One hundred years ago, an act of anger by university students brought forth a piece of history for the City of Guelph.
The centennial birthday of War Memorial Hall at the University of Guelph was acknowledged Saturday night in a moving ceremony organized by the Serving Scholars program.
During the First World War, 109 students and faculty at the Ontario Agricultural College were killed. Their names are marked on one of two plaques on display in the building.
The other plaque remembers those who died in the Second World War.
“The students demanded a memorial,” said John Walsh, the director of the school of languages and literature at U of G, and co-founder of the Serving Scholars.
“The university was facing budgetary issues – hey, that sounds familiar – and one evening, the students in anger, anger born of love, cut down all the trees that were here and plowed the footprint of the foundation’s building, demanding the university build something.”
Harry Reginald Coales and Bernard Dangerfield designed the hall. It was built and opened in June 1924. It serves as a link between U of G and the Canadian Armed Forces.
Since then, it has seen countless lectures, performances, political debates and the like.
But while it has been used for all of these things, the very catalyst for the building’s existence has never been forgotten.
The Serving Scholar program was designed to address the needs of students who are also members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Essentially, it’s to help ensure there is never a conflict between military and academic duties.
“The university will accommodate them,” Walsh said. “Make sure that they can have early course registration when they’re deployed or on exercise, they can submit assignments after their exercises, when their military duties are done, so that they can serve with a peace of mind, knowing that when they return to their studies, there will be no interruption.”
Those scholars were part of the core of Saturday’s ceremony. The names of those 109 people killed were read aloud, and were set up on paper posted to seats inside the hall.
Those who sat in the seat containing the name stood up as the name was read “showing the continuation of that legacy, that their loss does not mean that they’re gone from memory or forgotten.”
Patrons were treated to an Indigenous smoke dance, choir music and more. Greetings were also read aloud from King Charles III, Governor General Mary Simon and Premier Doug Ford, among others.
The Serving Scholars also accepted a ceremonial sword.
“It is great to see history coming alive, and it was very touching to hear the name of all the personnel that came from here that made the ultimate sacrifice, and being represented by serving members today,” said Lt-Col. Miguel Ortiz-Sosa, the commanding officer of the 11th Field Regiment.
Walsh, a U of G graduate, began teaching at the school in 2009.
“I teach in this building every Monday, Wednesday (and) Friday morning, and there’s not one time I’ve walked in this building that I haven’t forgotten why it’s here,” he said.
“It speaks to the power of young people. I spend a lot of time hearing about how young people are, well, there’s criticism of them.
“This building reassures me that youth has the power to affect the world. Our university uses the brand ‘improve life.’ These people sacrifice their lives to give us a better life, so I’m struck with the magnitude of that every time I stand in here.”
