Many people are paying their respects following the passing of former Whitby Mayor Desmond ‘Des’ Newman.
He was 94 years old.
According to the Whitby Library Archives, he was born in Guyana in 1931 and attended St. Stanislaus College in Georgetown before earning a degree in arts and science at a university in Jamaica.
During his studies, he spent some summers in Canada, working at General Motors and other businesses in Oshawa and Whitby.
He settled in Oshawa for the first time in 1955 and moved to Whitby three years later.
Newman became a Canadian citizen in 1960.
He worked as a chemist at Cametoid Ltd. based in Ajax, starting that job in 1956. By 1961, he had risen to general manager and took on the role of president by 1967.
A biography from Ontario Tech University states that Newman contributed to parts for the Avro Arrow as well as Canada’s first communications satellite, Alouette.
He was elected mayor in 1966, becoming the youngest person ever to hold that position in the town’s history. He served for ten years.
Newman was also the founding chairman of both the Durham Region Manufacturers Association and Dennis O’Connor Catholic High School. Additionally, he chaired the Industrial Accident Prevention Association for Centre Ontario and participated on founding committees for Dr. J. O. Ruddy General Hospital and Whitby Arts Incorporated – known today as Station Gallery. He also served as President of the Rotary Club of Whitby.
He advocated for merging the town with Township of Whitby and pushed for establishing a regional government for Durham, an international airport east of Toronto, a new municipal building for Whitby, along with Iroquois Park Sports Complex.
Upon retirement, he received Freedom of the Town of Whitby.
In recognition of his contributions, he received the Peter Perry Award in 2011 and was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
A boulevard and park bear his name along with the Des Newman Arena Complex located at Iroquois Park Sports Centre.
The current mayor of Whitby, Elizabeth Roy, issued this statement:
On behalf of Whitby Council and the entire community, I extend condolences to the family and friends of former Whitby Mayor Desmond Newman.
Elected in 1966 as the youngest mayor in Whitby’s history, he was a true community builder whose legacy will be felt in Whitby for generations to come.
During his decade as mayor, Newman helped shape the Whitby we know today – championing amalgamation between Town and Township of Whitby while laying groundwork for Regional Municipality of Durham.
He understood how crucial it is to invest in infrastructure supporting growth; advocating projects like Iroquois Park Sports Centre while helping establish J. O. Ruddy General Hospital (now Lakeridge Health Whitby) alongside Whitby Arts Inc. (now Station Gallery).
Whitby has lost a respected leader but Newman’s impact continues within this community he built up over so many years.
Flags at Town Hall have been lowered to half mast; furthermore a memorial book will be available at Town Hall lobby where people can share their condolences.
Photos courtesy of Diedre Newman and Town of Whitby
If you have found a spelling error, please notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.
Source link
Source link
