Arthur Schmon, one of the grassroots visionaries instrumental in bringing a university to Niagara, will be honoured in spirit as part of Brock’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Arthur Schmon Tower, the iconic building most identified with the University, will be rededicated on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 3:30 p.m. in front of the tower.
“Arthur is representative of everybody who has dug in and helped make Brock what it is through the years,” said Shelley Huxley, interim director of Alumni, Development and Donor Relations.
Schmon has been called one of the “founding fathers” in his capacity as chair of the Brock University Founders’ Committee, the group that formed in 1962 after the “founding mothers” – the Allanburg Women’s Institute – passed a motion in 1957 urging that a university be built in Niagara.
He died from cancer before the tower construction was completed.
“He rallied the troops, brought together everyone and put everybody in a forward motion,” Huxley said. “He was the person who really made (the University) come to fruition.”
The rededication ceremony is open to all faculty, staff, students, alumni and the public. Among the dignitaries attending the special ceremony will be Schmon’s grandsons Art and Bob, former presidents Alan Earp, David Atkinson and Terry White, Board of Trustees members, Brock’s community partners, Founding Fund contributors, and recent donors.
Speeches begin at 3:30 p.m., followed by the unveiling of a portrait of Arthur Schmon. The portrait, which has been protected in Special Collections in the James A. Gibson Library, will be displayed in the tower lobby.
Rooted on the Niagara Escarpment and visible for miles in all directions, the 13-storey structure was originally called Brock Tower. In June 1983, the tower was renamed for Schmon in recognition of his pivotal efforts to establish a university in Niagara.
Today, Schmon Tower houses the University’s senior administration, library, Registrar’s Office, Student Awards and Financial Aid, Student Development Centre, and Human Resources. The Matheson Learning Commons is on the ground floor and the underground level is home to Faculty of Humanities classrooms, Career Services, Guernsey Market and Market Hall.
