The Resource Room of the Millbrook Public Library is named in honour of Harry Williams. So, who was this fellow?
The fine citizens of Millbrook may have thought the same thing as a dashing young man in a waxed cotton Barbour motorcycle jacket rode his motorcycle into the village in the summer of 1950 to take up a teaching position at the Millbrook High School.
Harry had visited Millbrook on previous rides through the back roads of Ontario and felt this would be a good place to settle down and build a life. Over a 30-year career, he taught Sciences, Latin and French and was a greatly respected favorite among the teachers at the school.
Now, many of us can recall a beloved high school teacher, but not many get something named after them. So, what else did he do?
During World War II, Flight Officer Williams was a navigator in an RCAF squadron which flew transport aircraft from India to carry out supply drops to British and Commonwealth troops fighting the Japanese army in Burma. These unarmed aircraft had to fly at low altitudes over mountainous jungle to a small drop zone where the supplies would be delivered by parachute, all the while trying to avoid enemy fighter planes and antiaircraft fire. During monsoon season, they flew through massive rainstorms and occasional hurricane force winds.
That’s impressive, but many high school teachers of that era had served with valour during the war. So, what else?
Since childhood, Harry had a fascination with the natural world. During undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, he became interested in bryology, the study of mosses, liverworts and lichens, the often overlooked small plants of the world. This became a lifelong passion and he became an internationally recognized expert in the field. He led numerous field trips across Canada, sometimes with family in tow, often supervising post graduate university students. He, along with his wife Claire, herself an expert in this field and also a Millbrook High School teacher, amassed a huge collection of specimens during these trips, including a previously unknown species of liverworts. The collection is now housed at the Royal Ontario Museum, where it is still used by students and other researchers.
OK, that’s pretty impressive. Anything else?
Harry believed strongly in community service. During his time in Millbrook, he served on the local Library Board, on village council, as well as being president of the Peterborough Field Naturalists and board member of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists. He was a member of the group that saved the Millbrook Old School from demolition and for many years would raise and lower the flag at the school every morning and evening. In 1979, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Trent University in recognition of his many contributions to science, education and the community as a whole.
Harry died in January, 2001. In essence, he was a true Renaissance man, a respected teacher, scientist and community leader. All in all, a fine person to have a space in a library named after him.
Thanks to Harry’s daughter Jill Williams for help in preparing this column.
By Dan Bourgeois