Founding Trustees
The road to the establishment of Memorial University College was not an easy one. In the early 20th century, there were many social, political and financial obstacles to overcome. Newfoundland was a dominion with a small population, and the First World War had had a devastating social impact. Religious denominations—namely the Church of England, Methodist Church and Roman Catholic Church—controlled the education system. And while the government had built a campus on Parade Street, which opened for the Normal School in 1924, when it was finished there was not enough money left to fund a college.
Together, the trustees navigated political rivalries, sectarian divisions and a near total absence of financial support. Yet against these odds, they successfully united old adversaries, raised the necessary funds and established a vision for the young, non-denominational university college.
There were five founding trustees. They included Newfoundland’s first minister of Education, Arthur Barnes, and the deputy minister of Education, Vincent Burke. Barnes and Burke were joined by the three superintendents of the denominational school system: William Blackall (Church of England), Levi Curtis (Methodist) and Ronald Kennedy (Roman Catholic).
But which trustees referred to themselves as “the three musketeers”? Who travelled halfway across the continent to convince John Lewis Paton to become Memorial University College’s first president? And which trustee is considered by many to be the father of Memorial University? The answers to these questions can be found in their brief biographies below.
Learn more about Arthur Barnes
Learn more about William Blackall