Close to 2 weeks ago, my friend's father, Judge George Carter, passed away at the age of 96.
In History class, we looked at The Ward neighbourhood. During the teaching, I learned and shared with the classes that Judge Carter grew up there.
Here is a modern map with the boundaries sketched in by me (sorry for the shaky hand):
Most of you would recognize Old City Hall and see the community bumping up on it.
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| from http://www.crestwood.on.ca/ohp/carter-george/ |
In History class, we looked at The Ward neighbourhood. During the teaching, I learned and shared with the classes that Judge Carter grew up there.
Here is a modern map with the boundaries sketched in by me (sorry for the shaky hand):
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| from https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6560195,-79.3852103,16z |
Most of you would recognize Old City Hall and see the community bumping up on it.
Judge George Carter was the son of immigrants from Barbados, who arrived after the First World War, and are pictured in this wedding photo, from 1926. This church, the British Methodist Episcopal Church was in The Ward on Chestnut Street. He was born in 1921 and noted as an avid reader when he first attended school at Hester How PS. He would later go on to Harbord Collegiate, Trinity College at UofT and Osgoode Hall Law School, where he graduated in 1948.
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| from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/block-by-block-exhibit-celebrates-untold-history-of-the-ward-1.4349332 |
Hester Howe PS was the school of The Ward opened in 1912 and closed in 1953. Although a few year old, here is an image of the original school and the site, which is now occupied by The Hospital for Sick Kids.
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| from http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2013/01/then-and-now-hester-how-public-school more information on the school can be obtained here: http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/edu/ViewLoitDa.do;jsessionid=2A2C9F983A816CBE0F819CDEB826262B?method=preview&lang=EN&id=26328 |
Judge George Carter was a pioneer of Black Lawyers in Toronto and in Canada. He was called to the bench (to serve as a judge) in 1979 and only retired at the age of 75. Some of the information for this post came from John Lornic's Obituary from The Globe and Mail from June 18, 2018 (https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-trailblazing-judge-george-ethelbert-carter-embodied-ethics/).
It seems fitting that in a community where he spent some of his time growing up, a new courthouse is being built in downtown Toronto. As we learned -- hopefully -- in class, this community really reflected the diversity of the city:
I forgot to mention that he was a wonderful man, always with a smile, with a lot of positivity. You will be missed but your legacy continues to inspire countless people in this great city.
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| from http://www.crestwood.on.ca/ohp/carter-george/ |
Audio and video files of Justice Carter, including some memories from growing up in The Ward, can be heard at this website: http://www.crestwood.on.ca/ohp/carter-george/.
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