Fonds F 0013 - Ted Day fonds

Edward Earl “Ted” Day (1934-2004) was a teacher who became involved in the preservation of Kent County history. After earning his BA in Geography from Carleton University (1962), the high demand for teachers during the Baby Boom years led him to find immediate employment as a teacher at Almonte High School in Almonte, Ontario, in 1962-63. While teaching he earned his diploma in Education from Queens University (1963), then pursued a Physical Education specialization (1966) and a Master’s degree in Education (1972) both from the University of Toronto. He briefly taught at Midland Avenue Secondary School in Scarborough, Ontario (1963-1966) before joining the staff of John McGregor Secondary School in Chatham, Ontario in 1966. There he taught Geography and became Phys. Ed. Department Head by 1970. In this capacity he produced resources dealing with “Family Life Education” for the federal government and Toronto’s New Press.

In 1970 Day successfully applied for a Canada Council grant to do social history research in Kent County and Essex County, photographing pre-1900 homes, buildings, furnishings, objects, and weapons in urban and rural areas. In 1972 he took a leading role as Chairman of the Hector Walker Pioneer Home Foundation, an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to raise money for the restoration of a rare fieldstone-clad pioneer farmhouse in Kent County. Day appears to have given some radio broadcasts about early Kent County history, and was a member of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, as well as the Antiquarian Horological Society.

Ted Day was married to Sharlene Cayla Day (née Tradburks, 1943-2017), a nurse who trained at the Ottawa Civic Hospital (Class of ’64) and spent 40 years in the profession, many of them at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chatham. Sharlene was active in her Jewish faith, and an advocate of local arts and culture through her work for ARTspace and the Cultural Centre. Together, Ted and Sharlene Day raised three sons: Seann, Ian, and Judd.

Sources: Contents of fonds; Obituary for Sharlene Day, 2017, https://mckinlayfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/7172/Sharlene-Day/obituary.html (accessed 6 May 2021).