Pickering College - Voyageur Yearbook (Newmarket, Ontario Canada)

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Six

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A Personal Word To The Students IT is my feeling that our school has always been most fortunate in its friends and supporters. Since 1839 when John Joseph Gurney, a brother of Elizabeth Fry, first encouraged Friends at their Half-Year Meeting held near Newmarlfet to establish a school for Qual-fer youth, through our long history under the Society of Friends, right up to the present chairmanship of Samuel Rogers, our students have had behind them men of unseljish seri-ice and dedication. In particular, we must make mention of the Rogers family which has served our school now for four gen- erations. A few years ago the Voyageur was dedicated to the present Chairman, Samuel Rogers, and this year we do similar honour to his brother, David, in recog- nition of his contribution to our school. The first Rogers to arrive in this area was Timothy who came here in 1801 from Connecticut bringing with him a group of settlers who opened up this district now known as N ewmarhet. His direct descendent, Samuel, grandfather of our pres- ent Chairman, served as Chairman of the old school in the Village of Pielfering until his death in 1903. It was he who established the tradition of scripture reading by the Chairman at one of the llleetings for Worship each autumn term. This read- ing is now done annually at our New Boys' Service by either the Chairman or a member of the Board. It was in 1892 during Samuel Rogers' chairmanship in Piclcering, that Dr. VV. P. Firth and Mrs. Ella Rogers Firth, daughter of the Chairman, were appoint- ed Headmaster and H eadmistress of the school, serving in Piclfering until the fire of 1905 and then reassuming their positions in Newmarlfet from 1908 to 1917. Under their guidance Pickering prospered well and gained both a nation-al and in- ternational reputation. Samuel's son, Albert S. Rogers, succeeded his father in 1903 and served as Chairman until 1932. It was under his guidance that our school was re-opened as a self-perpetuating corporation in 1927, following its use from 1917 as a hospital for wounded veterans of the First World War. During the Firth regime a further contribution to the school was made by the Rogers family through the service of Joseph P. Rogers who served as Vice-Clzairw man of the Board. His elder son, Samuel, became Treasurer of the Board in 1920 and continued in that position until 1932 when he was appointed Chairman, the position he still holds. His younger son, Darid Pearson Rogers, taught at the school in 1912-13, and was appointed to his present position as Vice-Chairman in 1924. Joseph Rogers' daughter, Marjory, was a student at the .school in Piclfering from 1903 to 1905 and her sister Jessie, who is married to Roy lVarren. a member of the Board, attended Pickering College in Newmarket during the First W'orld lVar. Ross and Allan, sons of the present Chairman, were both. .students at Piclf- ering during the thirties and Allan is now Secretary-Treasurer of the Board. His sons, David, James and Stephen, assure for the future the continuation of this re- markable relationship between the Rogers family and Pickering College. I'IARRY M. BEER Seven