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People and organizations
Gloster, Bernard James
023 · Person · 1914-1966

Bernard James Gloster (aka Barney Gloster) was born August 4, 1914 in Toronto, Ontario to news photographer Bernard Joseph Gloster (1879-1948) and Martha Jane McCauley (1883-1942). His family moved to Scarborough, Ontario by 1921. Like his father before him, Gloster became a photographer. He married Gladys Helen O'Mara (1917-1995) in Toronto on August 10, 1936. Bernard and Gladys Gloster then moved to Sudbury, Ontario later that same year and Bernard Gloster continued his photography work for the Sudbury Star until October 30, 1939 when he left to pursue a position as photographer for the Windsor Star.

During World War Two, Gloster served as a photographer for the army and after returning to Windsor, Ontario opened his own studio.

Bernard Gloster remained an active photographer until his death on February 18, 1966 at the age of 51.

Ashworth, George Johnston
023 · Person · 1862-1937

George Johnston Ashworth was born June 26, 1862 in Quebec to William Henry Ashworth (1820-1901) and Jane Murray Ashworth (nee Johnston, 1835-1908). By the late 1860’s, the family moved to Newmarket, Ontario where William Ashworth worked as a hat manufacturer. The fourth of thirteen children, George J. Ashworth entered the family business. He worked as a hat manufacturer with his father and in 1883, both father and son purchased the Newmarket Hat Factory as a joint venture.

During the Northwest Rebellion in 1885, George Ashworth served as a Captain in the 12th Battalion York Rangers. After completing his military service, Ashworth returned to work with the family business in Newmarket. Four years later, Ashworth moved to Toronto, Ontario where two of his brothers were living, and began studying law at Osgoode Hall. By the following year, the rest of his family relocated to Toronto.

During his years as a law student, Ashworth worked at Macdonald & Cartwright, later Macdonald, Cartwright & Garvey, a law firm in Toronto. It does not appear that George J. Ashworth completed his law studies in Ontario.

In 1895, Ashworth served as the Secretary and Manager of the Sun Savings and Loan Company. By August 1895, the company was in a state of turmoil as management and shareholders disagreed on how to manage the company. Ashworth was replaced by Samuel Nesbitt during a reorganization but shareholders reappointed him and he subsequently returned to the office with his brother, John Ashworth, who was advising him as his lawyer. The police were called and several individuals were arrested for trespass. In 1896, Samuel Nesbitt was listed as the manager of the company.

By 1898, Ashworth co-founded a mining broker company, Henry A Drummond & George J Ashworth Mining Brokers in Toronto, Ontario. In 1900, Ashworth was employed as the Secretary for the Aqueduct Construction Company but returned to the broker profession by the following year and remained until 1903.

On October 4, 1904, George J. Ashworth married Kathrine Williams (1870-1949) of Hamilton, Ontario in New York. On May 13, 1906, the couple’s only child, George William Ashworth (1906-1998), was born in Toronto, Ontario. By the following year, Ashworth was employed as a reporter for the Toronto Star.

In 1908, George J. Ashworth moved to Sudbury, Ontario where he lived with his wife and son at 149 Elm Street. While in Sudbury, Ashworth started his own newspaper, the Daily Northern Star (aka the Daily Star or the Sudbury Star). The newspaper claimed to be the “first morning daily newspaper between Toronto and the ‘North Pole.’” The first issue of the first edition was published on January 11, 1909. The newspaper’s first issue stated under its article “Why We Are Here,” it was “established solely for the purpose of serving the people and interests of New Ontario first, last, and all the time. It is not the organ of any clique, corporation or political party. We believe that in serving the interests of the whole people we shall be fulfilling our proper destiny.”

After the first six months, the newspaper suffered financial difficulties. The Printing Forman, William Edge Mason, was instrumental in helping find and secure the financial help of local businesses and after the newspaper required additional financial support later in 1910, it reduced its publication to two days a week and was renamed the Sudbury Star. Sometime before January 1910, Ashworth had resigned and Mason became the owner and publisher of the newspaper.

In January 1910, Ashworth visited his sister in Vancouver, British Columbia and shortly after decided to relocate to the west coast. He worked as a reporter for Vancouver World, the News-Advertiser and the Vancouver Sun. In 1920, he ran in the British Columbia General Election in Vancouver for the Vancouver Rentpayers Association party but was not elected.

The Ashworths enjoyed vacationing on Savary Island in British Columbia and during the late 1920s, George J. Ashworth established the Royal Savary Hotel. Ashworth held the positon of manager until his death.

George J. Ashworth passed away on Savary Island in British Columbia on April 13, 1937 at the age of 74.

Wilson, Florence Mary
2005.27 · Person · 1911-2005

Florence Mary Wilson (nee Reid) was born January 4, 1911 in Odessa, Ontario to her parents Stanley (1880-1957) and Elizabeth Reid (nee McFarland) (1877-1965). Florence grew up on a homestead in Odessa with her siblings Hazel (m. Denyes) (1905-1993), Vernon (1916-2003), and Harvey (1907-1987). Florence attended Fellows Public School, S.S. 12 and Odessa Continuation School in Ernestown Township before going on to teachers’ college at The Peterborough Normal School with the Class of 1930-1931. She taught briefly in Ernestown until marrying Meredith MacFaul Wilson, son of Thomas Wilson (1859-1943) and Margaret Blanche Wilson (1875-1962), on October 16, 1935. Together they lived in Enterprise, Ontario until Meredith’s death on June 9, 1959 at the age of fifty. Meredith’s death led Florence to return to teaching, working first as a supply teacher in Ernestown, and then as a teacher of students with mental and physical disabilities in the Kingston area from 1963 until 1971. Florence was an active community member within Emmanuel United Church, Odessa and as a volunteer with the Lennox and Addington Historical Society and Helen Henderson Care Centre in Amherstview. Florence was a hobbyist genealogist and great appreciator of history, devoting much of her time to studying her family’s history and that of Lennox and Addington County. Florence Wilson died February 28, 2005 in Kingston at the age of ninety-four, and is buried at Reidville Cemetery with her late husband Meredith.

CA-ON · Corporate body · 1868-2012

The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Diocese of London, in Ontario was first incorporated on February 15, 1891 under chapter 92 of the Statutes of Ontario, 1870-1.

On December 11, 1868, at the request of Bishop John Walsh, five Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto arrived in London, Ontario. Mother Teresa Brennan, Sister Ignatia Campbell, Sister Ursula McGuire, Sister Francis O’Malley and Sister Appolonia Nolan were accompanied by Reverend Mother Antoinette McDonald and were welcomed by Bishop Walsh, Rev. J.M. Bruyere, V.G., and Rev. P. Egan, pastor of St. Peter’s Church. Awaiting the Sisters were sleighs that transported them from the train station to a temporary home at 170 Kent Street.

In accordance with their mission in London, three Sisters began teaching at St. Peter’s School in January, 1869. After classes, they visited the sick, the poor and the imprisoned. They were also mandated to open an orphanage in the future. In order to accomplish these tasks, more Sisters and larger facilities were necessary.

On October 2, 1869, the Barker House at the corner of Richmond and College Street in North London was purchased and the Sisters moved there from Kent Street. The building was named Mount Hope, and it became the first Motherhouse of the Sisters, eventually housing the elderly, orphans, Sisters and novices.

On December 18, 1870, the Sisters of St. Joseph became an autonomous congregation in the London diocese, independent of the Toronto congregation. Sister Ignatia Campbell was appointed Superior General, an office she held until 1902. On February 15, 1871, the congregation became legally incorporated.

On October 7, 1877, an addition was made to Mount Hope. This building stood until it was demolished on August 3, 1980, surrounded by the growing healthcare institutions founded by the Sisters, beginning with St. Joseph’s Hospital which opened at 268 Grosvenor Street on October 15, 1888, and followed by the opening of St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1895, and the construction of a new nursing school building in 1927, which saw its last graduation in 1977. On May 1, 1951, St. Mary’s Hospital was opened, followed by Marian Villa on January 12, 1966. In 1985, the hospital complex was renamed St. Joseph’s Health Centre, and ownership was transferred in 1993 to St. Joseph’s Health Care Society.

But it was not only in London that Sisters saw the need for healthcare and nursing education. On October 15, 1890, they opened St. Joseph’s Hospital on Centre Street in Chatham, Ontario, which remained under their control until 1993. In 1895, they opened St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing, which saw its last graduation in 1970. On October 18, 1946, they opened St. Jospeh’s Hospital at 290 North Russell Street in Sarnia which remained under their control until 1993. In Alberta, they administered St. Joseph’s Hospital in Stettler (1926), St. Joseph’s Hospital in Galahad (1927), the General Hospital in Killam (1930), and St. Paul’s Hospital in Rimbey (1932).

On April 10, 1899, the Sisters opened Mount St. Joseph Motherhouse, Novitiate and Orphanage at the former Hellmuth College at 1486 Richmond Street North in London. The orphans were moved to this new location from Mount Hope, which remained a home for the elderly and was renamed House of Providence on June 3, 1899. The orphanage remained at Mount St. Joseph until it was moved to Fontbonne Hall in 1953 (to 1967). The original Hellmuth College building was demolished in 1976.

Later, on September 14, 1914, the Motherhouse and Novitiate moved to Sacred Heart Convent at Colborne and Dundas Streets in London, with the orphans remaining at Mount St. Joseph. The Sisters lived at Sacred Heart Convent until 1953, when they moved back to the newly built Mount St. Joseph, on the original location of the former Hellmuth College. The new Motherhouse and Novitiate was officially opened on June 29, 1954. It was here that they continued a private girls’ school which had begun in 1950 at Sacred Heart Convent, and was now known as Mount St. Joseph Academy (to 1985). It was here too that they continued a music school which had also begun at Sacred Heart Convent and was now called St. Joseph’s School of Music (to 1982). The Médaille Retreat Centre began here in 1992, and the Sisters also administered a Guest Wing for relatives of hospitalized patients (to 2005). The Sisters departed Mount St. Joseph for their new residence, a green building at 485 Windermere Road in London, in 2007.

On September 4, 1873, St. Joseph’s Convent opened at 131 North Street in Goderich, Ontario, followed by other convents in Ontario, including Ingersoll (1879), St. Thomas (1879), Belle River (1889), Windsor (1894), Sarnia (1906), Kingsbridge (1911), Seaforth (1913), St. Mary’s (1913), Woodstock (1913), Kinkora (1916), Paincourt (1923), Maidstone (1930), Leamington (1932), Delhi (1938), Tillsonburg (1938), Simcoe (1938), Langton (1939), West Lorne (1957), and Zurich (1963)

The Sisters also opened missions in other parts of Canada, including in Alberta: Edmonton (1922), Wetaskiwin (1929), St. Bride’s (1934); and in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Yellowknife (1953), and in British Columbia in Haney, now Maple Ridge (1956), and Rutland (1970). Branching even further afield, Convento San Jose was opened in Chiclayo, Peru in 1962.

Over the years, as well as their service as teachers in the separate school system, as music teachers, as healthcare workers, as nursing educators, in providing care to orphans, and in providing parish ministry, pastoral care, and administering spiritual retreats, the Sisters were also involved in social service ministry. In Windsor, they opened the Roy J. Bondy Centre on September 13, 1970 which was a receiving home for the Children’s Aid Society, withdrawing in 1982 but continuing to provide residential care for disabled children afterward. In London, they opened Internos, a residence for teenage girls attending school and later for troubled teens (to 1979). This was followed by the opening of St. Joseph’s Detoxification Centre on September 13, 1973 (to 2005) and St. Stephen’s House, an alcoholic recovery centre on February 1, 1982 (to 2000). Loughlin House in London opened as a residence for ex-psychiatric female patients in 1986 (to 1989), followed by the Home for Women in Need at 534 Queens Avenue in 1979 (to 2004). Later, St. Josephs’ House for Refugees was opened in 1987 (to 2005), followed by St. Joseph’s Hospitality Centre, a food security program, on February 2, 1983.

On November 22, 2012, the congregation amalgamated with those in Hamilton, Peterborough, and Pembroke into one charitable corporation under the name Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada Act, a Private Act of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario which received Royal Assent on June 13, 2013.

Garnet McPherson
F 35 · Person

Garnet McPherson was born in Pickering, Ontario and spent much of his childhood exploring the nature surrounding his home in Ajax, Ontario. In school he worked for the school newspaper, was a member of student government, and president of the camera club. At 16, McPherson was hired by a local newspaper as a photojournalist and was freelancing for two national journals. By 18, he worked regularly for the Toronto Star.

McPherson graduated from the Commercial Photography program at Sheridan College in 1974. He then returned to freelancing and began working in aerial, editorial, landscape, and commercial photography. In 1975, he started a photography studio on Champlain Avenue.

Between 1975-1990, McPherson’s studio grew into a group of companies that included Insight Photo-Graphics, Vision Photo Labs, Aerial Photographics of Canada, a local paper called Entertainment Calendar, and Cinema Whitby, a movie theatre which regularly held screenings and workshops with local filmmakers. His company Insight Photo-Graphics created a photographic slide “film” about the town of Whitby, Ontario that screened at Cinema Whitby in 1987. While the master film has been lost, the photographic slides of which the film is comprised were donated to Archives at Whitby Public Library. Besides photography, Garnet loved sailing and flying. He kept his sailboat in Whitby Harbour, and his aerial photography aircraft at Oshawa Airport.

Beginning in the 1990s, McPherson closed his studios in Whitby, and began focusing on environmental sustainability. He wrote and edited for various magazines about the topic and produced documentaries about the impacts of sustainability. He also acts as a keynote speaker about environmental issues and has worked with David Suzuki and Al Gore. He is now semi-retired and resides in Victoria, British Columbia where he continues to support the eco film industry through a new film studio.

MIddlesex Centre Archives · Corporate body · 1987-present

On 31 March 1987, a group of 35 to 40 people interested in the history of Lobo Township met to discuss the role they could have in preserving the history of Lobo Township. From the discussion it was agreed to form the Lobo Township Historical Society. It was suggested that if there was enough interest and funding available a committee would be created for the purpose of publish a Lobo Township history book.
The history book committee was comprised of senior citizens who could then apply for the New Horizons Program under the Department of Health and Welfare. The application for the New Horizons grant was submitted on 15 June 1988. A ten-thousand-dollar grant was obtained, and the work started. According to a history written by Carol Small, volunteer and Executive Member of the Book Committee, “The Lobo Township Heritage Group had two goals which were:
To publish a book about Lobo Township history of the highest caliber so that municipalities in Middlesex County would also take part in the project; and

  1. to establish an archives for all the materials that were copied and saved from the project. “ (Small)
    The book entitled The Heritage of Lobo 1820-1990 was officially launched in December 1990.
    "On January 20, 1999 Lobo Township Historical Society amended its constitution to include the three former townships of Lobo, London and Delaware. It expanded Historical Society was renamed Middlesex Centre Historical Society.
    In 2013 the Middlesex Centre Archives was established with the support of the Municipality of Middlesex Centre. Residual profits from the sales of the Heritage of Lobo were transferred to the Middlesex Centre Archives in June 2013 bringing the goals of the Group to fruition." (Small)
Russell, Loris S.
http://viaf.org/viaf/111864719 · Person · 1904-1998

Loris Shano Russell was born April 21, 1904 in Brooklyn New York; his mother, Matilda Shano, was from Newfoundland and his father, Milan Winslow Russell was from New York. At the age of four, Russell and his family moved to Calgary, Alberta where he grew up. Russell received a BSc in Geology from the University of Alberta in 1927, and two graduate degrees from Princeton University: an MA (1929) and a PhD (1930).

Russell worked as an assistant palaeontologist with the Geological Survey of Canada from 1930-1936, an assistant geologist in 1937. Russell was then an assistant director of the Royal Ontario Museum of Paleontology. During the Second World War, Russell served with the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals, and was transferred to the Canadian Militia after the war, retiring with the rank of major.

Russell served as the director of the Royal Ontario Museum of Paleontology from 1946 to 1950, before working at the National Museums of Canada in multiple roles: Chief, Zoology Section (1950-1956); director, Natural History (1956-1963); and acting director, Human History (1958-1963). Russell once again returned to a newly amalgamated ROM to lead the Life Sciences division in 1963, and a year later was appointed the museum’s chief biologist along with a professorship in geology at the University of Toronto. Russell officially retired in 1971 but continued to work out of his office in the ROM daily. He would also return to Alberta for fieldwork each summer well into his eighties.

Russell's discoveries concerning dinosaurs and early mammals were particularly important. His 1965 paper, “Body Temperature of Dinosaurs and Its Relationship to Their Extinction,” marked the first time someone suggested that dinosaurs might have been warm blooded. An interest in material history also led him to research oil lamps, making original and fundamental contributions to the history of lighting and material culture in 19th-century North America. The books resulting from this research include A Heritage of Light (1968), Handy Things to Have Around the House (1979) and Every Day Life in Colonial Canada (1980).

Russell died in Toronto on July 6, 1998 at the age of 95.

http://viaf.org/viaf/79258341 · Person · 1876-1957

Charles Trick Currelly (Jan. 11,1876 – Apr. 10, 1957) was the first Director of the Royal Ontario Museum of Archaeology and Professor of the History of Industrial Art (later changed to Archaeology) at the University of Toronto from 1914-1946.

Currelly was born in Exeter, Ontario, attended Harbord Collegiate Institute in Toronto and then Victoria College, graduating with his degree in 1898. He then went to Manitoba to work as a missionary for two years, before returning to Toronto to do an M.A. at Victoria College. In 1902 he travelled to Europe and joined the staff of the Egypt Exploration Fund as an assistant to the famous archaeologist, Flinders Petrie.

Currelly established a reputation as a well-respected archaeologist and collector. In 1906 the University of Toronto appointed him official collector of antiquities, and later, Curator of Oriental Archaeology. Around this time Currelly and Sir Edmund Walker, president of CIBC, joined forces to petition the Ontario Government to provide the money to establish a museum in Toronto. They were guaranteed this support in 1908 and in 1914 the Royal Ontario Museum was opened to the public.

Charles Currelly retired from the ROM as of July 1, 1946 . In 1956, he published his memoirs, I Brought the Ages Home, in which he tells the stories of his travels and his work at the ROM.

http://viaf.org/viaf/89792043 · Person · 1900-1994

William Elgin Swinton was born on September 30, 1900, in Kirkcaldy, Scotland to William Wilson Swinton and Rachel Cargill. He had one younger sister, Mary Swinton. He received his early education in Dundee, Scotland and graduated in 1922 from the University of Glasgow with a BSc. Swinton began his career in 1922 as an assistant in the geology department at the British Museum and was later appointed as a paleontologist and curator of fossil amphibians, reptiles and birds. During his career at the British Museum, Swinton gained an international reputation as an authority on dinosaurs and had many publications on the topic, including The Dinosaurs (1934).

In 1961 Swinton left Britain to become Head of the Life Sciences Division at the Royal Ontario Museum, combined with a post of professor of zoology in the Departments of Zoology and Geological Science at the University of Toronto. On July 1, 1963, Swinton was appointed Director of the ROM. After three years, Swinton was required to retire from his post due to a new University regulation that fixed retirement for administrators at the age of 65.

Upon leaving the ROM, Swinton resumed his scholarly activities as a professor at Massey College, University of Toronto. His last appointment was as a professor at Queen’s University in Kingston until 1979.

Swinton died in Toronto, Ontario in 1994, at 93 years old.

http://viaf.org/viaf/9853153954912005680005 · Person · 1838-1932

Charles James Stewart Bethune was born in West Flamborough Township, Upper Canada on August 11, 1838. He was a graduate of Toronto’s Upper Canada College and University of Toronto’s Trinity College with a BA in 1859. He was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1862, after nine years, he was appointed headmaster of Trinity College School in Port Hope.

Between 1906 and 1920, as a professor and head of the entomology department at the Ontario Agricultural College (now a part of the University of Guelph), he pioneered the instruction of the science of insects at the university level.

Bethune cofounded the Entomological Society of Canada with William Saunders in 1863, where he served as its president for 11 years and edited its journal, the Canadian Entomologist for 30 years. At Guelph, he developed the teaching of economic entomology based on sound scientific principles, promoted the collection and careful identification of insects, and published widely on the lives of insects and on their control.

Corporate body · 1930-1990

In 1930, the Sisters of St. Joseph opened Killam General Hospital, which remained open the longest of the four hospitals which they started in Alberta. Two years later, St. Paul's Hospital began in Rimbey. The hospital in Stettler had opened in 1926 and closed a year later, while the hospital in Galahad had opened in 1926.

In 1930, the F. E. Nichol home was purchased by the Sisters for the construction of the hospital in Killam. At this time, there were no grants from the provincial government for the construction or operation of the hospital. Killam General Hospital was given this name to demonstrate that all patients would be treated, no matter with which religion they were affiliated. Sister Jane Frances O'Rourke took charge of the hospital soon after opening. Sister Loyola Donovan followed as Superior and Administrator. In 1945, the hospital had 15 beds.

By 1946, the people in the community had observed for some time that a larger hospital was needed, and thus a wing was added to the hospital. In 1958, the Alberta Hospitalization Plan was put in place, and the Killam General Hospital was one of the first of Alberta's voluntary hospitals to adopt the idea of inviting lay persons of the community to help with hospital management.

In 1959, Sister Mary Lourdes Therens became the new administrator for the hospital. In 1963, during her time as administrator, a new hospital, chapel and residence for the Sisters was opened.

The Flagstaff Beaver Auxiliary Hospital was built and originally owned by the county, which had wanted a long-term care hospital. It was a separate corporation with its own board of directors.The county asked Sister Lourdes and Sister St. Bride if they would operate the hospital for the county. They agreed to do so, and it was administered along with Killam General Hospital as one facility but two separate corporations. There was an Administrator who was a Sister who oversaw a Director of Nurses position in each hospital. These positions were also filled by Sisters. The Auxiliary Hospital and General Hospital were connected by a corridor with double doors that were always left open. The Convent was also attached to the building. The Auxiliary Hospital shared the kitchen and boiler system with the General Hospital and the county paid a certain amount for this shared usage. The lab and x-ray departments were shared between the hospitals, and patients from the General Hospital went to the physiotherapy and occupational therapy departments which were at the Auxiliary Hospital. The Auxiliary Hospital provided long-term care and was known as the geriatric wing. The Auxiliary Hospital had 50 beds, and the Killam General Hospital had a small nursery.

In 1970, Sister Mary Kevin Moran became the new administrator for the complex. There was some lobbying for the Killam General Hospital to be turned over to the county, but the Sisters resisted this for twelve years. In the end, the county turned the Auxiliary Hospital over to the Killam General hospital.

The Killam General Hospital was in operation from 1930-1990 under the direction of the Sisters of St. Joseph. In 1990, the Sisters withdrew from operation of the Killam General and Flagstaff Beaver Auxiliary Hospitals. In 1990, the hospitals were renamed the Killam Hospital Complex. At this point, the hospitals had 30 active beds and 150 chronic beds. In 2002, ownership was transferred to Alberta Catholic Health Corporation. The Convent was rented to home care for five years and is now also owned by the Alberta Catholic Hospital Corporation. The former Convent houses doctors' offices today. The hospital complex was later named Killam Health Care Centre.

Mount St. Joseph Centre
Corporate body · 1960-1980

In 1960, Mount St. Joseph Centre opened to treat emotionally disturbed boys. It was located at 354 King Street West, Hamilton, which was the former site of Mount St. Joseph Orphanage, which had been closed by the Sisters of St. Joseph due to the declining number of orphans in residence. A shift in views occurred in the 1950s, and the Welfare Protection Agency began placing more children into foster homes rather than keeping them in large orphanages.

Mount St. Joseph Centre was a private, charitable, and non-denominational organization, operated by a board of directors. The Sisters of St. Joseph sat on the board, along with professionals and laypersons. Sister Eugenia Callaghan was the Administrative Director of the Centre. Other Sisters worked there as teachers and child care workers. All of the Sisters who worked at the centre had living quarters on the third floor.

Due to its success, more space was eventually needed, and in 1975, boys aged 6 to 12 remained at 354 King Street West, while boys aged 13 to 17 moved to 66 Canada Street, otherwise known as “Canada House”.

Mount St. Joseph Centre’s board of directors defined “emotionally disturbed youth” as children who had difficulty adjusting to everyday life, and thus needed special attention. The boys were described as being in conflict with their families, communities, and themselves.

A child entered the centre after first trying community-based, out-patient counselling services. If this treatment did not prove helpful, then a team of representatives from the Children’s Aid Society, Board of Education, Probation and Court Services, treatment centres, counselling services, and the Regional Children’s Centre met to discuss the child’s case. If it was determined that the child’s needs could be better met by residential treatment, they were sent to Mount St. Joseph Centre. It is important to note that children were never taken away from their parents. Instead, the centre offered a place for boys to live and receive treatment. If the child did not have a family, then the Centre worked with the Children’s Aid Society to find an appropriate family for them.

The therapy was based on everyday positive relationships with staff members. If a boy acted out, he was provided with explanations and clarifications about his behaviour, and encouraged to try new responses. This type of therapy was used to instill self-esteem into the child, as well as re-adjust his thinking about how to better respond to social interactions. The children were encouraged to join community activities, like sport clubs.

In 1967, the Department of Health promulgated the White Paper, which outlined the necessity for residential treatment centres. As a result, Mount St. Joseph Centre was accredited as a Schedule IV institution under the Revised Mental Health Act of August, 1968. This Act provided financial support for children in residential treatment centres, but not for additional educational services. In 1971, it was decided that the Public School Board would assume the responsibility for the educational programme at the centre.

On September 5, 1980, Mount St. Joseph Centre moved from 354 King Street to 69 Flatt Street, Burlington. They subsequently changed their name to Woodview Children’s Centre. The Sisters were not involved with the Centre once it moved.

With a now vacant building at 354 King Street, the Sisters put together a committee to determine what to do with the property. There were discussions about creating a seniors’ day centre and also a pastoral care centre for aging priests. The seniors’ day centre was to be in partnership with Providence House, a facility for the care of the aged, which was an institution which had been founded by the Sisters. It does not appear that these projects came to fruition.

In 1982, the Cool School leased two floors of the former Mount St. Joseph Centre. The school offered alternative education to assist troubled youth and those with learning disabilities. Other tenants included a pastoral counselling centre, St. Joseph Hospital Foundation and a bereavement group sponsored by the Sisters.

Devitt, O. E.
Person · 1904-1992

Otto Edmund Devitt (1904-1992), best known as “Ott” grew up in the Stayner/Wasaga sector of Simcoe County. He married Mary MacKay (d. 1991) and were residents of Richmond Hill.

A Pharmacist by profession, Devitt worked for many years at the T. Eaton Co., Ltd. Store in downtown Toronto as a dispensing chemist. In the early 1950s, Devitt changed careers and worked at the then Ministry of Natural Resources putting him in charge of the Fish and Wildlife library at the Ministry’s District office in Maple, Ontario; a job he held until his retirement in 1970s.

Devitt’s interests and activities were widespread. They included those of diarist, collector, photographer, speaker, ornithologist, and botanist. He produced more than 70 articles embracing a wide range of topics. One of these was The Birds of Simcoe County, originally published in 1943, with a revised edition sponsored by the Brereton Field Naturalists in 1967. He had a special interest in Michigan's Kirtland's Warbler, and presented a paper on this species to the Toronto Ornithological- Club. He was the first local naturalist to find and photograph the nest of the Yellow Rail. He had found the nest himself in the Holland Marsh, just east of Bradford. He photographed almost every species of fern and orchid in Ontario.

Devitt was a founding member of the Toronto Ornithological Club; other memberships he held were of the Toronto Field Naturalists, the Brodie Club and the Richmond Hill Naturalists. Additional interests of his were in Biology, Archaeology and as a local historian.

Hartleib, Mary Anthony
Person · February 10, 1924- June 23, 2008

Sister Mary Anthony Hartleib (nee Mary Anne Lenore) was born in Stratford, Ontario on February 10, 1924. She was the daughter of Charles Henry Hartleib and Loretta Durand. Her stepmother was Mary Hartleib of Waterloo, Ontario. Mary Anne Lenore Hartleib joined the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of London, Ontario and received the habit on July 2, 1965. She made her final vows on May 30, 1971 in the Chapel at Mount St. Joseph. She was given the religious name Sister Mary Anthony. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in art and theology at the University of Windsor in 1969, and then studied at Althouse College in London, Ontario. Sister Mary Anthony received a permanent teaching certificate in 1972, a supervisor’s certificate in art, and a teaching certificate in art and English. From 1970 until 1981, she supervised the art department at Mount St. Joseph Academy in London. She was appointed assistant bursar at Mount St. Joseph, but continued with art and the teaching of ceramics until 1985 when her art work took a new turn. Always interested in the spiritual, Sister Mary Anthony turned to iconography. She spent two years studying Chinese water colour painting, followed by three years of iconography. She was a scholar, a skilled teacher of art, and a passionate advocate of the way icons open the mystery of the sacred. Sister Mary Anthony became well known as an iconographer and maintained a studio in the Sisters’ residence after Mount St. Joseph Academy closed. For several years, she shared her knowledge of iconography with the seminarians at St. Peter’s Seminary in London. The community of the Sisters of St. Joseph moved to 485 Windermere Road in 2007, where Sister Mary Anthony occupied her own art studio. Three of her icons, including that of the Blessed Trinity, were placed in the Chapel at the new residence. After a very short illness, Sister Mary Anthony died in the care centre at the Sisters’ Residence on June 23, 2008. Her funeral Mass of Resurrection was celebrated in St. Joseph Chapel in the residence at 485 Windermere Road. Father Frank O’Connor of St. Peter’s Seminary was the main celebrant. Sister Mary Anthony was buried in St. Peter’s cemetery in London.

Bigelow, Jane
Person · 1928 -

Jane Bigelow (1928 - ) was a politician and the mayor of London, Ontario from 1972 to 1978. She also served as controller on the city's Board of Control before and after her term as mayor.
She was born in Toronto in 1928 and educated at St. Clement's Girl's School and the University of Toronto where she completed a B.A. in Physical and Health Education in 1950. She trained as a teacher and taught in high schools in Ottawa, Hamilton and Edmonton.
After settling in London in 1965 with her husband and two children, she took courses at the University of Western Ontario towards a B.A. and began a master's program in urban studies. She participated in the founding of the Central London Association and the Urban League, a group that was designed to coordinate the efforts of local citizens' groups. She also became involved in the London Council of Women, serving on the committee which helped save the Broughdale Lands. Bigelow was active in local and provincial NDP organizations, serving as vice-president of the provincial party from 1968 to 1972. She organized several conventions for the party and was responsible for the Handbook for Municipal Politicians, published in 1968.
In 1969, she was elected to the Board of Control and when she was re-elected in 1971, she received the most votes out of all the controllers making her the deputy mayor. When mayor Fred Gosnell resigned for health reasons in February 1972 she took over as acting mayor. In March 1972, Bigelow was elected mayor by council and in 1973 she was elected mayor by the public in a general election. She was re-elected in 1974 and 1976 but was defeated in the 1978 election by Al Gleeson, an instructor at Fanshawe College.
As mayor, Jane Bigelow advocated for accessible day care, better public transit with special fares for senior citizens, neighbourhood improvement schemes, funding for the arts, more parks and better city planning. She was criticized for being uninterested in development. During her mayoralty, London received a triple A rating from two independent American organizations. In her last years of office, she became interested in financial planning and tax reform for municipalities. She was actively involved in several joint municipal-provincial organizations and represented London's interests at both higher levels of government. In 1974, she was invited with six other Canadian mayors to visit Israel and in 1976, she was a representative to the Habitat Conference and the Conference of Mayors held in Milan.
Some of the major issues during her term as mayor included the Talbot Square development, the London Regional Art gallery, the restoration of the Middlesex Court House and the possibility of siting a prison in London.
She was elected to the Board of Control in 1980 but did not run in 1982. She was later employed by Employment and Immigration Canada. She was honoured with several awards and recognitions for her public service.

Corporate body · 1908 -

The Board of Governors of Western University was established in 1908 with full authority to govern and manage the affairs of the University, except for those purely academic matters assigned to the Senate. The Board's mandate was to manage the property, finances, and business affairs of the University.

Stewart, William Atcheson
Person · 1915 - 1990

William Atcheson Stewart was born on a farm near Denfield, Ontario on February 26, 1915 to parents George A. Stewart and Frances Langford. He was educated at a local public school and attended Lucan high school during his teenage years. Stewart dropped out of high school in Grade 10 to pursue work on his family’s farm. Through his continued farm work, Stewart developed a fascination and passion for agricultural work.
William Stewart married Edythe M. Jones of Granton in 1940. They had four daughters, Marilyn Jenken, Norma Brock, Barbara Shipley, and Gay Slinger. Stewart was an active member of the agricultural community and headed several special committees on agricultural affairs. In 1957 William Stewart was elected MPP for Middlesex North for the Progressive Conservative (P.C.) Party in a by-election. He was re-elected in general elections in 1959, 1963, 1967, and 1971. In 1960, Stewart turned down a position as Minster of Transportation and entered as a Minister without Portfolio later that same year. In 1961 Stewart took on the position of Minister of Agriculture, and later Minister of Agriculture and Food, which he held until his retirement in 1975. Stewart retired as the longest serving Agricultural Minister in Canada.
During his time in office, William Atcheson Stewart was responsible implementing many important acts to further the agricultural sector in Ontario. These pieces of legislation include The Animals for Research Act 1968-1969, Beef Cattle Marketing Act 1968, an Act to Provide for Inspection of Meat for Human Consumption 1962-1963, and An Act respecting Ontario Agricultural College, Ontario Veterinary College and Macdonald Institute 1961-1962, to list a few.
Although Stewart was forced to retire from politics due to heart conditions, he remained active in the agricultural community in an advisory capacity and joined many major companies as a board member, including Ontario Hydro.
Stewart remained a longtime friend of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), a part of Guelph University. He was granted an LLD from the OAC in 1976, his first university degree. He also conferred an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1978. Stewart maintained close ties to the University of Guelph, eventually serving as Chancellor from 1983-1989. Stewart was also the first recipient of the Centennial Medal from the OAC at the University of Guelph during their centennial celebrations in 1974.
With encouragement of his family, Stewart wrote an autobiography of his life, “Rural Roots and Beyond,” outlining his childhood, political career and his retirement. The book was published in 1990, shortly before his death.
William Atcheson Stewart died of a heart attack at Victoria Hospital on December 8, 1990 at the age of 75. Stewart was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1988 and inducted into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1992.

Kingsmill, Henry Ardagh
Person · 1867 - 1920

Born July 2, 1867. Died 1920. Son of Thomas Frazer Kingsmill and Anne (Ardagh) (Burris) Kingsmill. Henry Ardagh Kingsmill married Inez Ethelyn Smith (1870-1956), an American singer, in 1902. They had two children: Sidney Ardagh and Eleanor.

He graduated with a medical degree from Western University in 1895, and served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps. His name is on a campus plaque honouring Western University's soldiers of WWI. He died during a soldier's flu epidemic in 1920 at the age of 53.

Kingsmill, Arthur
Person · 1870 - 1898

Arthur Kingsmill was born in 1870 and died 1898. Son of Thomas Frazer Kingsmill and Anne (Ardagh) (Burris) Kingsmill. He married Jane “Jennie” King on July 1, 1891. Together they had three children: Arthur King, Jack Ardagh and Marjorie.
Arthur ran a second Kingsmill's location on King Street in Chatham, across from the market. Arthur died tragically young at the age of 28 from blood poisoning and the Chatham Kingsmill's location closed for good.