FOUNDER OF WINNIPEG’S PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM - Daniel McIntyre Selected as WinnipegREALTORS® Citizens Hall of Fame’s 2016 Inductee

FOUNDER OF WINNIPEG’S PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM - Daniel McIntyre Selected as WinnipegREALTORS® Citizens Hall of Fame’s 2016 Inductee

Rick Preston, chair of WinnipegREALTORS® Citizens Hall of Fame program, is pleased to announce the selection of Daniel McIntyre as this year’s 2016 inductee.

He is the 43 rd inductee since the program’s inception in 1986 when former Mayor Steve Juba was chosen as the first recipient of the Citizens Hall of Fame bronze medallion created by local sculptor Eva Stubbs.

Selected in the fields of professional, public affairs and voluntary service, the first one really stands out. Daniel McIntyre pursued the education profession with unwavering commitment and passion over many years. To say he advanced his profession would be an understatement. Called “Winnipeg’s Giant of Education”, McIntyre built it from its very beginnings and took it to a far higher level when he was done.

“We have always felt education is one of those undeniable and essential underpinnings of our Citizens Hall of Fame inductees’ drive to succeed and to enable them to attain their goals,” said Preston. “This year’s inductee was no different as he initially became a teacher in New Brunswick and then went on to graduate in law from Dalhousie in 1882. Upon settling in Winnipeg where McIntyre articled briefly in criminal law, he went back to his education roots and served for 43 years as the superintendent of Winnipeg’s public schools. He was indirectly responsible for 10 of the inductees’ early education.”

Daniel McIntyre, a posthumous selection, who lived from 1852 to 1946, is considered a pioneer of Winnipeg’s public schools. And deservedly so, since during his remarkable 43 years as superintendent he built the school system from 8 to over 80 facilities and tens of thousands of students. It was stated when he retired in 1928 there were nearly 1,000 teachers and 40,000 students.

During his time as superintendent from 1885 to 1928, McIntyre was creating the public school system for the third largest city in Canada. His responsibilities included:

  • location, design, construction, staffing , curriculum, administration
  • design of the curriculum (chief designer)
  • the introduction of middle school to Winnipeg and to Canada (Earl Grey School)
  • pushing for the study of French when it was not being promoted

In addition to his stellar and groundbreaking education work, McIntyre’s volunteer work revolved around helping develop children, especially those underprivileged and challenged. He was co-founder and first president of the Children’s Aid Society and a co-founder of the School for the Blind in Manitoba. He was also a long serving member on the University of Manitoba’s Council and during his time employed as the superintendent of schools obtained his BA and MA from the university.

McIntyre was awarded an honorary doctor in law from the University of Manitoba in 1912. In 1924 Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute (DMCI) was opened and named in his honour. In 1935 he received the highest award a Canadian could receive, the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contribution to education.

Accolades were many and heartfelt when McIntyre died December 14, 1946.

Dr. J.C. Pincock, the then superintendent of city schools said: “His passing marks the close of a career without parallel in the history of education in Western Canada, if not in the whole Dominion.”

“More perhaps than any other single individual, he was responsible for establishing the sound foundations on which the public school system in Winnipeg is based ...,” said Winnipeg Mayor Garnet Coulter upon McIntyre’s passing.

“His name became synonymous with the Winnipeg school system. Its progress and the fine technical institute that bears his name (Daniel McIntyre Collegiate) remain as monuments to his endeavors (Tribune).”

On Thursday, September 15, 2016 Gordon Davies and David Rich, descendants of the McIntyre family, will accept the Citizens Hall of Fame bronze medallion at an induction ceremony and reception held in Daniel McIntyre’s honour at Daniel McIntyre Collegiate. The medallion will be permanently installed in the school’s library.

On Friday, September 16, 2016 McIntyre’s bronze portraiture created by local sculptor Erin Senko, will be installed at the Citizens Hall of Fame site in Assiniboine Park (southeast corner off Corydon Avenue). The public is welcome to attend.

Established in 1986 by WinnipegREALTORS®, the Citizens Hall of Fame is a unique program honouring outstanding citizens who brought recognition to our city or have made outstanding contributions to Winnipeg’s quality of life. Each inductee has a likeness sculpted and prominently displayed at the Citizens Hall of Fame site in Assiniboine Park.

For further information, contact Peter Squire at (204) 291-8022.

To learn more about the Citizens Hall of Fame program and the other 42 inductees,
please visit: www.winnipegfame.ca

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