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Thomas Wells Opens School

The new Bradford District High School was officially opened by Education Minister Thomas Wells last Tuesday in a ceremony involving dignitaries from the province, the county, and the town of Bradford.

About 400 people braved the cold and blowing snow to attend the event, highlighted by a policy statement from the education minister, a tribute to Bradford resident Tom Gardner, and a key presentation from architects Adamson Associates and contractor C.A. Smith to principal Alex Taylor.

A moment of silence was also observed for Simcoe County Board of Education superintendent of planning Syd Owens who died the previous Sunday of a heart attack.

Trustee Sam Neilly said of Mr. Owens, "He was one of the most important men in the planning and design of this school. His sudden passing leaves us saddened."

Addresses followed by MPP George McCague (Dufferin-Simcoe), West Gwillimbury Reeve John Fennell, Bradford Mayor Roy Gordon, and York-Simcoe MPP Arthur Evans who introduced Mr. Wells.

Principal Alex Taylor gave a brief history of education in the Bradford area, which began in 1852 with the opening of a grammar school in Bond Head.

After the railway was opened to Bradford in 1859, Mr. Taylor said, the growth of Bradford warranted the establishment of a school there, and the grammar school was loaded onto wagons and moved to Bradford.

He joked that it was the first portable in the county.

Another school was built in 1890 which burned two years later, and a new brick school was built in 1893, but it too was destroyed by fire in 1923.

In 1923 Bradford District High School was constructed (now the Fred C. Cook Senior Public School) which served as the high school until last year.

Bradford's 1976 citizen of the year Tom Gardner, a long-time member of the school board before his retirement, was honored by the chairman of the Simcoe County Board of Education, C.W. Brown.

Mr. Brown called Tom Gardner "Mr. Education," and described his life-long efforts on behalf of education in the country.

He then presented Mr. Gardner with a plaque naming the resource centre in the school "The T.H. Gardner Resource Centre."

Mr. Gardner received a standing ovation from the assembly, and called the tribute "the highlight of my life."

Director of Education Jack Ramsay pointed out to Mr. Wells that the pressure would soon be on for the go-ahead to an extension for the new school next year.

He laughed, "We are optimistic that there will be no delay for that since Mr. Wells is present here."

Trustee Sam Neilly told the audience that today was Mr. Ramsay's birthday, and everyone promptly broke into a rendition of Happy Birthday.

The program concluded with a guided tour of the new high school.

Bradford High School Students, 1931, Form 4 and 5.
Jim Worfolk, Marion Cullingham, Kathleen Wilson, Ann M. Watt, Ronald Sutherland, Unknown, Jessie McLowry, Unknown, Ruth Cerswell, Keith Kilkenny, Billie Day, Unknown, Louis Neilly, John Clubine, Evelyn Leeson, Beverley Hartman, Unknown, Arthur Taylor, Errol Gray, Dot Stone, Doland Adair, Allan Gould, Herbie Taylor, Helen Clark, Janet Pringle, Marjorie Wilson, Muriel Forth, Addison Black, Fred Reynolds, Unknown, Jessie Melbourne.

"As Bernard Horn retired after 30 years of teaching at Bradford District High School, the building ceased to be a high school. Mr. Horne saw each addition built on the old school built on the old school building but he will never teach in the new school, scheduled to open in September. Mr. Horne, geography teacher at Bradford District High School, taught for 42 years. He wasn't always a geography teacher nor was he always a high school teacher. His first post was at a log school house in Muskoka Township. He taught six elementary grades which was a real challenge. Children had to do a lot of seat work as instruction time was limited. During the winter, they were isolated. The nearest doctor was 16 miles away in Gravenhurst."

The Thompson Fisher House is located at 37 Queen St. (on the northeast corner of Queen and Rebecca Streets). It was built around 1880 in the Eclectic Neoclassical style. It belonged to J.C. Wood in the 1950’s. He was the principal at the original, adjacent Bradford High School.
The two-storey, rectangular building has a symmetrical façade and a centre hall plan (Neoclassical features). A medium-pitched, hip roof with a wide overhang and a full-width, awning roof at the porch are Regency Revival features. The house has large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. Ground-floor windows and the entrance door have transom lights. The arched shutters may be original. Decorative details at the porch columns, a busy verge board, and paired, soffit brackets (over new metal soffits) appear to be twentieth-century additions. The house has solid brick construction as well as the original wood banister, doors, and 12” baseboards. According to the 2000 inventory, the decorative trim is excessive and without precedent in the community. It also notes that while some degree of eclecticism is not out of place, the total effect on this well-maintained building is unconvincing. (1, 3, 5)

This portrait is of T.W.W. Evans as part of the Members of Bradford High School Board of 1906. Other members were H.S. Broughton, A. Neilly, Robert Stewart, E. Garrett, and Dr. L.H. Campbell.

Photograph of Bradford High School students in Room 4 & 5, 1927. The back of the photograph lists names of students and is signed by students in the photo.

Fourth Row (L-R): Aleta Gould, Eileen Haldane-Wilson, Gladys Sheldon, Margaret Neilly, Florence Clark, Bertha Collins, Grace Kingsley, Marion Kneeshaw, Lyall Hartman, Gladys Moriarty, Emily McDonald
Third Row (L-R): Anna O'Neil, Ida Day, Rae Green, Nella McLean, Peg Davey, E. J. Keenan, Aileen Nolan, Marion Evans, Margaret Keenan, Julia Norfolk, Marion George

Second Row (L-R): Brock Evans, Keith Armstrong, Ellis Pringle, Norman Collings, Oliver Gould

First Row (L-R): Aubrey Stewart, Willard Stewart, Oliver Connell, Joe Miller, Billy Willson, Bert Culbert

Bradford High School 1939-40. Principal Mr. G. K. Brunt.
Back Row (l-r): James Shaw, Bill Martin, John Worfolk, Vincent O'Donnell, Donald Rutherford, Bob Faris, Calvin Lapp, Bill Rowe, Howard McKay, Gordon Cillingham, Bill Moriarty, Selby Kneeshaw, Campbell Prince, Gordon Bateman, Andrew Bell, Milton McMillan, Eveleen McDonnell, Muriel Gibney, Betty Camplin, Mary Scott, Lylia Bell.
Third Row (l-r): Marie Valenteyn, Helen Porritt, Doreen Simpkin, Marion Worfolk, Margaret Hill, Joyce Steers, Vera Huck, Lorna Dixon, Irene Mestdagh, Beatrice Zlotkin, Catherine Lukes, Betty Seim, Marie Moriarty, Helen Snor, Audrey Mapes, Dorothy Seim, Ruth Stewart, Jean Wilson, Jean Bell, Ruth Noble, Helen Cave, Freda Doane, Helen Brown, Isabel Blackwell, Gladys Bell, Doris Fennell, Marjorie Creighton.
Second Row (l-r): Helen Noble, Mary Meher, Etta Noble, Ruth O'Neil, Jean Campbell, Reta O'Neil, Phyllis Edney, Elsie McKnight, Isobel Kneeshaw, Marie O'Donnell, Marie Caesar, Evelyn Doane, Eileen Iceton, Velma Valedon, Ruth Stewart, Margaret Graham, Constance Nolan, G. K. Brunt, W. K. Gray, Helen Saint, Phylis Robson, Marjorie Horsley, Lorraine Lapp, Isobel Lennox, Marjorie Botham, Betty Spence, Joyce Gibney, Shirley Armstrong, Helen McDonald, Margaret Coates, Jean Bannerman, Josephine Orr.
Front Row (l-r): Ivan Wilson, Irwin Collings, Murray Quinn, Ross Melbourne, Frank Carter, Alan Atkinson, Joe Wood, Alex Geddes, Maurice Roberts, Donald Gardner, Bert McArthur, Earl Jessop, Jack Glover, Wallace Fuller, James Lennox, Willard Budd, George Allan, Keith Bowles, Keith Langford, Arthur Turner, Murray Wilson, Arnold Fraser, Jack Gardner, Charles Doane, John Fennell.