George Penfold. George E. Penfold, of 26 Moccasin Trail, Don Mills, Ont., a member and charter president of No. 437 York Wing, Toronto, was elected president of the association for the 1964-65 year. He has been a vice president of the National Executive Council since 1962 and has participated actively in association work since he joined the association in 1951 as member of 404 Kitchener-Waterloo Wing. Prior to helping found No.437 York Wing in Toronto he was a member for a short while of No. 412 Wing in Windsor, Ontario. During the war George served in the RCAF, having enlisted in 1942 and served as an observer on Coastal Command and in India with No. 435 Squadron which was engaged in transport activities, which unit he was with until the end of the war. During his very active career since joining the association in 1951 he has held the following additional offices: Secretary of the Ontario Group Executive, 1955; vice president, Ontario Group, 1956; president, Ontario Group, 1957-59; membership chairman, National Executive Council, 1957-58 and 1961-62; chairman, National Executive Council 1959-61; vice president, National Execuitve Council, 1961-62; vice president, National Executive Council, 1962-64. George has also been a member of the Ontario Provincial Committee of the Air Cadet League of Canada. His business career for many years has been with Household Finance Corp., Toronto, with whom he is a merchant representative.
The George Penfold Memorial Prize
Commencement, 2006 was the 100th year for the presentation of the George Penfold Prize. Awarded to Holly Quach by Bob Hohenadel, President of the GCVI Alumni Association.
BIOGRAPHY of GEORGE PENFOLD
The George Penfold Memorial Prize was established in 1906 and was given to the student with the highest aggregate in Ontario Academic Credit courses. It was originally set up by George Penfold, a co-owner of the then very well-known local hardware store–Penfold Hardware. Mr. Penfold was quite anxious to encourage students to continue their education so he set up this prize which was initially worth five dollars. Five dollars then was, of course, worth a great deal more than it is now. After Mr. George Penfold’s death his grandson, also George Penfold, born in 1916 and a graduate of the G.C.V.I. class of 1933, wished to see his grandfather’s prize continued for by now it has been presented for the longest unbroken string of years of any award at the school. He changed the amount of the prize, of course, and the award continues to be presented every year. Grandson George Penfold was a very active G.C.V.I. student. Among other activities he was an outstanding football player. He also participated in the Drama Club, where interestingly, he was coached by Olive Freeman who later became the wife of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. After attending the University of Toronto, he worked at Household Finance Corporation but after World War II broke out he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force where he became an observer-navigator and spent much of his time in India, transporting supplies in support of Allied Forces in Burma. After the war he returned to Household Finance Corporation. He was also prominent in the Royal Canadian Air Force Association and took leading roles at both the local and national levels. He was elected National President of the organization in 1964. He was chosen to accompany the Minister of Veteran Affairs Hon. George Hees on a commemorative trip to Canadian cemeteries in Singapore, Rangoon, Hong Kong and Yokohama to pay honour to Canadian war casualties in the war against Japan. He was also active in civic affairs locally.
