History of Upper Canada College

[2] Prior to 1829, the college was called the Royal Grammar School; its first permanent buildings stood on Russell Square, on land that is now bounded by King, Simcoe, Adelaide and John Streets in downtown Toronto.

[1] The new school was praised by some; the Reverend Thomas Radcliffe stated in an 1833 letter: "Future generations will bless the memory of Sir John Colborne, who, to the many advantages derived from the equity and wisdom of his government, has added that of a magnificent foundation [in Upper Canada College] for the purposes of literary instruction.

In his publication Colonial Advocate, William Lyon Mackenzie stated: "The College here at York in Upper Canada is most extravagantly endowed... thousands of pounds are realised at will by its self-constituted managers from the sale of school lots and school lands [in fact, not true]... splendid incomes given to masters... and dwellings furnished to the professors... by the sweat of the brow of the Canadian labourer.

In reaction to this, a group of Old Boys met, along with letters of support from various alumni, including Lieutenant Governor John Beverley Robinson, in an effort to stop the closing of the college.

The story was covered widely in the papers of the time, with the Evening Telegram being most supportive, the Globe taking a more moderate stance, and the News criticizing the existence of the school.

In the end, after much negotiation, a decision was reached to detach the school from King's College after fifty years of affiliation, and to operate it under the guidance of five trustees appointed by the Minister of Education.

HRH met so many 'Old Boys' while [fighting in the First World War] that, when he made his visit to Canada last year, he instituted special inquiries about the previous history of the College.

Sowby had a piece of the altar cloth used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II donated for use in the chapel, and the dean of St. Paul's Cathedral gave marble from the ruins of the parts of the structure destroyed by bombing during WWII.

[1] That same year, a major fundraising campaign was launched as construction of a new building on the exact site of the old was started, with money to reconstruct the iconic tower over the main entrance donated by the media magnate, Ted Rogers.

The College Times reported: "Long before he arrived, a large crowd of boys, parents, Old Boys, and friends of the College lined the front drive,” with “Mounties in their scarlet, city policemen in their less picturesque blue, and detectives in the plainest of plain clothes" and all assembled "broke into a cheer" upon Philip's arrival.

The Prince toured the newly erected buildings on campus and unveiled his recently affixed personal coat of arms in the quadrangle before being presented with a tie to signify his recognition as an honorary Old Boy.

Nonetheless, the Viscount Montgomery dedicated the new front doors on April 28, 1960, and the new building was officially opened by Massey and Edward Peacock on September 28.

The Duke undertook a tour of the campus—during which he reportedly wandered off, on his own, into the classroom of English teacher Mr Pearce, who was conducting a lesson on the jazz artist Miles Davis—followed by a formal reception and banquet at Exhibition Place.

UCC staff member Rodger Wright remarked that it would "save the Queen from having to sew a name tag on the inside of the collar."

Principal J. Douglas Blakey remarked in Old Times that the Duke's "popularity and appeal remain as high as ever, as we saw by the large numbers of the College family who turned out to greet him," making the visit "one of the memorable events of the fall term.

It stirred up some controversy in Canadian media due to its candid portrayal of life at the college, derived from excerpts of interviews that FitzGerald had conducted with former students, ranging from Conrad Black and Michael Ignatieff to unknowns who managed gas stations or worked in retail.

Peter Dalglish, the founder of Street Kids International, criticised the school heavily in his interview for Old Boys, where he said "A prime failing of UCC is that they have no sense of being a part of a community within the city or country.

[20] The period of transition from the 20th to the 21st century was a turbulent time for UCC, as a series of allegations of sexual misconduct were levied against three former teachers and a former student.

The first was Clark Winton Noble, who had previously taught at the College and, in 1998, admitted to engaging in sexual activity with a UCC student, off campus, in 1971.

[29] UCC was then, in 2003, named in a class action lawsuit brought by 18 former students alleging sexual abuse by Doug Brown, a member of the faculty at the prep school from 1975 until 1993.

Later in the 1800s, in schools throughout England, Canada and the United States, involvement in a military body was thought of to inspire patriotism in young men, as well as teaching discipline and obedience.

No real action was taken by UCC in regards to the Cadets; however, by 1910 the population of the company had increased to 63, and in 1912 a Sergeant Carpenter was approached to act as an instructor.

[1] For thirty following years, the Cadets remained a part of college life, and by the middle of the Second World War boys were practising not only drills, but also spent time on lectures, map reading, military law, and signalling.

[39] By the 1960s belief in the cadets was faltering; religion and patriotism were not held in such high regard by youth, and rebellion was the more accepted behaviour for teenagers.

[40] Even though there have been ethnic minority students admitted to UCC, the school continued to maintain a reputation as a "bastion of WASP privilege" through the first 150 years of its history.

Graham Fraser, The Globe and Mail's Washington Bureau Chief, who attended UCC between 1960 and 1964, recalled: "Anti-Semitism was generally an unspoken undercurrent at UCC, but a couple of times I witnessed overt anti-Semitism.... Before 1960, Toronto was a pretty narrow, close-minded, little Victorian town and Upper Canada College reflected that reality.

[43] Michael Ignatieff, who was a student at the college from 1959 to 1965 stated: "The UCC culture in my time was basically Tory, Anglican and fantastically patrician...

In 1979, former Prep School Headmaster Richard Howard said in his book Upper Canada College, 1929-1979: Colborne's Legacy: "The growth of the enrolment has increased the number of boys from a wide variety of backgrounds and decreased the ratio of those from old Toronto families.

But, few applied, save for many Chinese, East Indian, and Japanese Canadians who were accepted into the Prep; in 1983 the numbers were 42 out of a total student population of 361.

[47] UCC's website states that "the College's boarding program welcomes Upper School students from all faiths and cultural backgrounds.