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Earl Walls (1928 - 1996)
Born in Puce, Ontario, he was the great grandson of John Freeman Walls. He took pride in his Black heritage, became a successful real estate broker and was involved in several charities, including the Toronto Sunshine Games sponsored by Variety Village. He is a member of the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Afro-American Sports Hall of Fame. |
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Sam Richardson (1919 - 1989)
Sam Richardson, a Toronto athlete competed against Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. As an 11 year old, he jumped a record 7', 6". At 15, he won the 1934 British Empire Games broad jump at 23', 8 1/2". In 1935, he jumped 24', 11" in the broad jump to set the Canadian outdoor record at Winnipeg. That record was unbeated until 1965. |
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Percy Gibbons (1916 - 1988)
Percy Gibbons was born in Nevis, W.I. in 1916 and came to Canada in 1930 with his Barbadian parents. A longtime fastball player, Gibbons later performed as a coach manager, and trainer for two Toronto championship teams and was commonly called "Mr. Baseball". For over twenty years Gibons worked at Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens as an usher. He was trainer for the Toronto Gators in 1993, when they won the International Softball Congress World title in 1993. Gibbons celebrated his 80th birthday with the Scarborough Royals when they won t he North American World Series fast pitch in 1996. |
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Doris Ferguson
Born in Toronto of Caribbean parents. She has been involved in Black community organizations such as the Home Service Association, Universal Negro Improvement Association and the Negro Choral Society; the Ontario Black History Society and other organizations such as: St. Christopher House, the Fuanga Club University Settlement and African Ensemble. As Liason Counsellor (1984), she assisted parents, students and worked with organizations in the West Indian and Black communities. She retired from the Scarborough Board of Education in 1992. |
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Marie-Joseph Angelique
She was a slave girl from Montreal, who in trying to escape, set fire to her mistress's house. The fire spread and damaged a number of buildings. She was captured and hanged in 1734. The story brought public attention to the living conditions of Canadian slaves. |
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Rev. Noel Gonsalves (1895 - 1971)
Born in Guyana, he came to Canada in 1910 and graduated from McGill University. He attended Virginia Union University in the US and was pastor of churches in Virginia before taking over a parish in Columbia, South America. Returning to Toronto 20 years later, he became pastor of First Baptist Church for 15 years until he retired in 1955. |
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Ursilla Lovell Clarke (1926 - 1986)
The Church has also provided a forum for the discussion of women's issues. In 1974, Ursilla Lovell Clarke, a life-long member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, was one of the representatives from Canada to attend the "Consultation of Sexism" which was organized by the World Council of Churches. Such an event was clearly a big step forward for women. |
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Cy McLean
Cy McLean had the first Black band in Toronto. He had a great dance band in the late '30's and early '40's and he toured Western Ontario, playing in places where they'd never seen a Black person before. His band was the first to play in the long-gone Colonial Tavern in the '30's. |
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Marion Crowley Newby
Music was always an important part of the life of Marion Crowley Newby, a sixth-generation Canadian. Over the years she had been a church pianist, organist, choir director and music supervisor for elementary school. Newby used her singing talent to minister to others in song. She toured Canada, America, Australia, and New Zealand and completed an album entitled "Glorified". She died in 1991. |
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Lorraine Hubbard
She has made invaluable contribution to the Black and wider communities through workshops and exhibits. As former Executive Director of the Ontario Black History Society, she produced and directed the video: A Proud Past - A Promising Future. Lorraine is the great granddaughter of William Hubbard. She was among the founding members of OBHS. |
