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Elizabeth Wyn Wood, Glenn Gould, Gordon Lightfoot, Stephen Leacock, Leslie Frost, Jake Gaudaur Snr.

Orillia Hall of Fame

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National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data

Main entry under title:

City of Orillia Hall of Fame 2015

2015 ed.

978-0-9689198-2-8

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Brillinger, Isabel, 1916-, author

          Orillia Hall of Fame / Isabel Brillinger. -- 2015 edition.

ISBN 978-0-9689198-2-8 (paperback)

1. Orillia (Ont.)--Biography.  2. Awards--Ontario--Orillia.

I. Orillia (Ont.). Commemorative Awards Committee, issuing

body  II. Title.

FC3099.O74Z48 2015             971.3’17              C2015-905298-X

Updated by: The Commemorative Awards Committee

Cover Art: Philip Jackman

Featuring: Elizabeth Wyn Wood, Glenn Gould, Gordon Lightfoot, Stephen Leacock, Leslie Frost and Jake Gaudaur Sr.

City of Orillia2015

Orillia Hall of Fame

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The history of Orillia is the legacy of deeds and achievements of its residents. Every day we live with and build upon that history and the accomplishments of the people who have contributed to that rich and exciting history.

Among the many notable candidates nominated for the Hall of Fame, both contemporary and historic, choosing those who will be included is very difficult but rewarding. Since the inaugural induction, fifty inductees have been awarded a place in the City’s Hall of Fame, located outside the Council Chamber at City Hall.

Of these inductees, twelve inductees are from the arts, nine from the field of sports, six from politics, and the rest from fields such as law, journalism, and commerce. So, take time to browse through our Hall of Fame Book and discover the past and glorious spirit of Orillia!

Chair’s R emarks

I have been proud to chair the Orillia Commemorative Committee for the past three years and wish to thank the staff, the committee members and the nominators who bring the nominees to life for us as they tell their stories. So if you know someone who makes a difference in our community, log on to the city web page to find the criteria and nomination package.

Betsy Gross, ChairCommemorative Awards Committee

Special Thanks

A number of people have contributed to this publication over the years and made this publication possible:

• Ms. Isabel Brillinger• James Pauk Photography • Ms. Amelia Shilling• City of Orillia Staff, past and present

Mayor’s R emarks

The City of Orillia may be small on the urban scale, but we are mighty in our history. Great individuals from a wide array of disciplines have called Orillia home and we are proud to recognize the contribution they have made to our great city and beyond.

The Orillia Hall of Fame book provides us with an opportunity to formally acknowledge individuals, both past and present, and highlight their achievements and why they are deserving of our greatest respect and admiration.

To date, 50 people have been named to the Orillia Hall of Fame since its inception in 1964.

Since the last printed edition of this commemorative book in 2008, the City has added five inductees to the Orillia Hall of Fame. From the field of broadcast journalism, banking, public service, and sports, the most recent inductees highlight the wide variety of biographies that grace the pages of this special book.

Reading this Hall of Fame book will fill you with pride and great reverence for the people it honours and the amazing City from which they come.

As the Mayor of Orillia, I commend the Commemorative Awards Committee on their passion for preserving the legacy of these individuals. Meeting eight times a year, the committee is also responsible for inducting individuals into the Order of Orillia. It isn’t an easy task determining who is worthy of these great distinctions.

Steve Clarke,Mayor

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Anderson, Thomas Gummersall Baillie, Alexander CharlesBain, Frank “Piper”Bartleman, The Honourable James K., Lieutenant Governor Of OntarioBartlett, George W.Beaton, Dr. AlexanderBell, WilliamBoyle, John “Benny”Cairns, Peter W.Carmichael, FranklinChalmers, Floyd S.Curran, RobertDe La Roche, MazoFrost, Hon. Leslie M.Gaudaur, Jacob Gill “Jake” (Sr.)Gaudaur, Jacob Gill “Jake” (Jr.)Gill, Harry Gould, GlennGreene, Canon Richard W.Hale, Dr. Charles HaroldHarvie, EricHenry, WalterKeith, Marian (Mary Esther Miller MacGregor)Knox, Walter

Hall of Fame Inductees

Leacock, Stephen ButlerLewis, Honourable Douglas G.Lightfoot, GordonLong, ErastusMacInnis, The Very Reverend John AngusMcDonald, BobMcGarvey, J. A. “Pete”McKenzie, L. MervynMcKinlay, Honourable Duncan E. Mulcahy, GertrudeO’Brien, Lucius RichardParnaby, Tayler “Hap”Plunkett, Albert, Merton & Morley (The Dumbells)Shrum, Mamie (Faris)Shilling, Arthur BradfordSissons, Hon. John HowardSt. George, Laurent QuettonSteele, Sir SamuelTapscott, DonThomson, Dr. DavidTudhope, J. B.Watson, Gordon Alexander “Skid”Wood, Elizabeth WynChief Yellowhead (Musquakie)

Thomas Gummersall Anderson(1779 – 1875)Government AgentInducted 1993

Thomas Gummersall Anderson was the government agent responsible for the settlement of the native tribes in the Orillia area in the 1820’s. He had been a successful and respected trader, then military commander during the war of 1812, before starting a career in government services.

In 1829, he was summoned to York by Sir John Colborne and ordered to undertake the settlement of the three tribes of Ojibwa Indians under Chiefs Yellowhead, Aisance and Snake at Coldwater and The Narrows. He supervised the building of the mill on the Coldwater River in 1833, a store and a school for First Nation children, as well as the dwellings and meeting house at The Narrows Village.

Yellowhead settled at the Narrows, Aisance at the Coldwater end of the Reserve and Snake on Snake Island in Lake Simcoe. Anderson’s reports at that time stressed the successful transition the tribes had made from hunting to farming and noted that religion and education was increasingly important in the lives of the natives. However, in 1836, the new Lt. Governor, Sir Francis Bond Head urged that they be removed in order to accommodate the white settlers moving into the area. Thus in 1839, Chief Yellowhead and his band settled in Rama Township, Chief Aisance went to Beausoleil Island and Christian Island while Chief Snake remained on Snake Island.

As a trader and government employee, Anderson had close contact with the First Nations for 58 years. He was a shrewd judge of character and was devoted to their interests and was highly regarded by them. He was responsible for executing the first attempt made in the British Empire to place aboriginal people on reserves.

Submit nominations to the Hall of Fame at orillia.ca/halloffame

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Alexander Charles Baillie(1939 - )BankerInducted 1999

Alexander Charles Baillie was born in Orillia in 1939, to Dr. and Mrs. Charles Baillie and even as a young lad, he knew he wanted to run a company someday. He has certainly achieved his goal.

He was educated at Hillcrest Public School, Orillia District Collegiate Institute and University of Toronto Schools. He earned his BA at University of Toronto and MBA at Harvard Business School. It is interesting to note his grandfather, Alexander Baillie, many years ago was an executive with the Dominion Bank, which merged with the Bank of Toronto. With this Toronto Dominion Bank, Charles started his career, which included several years in New York, in the USA division. The TD Bank has profited from his business acumen, and, recognizing this, appointed him Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Much can be said about this accomplished man – a philanthropist, a family man, a keen golfer, a student of history, and athlete. He is outspoken as he sees the need for greater commitment to education. He is an avid bird watcher and this interest has taken him and his binoculars to many parts of the world.

Many companies, organizations and charitable institutions have profited from his expertise and his willingness to head fund raising campaigns for these institutions. B’nai B’rith honoured Charles when they presented him with the “Award of Merit”, B’nai B’rith’s highest honour. Orillia was fortunate that he agreed to be honourary chairman of the fundraising campaign for the Orillia Museum of Art and History at its founding.

Frank “Piper” Bain(1908 -1991)AthleteInducted 1969

Frank Bain’s nickname, “Piper” came from the fact that his father was a pipe major of the Toronto Irish Regiment. His lacrosse career started in school in Brampton, continued in Toronto, and at one time he played with the Irish-Canadian Dominion Championship Team in the junior division.

In 1930, Piper represented Canada in the World championships, losing out to the United States in Baltimore. He toured the USA with the University of Toronto Blues in 1931 for one month, having a fantastic record: 13 wins and only one loss.

Under the coaching of Conn Smyth, Piper turned professional in 1932. He joined the Chicago franchise of the American Lacrosse League for three years and won the Jimmy Murphy Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player in the Senior Lacrosse League in 1936.

That same year, he moved to Orillia in order to play lacrosse, as Orillia was an outstanding lacrosse town. From 1936-1939, the Orillia team won two Ontario championships and one Dominion championship. In 1937, Piper coached the first junior club Orillia ever had, for boys twenty years and under, and in five years they won three Ontario and two Dominion championships. During the war years, he spent the winter months coaching a hockey team.

Visit the Orillia Hall of Fame at the Orillia City Centre (50 Andrew St. S.)

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Honourable James K. Bartleman(1939 - )Lieutenant Governor Inducted 2004

The Honourable James Karl Bartleman was born to Percy Bartleman of Orillia and Maureen Benson Simcoe of Mnjikaning (Chippewas of Rama) in 1939. As a youth growing up in Orillia and in Port Carling, Muskoka, James straddled the two worlds of Scottish-Irish heritage and native heritage, facing the poverty of the family and discrimination from the community.

The Honourable James Bartleman was the first aboriginal to be named Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

As described in his two biographies of maturation, Raisin Wine: a boyhood in a different Muskoka (2007), and Out of Muskoka (2002), Bartleman overcame obstacles to his personal growth through reading and self-education. With the assistance of a wealthy Muskoka cottager, he attended university, then embarked on a diplomatic career in 1966 when he joined the Canadian Foreign Service.

In a further memoir, Rollercoaster (2005), James writes of his career as a senior diplomatic advisor to Prime Minister Jean Chretien. Bartleman has associated with a great many prime ministers, premiers and presidents through his years as an ambassador or high commissioner to Bangladesh, Israel, NATO, South Africa, Australia and the European Union. On Six Continents: a Life in Canada’s Foreign Service 1966-2002 (2004) describes his many amusing and treacherous adventures from the perspective of a poor aboriginal kid from Orillia and Muskoka.

The greatest accolade he ever received is the National Aboriginal Achievement Award in 1999. His influence is still felt in the northern Ontario literacy camps for native children that he championed while Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario. He retired to Perth, Ontario, but frequently visits Orillia and Mnjikaning.

George W. Bartlett(1852 – 1939)Park SuperintendentInducted 1995

George Bartlett was a Provincial Park Superintendent who was instrumental in the development and preservation of Algonquin Park as we know it today. Mr. Bartlett came to Canada in 1863 and in 1872 to Orillia, where he and his family lived on Regent Street. He was very fond of the great outdoors. His initial work on the railroad construction and lumber camps up north, led to a position of considerable responsibility with the J. R. Booth Company.

In 1893, the Ontario Government passed the act establishing Algonquin Provincial Park as a “Public Park and Forest Reservation”. But by 1897, the administration of the Park had fallen into disrepute and the Premier of Ontario, the Hon. Arthur Hardy, asked George Bartlett to take responsibility for the Park and “to make it a credit to the province”. This he did for the next 24 years. As superintendent, he was also the Postmaster, Police Magistrate, Chief Coroner of the District of Nipissing and Commissioner of Oaths.

Mr. Bartlett hired former trappers to become Park Rangers to help him curtail poaching and illegal trapping, which was no easy task in the days of snowshoes, dog sled, and travelling by canoe. He was a hardworking man, expecting the rangers he appointed to be the same, and he was determined to maintain the wildlife of the Park. The preservation of the Park is a tribute to the foresight of the people of Ontario and the supervision of people like George Bartlett.

Algonquin Park was put in the hands of a truly dedicated gentleman, who was recognized both nationally and internationally for his achievement in the preservation of wildlife in a controlled area enjoyed by people from all over the world. He helped build a legacy for Canadians that should endure for centuries.

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Dr. Alexander H. Beaton(1838 – 1932)PhysicianInducted 1973

A pioneer in the treatment and education of the developmentally challenged, Dr. Alexander H. Beaton justly deserves to be included in “The Hall of Fame.” He worked hard to justify his belief in the educational requirements of the patients as well as residential facilities.

Dr. Beaton was educated in the Township of Pickering, and graduated from the Toronto School of Medicine in 1864 with a specialty in surgery. He practiced in Stayner for ten years. In 1876, he was appointed superintendent of The Orillia Asylum for Idiots, five months after the institution was opened with 100 residents. It was the first Canadian institution for the developmentally challenged and remained the only one for almost twenty-five years. Dr. Beaton was superintendent for thirty-four years, retiring at age seventy-two.

As more progress was made in the treatment, research and education of the developmentally challenged, the institution was renamed The Ontario Hospital, then The Ontario Hospital School, and finally The Huronia Regional Centre.

Dr. Beaton was twice elected the president of the Association of Medical Officers of American Institutions for Idiotic and Feeble Minded Persons. To this day, it is believed Dr. Beaton is the only Canadian ever elected president of that association.

Dr. Beaton was an elder in the Orillia Presbyterian Church for forty-five years and was involved with the planning and building of the church sanctuary. The beautifully carved communion table in the church, presented by his son, is a memorial to Dr. Beaton and his wife.

William Bell(1945 - )Author, EducatorInducted 2002

William Bell was born in Toronto in 1945 and educated there until he graduated from the Ontario College of Education in 1970, immediately after which he moved to Orillia where he has lived ever since. He holds a Master of Arts in Literature and Master of Education, both from University of Toronto. For many years William taught English and creative writing at Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute, where he was the head of the English Department. For years he was an instructor in China at the Harbin University of Science and Technology and Foreign Affairs College. He has also taught at the University of British Columbia.

William Bell has written fourteen books, twelve for young adults and two for children. In the mid-80’s he was among the first novelists in North America writing specifically for young adult readers aged 12 to 17, and has been an innovator in this genre ever since. Many of his books are widely used in school courses of study, since they novelized political and social issues such as disabilities, illiteracy, alcoholism, gay relationships, student unrest, gangs, cancer and bullying, long before they became current in the media or popular subjects for other novelists. His novels are set in the Orillia region, Algonquin Park and China.

His books have been translated into ten languages including French, German, Polish, Dutch, and Spanish. Mr. Bell has won the Belgium Prize for Excellence, the Ruth Schwartz Award (Canada), Manitoba Reader’s Choice Award, Canadian Librarian’s Association Award and Mr. Christie’s Award, among many others. He lives in Orillia with author Ting-xing Ye.

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John “Benny” Boyle(1916 – 2008)BankerInducted 2011

Benny Boyle was a classic success story in the banking world. Starting as a junior teller in the Orillia branch of the Dominion Bank right out of high school, he moved steadily up the ranks to retire as CEO of the corporation.

Benny was born and raised in Orillia and never lost his connection with the town. His banking career, which started in 1934, was interrupted by World War II. He went overseas as a pilot and flight instructor on multi-engine bombers and spent the last year of the war in a POW camp. At war’s end he was honoured with the Air Force Cross for his distinguished service.

Returning to the bank in 1945 he quickly moved up the ranks. Just three years later he was posted to New York to learn international banking. He was there when the Dominion and Toronto Banks merged into the TD Bank in 1955. By 1959 he was their point man in New York, working to insure foreign investment in Canada went through his bank, becoming the top international banker at TD. In 1974 he was named president of the Canadian Bankers’ Association. Continuing his steady climb up the ranks, he was finally named CEO of the TD Bank in 1978.

In the late 70’s, TD led the way in the development personal banking machines, a revolution in the banking world. TD’s Green Machine, became the first full service machine in Canada under his watch. Benny expanded TD’s territory into the US and Britain, taking it from the fifth top ranking Canadian bank in assets to the second.

Benny retired in 1981 but remained on the Board of Directors until 1987. After that, he kept busy sitting as a director of various companies including Excelsior Life Insurance, Aetna Casualty of Canada, Costain Limited and Jannock Limited. He also served as governor of York University.

From his modest position as a junior bank clerk in Orillia, Benny reached the highest heights in the banking world.

Peter W. Cairns(1938 - )Vice Admiral Inducted 2002

Vice Admiral Peter Cairns was born in Orillia on October 4, 1938. The son of Mildred and Carrol Cairns, he attended West Ward Public School and Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute. A keen athlete, he enjoyed a variety of sports and played for several Orillia teams. In his final year of high school, he was elected head boy, and was selected as a cadet major in the school’s army cadet corps.

In 1956, Cairns entered the Royal Canadian Navy as an officer cadet. During his 39 years of active service, he had numerous sea commands. In addition to commanding two frigates and a frigate squadron, as a qualified submarine officer he also commanded a submarine and a submarine squadron. He completed tours of duty in the Royal Navy and the United States Navy, and was on the North American Treaty Organization’s maritime staff. In 1991, he was appointed to the Order of Military Merit in the rank of commander.

For three years, Cairns served as commander of the Canadian Pacific Fleet and for two years, just prior to his retirement, he held the position of commander in chief of the Royal Canadian Navy. He retired from active service in 1994.

Since his retirement, he has been involved in a number of organizations. For several years, he serves as the president of both the Shipbuilding Association of Canada, and the Canadian Institute of Marine Engineers. He is also a member of the advisory board of the Institute of Ocean Dynamics.

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Franklin Carmichael(1890-1945)PainterInducted 1966

One of Orillia’s most famous native sons and one of Canada’s most significant painters, Franklin Carmichael studied under Canon Greene of St. James’ Church in his early years.

While still very young, he worked in a commercial art studio in Toronto, and met many Canadian art pioneers. He also studied art internationally in Belgium, returning early due to the commencement of World War One. His return to Canada provided him the chance to join the renowned Group of Seven – its youngest member. He was a member of the Royal Academy of Arts. In later years, he taught at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, remaining there until his death in 1945.

Best known as a landscape painter, Franklin Carmichael was also accomplished in water colours, furniture making, gardening, batiks, block prints, and music.

The National Gallery of South Africa has two of his charcoal sketches in their collection. As well, his works are in the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the McMichael Canadian Collection in Kleinberg and in private collections throughout the world. His best most famous pieces are Autumn Woods, Lake Superior and Northern Tundra.

Carmichael will be remembered as one of the greatest painters in the field of the arts. There is a plaque to his memory erected on the grounds of the Orillia Public Library.

Carmichael and his wife, the former Ada Went, are buried in St. James’ Cemetery in Orillia.

Floyd S. Chalmers(1899 - 1993)PhilanthropistInducted 1986

Floyd Chalmers arrived in Orillia in 1910, living with his family at 40 Peter Street. Along with his brother, Harold, and his sister, Dorothea, he attended Central School and Orillia Collegiate and there became friends with Leslie and Cecil Frost. He helped augment the family income as a paper boy and delivery boy, delivering handbills for the hockey rink and the Opera House. Part of his payment was in the form of free tickets to the travelling productions, which sparked his interest in music and the arts.

In 1913, he moved to Toronto with his family but he remembered Orillia as the happiest years of his childhood. Perhaps because of those productions he enjoyed at the Opera House, he spent his World War I leaves in London at the theatre, furthering his interest in the arts.

Floyd Chalmers was only 17 when he started as a cub reporter with the Toronto News and Toronto World. Four years later, he joined the Financial Post and for 17 years was the editor of that publication, a job he filled with distinction. He was president and chairman of the McLean Hunter publishing empire, editor of the Financial Post and a valued advisor to many Canadian statesmen and politicians.

He was a member of the board of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, vice-chairman of the Royal Conservatory of Music, president of the Canadian Opera Company, and president of the Stratford Shakespearean Festival. He and his family created the Chalmers Foundation, which continues to aid young Canadian artists and the performing arts in Canada.

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Robert Curran (1867 – 1932)AthleteInducted in 2011

Robert Curran was a Canadian and North American sculling champion in the late 1800’s.

Born in Armagh, Ireland, he was raised in Orillia after the age of 10. It was here that he first entered local skiff races at age 15, winning Orillia, Barrie and Midland races before moving up to county and matched races against rowers of reputation. In 1886, he first teamed up with John Gray of Coldwater, defeating some accomplished teams at regattas across Ontario.

These years were the height of the amateur-professional “wars” in Canadian sport, and Curran steadfastly protected his amateur status. At the same time another Orillian, Jake Gaudaur, was working his way up the ladder and would soon be the world professional champion.

In 1889, Curran and Gray, competing in Pullman Illinois, tied for first in the US national championship. Two weeks later, in Hamilton, they won the Canadian double sculls championship under the auspices of the Canadian Association of Amateur Oarsman.

Out to defend their titles in 1890, they were accused of “professionalism” (accepting cash rewards) and forced to prove their innocence. Curran was exonerated but Gray was suspended by the CAAO and had to spend two years clearing his name. Curran took on a new partner, Arthur Cameron, and again won the US and Canadian championships, with Curran in the “stroke” seat. In Lachine, Quebec, they won the Canadian title by a convincing 3 boat lengths. In 1891, Curran and Cameron again won the US championship in Detroit.

John Gray returned to the bow seat in Curran’s boat in 1893 for a final season. Their highlight race was a win in the amateur double sculls at the World’s Fair in Chicago, a race open to teams from around the world. After that race Curran retired.

Curran worked for 21 years as the editor of the Orillia News Letter, a paper his father had founded. After that, he founded the Curran and Briggs Co., a contracting and paving business that flourished across Ontario and Quebec.

Most significantly Curran was Orillia’s longest serving Mayor. First elected in 1907, his council opened the Ragged Rapids hydro development. He was Mayor from 1915-18, guiding the town through the upheaval of WWI. Finally he was elected mayor once more in 1932 as the town looked for the stability and responsibility he could bring after the three tumultuous years of Ben Johnson’s term as mayor. He died in office, some said, of a “weakened heart” left from his years rowing.

Orillia HistoryIncorporation

Village of OrilliaSimcoe County By-law 153 passed

November 22, 1866Effective: January 1, 1867

Town of OrilliaIncorporated as a Town September 17, 1874

Effective: January, 1875

City of OrilliaBy-law 4503

Effective: January 1, 1969

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Mazo De La Roche(1879 – 1961)AuthorInducted in 1966

Mazo De La Roche has a very tenuous link with Orillia; indeed, she makes no mention of ever having lived here in her autobiography, Ringing the Changes. We do have evidence that she spent one year here, living with her grandparents on Coldwater Road. Her name “Mazo Roche” appears in the high school register, dated August 29, 1892.

She is best known as author of the Jalna novels, which chronicle the history of the Whiteoak family, depicting life on a 19th century farm in Southern Ontario. Her readers receive a gentle picture of Canada, of large houses and horses and gracious living. Her books are widely read throughout the world.

The Jalna books were made into a TV series a few years ago. A large, sprawling brick mansion in Clarkson, named Benares originally, is reputed to be the model for the Whiteoak home, and Mazo lived in a small cottage nearby.

She is buried in St. George’s Anglican Cemetery at Sibbald’s Point near Sutton.

The Jalna series has sold more than 11 million copies in 193 English and 92 foreign editions. In 1935, the film Jalna, based on the novel, was released by RKO Radio Pictures and, in 1972, a CBC television series was produced based on the series.

The Honourable Leslie M. Frost (1895 – 1973)PoliticianInducted 1966

“Old Man Ontario”, as Leslie Frost once called himself, was a true statesman who served his country well. Born in Orillia, he was the son of a well-known jeweler, William Sword Frost, who introduced Daylight Saving Time to Orillia. Educated in Orillia and Toronto, he was called to the bar in 1933. His law firm was in Lindsay.

In World War I, Mr. Frost was an officer with the Simcoe Foresters and went overseas with ‘C’ Company. He was severely wounded.

He was first elected to the Ontario Legislature in 1937. He served as Treasurer and Minister of Mines until he was chosen as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in 1949 and was sworn in as Premier of Ontario and Treasurer. He held the premiership of Ontario longer than any other.

After his retirement in 1961, he spent much of his time in historical research for his book Fighting Men, reminiscing on the effect of the First World War on his hometown of Orillia.

He died at the age of 77 and is buried in Lindsay. A bronze portrait bust, bearing the signature of Elizabeth Wyn Wood, stands in the front hall at the Orillia District Collegiate and Vocational Institute, where Leslie Frost had been a student.

The Honourable Leslie M. Frost was the 16th and longest-serving Premier of Ontario. His years of service were from May 4, 1949 to November 8, 1961.

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Jacob Gill “Jake” Gaudaur (Sr.)(1858 – 1937)AthleteInducted 1966

In 1960, an historical plaque – now at Centennial Park – was erected near Jake Gaudaur’s home at The Narrows, to the memory of one of the world’s greatest oarsmen. Here, at The Narrows, young Jake developed the skill to win fame on rivers and lakes across Canada, the United States and beyond. Over six feet tall, he possessed a commanding appearance, yet was a man of modest character.

A veteran of 100 races, it was in 1892, on Lake Couchiching, that he and F. Hosmer won the doubles scull championship of the world, defeating Ned Hanlon and William O’Connor.

In 1896, at the age of 38, he won the world’s singles sculling championship when he defeated Jim Stanbury of Australia on the Thames River. Gaudaur held the world’s title for five years. To celebrate this event Orillia arranged a magnificent parade and reception, complete with fireworks, and the Mayor presented Jake with a purse containing $500 in gold.

He was a popular and much sought-after fishing guide; no one knew Lake Simcoe as did Gaudaur. The bridge at The Narrows is now called the “Jake Gaudaur Bridge”.

Located in Centennial Park, near the Port of Orillia

Jacob Gill “Jake” Gaudaur ( Jr.) (1920-2007)Athlete - AdministratorInducted 1988

Jake, the son of Jacob Gill Gaudaur, a world professional rowing champion, was born in Orillia. He served as a pilot in the R.C.A.F., 1942-45, and, exclusive of the war years, played professional football from 1940 through 1953. He was President and General Manager of the Hamilton Tiger Cats from 1954 to 1967, during which time they won 9 Eastern Conference titles and 4 Canadian championships.

Jake was Commissioner of the Canadian Football League from 1968 to 1984 and did much in the founding of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum. During his term, he was instrumental in keeping the C.F.L. a Canadian entity, in opposing American influence and encroachment, by seeing that the League stuck to Canadian rules and regulations. He assumed permanent chairmanship of the Player Pension Plan Advisory Board, the Management Council, the Rules Committee and other offices and duties pertaining to the C.F.L. He was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1984, and was named an Officer in the Order of Canada in 1985. Under his aegis as Commissioner, he had a great deal to do with placing the C.F.L. on a firmer financial footing with regard to radio and television rights and contracts. He had much to do with making the Grey Cup Game Canada’s number one event in sports.

Jake is a strong believer that professional sport should use its high visibility to support charitable and fitness causes and annually authorized the use of non-commercial messages in C.F.L. game telecasts at no cost, to support such charitable causes.

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Harry Gill (1876 - 1957) Athlete, coachInducted 2004

Harry Gill was known as the finest all-round athlete of his day, the most successful athletics coach in America and as an innovator in track and field equipment design.

He was born outside Orillia, near Coldwater, to a family that included cousins Jake Gaudaur and George Gray, both world champion athletes. Harry was a self-taught athlete, practicing on Gill Street in Orillia after school. Three times in the 1890s he won the Canadian All-round Athletics Championship (the precursor to the decathlon). Then in 1900, he traveled to New York to contest for the American championship as an unknown there. He won with a record score that stood for five years. Two years later he turned professional and won that all-round championship in both Canada and the U.S.

Harry took up coaching in 1901 and went on to an illustrious 30-year career at the University of Illinois. He took over a low-rated program and went on to a 111 and 24 won/lost record in track meets. In 1924, his athletes scored more points at the Olympics, than any other team or country! He helped to organize the first NCAA track and field championship in 1921, which his Illinois team promptly went out and won.

Dissatisfied with the state of track and field equipment available, in 1918, Harry started a company that developed innovative designs. Some of his innovations that became standards were the discus, the hurdle, and the first aluminum vaulting poles.

Always returning to his summer home in Orillia, Harry encouraged and provided the first coaching for Walter Knox, another Orillia all-round athletics champion. He also wrote many books on coaching that became standard texts.

Glenn Gould (1932-1982)Concert PianistInducted 2004

The name Glenn Gould still resonates around the world as one of the greatest concert pianists. His performances and recordings are remembered and loved in Canada, United States, Russia, Israel and elsewhere a generation after his death.

Glenn Gould was born in Uxbridge, Ontario and lived most of his life in the Beach area of Toronto. Until he was twenty he spent as much time as possible at the family cottage near Uptergrove and Orillia. His childhood in a rural area nourished him a lifelong love of nature and boating.

At ten, Gould began studying piano with Alberto Guerrero of Toronto, who also began cottaging in Orillia to continue Glenn’s summer lessons. At eighteen, already a mature pianist, he retreated to the cottage, where he found solitude, tranquility and a contemplative life. Here he could practice, study scores, and analyze his own tape recordings without the pressures of city life. Often he played until the early morning hours.

Many residents of Orillia remember Gould playing piano at the cottage or the Opera House at night, or eating and shopping at their restaurants or stores. In Orillia, Glenn Gould had friends rather than fans. Consequently he did not suffer the same pressure of his stardom in this area as he did elsewhere. For years, as long as the cottage was available, he would spend as much time as possible there to rejuvenate between concert tours and recording sessions

The cottage’s Chickering piano became the standard by which he measured all other instruments, including the Steinway. “There is the phenomenon of ‘Gould Tourism’. Since his death in 1982 an astonishing number and range of people have made the pilgrimage to Toronto … and been drawn to ‘Gould country’ around Lake Simcoe” (Kevin Bazzana, Wondrous Strange: the life and art of Glenn Gould. 2003).

His recordings of The Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach is legendary. Glenn Gould is the subject of at least ten biographies and several films.

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Canon Richard W. Greene(1848 – 1934)PreacherInducted 1983

An eloquent preacher, a devoted follower of the Christian faith and a man of many talents, Canon Richard W. Greene was a much loved rector of St. James’ Anglican Church in Orillia for twenty-three years. He graduated from Trinity College, University of Toronto, and in 1872 was ordained in St. James’ Cathedral, Toronto, to which church he was called as second curate, remaining there for thirteen years.

In 1888, Canon Greene arrived in Orillia to be the rector of St. James’, becoming a friend and advisor to many in the town. During his years here, the present church and the fine parish hall were built.

Canon Greene was active in the life of the community. A painter, he was the centre of the artistic life of the town, encouraging young artists, including Franklin Carmichael, in their work. His talent for wood carving is still evident in the Church today when one admires the eagle lectern carved by him.

He had a good ear for music and an eye for design. He was one of the judges who chose the Vernon March design for the Champlain monument.

He excelled as a carpenter and boat builder. Not only could he build boats, but he could sail them with great skill.

As president of the Orillia Branch of the Church of England Temperance Society he was one of those responsible for bringing Orillia into the Local Option fold, with a vote in favour of temperance.

He was elected President of the Ontario Sunday school Association when it held its annual convention in Orillia in 1908. Canon Greene died in 1934 and was buried in the churchyard of St. George’s Church in Islington.

Charles Harold Hale(1874 – 1963)JournalistInducted 1966

At a very young age, Harold Hale joined his father, George Hale, in the publishing of the Orillia Packet, later to become the Orillia Packet and Times. His association with newspaper journalism spans a period of 65 years, from printer’s devil to editor.

Harold Hale was a man of foresight and vision, of sound wisdom, a forthright and fearless champion of every cause he believed to be right. He maintained a high standard of ethical journalism, never stooping to sensationalism, and his editorials were widely read across Canada.

As an intense historian, he was active in preserving both written history and historical sites. It is impossible to give in detail the many and varied services he rendered to the town he loved and to the movements he initiated and the positions he held.

He was one of Orillia’s greatest citizens and truly could be called “Mr. Orillia”. As he was one of Canada’s outstanding journalists, University of Toronto conferred on him the degree Doctor of Laws in 1956. A bronze portrait bust of Harold Hale, by Elizabeth Wyn Wood, stands in the Orillia Public Library in recognition of his many-faceted contributions to the community.

At his death at the age of 88, Orillia mourned the loss of one of its most illustrious sons.

Orillia Packet Building in 1929.

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Eric Harvie (1892 - 1975)PhilanthropistInducted 2002

Eric Harvie was one of the great philanthropists of western Canada.

Harvie was born and raised in Orillia, part of the Harvie Settlement clan. After obtaining his law degree, he headed to Calgary to start his career. As his practice grew, he quietly bought up mineral rights in the region, and struck it rich when oil was discovered on his land in 1947. In short order he became a multi-millionaire.

He used little of his money on himself, living frugally and driving an old Studebaker. His wealth was directed toward lavish efforts to preserve the history of western Canada. In 1954, he founded the Glenbow Museum in downtown Calgary where his massive personal collection of western artifacts - native, pioneer, and military - are on display. The institution is a combination of museum, art gallery, archives, and library.

He created the Harvie Foundation, supporting projects such as the Banff School of Fine Arts, the Calgary Zoo and Heritage Park, Charlottetown’s Confederation Square and Arts Complex and the re-development of the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto. Over the years the foundation has spent more than $100 million supporting many cultural institutions across Canada.

Harvie was also fascinated by armies and armour. He fought in WWI achieving the rank of Captain, and had a career in the Calgary Mounted Constabulary during WWII attaining the rank of Commandant. In 1952, he was named the Honourary Colonel of the Calgary Highlander Regiment.

John Gilroy, “Portrait of Eric Harvie”, 1960, oil on canvas, Collection of Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Canada, 991.87.1

Walter Henry(1938 - )AthleteInducted 1972

Walter Henry was born in Hong Kong, but it was as a schoolboy in Ireland that he showed promise as a boxer. Coached by his father and trained by his brother Jerry, he won the Irish schoolboy championship at the age of nine. Boxing became his whole life. He was dedicated to his career, which continued when the family moved to Canada.

His list of accomplishments is impressive. In 1958, he represented Canada in the British Empire Games. On a return trip to Ireland in 1962, he won the Irish Senior Flyweight Championship. He fought in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo and in Mexico City in 1968. He was a boxing judge in the 1976 Olympics.

In 1967, he had the honour of being the first Canadian ever to win a medal in boxing at the Pan-American Games held in Winnipeg. Henry is 9 times Canadian Flyweight Champion and has won 20 Ontario titles. He was inducted into the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame in 1974.

Walter Henry retired from boxing in 1971 after a career that included 403 fights, losing only 18.

Orillia is proud of this popular, successful athlete when he says, “I am from Orillia, and proud of it”, with just a trace of his Irish accent.

Walter was voted Orillia’s GREATEST ATHLETE by the community in 2015.

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“Marian Keith”Mary Esther Miller MacGregor(1874 – 1961)AuthorInducted 1980

Oro Township was fortunate to have John Miller, a fine, intelligent, educated Presbyterian to teach in its schools, a man who instilled in his children the joy of learning, good literature and devotion to church.

Mary Esther, one of his four daughters, was born at Rugby in 1874. She earned her teacher’s certificate at the old Normal School in Toronto, and went on to teach the Junior Fourth Class in Central School in Orillia. Her love of writing led her to leave teaching, and she devoted herself to writing and Sunday school work. Her first short stories were published in the Westminster Magazine, which was sponsored by the Presbyterian Church.

Her marriage to the Rev. Donald C. MacGregor, minister of the Orillia Presbyterian Church, took place in 1909. The couple served in various churches in Ontario. Esther Miller began writing using her own name but discovered another authoress by that name, so she took the name of one of her nieces and wrote under the name Marian Keith.

Marian Keith loved her home, her church and family but she was determined to write, although it was difficult to find time in her busy life.

Her writings were popular because she wrote of the life around her, of typical Ontario rural communities, and her readers could identify with the fictional characters. Duncan Polite and In Orchard Glen were set in the Rugby and Edgar districts of Oro. The Silver Maple (1906) shows how the clannish rivalries of English, Scottish and Irish immigrants broke down as their children learned to mix with each other at school.

Although she loved children and could hold them spellbound with her story telling, she wrote only one children’s book, Glad Days in Galilee.

Walter Knox(1878 – 1952)Athlete – CoachInducted 1966

For twenty years, beginning in 1900, Walter Knox shattered Canadian and world track and field records. He was a model athlete and a valued coach. He won the all-round championship of Canada, the United States and the British Isles.

He competed in pole vaulting, running, broad jumping, shot putting, discus throwing, high jumping and the 105 lb. hammer throw. He established records that survived for generations, in both running and jumping.

Born in Listowel, he was 15 years old when he came to Orillia. The following year, he started practising with a group of boys near their homes on Gill Street, where they made a jumping pit and 40-yard sprint track.

In 1903, he went to Beloit College in Wisconsin, where he first received proper training under coach Harry Gill, a former Orillian.

Walter held many positions as coach: in 1925 he was chief coach for the Ontario Athletic Commission and in 1930 he was coach at Queen’s University, Kingston.

As a prospector in Northern Ontario, he held several mining properties. In later years, he took up golfing for recreation.

Visit the Orillia Hall of Fame at the Orillia City Centre50 Andrew St. S.

or at orillia.ca.

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Stephen Butler Leacock1869 – 1944AuthorInducted 1970

Stephen Leacock, Professor Emeritus of McGill University, born in England, was a respected teacher and a widely published academic author in the fields of economics and literature. His range of Interests and activities at which he succeeded could be termed extraordinary.

At McGill, he was Head of the Department of Economics and Political Science from 1908 until his retirement in 1936.

His publications included over sixty volumes of essays, biography, history, economics, political satire, humour, and nonsense. His two masterpieces are Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town and Arcadian Adventures of the Idle Rich. The former, written at his summer home at Brewery Bay, Orillia, has been called the most Canadian book ever written, and immortalized Orillia as Mariposa. Leacock was the English-speaking world’s best known humourist from 1915 - 1925.

He was an ardent fisherman, gardener and entertaining host.

His home at Brewery Bay, the Stephen Leacock Memorial Home, is maintained by the City of Orillia and is now a National Historic Site.

A bronze bust of Leacock by Elizabeth Wyn Wood graces the Orillia Public Library.

Visit the Leacock Museum and National Historic Site at 50 Museum Drive. Visit leacockmuseum.com for more details.

Honourable Douglas G. Lewis(1938- present)Inducted in 2014Politician

The Honorable Douglas G. Lewis, Q.C. was born in Toronto on April 17, 1938, where he attended elementary school and graduated from North Toronto Collegiate in 1957. He studied at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, graduating as a Chartered Accountant in 1962. It was, however, the study of law that caught his attention, so while practicing accountancy, he returned to his studies and graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1967. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1969.

Shortly afterwards, he moved with his wife and young family to Orillia where he joined the local law firm of Don Crawford and Partners. He practiced law for the next decade.

He was later appointed Queen’s Counsel by both the Federal and Provincial governments. Mr. Lewis was a prominent member of the community through his volunteer work with many associations. He served as President of the Toronto Junior Board of Trade and later President of The Ontario and Canadian Junior Chamber of Commerce. He was named Orillia Citizen of the Year in 1973.

In 1979, Mr. Lewis was elected to the House of Commons as the Member for Simcoe North. He remained as the sitting Member until 1993. During his political career, he served as Housing critic, Deputy House Leader, House Leader and Chaired the Public Accounts Committee while in Opposition. As a member of the Government, he served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of the Treasury and Government House Leader. In 1987, he was appointed to the Cabinet. While in Cabinet he held many senior Ministerial positions. These included Minister of State-Government House Leader, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Minister of Transportation and Solicitor General of Canada. While in government, Mr. Lewis served under three Prime Ministers: Joe Clark, Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell.

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While serving in Cabinet, Mr. Lewis was involved many significant public policy decisions. These included the passage of legislation for the 1988 Free Trade Agreement with the United States in the House of Commons, firearms legislation, amendments to the Young Offenders’ Act, prison reform, and the “Open Skies” legislation which gave local airport authorities greater flexibility. During his time as MP for Simcoe North Mr. Lewis was responsible for securing federal funding for the breakwater at the Port of Orillia, and the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport.  He also initiated the designation of the Leacock Home as a National Historic Site.

Upon leaving national politics, Mr. Lewis again turned his skills and energy toward local issues and activities. He chaired the Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital campaign which raised significant funds for the expansion and renovation of the hospital. He was awarded the Order of Orillia and named Orillia Citizen of the Year in 2003 for a second time. More recently he was appointed by the Federal Government to chair the Federal Panel onRailway Safety and was elected a Bencher of The Law Society of Upper Canada.

Mr. Lewis lives in Orillia and continues to practice law.

Gordon Lightfoot(1938 - )MusicianInducted in 1971

Gordon Lightfoot, now a household name from coast to coast, sang as a boy in St. Paul’s United Church. His beautiful soprano voice is remembered by many to this day; in particular his rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer”.

Encouraged by his mother, Jessica, who recognized his talent when he was very young, he entered, at age 12, the Kiwanis Music Festival held at Massey Hall in Toronto, where he won first place in his category. That was just the beginning. With hard work, diligence and his dedication to furthering his musical efforts, Gordon Lightfoot achieved world-wide success as a singer, composer and a talented guitarist.

He is one of the early Canadian superstars to become famous in the United States. His first concert at Massey Hall in 1967 was sold out, and he performed there every year for decades.

It might be said that, as a composer, his folk music depicts the social history of Canada. Some of his best known songs are “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” and “Black Day in July”. The winner of 17 Juno awards, Lightfoot was honoured with the Order of Canada in 1971 and the Order of Ontario in 1988.

Visit the Orillia Hall of Fame at the Orillia City Centre50 Andrew St. S.

or at orillia.ca.

Photo By: Greg Pauk

The sculptural tribute, “golden Leaves”, was unveiled in J.B. Tudhope Memorial Park, October 23, 2015. Photo by: Canadian Press

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Erastus Long1868 – 1916IndustrialistInducted in 1966

Erastus Long, a native of Oro Township, came to Orillia in 1881 as a young lad to begin his apprenticeship in the shingle mill of his uncle, Robert Brammer.

When his uncle died, he managed the business for the estate, along with J.B. Thompson, under the name of Long & Thompson. In 1900, it took the name The E. Long Mfg. Co. The shingle mill developed to include a saw mill and the manufacturing of transmission machinery and mining machinery. Trade extended across Canada from coast to coast and it was one of the principal employers in Orillia.

Mr. Long took an active interest in public affairs, being a member of Town Council, Chairman of the Water, Light and Power Commission and a trustee of the Methodist Church.

For several years he was president of the YMCA and was largely instrumental in the building of the Y on Peter Street, just north of Mississaga Street.

His death, at the age of 48, cut short an enterprising business career.

Vintage postcard of old Orillia YMCA

The Very Reverend John Angus MacInnis(1886 – 1964)Religious leaderInducted 1985

John Angus MacInnis was born on a farm in Mira, Cape Breton Island, on June 22, 1886, to Scottish parents. He graduated from Queen’s University and received his Bachelor of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York. Answering his country’s call, he served in Britain and France during World War I, suffering severe wounds.

Ordained into the Christian ministry in 1921, he was inducted as minister of Orillia’s Presbyterian Church on January 3, 1929. Thus began thirty-three years of a distinguished pastorate, during which he led his congregation through a depression and another World War, keeping the faith in difficult times. He endeared himself to the hearts of the Highlanders as he conversed with them in their beloved Gaelic.

He gave himself unstintingly to the service of the community. He was co-founder of the Victorian Order of Nurses in Orillia, served on the Board of Education and was a member of the Masonic Order and the Kiwanis Club. He was a well-respected Padre of Branch 34 of the Royal Canadian Legion. Knox College conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1947, honouring him for his leadership.

In 1952, Dr. MacInnis was elected Moderator of the 78th General Assembly. As Moderator, Dr. MacInnis, with his wife, had the honour of representing the Presbyterian Church in Canada at the coronation of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953.

Recognizing the high esteem in which Dr. MacInnis was held, and in grateful memory, at his death in 1964, the congregation established a memorial bursary in his name for the encouragement of students training for Christian service.

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Bob McDonald(1951 – )Inducted in 2014Radio Host - Educator

He has been the host of CBC Radio’s popular science show Quirks and Quarks since 1992. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2011 “for his contributions, as a journalist and educator, to the public understanding of science.” He is author, science journalist and Orillian Bob McDonald.

Bob was born in Wingham, Ontario, on January 25, 1951, but his family moved to Orillia when he was a baby. The McDonalds lived on what is now Parkview Avenue and Bob went to the Guardian Angels School until he was 10, when the family moved to Saint John, New Brunswick, for a year and then to Richmond Hill, Ontario. Bob still considers Orillia his home town, though, and returns for regular visits.

In 2005, he talked to Conservancy News, the newsletter of the Couchiching Conservancy, about his childhood summers spent playing and swimming at Couchiching Beach Park. “I was one of those skinny kids in a bathing suit who was everywhere at once,” he said. “One of my fondest memories is running shivering from the water and climbing on top of one of the cannons beside the Champlain Monument -- the dark steel barrel was a wonderful source of heat to take the chill away.”

One surprising thing about this “science guy” is that he isn’t officially a scientist. His academic qualifications are in theatre, English and philosophy. He began his foray into science by working as a demonstrator at the Ontario Science Centre in 1972 and later went to California to watch the live action of NASA’s first space probes. Once back in Canada, he was much in demand for information about the missions and eventually became the regular science correspondent for a number of shows.

Apart from Quirks & Quarks, Bob is a regular science commentator on the CBC News Network and science correspondent for CBC TV’s The National. He was

the host of CBC Television’s children’s science program Wonderstruck and is the author of two books based on the program, Wonderstruck I and Wonderstruck II.

In addition to his career with the CBC, Bob hosted and wrote a children’s science series for TVOntario called Heads Up!, which ran for three seasons starting in 2005. He has also written, hosted and produced more than 100 educational videos in the United States.

Bob’s book Measuring the Earth with a Stick: Science As I’ve Seen It, a collection of essays on 25 years as a science journalist, was published in 2000 and was short-listed for the Canadian Science Writers Association Book Award. His latest book, Canadian Spacewalkers, will be released in the fall of 2014.

Bob has received numerous accolades, including a Gemini award in 2008 for his work on Heads Up!, and eight honorary doctorates as well as two honourary college degrees. He has been honoured by the science community with what is considered the triple crown of awards: the Michael Smith Award for Science Promotion (2001); the Sandford Fleming Medal from the Royal Canadian Institute (2002); and the McNeil Medal for the Public Awareness of Science (2005).

Apart from science, Bob’s other passions are sailing and motorcycling.

Bob now lives in and broadcasts from Victoria, B.C., where, with his partner Sharon MacKenzie, he sails the Gulf Islands and spectacular B.C. coastline. Bob’s cousin, Mike Richard and his family, still live in Orillia, so Bob visits the town regularly, especially to see the cannons in Couchiching Park.

In July 2014, an asteroid, that had previously been assigned the number 332324 and the designation 2006 XN67, was named after McDonald. This occurred at the request of David

D. Balam, the Canadian astronomer who had discovered the asteroid.

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J.A.“Pete” McGarvey(1927 - 2014)Journalist, NewscasterInducted 1995

From script-writer to assistant general manager, feature newscaster and commentator to Arts and Entertainment Editor, to author, Pete McGarvey had an interesting and exciting life. He was born in Toronto in 1927, and arrived in Orillia to work at radio station CFOR in 1947, then moved on to Chatham and back to Toronto.

He has interviewed over a thousand prominent personalities from Hollywood, Broadway and the world of music. As a radio journalist, he had the opportunity to travel the world, including Moscow, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong, Jerusalem and Beirut, bringing back reports from these places. As a syndicated travel correspondent, this energetic man journeyed to many more global destinations in the 1990’s.

Like his good friend, Dr. Harold Hale, Pete entered wholeheartedly into the life of the municipality wherever he was. Chatham will remember him for his “Pageant on the Thames”. It is impossible to list the many and varied ways Pete has served – on boards and foundations and institutions in connection with radio and with historical projects.

For 12 years, Orillia was fortunate to have Pete as an alderman, reeve and deputy-reeve. Through his determined efforts, Old Brewery Bay, the summer home of the celebrated author, Stephen Leacock, was secured and restored. It is now a National Historic Site. Pete was chairman of the Leacock Home Board for six years and the citizens of Orillia chose him to be the “Citizen of the Year” for 1957.

Pete lived in semi-retirement in Orillia until his passing. Orillia is proud of his endeavours.

Lawrence Mervyn McKenzie(1922 – 1977)Athlete - AdministratorInducted 1971

We can credit activities at the old YMCA on Peter Street for starting McKenzie on his career in sports. Living on Mary Street with two maiden aunts who raised him, the young lad spent countless hours at the Y. Merv excelled in hockey, lacrosse, football and swimming. He was a member of an Orillia junior lacrosse team that won the Minto Cup. He served overseas in the RCAF.

The list of his credentials is impressive: a member of the Championship Committee of the World Boxing Association, Vice-President of the Canadian Professional Boxing Federation, Commissioner of the Ontario Lacrosse Association Senior League.

His appointment as Ontario Athletic Commissioner came in 1953 to a man who had all the obvious qualifications for the position. As athletic commissioner he had strict control over boxing and wrestling in the province and in 1955 he cancelled Sunday boxing and wrestling cards.

He was instrumental in setting up the 1966 heavyweight bout between Muhammad Ali and George Chuvalo of Toronto at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. Also as Commissioner, he was able to help many communities with sports programs. He never forgot his home town and returned many times to help out at community events here.

He died on January 23, 1977, at age 55.

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The Honourable Duncan E. McKinlay(1862- 1914)PoliticianInducted 2004

Born in Orillia in 1862, the Honourable Duncan E. McKinlay learned the carriage painting trade at Tudhope Carriage Works. He used this skill, to work his way across the United States to California. He then studied law, was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of California in 1892, and practiced law in Santa Rosa, California from 1901-1907. He became second and then first assistant United States attorney at San Francisco.

He quickly rose to prominence; by developing his native talents and through extensive reading he became a well-informed and eloquent speaker.

He was elected as a Republican to the United States Congress (1905-1911). He became a personal friend of President “Teddy” Roosevelt who sent him to the Philippines, as a commissioner, to report on conditions there. In 1910, Duncan McKinlay was appointed by President Taft as United States Surveyor of Customs for the Port of San Francisco, California.

He had a very keen interest in the Panama Canal and its national and international importance. As a member of Congress he visited the Panama Canal with the Interstate Committee of the House. In 1908, he addressed the Orillia Canadian Club on the Panama Canal. In 1912, he published a book, The Panama Canal, in which he explained the absolute necessity for the construction of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama and the events leading up to this gigantic project. The Honourable Duncan E. McKinlay died in Berkeley, California, in 1914.

Gertrude Mulcahy(1918 - ) Chartered AccountantInducted 1993

Gertrude Mulcahy was a pioneer woman in the chartered accounting profession and Orillia is proud of her. She is the sixth child of the late Mr. and Mrs. Teefy Mulcahy, of Orillia, but from then on she was first in everything. Graduating from the Orillia Collegiate Institute, she went off to the University of Toronto to study commerce, where, in 1940, she received her honours Bachelor of Arts degree, but discovered companies where she applied for an accounting position were not interested in hiring a woman. This was especially hurtful when she was turned down by the prestigious chartered accounting firm Clarkson Gordon, which had been founded by her great-great-grandfather, Thomas Clarkson. That firm finally recognized her good work as an auditor with the Bank of Canada, and, in 1947, she became the first woman to qualify as a chartered accountant with them. In 1969, Gertrude earned her MBA from York University.

Gertrude joined the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) in 1949, where she served as secretary of the Board of Examiners and progressed to Accounting Research Director. Over her long career with the CICA, Gertrude received national and international acclaim for her commitment and outstanding contribution to the accounting profession.

Her technical writings, speaking engagements, appearances as guest lecturer at universities and colleges across Canada, and participation in meetings and conferences in Canada, the USA and Great Britain won her high recognition from the accounting profession and business community.

Her list of “Firsts” include: 1st woman elected a Fellow Chartered Accountant of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario; 1st woman to receive its Award of Outstanding Merit; 1st woman to receive the Presidential Certificate of Merit from the CICA. In 1992, the YWCA honoured her as a “Woman of Distinction”.

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Lucius Richard O’Brien(1832 – 1900)ArtistInducted 1980

Lucius Richard O’Brien, was the outstanding Canadian artist of his day and the founder and first president of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art.

He was born in Shanty Bay in 1832, and he and a brother conducted a general store in Orillia for a number of years. He was a member and reeve of Orillia Township Council and sat on the Simcoe County Council. He was a member of the Village of Orillia Council in 1867 and was a church warden of St. James‘ Church in Orillia for three terms.

He studied and practiced as a civil engineer and was proficient as a draftsman. He was president of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art, which he helped found, for ten years. His diploma picture, Sunrise on the Saguenay, is in the National Art Gallery, Ottawa, and it is this painting that was used for the 35 cent Canadian stamp, issued in 1980.

O’Brien’s paintings are in the National Gallery and other galleries and in private hands in Canada and elsewhere. There are a number in private homes in Shanty Bay, and one in the Orillia Public Library. He exhibited in Chicago, Philadelphia, London, England, and other places, as well as in Canada.

O’Brien’s works are mostly landscapes in water colour and oils. His early paintings were done in the Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching areas.

O’Brien returned briefly to engineering work but became a full time artist about 1872. He painted widely in Ontario and in the eastern parts of Canada, visited the Rocky Mountains in 1882 and in 1886, and painted on the Pacific Coast in 1888. He was art editor of the large two volume illustrated work, Picturesque Canada by George Munro-Grant, published in 1882, and many of the black and white engravings are his.

Tayler “Hap” Parnaby(1941 – )Radio Host – BroadcasterInducted in 2011

Tayler “Hap” Parnaby was born in 1941 and grew up in Orillia, attending Central School, ODCVI and then went on to study Engineering at Queen’s University and Political Science and Economics at Carleton University in Ottawa. Public speaking was a talent that showed up early for Hap because he won the 1958 Ontario public speaking championship and attended the International Key Club Public Speaking awards in Boston and Chicago in the late 1950s.

Yet it was radio and broadcasting that had snagged him early and where he ended up spending more than 50 years in an illustrious career.

In 1956, while still a high school student, Hap worked at CFOR as an operator technician, news reporter, program host and producer and even as a sales rep. While at university in 1962, he founded a radio programming venue at Carleton. Shortly after that he was hired as News Director at CKLC in Kingston where he was also an area correspondent for the Globe & Mail. From 1964 to 1968 he worked at 1050 CHUM in Toronto as a news reporter and as news director. From 1968 until 1981 he served as Ottawa correspondent and bureau chief for Newsradio Ltd., a national radio newsgathering agency. He rose to become General Manager and President. He served as News Director at CKEY in Toronto, heading a news team that included Pete McGarvey, Charles Templeton, Stephen Lewis and Tom Gould. From 1981 to 1988, he served as President and Editor-in-chief of CKO Inc., Canada’s first all-news operation.

Throughout his long career, Hap covered many world-wide and landmark news events. He covered the death and funeral of Princess Diana, the “D-Day at Fifty” ceremonies in 1994, the O.J. Simpson verdict, and the political leadership conventions which selected Trudeau, Stanfield, Mulroney and Chretien. He went with Trudeau to Russia in 1971, covered the 1999 Columbine shootings, and

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Trudeau’s funeral in 2000. From 1988 until his retirement, Hap was news director at CFRB in Toronto. He inherited the storied 11:50 news and commentary slot that had been created by the legendary Gordon Sinclair.

Hap was highly regarded and widely recognized for his contributions, skills and abilities. He was on advisory councils for Fanshaw College in London, Loyalist College at Belleville and Centennial College in Toronto. He was a member of the board of governors at Humber College. The recipient of two gold medal awards from the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, he also won numerous awards for documentaries, reporting and editorials for the News Directors Association of Canada. Humber College granted him an honorary degree. Rotary International awarded him the Paul Harris Fellowship for his contribution to “community, education and broadcasting in Canada.” In 1992 he received the Canada 125 Medal, presented by the Governor-General for community service.

Hap lives in Palgrave, Ontario and is a noted speaker at various events.

The Dumbells:Albert, Merton &Morley Plunkett Inducted in 1966EntertainersMorley Plunkett: 1897-1954Merton Plunkett: 1888-1966Albert Plunkett: 1899-1957

Albert, Merton and Morley Plunkett, three brothers with good voices and histrionic ability, brought fame to Orillia, their birthplace. During World War I, they volunteered to produce entertainment to boost the morale of the war-weary troops. Merton was a “YMCA Captain”, a special designation granted to YMCA men working in support of the troops.

They took the name The Dumbells from the insignia of the 3rd Division and the name became widely known in the trenches, in London, across Canada, and even on Broadway.

The all-soldier revue was a resounding success, staging shows in the trenches and later into peacetime. One outstanding member of the cast was Ross Hamilton who played a very realistic Marjorie.

Peacetime shows continued for many years after the war, and patrons of the Orillia Opera House always gave them an enthusiastic reception when they graced the stage.

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Arthur Bradford Shilling(1941 – 1986)ArtistInducted 1989

“I paint because there is no other way to express the beauty of my people.” For Arthur Shilling, his love for his people, pride in his native heritage and his awakening to Ojibway spiritualism, inspired his work.

Arthur Shilling was born on the Rama Indian Reserve, near Orillia, in 1941. At the age of 22, his first solo exhibition took place in Orillia. Numerous exhibitions of his work have been held in Canada, New York City, Brazil, and Europe. His paintings are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Civilization, the Royal Ontario Museum, the McMichael Canadian Collection and in private collections.

Shilling studied at the Ontario College of Art, but preferred to develop his own method of painting, rejecting traditional art forms and remaining “his own man”. He developed a distinctive expressionistic style, using vivid strokes of colour to make a strong statement, to define shape and form and to express the inner life of his people.

Open heart surgery in the 1970’s changed Shilling’s perspective on life and he came home to Rama to fulfill a lifetime dream, constructing a native art gallery beside the home he shared with his wife, Amelia, and sons Bewabon and Travis. Working there, he developed his talents to become one of the greatest and most imaginative Canadian artists of our time. The National Film Board recognized this in its award-winning documentary about Shilling, The Beauty of My People. It is most unfortunate he did not live to see published the book he had been commissioned to write, The Ojibway Dream, that was released after his death in 1986. We end with his own prophetic words; “My pillow is a burning log. You could rake coals over my body. Death will not put this fire out.”

Mamie Shrum (Faris)(1913 - 2011)AthleteInducted 1992

It is interesting to note the names of Orillians who played part in the sensational rise of Mamie Shrum to athletic champion status. Mr. Harry Warren, a butcher shop owner, saw her at work on the family farm. Mr. Jack McInnis, in his watch repair shop across from Mr. Warren’s, noticed her going and coming from his place, and was impressed by her as a possible athlete. Mr. Walter Knox, her eventual coach, was also impressed. A world famous athlete and coach, and later a member of the Orillia Hall of Fame, he had, himself, been trained under a former Orillian, Harry Gill.

Mamie Shrum was born in 1913 on a farm, a little north of Orillia. She was only 17 years of age when Mr. Warren, Mr. McInnis, and Mr. Knox persuaded her to train as a shot putter. Mamie was skeptical. After only 7 weeks of training, Walter knew he had a “winner”.

On August 16, 1930 and three days later, this nervous, inexperienced, ill at ease girl made her athletic debut at the Ontario and Canadian Women’s Track and Field Championships, winning both shot put titles, an unheard of achievement. One month later, on September 12, a crowd of Orillians gathered at Couchiching Beach Park to welcome and honour Mamie, presenting her with a gold wristwatch from the town and a migrator from the Township of Orillia. She was now enthusiastic about the sport and was determined to lead the field with flying colours, adding discus throwing to her training.

The year 1932 saw her set a Canadian record of 38’3”, the first in the shot put, and first for the discus throw – 103’ 61/4”. Again, in 1933, at the Ontario Track and Field Championships, Toronto, Mamie’s shot put of 34’ 11 1/4” won her a first.

Shortly after her marriage to Reginald Faris in 1933, the couple moved to Atikokan, where Mamie lived until her death. Orillia is indeed proud of this outstanding athlete.

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The Honourable John Howard Sissons(1892 – 1969)Judge Inducted 1966

In his memoirs, a fascinating book written with humour and wit, John Howard Sissons tells us that it was the life of his cousin, David Livingstone, the African explorer, who instilled in him his hatred of injustice, his understanding and affection for our First Nation and Inuit people and his dedication to bring justice to these individuals. His youthful life of hunting, fishing and trapping around Brough’s Creek, helped him to understand some of the cases before him in later life.

His summer employment on the wards of the “Asylum”, where his father was chief attendant, helped him to recognize the signs of mental instability, and the knowledge of epilepsy assisted him in many a trial to weigh the degree of responsibility. Mr. Isaac Day, the school inspector, was his mentor, and at his urging he continued his education to become a lawyer.

After a successful legal career, Jack Sissons accepted a tremendous challenge to become the first judge of the Territorial Court of the Northwest Territories. He insisted that “justice be taken to every man’s door, and a man must be tried by a jury of his peers.” This necessitated extensive travel by aircraft and dogsled, holding trials in remote communities.

A man of great moral stature, he was sensitive, caring, and showed great insight into the Inuit background and culture. His decisions relating to hunting rights, Native marriage and adoption have become legal landmarks in spite of bitter opposition by the bureaucrats in Ottawa. He became a legend to the Native people and was called “EKOKTOEGEE” – “the one who listens to things” – by the Inuit. He retired to Edmonton in 1966 and wrote his memoirs. Orillia is proud of the Honourable John Howard Sissons.

Laurent Quetton St. George(1771 – 1821)PioneerInducted 1988

Laurent Quetton St. George never actually lived in Orillia, however he did amass extensive land holdings nearby. It could be said he was Orillia’s pioneer entrepreneur.

He was born in France in 1771. A Royalist, he had a distinguished military career in Europe until the French revolution hastened his departure from France, along with many other Royalist refugees. There is a possibility he added St. George to his name in gratitude for finding refuge on British soil on St. George’s Day.

In the summer of 1798, forty-one people, including Laurent Quetton St. George, led by the Comte de Puisaye, arrived at Oak Ridges, a place where the four townships of King, Whitchurch, Vaughan and Markham meet. The settlement was a failure and de Puisaye returned to England in 1802.

St. George was ambitious and resourceful. He determined to succeed and to adjust to the pioneer conditions in Canada. Some time between 1800 and 1802 he opened a fur trading post at The Narrows, Orillia. Later, he established stores at York, Queenston, Fort Erie, Dundas and other areas. Records show his landholdings in this part of the country consisted of 2,300 acres in North Orillia, 2,500 acres in Medonte and 800 in South Orillia.

In 1815, St. George returned to France, married Adele de Barbeyrae, by whom he had a son, Henri. In 1847, Henri came to Canada to claim his inheritance. He built a sawmill at the outlet of Lake Couchiching to the Severn River. The names of Quetton Street in Washago and Lake St. George remind us of the activities of Henri rather than of Laurent.

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Sir Samuel B. Steele1849 – 1919Policeman - SoldierInducted 1966

Born at Purbrook, near Orillia, Samuel B. Steele was the son of Captain Elmes Steele, a retired navy captain. At the age of 19, he joined the Red River expedition and three years later signed up with the newly formed North West Mounted Police, who were to preserve law and order in the West, which was a huge territory.

The life of the police was an arduous one – patrolling of the plains, controlling of the desperado, enduring bitter winters and scorching summers. Steele was a big man and exceptionally strong. He was also a superb tactician, diplomat and detective.

A legend grew up around the brawny frontiersman and the Mounted Police. At the time of the Klondike Gold Rush, it was because of Steele there was so little lawlessness in Western Canada, as he had jurisdiction over all of the Yukon and British Columbia.

He served with distinction in the Boer War in South Africa. In 1915, he went to England as Major General in command of the 2nd Canadian Division and was knighted for his services.

He died in London in 1919 and is buried in Winnipeg. The building at 30 Peter Street South, which formerly housed the post office and police department, has been named The Sir Sam Steele Memorial Building.

The Sir Sam Steele Building, at 30 Peter Street South, now houses the Orillia Museum of Art & History.

Don Tapscott(1947- )Author, ConsultantInducted 2007 Don Tapscott was born in Toronto in 1947, the eldest son of Mary and Don Tapscott. He moved to Orillia with this family in 1960 and attended West Ward Public School. He spent his high school years at Park Street Collegiate.

After graduating from high school, Don attended Trent University where he received a B.Sc. in psychology and statistics. He then moved west to the University of Alberta where he received his M.Ed., specializing in research and methodology. From both universities, he has received honorary doctorates.

Don’s first position was with Bell Northern Software Labs, where his job was to develop the office of the future. Here he was introduced to the concept of networked computers which, in turn, led into business consulting, and eventually into writing books on the effect computers have on society.

Don has authored or co-authored 11 books on the application of technology in business, and is much in demand, worldwide, as a consultant and speaker. His book, Wikinomics: “How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything”, a definitive text, was published in 2006 and was a best seller for many months.

In 1992, Don founded New Paradigm Learning Corporation, a consulting firm for business management. He is also an adjunct professor of management at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

In addition to his business, Don is very committed to the issues of mental health, and over the years has served on several boards of mental health organizations. He and his wife, Ana Lopez, are the benefactors of the Tapscott Chair in Schizophrenia Studies at the University of Toronto.

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Dr. David Thomson(1870 – 1953)ProfessorInducted 1983

David Thomson was the son of James Thomson, a merchant in Orillia. He earned his B.A. degree at University of Toronto and then taught in the Orillia High School for three years. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and studied at the University of Munich, Germany.

In 1902, he became the Professor of Latin at the University of Washington in Seattle and rose to become Dean, Vice-President and Acting President. It is said he served in more capacities than any other professor in the history of the university.

Dean Thomson had a fine personality, a good Scottish wit, and was a friend to all who came in contact with him. He had been a member of Orillia’s chess club and continued to enjoy the game for many years. Golf and tennis were two sports he enjoyed. His reading interest ran to detective stories, and he had a library full of mystery books which he discussed animatedly with staff and students.

June 1948 saw the dedication of Thomson Hall, at the University of Washington, named after this beloved Dean as a tribute to his many contributions to the life of the University.

James Brockett Tudhope(1858 – 1936)IndustrialistInducted 1966

James B. Tudhope will long be remembered for his philanthropy, his civic mindedness, his sense of fair play and his business acumen. At the time of his death in 1936, it was said that because of him, Orillia had become the chief industrial centre north of Toronto.

Born of Scottish pioneers in Oro in the early 1880’s, he joined his father, William, in Orillia, in the carriage business that developed into a large industry, and finally entered into a merger known as Carriage Factories Ltd., of which he was president. They turned out 60,000 cutters.

The advent of the car altered the business. He joined with his brothers and together they became pioneers in motor manufacturing, turning out a motor buggy; next came a complete car, including its engine.

At the time of the disastrous fire in 1909 at the factory, though other municipalities held out inducements, J.B. stalwartly refused to abandon Orillia. During World War I, their attention turned to munitions.

At various times, Tudhope had been actively identified with Canada Wood Specialty, Canada Electric Castings, Tudhope Anderson Co., The Orillia Furniture Company, and as a director of the Traders Bank and McIntyre Mine.

His political life included Councillor, Reeve, and Mayor and his election to the Ontario Legislature and the House of Commons. Always a generous contributor and canvasser, he backed every civic undertaking. The Orillia Presbyterian Church and its magnificent organ owe much to his generosity.

Mr. Tudhope enjoyed recreation. As a youth, he was a good lacrosse player and later took up curling, but hunting and fishing remained his favourite recreational pursuits up to the end of his long life.

Visit the Orillia Hall of Fame at the Orillia City Centre50 Andrew St. S.

or at orillia.ca.

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Gordon Alexander “Skid” Watson(1896 – 1984)HumanitarianInducted 1989

“Canada’s Mr. YMCA” – a title most suitably ascribed to Skid Watson, after 70 years as a member and leader with the Y. He was born and educated in Orillia where he spent many happy hours in the new Y, opened in 1907 on Peter Street, just north of Mississaga Street. There he learned those important values for which the Y stands.

After teaching in a country school at Dartmoor, near Sebright, he enlisted in the service. Again, in England and France, he found the Y meant so very much to the Canadian soldiers.

Returning to Orillia, Skid spent his whole life in the service of the Y as General Secretary, a position he held until his retirement in 1968 – 41 years. His relentless efforts ensured the growth and success of the local Y.

For years, summer camp was a very important part of the life of the YMCA. As far back as 1910, William Thomson allowed the Y to use his Breezy Point property on the east shore of Lake Couchiching, and for some years the camp was known as Breezy Point. The camp ran intermittently as a tenting project. “Skid’s” dream was to establish a permanent camp at the site and to that end he expended enormous effort. He was proud that his project received tremendous support from the entire community. And so Camp Summerland, an institution that developed Canadian youth from coast to coast, came into being in the 1930’s.

Skid entered wholeheartedly into the life of the town, serving on numerous boards and institutions and giving freely of his leadership. The words that best describe this man are displayed on the mural at the new YMCA building on Peter Street North – “Camper, Counsellor, Student, Teacher, Soldier, Athlete, Naturalist, Husband, Father, Community Leader, Mentor, Humanitarian, Citizen of the Year, Churchman, Friend”.

Elizabeth Wyn Wood(1903 – 1966)SculptorInducted 1966

Elizabeth Wyn Wood, one of Canada’s best known sculptors, was born in Orillia to Mr. and Mrs. E.A. Wood. According to her mother, as a very young child Elizabeth displayed a talent for clay modeling. She studied at the Ontario College of Art and at the Art Students’ League in New York. Her many awards included ten scholarships while at the Art College and the Governor-General’s Medal. Marriage to her former teacher, Emanuel Hahn, took place in 1926. For twenty-five years, she was an outstanding teacher at Central Technical School in Toronto.

Elizabeth Wyn Wood’s work has been rendered in limestone, copper, granite, bronze, marble and white plaster. She is noted for her work in monumental sculpture, especially that of King George VI in Niagara Falls – a ten-foot statue of granite that took eight years to complete. Welland boasts her war memorial and Niagara-on-the-Lake her monument of John Graves Simcoe. The fountain in the Fragrant Garden for the Blind in Toronto demonstrated her use of the abstract form to achieve a certain purpose, where the sound of water trickling on the sculpture is more important to the blind than the visual form.

Citizens of Orillia commissioned bronze busts of three of its most important figures – former Premier Leslie Frost, Stephen Leacock and Harold Hale. She is most widely noted for the series of landscape sculptures, which represent trees, rocks and waters of the Canadian Shield country. A marble bust of the sculptor, herself, by her husband, graces the Orillia Public Library.

A founding member of the Sculptors Society of Canada and a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art, she was the Canadian delegate to the first general conference in Paris of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. She is buried in the family plot in St. James’ Cemetery in Orillia.

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Chief William Yellowhead “Musquakie”(1769 – 1864)Ojibwa Chief Inducted 1999

There was an Ojibwa chief called “The Yellow Head, Chief of Lake Simcoe”, who is thought to be responsible for keeping his people loyal to the British during the War of 1812. When this chief was wounded in defense of York in 1813, his son, Musquakie, was created chief of the tribe. Four years later, at the desire of his father, Musquakie was appointed principal chief of the Deer Tribe, and was more commonly known as Chief William Yellowhead.

In 1818, the Crown purchased 1,592,000 acres of land in the Georgian Bay-Lake Simcoe area from the First Nations, and one of the signers of this treaty was Chief Yellowhead. He and his followers settled in the vicinity of Orillia, and a house, which stood until recent times, was erected for him. Eventually, white settlers infiltrated the region, and the Ojibwa claimed they spoiled their hunting grounds. The Ojibwa were compelled to relinquish their lands and moved to Rama during 1838 and early 1839. Yellowhead spent the remainder of his life there. A devout Christian, he was highly respected and admired by all that knew him. When he died in 1864, his age was supposed to be upwards of 100 years, although the burial register of St. James’ lists his age at 95. A large gathering of whites and First Nation’s people attended his funeral out of respect for the British Crown. He is buried in the churchyard of St. James’ Anglican Church, Orillia.

The Muskoka District of Ontario is a permanent memorial of Musquakie’s name. It is generally believed that this region was named after him since the area comprised part of his recognized hunting grounds.

Commit tee Members

Louis Francoz (Councillor/Deputy Reeve) 1964 - 1966J.B. Lamb 1964 - 1971Edna Cutt 1964 - 1985Skid Watson 1964 - 1984Grace Crooks Leigh 1964 - 1985Harry Tissington (Alderman) 1971 - 1973Ron Leliever (Alderman) 1970 William McFarlane 1971 - 1973P. McIsaac (Alderman) 1974 George Czerny 1974 - 1977Frank Kehoe (Alderman) 1975 - 1978Tony McCauley 1978 - 1980John Parks (Alderman) 1979 - 1982W.M. Cramp (Alderman) 1979 Allan Ironside 1980 - 1988Mark Furlong 1983 - 1985Gerry Briggs (Alderman) 1983 - 1985Frank Dolcort (Alderman) 1986 - 1987Douglas Blackburn 1986 - 1988Jay Cody 1984 - 1997Sue Mulcahy 1984 - 2011

Since its inception in 1964, many people have served on the Committee, dedicating their time to researching and selecting noteworthy Orillians to become a part of the Hall of Fame. Our sincerest thanks goes to each and every one of them for their hard work. The following is a list of all those who have been a part of the Committee:

Clare Long 1986 - 2004Jeff Day 1988 - 1997Alannah Langlois (Alderman) 1987 - 1990Mel St. Onge 1989 - 2011Isabel Brillinger 1989 - 1995Patricia Hehn 1990 - 1993Don Hunter 1991 - 1997Peter Hoare 1994 - 1999Wendy Hutchings 1995 - 2011Donald Ross 1999 - 2011Andrew Johnston 2000 - 2004Kelly Lassaline 2003 - 2006Janifer Tissington 2001 - 2011Mort Seymour 2006 - 2011David Town 2006 - 2011Michael Hill 2007 - 2011Betsy Gross 2013-Kyle Asselin 2013-Shannon Jackman 2013- Paul Raymond 2013-Ted Rzeplinski 2013 - 2014Barbara Dickson 2014-

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Cit y of Orillia50 Andrew Street South, Suite 300,

Orillia, ON L3V 7T5

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