The Inter-American Networking for Studies and Training in Natural Resources Usage for Community Transformation (INSTRUCT Programme) was a Trent University led, CIDA supported project that was active from 1997-2003. INSTRUCT involved stakeholders from Ecuador, Mexico, and Canada.
INSTRUCT provided countries in Latin America with environmental training to clean up degraded watersheds. The two watersheds that were part of INSTRUCT’s project were in Rio Texcoco, Mexico and Lago San Pablo, Ecuador.
INSTRUCT’s main objective was to use the framework of Integrated Ecosystem Management (IEM) to promote and enhance positive relationships between local institutions and communities and their natural environment and resources.
Dr. Chris Metcalfe and Dr. David Morrison of Trent University directed the program and Linda Slavin was the Programme Manager. There were also opportunities for graduate students from the academic institutions involved in INSTRUCT to perform fieldwork in Mexico and Ecuador. There were also seminars and workshops that took place at Trent University. One of the workshops was called “Practical Ways of Sharing Equity” and one of the seminars was called “Roots of our Future”.
Other Canadian organizations involved in INSTRUCT included the University of New Brunswick, Guelph University, Kawartha World Issues Centre, Horizons of Friendship, Sir Sandford Fleming College, Otonabee Region Conservation Authority, the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Natural Resources. Latin American organizations involved in the project included la Corporación para la Defensa del Lago San Pablo, El Centro de Estudios Pluriculturales, El Centro Panamericano es Estudios y Investigaciones Geográficas, la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Ecuador, University of Chapingo, el Colegio Postgraduados and the INSTRUCT Mexico office.
James William Lauder was a Canadian soldier from a German prisoner-of-war camp in 1944.
James Neufeld was a professor and author and a member of the Department of English Literature at Trent University from 1972-2010. He was the Principal of Traill College from 1982 to 1987, the Vice-President of University Services from 1990 to 1995, and head of the English Department from 2000 to 2005. Professor Neufeld was born in 1944 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. He received his Hons. B.A from the University of Toronto (1967), and his M.A in Theology and Literature (1969) and Ph.D. in Literature (1974) from the University of Chicago. He joined Trent University in 1972 and retired in 2009.
Professor Neufeld’s area of study is in the arts, namely ballet and music in Canada. He has written four books on ballet and one book on Canadian soprano, Lois Marshall (1925-1997). His academic honours and distinctions include the University of Chicago Fellowship (1968-1969), and the Canada Council Doctoral Fellowship (1969-1972).
Camp Wangoma was an overnight camp operated by East York YMCA and the Toronto Y Camping Services from 1956-1973. The Camp operated in the Madawaska Highlands thirty minutes east of Bancroft, just south of McArthur’s Mills on the north end of Wanamaker Lake. The history of the camp started in 1919 with Sunfish Camp on Sunfish Island run by Toronto Central YMCA. Due to the building of the Island Airport on Hanlan’s Point the residents of Hanlan's Point were moved to Sunfish Island (Olympic Island) in 1934. Sunfish Camp moved to a site south of Barrie on west side of Lake Simcoe operated by East York YMCA.
Due to the growth of the population on Lake Simcoe, the Y decided to move the Camp in 1955 to a former Private Camp on Lake Catchacoma. They rented the Camp for 1955 and the Camp was called Camp Woapka. The East York Y Camp Committee found during that time the site for Camp Wangoma which is the present day, Cedar Ridge Camp. The Camp started in 1956 and ran until 1973. As an Outdoor Education Centre, it ran from 1974-1978.
The Camp was sold in 1980 to the Pentecostal Church in Bancroft affiliated with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada). They ran Nature Land Bible Camp. In December 2005, the Bible Camp was sold to today’s owners of Cedar Ridge Camp which has been in operation for sixteen years.
The first normal school for the training of elementary school teachers opened in Toronto in 1847. In 1850 a system of township model schools was established. They were specially designated elementary schools where teachers or potential teachers could observe existing practice under supervision. The successful candidates received Third Class Certificates valid for three years. In 1880 there were forty-seven model schools. Candidates were awarded First or Second Class Certificates after attendance at normal school. At times there were two year courses at normal schools. Model schools were abolished in 1924 and with them the Third Class Certificate. In 1936 the Second Class Certificate was discontinued except at the Ottawa Normal School. In 1874 the Ottawa Normal School was established and in 1900 the London Normal School. In 1908 normal schools were opened in Hamilton, Peterborough, and Stratford. Peterborough Normal School was officially opened on September 15, 1908 and operated until the late 1960's. Several hundred teachers were trained there over the years of operation. The first principal was Duncan Walker. In 1973 the Peterborough Teachers' College (formerly the Peterborough Normal School) closed its doors and the staff moved to the Faculty of Education, Queen's University.
Julian Blackburn College was established in 1975 to facilitate part-time studies at Trent University. It was officially opened on October 24, 1975 in a ceremony held in the Wenjack Theatre. JBC was named in honour of the late Professor Julian Blackburn who provided counsel and advice in the planning of Trent University, and in its formative years contributed greatly to the development of a program of part-time studies.
Director of Part-time Studies: 1967-1968 Walter Pitman (acting). 1968-1974 Hal Hooke, Principal of Julian Blackburn College: 1976-1977 Hal Hooke, 1977-1978 Erica Pipher, acting), 1978-1981 Erica Pipher, 2009-current Robin Lathangue.
Vice-Principal and Director of Off Campus Courses: 1976 Erica Pipher
Vice-Dean Arts and Science and Principal of Julian Blackburn College : 1981-1985 Lionel Rubinoff
Associate Dean and Director of Julian Blackburn Centre for Continuing Education: 1985-1986 Michael Treadwell (acting), 1986-1988 Michael Treadwell, 1988-1990 George Nader.
Associate Dean of Arts and Science and Principal of Julian Blackburn College: 1990-1994 George Nader, 1994-1996 John Syrett, 1996-1998 Jackie Tinson (acting), 1998-1999 Murray Genoe (acting), 1999-2002 Beth Popham.
Associate Dean of Arts and Science (Continuing Education and Part-Time Studies) / Principal, Julian Blackburn College : 2002-2009 Murray Genoe; 2009-2011 Robin Lathangue, and others.
For further information about part-time studies, its governing bodies, its relationship to Trent's Durham GTA campus, and its administration, see A.O.C. Cole, Trent: The Making of a University, pp. 126-129; D'Arcy Jenish, Trent University: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence, 2014; RG2; and the course calendars (available in the Archives Reading Room).
The first archivist was Pat Johnston. She was succeeded by Ken Johnson who was archivist until 1982. Bernadine Dodge was first appointed Acting University Archivist in 1982 and then University Archivist the next year. She retired in 2009. At various times between 2009 and 2022 Janice Millard served as Curator and Jodi Aoki as Archivist and University Archivist. Janice Millard retired in 2015 and Jodi Aoki in 2022.
Reverend Robert Brooking was a Wesleyan Methodist missionary, born in England in 1813. He began his work with his wife, Elizabeth, on the Gold Coast of Africa but left after several years for health reasons. He and his wife were then sent to Canada, where he ministered to the Indigenous peoples at Rice Lake, Rama, Alderville, Canada West, and at Norway House in the Hudson's Bay Territory, until he retired in 1880. Elizabeth Brooking died in 1862. Robert Brooking died in 1893.
Carrying Place is a narrow isthmus separating Weller's Bay and the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario. Carrying Place also connects Prince Edward County to the mainland. It is located 5 miles south of Trenton. Carrying Place was so named due to its location. It is situated at a point where the First Nations and early settlers travelling by water had to portage to get from the Bay of Quinte to Lake Ontario. One of the first people to settle permanently in Carrying Place was Asa Weller in 1783. Robert Young, believed to the the second settler, received a land grant in 1792. Two other prominent families who helped to settle Carrying Place were the Wilkins and the Biggars. Some of these founding families' descendants still live in Carrying Place today. The first Church, St. John's Anglican, was built in 1811, and the first schoolhouse was opened in 1852. Unfortunately, Carrying Place never became the big city as was envisioned by the founding fathers.
Frances Anne Stewart (nee Browne) was born May 24, 1794, daughter of Reverend Francis Browne and Anna Maria Noble, in Dublin, Ireland. In 1796, Rev. Browne died quite suddenly in front of his wife. The resulting shock left Frances' mother somewhat of an invalid until she died in 1809. Frances was left in the care of her great-uncle, Robert Waller in Allanstown, Ireland, where she was raised by Harriet Beaufort, who managed the household. Harriet was a well educated young woman, and sought to give Frances the same quality of education. Under Harriet's instruction, Frances received a much more academic education than was the norm for young girls of those days. In the summer of 1816, Frances, and her aunt Susan went to visit some distant friends, the Stewarts, who lived near Belfast. This is where Frances met her future husband, Thomas Alexander Stewart (1786-1847). They were married December 16, 1816. Thomas worked for the firm of Robert Reid and Son, which manufactured linen, cotton and silk. When the company ran into trouble, and eventually bankruptcy, Frances and Thomas decided to emigrate to Canada. The Stewarts went with Thomas' brother-in-law, and former business partner, Robert Reid and his family. The party of 27 set sail from Belfast Lough, on June 1, 1822. Seven weeks were spent on the ship before reaching Quebec. From there they traveled to Kingston, and then on to York, where Stewart and Reid were each granted 1200 acres, provided they settled in an unsurveyed township. Douro Township was suggested as a promising region. On September 9, 1822, Stewart and Reid traveled to the area with Richard Birdsall, the surveyor, and each chose land on the Otonabee River. Life in Douro Township was very isolated for Frances, but she managed well on her own, looking after her home and children. Thomas Stewart died in 1847 from typhoid fever, and Frances Anne died several years later on February 24, 1872 at Goodwood. Extensive biographical information on the Stewart family, plus friends, neighbours, and associates, may be found in accession 02-001.
Trent University was the first post-secondary Canadian institution to establish a well-defined Department of Native Studies. The Department was established in 1972, although an earlier effort, the “Indian and Eskimo Studies Program,” had been underway since 1969.
Peter Gzowski College, named after Canadian broadcaster/journalist and former Trent Chancellor Peter Gzowski, opened to students in 2004 on the Symons Campus. Gzowski College, is housed in Enweyaang, a building located on the East side of the Otonabee River.
Brenda Brownlee was a student at Trent University, class of 1966. She graduated in 1970 from the Bachelor of Arts program and continued her education through the Anthropology honors program and later entered graduate school in Toronto. As a student at Trent University, she was also a prompter for the Dramatis Personae productions of Gilbert and Sullivan’s, “Patience,” (1964) and “The Mikado” (1970). Additionally, Brenda was hired as a student to complete an inventory collection of Inuit art at Lady Eaton College.
The Committee on Colleges serves as one of the central means of coordinating the activities and policies of the colleges and the University. It serves a dual purpose, reporting to Senate on academic matters, and to the President, in an advisory capacity regarding buildings and finance. It is composed of heads of colleges and representatives from dining services, student health services and athletic services committees. The Committee is also concerned with off-campus housing, the supervisory system, selection of college heads, telephone directories, dining hall services, pub policies, college admissions, etc.
Otonabee College was officially opened on the west bank of the Symons Campus, Trent University, in 1973. Masters have been Robert Carter, Gary Aitken, Elwood Jones, Finn Gallagher, Gordon Johnston, Robert Annett, Ivana Elbl, and others. For further information about the College and its administration, see A.O.C. Cole, Trent: The Making of a University, pp. 126-129; D'Arcy Jenish, Trent University: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence, 2014; and the annual course calendars (available in the Archives Reading Room).
Schienger was born in Switzerland and lived in L'Amble, Ontario. For a number of years he taught art at Peterborough Collegiate Institute. He was an associate of the Group of Seven and often painted with them.
Eva Jean Murphy. Murphy was born 3 November 1905 in Dartford, Ontario. After attending Peterborough Normal School, she taught at Smithfield near Colborne, Ontario. She married Harold Charles Mallory 7 November 1934 and lived on a farm near Grafton, Ontario until her death 24 November 1960. They had one son, Carroll, born 13 November 1936.
The Society of Camp Directors was founded May 21, 1969, after a long gestation period, from about 1957, when the subject was first broached in the Ontario Camping Association. Members of the OCA who were camp directors were instrumental in the formation of the new society.
Frederick Arthur Verner was born 26 February 1836 in Hammondsville, Upper Canada and died 16 May 1928 in London, England. He was a painter who specialized in the Canadian West, often depicting Indigenous peoples and bison. He sought to convey an accuracy of his subjects as he portrayed the west as a veritable eden. He was an artist present at the signing of the North West Angle Treaty Lake of the Woods. (Taken from: The Canadian Encyclopedia. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, 1985.)
Frederick Montague de la Fosse was born in England in 1859. He emigrated to Canada when he was 18 years old and worked on a farm in the Muskoka's. He built a house before 1882 and started to clear the land on which he lived. He left in 1883 for the prairies where he joined a surveying team. The story of his adventures in the west are written in "The Western Reminiscences of F.M. de la Fosse". He married Mary Jane Graham Bell in 1885 and they had four children: Margerie, Francis, Bartholomew and Philippa. Between 1885 and 1896 they lived near Lake Rousseau in Stisted Township, since de la Fosse's house had burnt down the year he had returned and before he was able to move into it. He remarried, Amy Vernon Halliday, after his first wife died. Eventually the family moved to Toronto where de la Fosse became the recording secretary of Trinity College. He published many poems in "The Trinity Review" during this time. He moved to the Peterborough area and became the copy editor of "The Peterborough Examiner" from 1907 to 1910. On December 5, 1910 F.M. de la Fosse accepted the position of Peterborough's first public librarian. In 1946 he retired from the library. Under the pen name of Roger Varden, he published "English Bloods" in 1930 which was a story of his arrival in Canada and the subsequent years. He also privately published books of his poetry: "Verses Gay and Grave" in 1937 and "A Dream and an Allegory" in 1944. He also wrote on a wide range of topics including "Centenary History of St. John's Anglican Church, 1827-1927" which was published in 1927. In 1948 he sent a poem to Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) for which he received an acknowledgement from her. Frederick Monatague de la Fosse died at Peterborough on September 26, 1950. (Taken from: Rahmel, Fern. "A Literary Discovery: the 'western reminiscences' of F.M. de la Fosse, Peterborough's first librarian." Occasional paper. Peterborough Historical Society, 1994.)