Vera Chau (BSc, 1967, BA Honour 1998) and her late husband John Yung Hsi Chau (BEd 1971, U of T, BSc, MSc, PhD) had a deep connection to Hart House. John came to the University of Toronto in the 1960s to work with Professor Harry Lambert Welsh, who was a distinguished faculty member in the Physics Department.
When John arrived on campus, Hart House supported him in finding accommodations. “He learned of the varied range of activities you could do there, like physical exercise,” Vera says. “At that time, you could go to the Great Hall for lunch and dinner every night.” John also discovered the iconic Hart House pool and frequented it regularly.
Vera’s first experiences with Hart House were a little more complex. “When I first arrived at U of T, Hart House did not admit women. I was staying in a dorm room in Whitney Hall and it was decided that we were going to stage a protest.” The Gate-Crash Debate, as it’s been called, was a sit-in that happened in 1967 and made headlines in Toronto newspapers. A small group of women disrupted a debate featuring George Ignatieff, who was Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations.
“There wasn't any violence,” Vera explains. “We were asked to leave. And we did so. We left peacefully, but we made a point.” (Student debaters Bob Rae (BA 1969 UC) and Michael Ignatieff (BA 1969 Trinity), George’s son, did veer off the foreign affairs topic in response to the protest, calling for an end to gender discrimination at Hart House. But that would take another five years to accomplish.)
Over the decades, Vera and John remained involved in campus life. Though John travelled to Halifax, Sudbury and as far away as Bangkok for work, he never forgot Hart House and all it had to offer.
In the 1970’s Vera returned to the University as a part-time student studying languages; this time around, she too was able to use the pool and discovered the many amazing opportunities at Hart House. John remained engaged with the physics department and kept up his swimming during his retirement as a senior member at Hart House. The couple has frequented concerts, lectures and exhibits at the art gallery, all while admiring the breadth of opportunities available to today’s students through Hart House programming.
Avid supporters of the University of Toronto for many years, Vera and John recently made a special gift as part of the Boundless campaign, specifically in support of Hart House.
“Today's students have many things to distract them. But I don't think they have other opportunities to do the many types of things available at Hart House,” says Vera. “There are sports, lessons, music in different genres, the debate club, art gallery, investment club, library and more. And it’s all in a splendid setting. Hart House welcomes all students as well as alumni and faculty. It offers a very rich experience." Vera hopes to continue to support Hart House in the future.
