Donors Celebrate Strong Ties to Education in Durham Region

Although Gary Edgar admits he preferred sports to the classroom during his high school years, he became serious about his studies during university. Gary went on to teachers’ college and enjoyed a 30-year career as a physical education teacher with the Durham District School Board.

After retiring, he served as Chief of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation where he helped start Scugog Island’s program to fund post-secondary education for First Nations students who maintained passing grades. He also helped ensure the First Nations community association supported Ontario Tech University and Durham College through the years. In 2014, he received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Ontario Tech.

Now, Gary and his wife, Alice, have started the Gary and Alice Edgar Endowment Fund at Ontario Tech, matched by the university’s Board of Governors’ Matching Fund, to help local students attend the university. They have also supported the construction of Shawenjigewining Hall.

“Alice and I are in this together,” says Gary. “We agreed on it; we’ve always been supporters of education. Supporting education in Durham Region allows local youth to live at home and still go to school, although we also want to lend support to international students—whoever qualifies. We believe everyone should support educational institutions if they can.”

In recognition of this gift, the Peer Tutoring space in Shawenjigewining Hall now displays a plaque in their honour, inscribed, ‘Generously supported by Gary and Alice Edgar.