An old time postcard featuring Bradford Public School. This photo is from the Bradford Womens Institute Scrapbooks.

S.S. #7 School

S.S. #2, typical log school of the time.

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.

S.S. #10, Newton Robinson, c. 1884.

S.S. # 3, West Gwillimbury

S.S. #8, Bowles School, in the winter months.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited Canada.One warm evening in June 1939, the elementary school children and parents of West Gwillimbury drove to Alliston to see the Royal Couple on board the train as it passed through the little town. But the train did not stop and thousands of disappointed onlookers did not get a glimpse of the King and Queen. Engineer Harry Toman (brother-in-law of Herbert Bowles) was under instruction not to stop the Royal Train as it was late leaving the Toronto Station. At Midhurst, where 28 peoples were gathered, the train stopped to take on water supplies. King George VI stepped off the train to shake hands with the small group. One of those present was Edith Belfry, teacher of S.S. #9 Mount Pleasant. The Bradford High School students went by train to Toronto where they saw the Royal Couple riding in the Royal Car. The pupils had been given flags to wave and in some places the children put pennies on the railroad tracks.

Event Date : Tuesday, February 04, 1997
Event Type : Death

Description : At Bradford Place. Of the Holland Marsh. Husband of the late Helen (Bugra). Father of Helen and her husband Peter Popijal of Agincourt, and Dorothy Cilipka of Bradford. Brother of John Cilipka of the Czech Republic. Grandfather of Diane Sherman of Clearwater, Florida, Vicky Al Joundi of Etobicoke and Andrew Popijal of Agincourt. Visitation and funeral service at the Lathangue & Skwarchuk Funeral Home, Bradford. Interment at York Cemetery, Willowdale.

Full obituary for Mrs. Fred (Catherine Eunice Scanlon) Wood:
"With the passing away at Newmarket Hospital on Friday, February 10, of Catherine Eunice Moore Scanlon, beloved wife of Fred Wood, West Gwillimbury lost one of its most well-known citizens. Mrs. Wood was born and lived all her life on the farm owned by her father, the late Thos. Scanlon, Lot 2, Concession 10, whose father, Mark Scanlon, settled at Scanlon's Creek about the year 1824. Her mother was the late Maria Sloane, whose parents settled on the farm of James Sloane about the same time. The late Mrs. Wood attended school at Mount Pleasant and later attended the High School situated at the northern entrance to the Pine Grove, Bradford. She was an Anglican and during her whole life attended St. Paul's Anglican Church, the church attended by her parents. Having lived her whole life on the same farm, and having a keen mind with vivid recollections of the early settlers, she knew intimately the history of West Gwillimbury and Bradford. Mrs. Wood is survived by her husband; one brother, Allan Scanlon, who wife was a former Bradford girl, Myra Baker; their six sons and one daughter, who attended the funeral. Predeceasing her were Annie (Mrs. Donald McKay); George; Birdie (Mrs. Thos. Wood), and Mark. The funeral was from the family residence to Mount Pleasant Cemetery, part of which was given to the Methodist Church by her grandfather, Mark Scanlon. The pallbearers were six nephews, Lewis Scanlon, Sudbury; Fred Scanlon, Copper Cliff; Douglas Scanlon, Callander; Bert Scanlon, North Bay; Walter Wood, Painesville, Ohio, and gerald Wood, Wyandotte, Mich."