Author was devoted to area’s history
Milton resident helped to form historical society, served as first president
Jim Dills was devoted to the preservation of Milton’s history and, in that pursuit, helped contribute to it.
Dills, who died Friday at his Milton home, was a local historian, author, newspaper publisher, journalist and volunteer. He was 88. Many remember him for his work in preventing the Halton Region-owned county courthouse buildings, now the Milton Town Hall, from being demolished in the late ’70s.
Dills and others came together to form the Milton Historical Society in 1976, of which Dills served as its first president.
The group lobbied for the preservation of the courthouse buildings and ultimately succeeded. The Town of Milton purchased the buildings for $1 and spent $3 million to fix them up in the ’80s, Dills said in a 2007 interview with the Milton Canadian Champion.
“I think he saw the historical value. It represents a certain kind of architecture. There were only a few buildings like that in Ontario … It had been part of Milton probably since its founding,” Dills’ son, Mark, said.
“He just felt it was important. It was a landmark site in Milton and he didn’t want to see it demolished and replaced.”
Mark described his father as someone who was always there for him and who supported and challenged Mark and his siblings.
Mark’s wife, Sharon, said Dills was a kind and generous man.
“His family was everything to him,” she said.
Sharon also described Dills as humble, noting he did the things he did, not for recognition, but because he believed the community benefited from the preservation of its history.
Dills also worked with the Milton Historical Society to raise money to keep the Waldie Blacksmith Shop going. The shop is one of the oldest operating blacksmith shops in the province, dating back to 1865.
The local historian also helped spur the recent large-scale restoration of St. Paul’s United Church.
Dills’ father bought the Milton Canadian Champion in 1943 and Dills became publisher of that paper in 1951. He moved from Acton to Milton with his wife, Shirley, in 1954. Dills said in a previous interview that “titles didn’t mean much” and he would sell ads, sweep the floor and do whatever else had to be done to keep the paper running.
He also worked as a journalist at one point.
“He liked keeping people informed. Present people with all the information and let them make the decisions,” Mark said.
Mayor Gord Krantz said he knew Dills for more than 50 years, noting the pair first met when Krantz was a newly elected town councillor and Dills was a reporter.
“I always found that Jim was a pretty fair reporter. He was also very much a historian and he had a great influence on a lot of us, including me, on the preservation of what you and I know today as the town hall.”
Dills served as the Milton Canadian Champion’s publisher until 1978 when it was sold to Inland Publishing Co. Ltd. He then became the executive director of the Canadian Community Newspapers Association. “Jim and the Canadian Champion always had that balance when it came to reporting. That’s something that was critical not only back in the day but today,” Krantz said. “He played a role not only locally but provincially and nationally when it came to the media.”
Dills also volunteered extensively at St. Paul’s United Church, the Milton Chamber of Commerce and the Milton Rotary Club.
Other ways Dills left his mark on the community can be seen at some of Milton’s signature traditions.
Mark noted that to celebrate Canada’s centennial, Dills got permission to ring the Milton Town Hall bell 100 times on the New Year’s Eve of 1966.
“They have rung the town hall bell every New Year’s Eve since,” Mark said. “Except for a few years while the bell was in storage.”
Milton’s Canada Day fireworks display can also be traced back to Dills’ actions.
“They have moved to the fairgrounds, but the fireworks were originally held over the Mill Pond and they started as a result of him serving as chair of the town’s parks and recreation committee,” Mark said.
Dills received no shortage of accolades recognizing his work in the community.
Some of these awards included the Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Medal (1977), the Confederation Commemorative Medal (1993), the Milton Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award (1999), the Rotary Club of Milton’s Paul Harris Fellowship Award (2010) and the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).
A celebration of life will be held at St. Paul’s United Church at 2 p.m., on Sept. 7.