in his collection.
“I’ve never had a bow tie,” he said.