Thomas Symons

Thomas Henry Bull Symons, C.C., O.Ont, (born May 30, 1929) is a Canadian professor and author in the fields of Canadian Studies.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, he was the son of Harry Lutz Symons and Dorothy Sarah Bull. He graduated from Upper Canada College in 1942. He attended the University of Toronto (B.A. 1951), Oxford (B.A. 1953, M.A. 1957), and Harvard University. He was the founding President of Trent University, serving as its president and vice-chancellor from 1961 to 1972.

He is the Vanier Professor Emeritus at Trent University.

He is a Director of Downsview Park Inc.

On August 17, 1963, he married Christine Ryerson. They had three children: Mary, Ryerson and Jeffery. ref|trent

Works

* "Meta Incognita: A Discourse of Discovery - Martin Frobisher's Arctic Expeditions, 1576 - 1578" (1999)

* To Know Ourselves: The report of the commission on Canadian studies, (1975)

Honours

* In 1976 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1997.
* In 1984 he received the Award of Merit from the Association for Canadian Studies.
* In 1998 he received the Governor General's International Award for Canadian Studies.
* In 2002 he was awarded the Order of Ontario.

Footnotes

# [http://www.trentu.ca/library/archives/97-019.htm Trent University Archives]