During the early 1900s meetings devoted to medical history were held in the Medical School. This is believed to be the roots of the Medical Historical Society. In 1914 a paper read by Dr. H.O. Foucar stirred the interest of the medical students and prompted additional meetings of the Medical Historical Society. The earliest records from these meetings date to 1921. In 1921 members of the Society began documenting the meetings and electing officers. Membership was open to undergraduates, graduates and members of the medical faculty. In 1921 two memorable papers were delivered: one by Dr. F.G. Banting and the second by Professor J.J.R. Macleod. Both of these papers prompted the idea of a more permanent historical society which in turn became the Osler Society. The 3 founding members of the Osler Society are considered to be Dr. W.D.M. Lloyd, Dr. J.W. Crane, and junior medical student E.A. Bartram. During Dr. Lloyd’s term as Demonstrator in Pharmacology he made frequent references to Sir William Osler. In early 1927, Dr. Crane suggested that a historical society devoted to medical history be formed on a more permanent basis. Lady Osler’s permission was sought to name this club either the Osler Society or the Osler Club. The Osler Society’s membership included honourary and active members as well as alumni of the Medical School. Papers were presented before the membership with a focus on historical topics such as the history of Canadian medicine. An annual banquet was held which included the Annual Osler Oration, delivered by the Honourary President on some aspect of Sir Osler’s life. Keys and scrolls were given to new members. New members were recruited through the early part of 1927 so that on May 14, 1927 there were enough members to elect the first executive. The first banquet was held in October 1927 during which Dr. Lloyd gave the oration on “The Life of Osler.” The year 1941 brought the first significant changes to the Osler Society because it was the first year since inception that no Honourary President was appointed and no banquet was held. The Society had withstood the great depression but could not stand the impact of the war. The last meeting was held on October 6, 1942 5 at the Ontario Hospital. As the Osler Society was being disbanded a new organization, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honour Society was starting up. Many members of the Osler Society joined this new Society. The Osler Society was revived on November 3, 1948 when under the auspices of the Hippocratic Council a committee was appointed to start a new Osler Society. Dr. Crane was present at this meeting and he stressed the importance of the history of medicine and the value derived from preparing and presenting an original paper. On December 9, 1948 a new constitution was approved and adopted. Its aims and objectives were to perpetuate the memory of Sir William Osler, to further the study of medical history and to provide members with training in the preparation and presentation of papers. Membership was open to all interested students and members of the medical faculty. The society was now called “The Osler Society of the University of Western Ontario.” Instead of giving keys and scrolls to the new members (as had been done in the past) they were now presented at the annual banquet to Society members in good standing in the graduating class. In January 1949 the first “Bulletin of the Osler Society” was published. Once again the Osler Society faced difficulties until its 2nd revival in the late 1980s by Dr. Paul Potter.
The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) was founded in London, England in 1844 by George Williams. It was founded on Evangelical, Protestant, and Christian religious beliefs and provided opportunities for young men to make constructive use of their leisure. The goal of the YMCA was positive development of their spiritual and moral character.
The London branch of the YMCA was the third branch to open in Canada. It is presumed to have been founded in 1856 by William Bowman, a railway construction supervisor who was a member of the organization in Liverpool and London, England before moving to Upper Canada. The ‘Y’ provided socialization, religious, and physical activities to their members, including summer camps, bible studies, gymnasium facilities, and more.
In 1912, YMCA Canada was established, with the independent organizations around the country realizing that collaboration would be beneficial to their goals. London YMCA and others retained their local autonomy and independence following YMCA Canada’s establishment, but joined together with a wider community, meeting annually to discuss issues relevant to the organization.
In 1951, the YMCA amalgamated with the YWCA into the YM-YWCA, an organization that still operates under many of the same principles as its predecessors, with a mandate to provide spiritual, physical, and personal growth to its members.
In 1865, Isaac Hellmuth founded the London Collegiate Institute which changed its name two years later to Hellmuth College, or Hellmuth Boys’ College. Hellmuth Boys’ College provided accommodation for 150 boarders and offered academic and commercial subjects that would prepare young men for military and commercial careers. The property of the Boys’ College was bounded by Wellington Street, St. James Street, Waterloo Street and Grosvenor Street in London. When the Hellmuth Boys’ College failed, Isaac Hellmuth converted it into the University of Western Ontario hoping to offer faculties in Divinity, the Arts, Law and Medicine. The Hellmuth Boys' College closed in 1877 and the building was later demolished in 1895, but the faculties survived through the University of Western Ontario.
Watt and Crane Architects was an architectural firm established by founding partners Charles Howard Crane and John MacLeod Watt in 1908. The firm ran jointly out of Windsor, ON and Detroit, MI, with the majority of their clients coming from in and around Southwestern Ontario and the Greater Detroit Area. The firm was dissolved on Febraury 4, 1910 by mutual agreement of both parties. Upon its dissolution, Crane took over the American side of operations and Watt subsumed the Canadian side. Watt and Crane's First Presbyterian Church in Walkerville (now the All Nations Full Gospel Church) has since been added to the Windsor Municipal Heritage Register.
The Canadian Pacific Express Company was a division of Canadian Pacific Limited (CP) after CP acquired The Dominion Express Company in 1884. CP After the acquisition CP moved the headquarters from Winnipeg to Toronto and established Dominion Express as their shipping branch. CP retained the name Dominion Express until changing the name to Canadian Pacific Express Company in 1926. In the mid-1970s the Canadian Express Company was merged with other CP departments to form Candian Pacific Express and Transport Ltd.
Victoria Hospital opened in London, Ontario on November 16, 1899. A children's pavilion was added to the hospital the next year, which was eventually closed when the War Memorial Children's Hospital was opened in 1922. Hospital crowding in the 1930s required an expansion, with a new North wing opening in May of 1941. A Y-wing addition was approved in 1953, with an additional addition to the Y-wing approved in 1964. Victoria Hospital officially incorporated in 1973 creating the Victoria Hospital Corporation. The Corporation acquired Westminster Hospital in 1977 with the intention of redeveloping the site. Victoria Hospital merged with University Hospital in 1995 to create the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). As such, the LHSC became the legal successor to the Victoria Hospital Corporation.
Victoria Hospital was the site of significant medical innovations in the mid to late-twentieth century. In 1948, Victoria Hospital became the first hospital in Canada to operate an artificial kidney machine. The Barr body was discovered in 1949, in 1951 the first ever treatment using Cobalt-60 radiation took place, and in 1989 the first cardiac stent insertion in Canada was performed.
The War Memorial Children's Hospital functioned under the management of the Victoria Hospital Corporation and came under the umbrella of the LHSC upon its creation. The Children's Hospital was established in 1917 across the street from Victoria Hospital. Shortly after its founding, a dedicated facility was built that officially opened on October 29, 1922. The Hospital was funded by the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire London Chapters (IODE) to honour those that served in the First World War. In 1945, an addition was added to the North of Hospital to accomodate an additional sixty beds. This addition was dedicated to people that served in the Second World War. In 1985, the hospital was renamed the Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario and moved to Victoria Hospital's Westminster site.
Established 1849.
In 1888, Charles Ross Somerville established a business in London as a manufacturer of paper boxes and confections. In 1897, brothers John McKinnon McDermid and Duncan Hugh McDermid joined the C.R. Somerville Company in London, Ontario. C.R. Somerville manufactured chewing gum, popcorn, and boxes, among other products. In 1908, the company was sold to an American firm and the candy manufacturing division moved to Toronto while the box division remained in London under the new name, Somerville Paper Box Company, with J.K. McDermid as its President. In February 1911, the McDermid brothers purchased the company for the manufacture of chewing gum. Their new company was named the O-Pee-Chee Gum Company. Opeechee, meaning Robin in Ojibwe, was the name of the McDermid cottage in Grand Bend, Ontario.
In 1921, the O-Pee-Chee Gum Company was incorporated as a public company with members of the McDermid family holding the five shareholder positions and the four director positions. The company’s name changed from the O-Pee-Chee Gum Company to the O-Pee-Chee Company Limited at the time of incorporation. The company now manufactured chewing gum, mints, and popcorn, including the popular Krackley Nut. A manufacturing plant was constructed at 430 Adelaide Street in 1928. The company experienced an increase in production in the ensuing decade as a result of various licensing agreements in Canada and the United Kingdom. The 1930s also saw the introduction of collectable cards sold within their gum packaging. These included a baseball set, a Mickey Mouse set, and a Fighting Forces set.
The O-Pee-Chee Company was forced to rethink their business strategy during World War II and the onset of sugar rationing. They signed war contracts to supply dried egg powder overseas. The only confectionary product sold during the war was Thrills chewing gum. In addition to changes in production, there were many leadership and corporate changes during this time. D.H. McDermid passed away in 1942 and J.K. McDermid passed away in 1945. The company changed from a public company to a private company in 1945. John Gordon McDermid, son of J.K., took over the role of President in 1946. He remained in this role until his death in 1953.
Frank P. Leahy, who had worked as a Sales Manager for many years, became the company’s next President. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Leahy arranged multiple licensing agreements with various companies, such as Topps Chewing Gum Company, to manufacture and market brands to the Canadian market, which substantially increased the company’s sales. In 1958, the O-Pee-Chee Company began promoting trading cards on a regular basis. This first year included hockey and football cards. In the 1960s, the company produced cards for baseball, football, and hockey, as well as entertainment cards, such as the Beatle Bubble Gum cards.
In 1961, Frank Leahy purchased the company from the McDermid Estate. He remained President until his death in 1980. Leahy’s son-in-law, Gary Koreen was the owner and President of the company until it was purchased by Nestle Corporation in 1996. The O-Pee-Chee brand is still used in the trading card business through licensing agreements with Topps (1996-2004) and Upper Deck (since 2007).
Albert Edward Silverwood was born on a farm outside of Oakwood, Ontario on February 15, 1876. He worked as a teacher for five years (1894-1899) while studying toward a career as a lawyer. In 1899, Silverwood began work for Dundas and Flavelle Bros, a produce business in Lindsay, Ontario. In 1903, they opened a branch in London led by Albert Edward Silverwood and in 1909 it was renamed Flavelle-Silverwood. The branch was originally located at 564 Bathurst Street before it moved to Ridout and York Streets.
From 1918 to 1928, plants, creameries, and companies across seventeen cities in Ontario were acquired by Flavelle-Silverwood. In 1928 these organizations merged and Silverwood Dairies Limited was incorporated. The head office was located in London. Silverwood Dairies Limited produced and distributed a variety of dairy products, such as pasteurized milk, creamery butter, ice cream, evaporated milk, milk powder, and condensed milk, among other products.
From 1966 to 1972, Silverwood Dairies Limited slowly acquired shares of Mac’s Milk Limited, obtaining 100% control in 1972. The company then changed its name to Silverwood Industries Limited. In 1983, Silverwood Industries Limited sold its Silverwood Dairy business to Ault Foods (owned by the Labatt Brewing Company). The organization then changed its name from Silverwood Industries Limited to Silcorp Limited in 1984. In 1999, Couche-Tard acquired Silcorp Limited and changed the organization’s name to Mac’s Convenience Stores.
Spramotor Company manufactured agricultural equipment in London, Ontario and Buffalo, New York. It was established in 1896 by William Henry Heard and eventually taken over by his son, G.N. Heard. It manufactured agricultural equipment, including hand, compressed air, traction and power sprayers meant for orchards, vineyards, potatoes, row crops and destruction of farm weeds. During World War One, Spramotor Co. switched to manufacturing munition shells. Once the war was over, it returned to producing spraying and irrigation equipment.
The headquarters were located in London, Ontario and operated in a number of locations throughout the years. The main office was at 68-74 King Street for a period, with other buildings located on York Street in the 1940s as well as 357 Richmond Street for a time. A branch factory was located in Buffalo, New York to handle the American trade. Spramotor Co. was registered in many countries around the world, with machines being used in Canada, the United States, India, Australia, Russia, Great Britain, New Zealand and in South American countries. The equipment was covered in many different patents to protect them around the world because of their global reach.
Spramotor Co. would put out catalogues with tests that further attested to their success and value, as well as information about common plant diseases and insects. In their 1902 catalogue, they stated, “From five orchards where the Spramotor was used the yield was 2977 barrels of perfect fruit out of a possible 3400… On the other hand, where the orchards were not sprayed the returns were most disappointing.” The company received over one hundred awards all over the world for their equipment, including a gold medal at the Pan-American Exhibition in 1901 and were also the winners of the Government Spraying Contest.