Symons encouraged ‘sport for all’ at Trent
Dedication to students and alumni hallmarks of ex-school president
Tom (T.H.B.) Symons freely admitted he didn’t have a sporting bone in his body, but his influence shaped Trent University’s first athletic director.
Mr. Symons, Trent’s founding president, died Friday at the age of 91.
“I wouldn’t be here but for Tom Symons,” said Paul (P.S.B.) Wilson, who served as Trent’s inaugural athletic director from 1966 to 2002.
Symons left a mark on those involved in Trent’s early years.
“He was the guiding light,” Wilson said. “His imprint and influence was in everything that Trent did in those early days. It was his vision.”
Wilson’s vision for Trent athletics aligned with Symons. Although he was very much an academic, Symons understood sport’s role in a well-rounded student experience, said Wilson.
The men first met when Symons was dean of the University of Toronto’s Devonshire College and Wilson, an athletic standout at U of T, lived at neighbouring Trinity College. When Wilson was interviewed by Trent’s hiring committee, Symons was struck by something Wilson said.
“I had used this phrase ‘sport for all,’ ” Wilson said. “Tom liked sport for all. He didn’t want a high-powered football team or whatever sport, he wanted sport to be available for all students. That was his initial philosophy.
“Before there were varsity teams the first thing we did was to have intermural teams. An intermural hockey program, for instance. What really leant itself to intramurals was the college system. In those early days, you had Robinson, then Champlain and then Lady Eaton. It lent itself to intermural competition. From that intermural competition came the requests and the better players who wanted varsity teams.”
When Wilson arrived Trent had no athletic facilities, just a soccer ball, one rowing shell and a sailboat.
“The city of Peterborough was so good to us in those early days. We rented gyms. We rented ice time. We used city fields,” Wilson said.
A field was created for the campus opening in 1967.
Wilson convinced administration an athletics facility was necessary, but it took a decade to secure provincial funding to make it happen. Symons helped Wilson advocate for it.
“I used to have to accompany the Trent delegation to Queen’s Park to persuade the government of the day to give us some funding,” Wilson said. “Tom was very supportive.”
In the meantime, Trent purchased an inflated sports dome located next to the field with tennis courts that could also be used for basketball, floor hockey and volleyball. “It was the first or second air structure in Canada. That served as the original athletic building over what is now the athletic parking lot,” Wilson said.
What Wilson described as a shed served as the change rooms.
The athletics centre opened in 1977 and was later expanded upon by later administration.
The biggest way Symons influenced Wilson was in the example of how he treated people.
“He never once criticized you. If he didn’t entirely agree, he would say it in a gentle, constructive fashion,” Wilson said.
While Symons stepped down as president after 11 years, he taught at Trent and remained connected to the university the rest of his life. He took great interest in Trent alumni and it wasn’t unusual for alumni to get calls from Symons checking in on them.
“He always had an interest in anything Trent associated,” Wilson said.
“He was offered three or four other president’s jobs, but he turned them down to do his other interests and to stay connected to Peterborough and Trent.
“He was very pleased with what Trent has become today. It’s changed with the times and I think he was always tremendously supportive and happy with the way Trent developed.”
He said Symons was well respected across his many fields of interest.
“He is a Canadian icon. There is no question,” Wilson said.