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Directors retire after long by Andrew Stewart n 2021 we said goodbye to four directors I of The Friends of Fort York & Garrison Common. Three had served for almost 20 years, one for five, and all with distinction and dedication. We are in debt to them all. Elizabeth Quance, who joined the board in 2003, found The Friends through her work in the community with the Niagara Neighbourhood Association. She was (as the NNA tells us) “deeply involved with the efforts to close Toronto Refiners and Smelters, worked closely with Cathy Nasmith on our efforts to stop the Front Street Extension, and was on a number of working groups relating to planning in the neighbourhood.” In the early days of The Friends, the Front Street Extension – a major road to connect Front Street (where it now ends at Bathurst) to Dufferin – was a real threat to the integrity of the Niagara neighbourhood and Fort York’s connection to it. This (at the time) $120 million road was cancelled only in 2008. We can thank Elizabeth, through her work with The Friends, for working so hard toward a better public realm plan today on the north side of the tracks. The neighbourhood, also with Elizabeth’s help, was a partner in the annual Fort York Festival, which featured big reenactments and attracted thousands of visitors during the late 1990s. This was long before Fort York became a venue for the rich variety of cultural events we see now.
“One of the most satisfying parts of being a director,” recalls Elizabeth, “was to see how successful the Board was as a working volunteer board. Every person on the Board had specific responsibilities that they were expected to carry out and they did… I am glad I had a chance to make a contribution.” Ted Smolak also joined our board in 2003. A very young Ted, growing up in Thorold on the Niagara Frontier (to use an antique expression), came across a grey Ted Smolak with his wife Mari Jo at the Directors granite stone marked “Beaver Dams 1813” Dinner, April 11, 2019 in an overgrown field by the Welland “My fondest memories are those times Canal. This mysterious and apparently forgotten memento sparked his interest in spent working with Stephen Otto and the War of 1812. Many years later, director Pat Fleming,” he recalls. “Together we Bret Snider (who was a client of Arena collaborated to design The Fife and Drum, Design, Ted’s graphic design firm), on the website image gallery and our last project together, Fort York: Stories from a gentle but the Birthplace of Toronto.” The Friends owe much to Ted’s creative thorough grilling and professional work – and to his tremendous generosity in donating all of this to us. He is a model of quiet and sensing his life-long interest in Canadian effective collegiality. “So many wonderful history, invited him to join The Friends. It memories made possible by so many wasn’t long before Steve Otto introduced wonderful directors,” he adds. “It was an himself and “after a gentle but thorough honour and a privilege just to be a part grilling” recommended Ted join the Board. of it all.” An Ontario College of Art graduate, Nancy Baines also came to us in 2003 as Ted soon designed our corporate identity, a recently retired history teacher at North our website and The Fife and Drum, establishing the visual brand of The Toronto Collegiate Institute. She is the Friends of Fort York & Garrison Common grand-daughter of historical illustrator across all media. C.W. Jeffreys, whose images of the War
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“One of the most satisfying parts of being a director,” recalls Elizabeth, “was to see how successful the Board was as a working volunteer board. Every person on the Board had specific responsibilities that they were expected to carry out and they did… I am glad I had a chance to make a contribution.” Ted Smolak also joined our board in 2003. A very young Ted, growing up in Thorold on the Niagara Frontier (to use an antique expression), came across a grey Ted Smolak with his wife Mari Jo at the Directors granite stone marked “Beaver Dams 1813” Dinner, April 11, 2019 in an overgrown field by the Welland “My fondest memories are those times Canal. This mysterious and apparently forgotten memento sparked his interest in spent working with Stephen Otto and the War of 1812. Many years later, director Pat Fleming,” he recalls. “Together we Bret Snider (who was a client of Arena collaborated to design The Fife and Drum, Design, Ted’s graphic design firm), on the website image gallery and our last project together, Fort York: Stories from a gentle but the Birthplace of Toronto.” The Friends owe much to Ted’s creative thorough grilling and professional work – and to his tremendous generosity in donating all of this to us. He is a model of quiet and sensing his life-long interest in Canadian effective collegiality. “So many wonderful history, invited him to join The Friends. It memories made possible by so many wasn’t long before Steve Otto introduced wonderful directors,” he adds. “It was an himself and “after a gentle but thorough honour and a privilege just to be a part grilling” recommended Ted join the Board. of it all.” An Ontario College of Art graduate, Nancy Baines also came to us in 2003 as Ted soon designed our corporate identity, a recently retired history teacher at North our website and The Fife and Drum, establishing the visual brand of The Toronto Collegiate Institute. She is the Friends of Fort York & Garrison Common grand-daughter of historical illustrator across all media. C.W. Jeffreys, whose images of the War
of 1812 and Canadian history sparked the imagination of generations of students. Going on a walking tour of the waterfront led by David Crombie was a turning point for Nancy, reinforced by Joe Gill’s enthusiasm for Fort York. Meeting Steve Otto was the closer. “Steve’s canny understanding of the way the city works and how to be proactive in support of the Fort was a revelation,” she says. “His networking skills, the depth and breadth of his historical interests and his can-do attitude were amazing. What a privilege to work with two such dedicated and delightful people!” Nancy first assumed responsibility for the membership list of a steadily growing organization. She then set out to establish a proper library, which the historic site had always lacked, in the basement of the Blue Barracks. Inheriting piles of books, pamphlets, maps, documents and manuscripts from the fort’s cupboards (mainly in the Officers’ Mess) and scrounging a computer from the everhelpful David O’Hara, she organized, catalogued and expanded these materials into the efficient Resource Centre we have today. Nancy and Heather Cirulis, together as volunteers, and working every Thursday for years, have created an essential resource that is today used by fort staff, members of the Guard and researchers at large. With gifts bequeathed to the Fort York Foundation, we hope to see the library
moved out of the basement (where books will continue to protect the interests of the fort and work to bring about positive and paper should never be kept) into the change. It has been a privilege to be a space designed for it on the ground floor guardian of Fort York.” of the new Visitor Centre. Chris Henry joined the Board in 2016. Together with director Richard Dodds Chris had spent four summers with the It was a privilege to be a Fort Henry Guard, becoming a squad sergeant and co-leading 24-person drill guardian of Fort York squads, and so he understood our work with the Guard here. He was introduced and culinary historian Bridget Wranich, by our chair Don Cranston, another Fort Nancy was also instrumental to our Henry connection. In his professional life, fundraising Georgian Dinners every year Chris has been an executive operations for nearly two decades. And she gave her consultant, helping organizations to energy to special events, especially in the increase revenue and market share. His lead-up to the War of 1812 Bicentennial, depth of experience in digital services and innovation was of immense value to The parking-lot operations (the original Friends, helping us to find new audiences fundraiser) and committee work, including for The Fife and Drum and in developing in the writing and production of Adding social media. With his convivial personality, New Buildings. Chris always enlivened our dinners and “Even the meetings were almost always special events and helped to bring new lively and challenging,” she remembers. “I friends to the table. trust the present Board and the Friends
moved out of the basement (where books will continue to protect the interests of the fort and work to bring about positive and paper should never be kept) into the change. It has been a privilege to be a space designed for it on the ground floor guardian of Fort York.” of the new Visitor Centre. Chris Henry joined the Board in 2016. Together with director Richard Dodds Chris had spent four summers with the It was a privilege to be a Fort Henry Guard, becoming a squad sergeant and co-leading 24-person drill guardian of Fort York squads, and so he understood our work with the Guard here. He was introduced and culinary historian Bridget Wranich, by our chair Don Cranston, another Fort Nancy was also instrumental to our Henry connection. In his professional life, fundraising Georgian Dinners every year Chris has been an executive operations for nearly two decades. And she gave her consultant, helping organizations to energy to special events, especially in the increase revenue and market share. His lead-up to the War of 1812 Bicentennial, depth of experience in digital services and innovation was of immense value to The parking-lot operations (the original Friends, helping us to find new audiences fundraiser) and committee work, including for The Fife and Drum and in developing in the writing and production of Adding social media. With his convivial personality, New Buildings. Chris always enlivened our dinners and “Even the meetings were almost always special events and helped to bring new lively and challenging,” she remembers. “I friends to the table. trust the present Board and the Friends Featuring a selection of articles from the past 20 years of
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