A meeting of the minds : the Massey College story

Written by Judith Skelton Grant, A Meeting of Minds is the definitive account of Massey College’s first fifty years, its many traditions, and the hundreds of fellows who have passed through its halls.

Opened in 1963, Massey College is a residential college for graduate students at the University of Toronto. The college was the brainchild of Vincent Massey, Canada’s first native-born Governor General, who wanted to create an intellectually stimulating milieu like the one he associated with the long-established colleges of Oxford and Cambridge. Massey College’s first master was the legendary Canadian novelist, playwright, and editor, Robertson Davies. Davies and his successors – Patterson Hume, Ann Saddlemyer, and John Fraser – fostered a dynamic community of students, scholars, and public intellectuals that thrives today under the mastership of Hugh Segal.

Written by Judith Skelton Grant, A Meeting of Minds is the definitive account of the college’s first fifty years, its many traditions, and the hundreds of fellows who have passed through its halls. Full of wonderful anecdotes about the college’s notable fellows and alumni, this history of Massey College takes the reader into the heart of one of Canada’s most important intellectual institutions.

Contents 5 Preface 7 Part One: The Years of Preparation 13 1. Vincent Massey: A Man of Vision 13 2. The Massey Foundation 26 3. Choosing an Architect and a Master 43 4. The Master Designate Joins the Team 60 Part Two: The Mastership of Robertson Davies 105 5. The College Comes to Life 105 6. Difficult College Finances 142 7. Restiveness in the 1960s 154 8. Women Are Admitted to the Fellowship 191 9. College Life, 1965–81 217 Part Three: The Mastership of Patterson Hume 273 10. Dealing with Financial Stringency 273 11. College Life, 1981–8 316 Part Four: The Mastership of Ann Saddlemyer 353 12. Community Building 353 13. A Higher Public Profile 388 Part Five: The Mastership of John Fraser 447 14. Fraser Takes Charge 447 15. Second-Year Blues and Expansion Begins 481 16. New Initiatives, 1997–2002 494 17. Fraser’s Ideals Take Shape, 2002–9 562 18. College Life, 2009–13, Overview, and Postscript 625 Principal Sources of Unpublished Material 685 Books and Writings Cited in More Than One Chapter 689 Abbreviations Used in the Text and the Notes 693 Acknowledgments 695 Picture Credits 701 Notes 711 Index 761 "Opened in 1963, Massey College is a residential college for graduate students at the University of Toronto. The college was the brainchild of Vincent Massey, Canada's first native-born Governor General, who wanted to create an intellectually stimulating milieu like the one he associated with the long-established colleges of Oxford and Cambridge. Massey College's first master was the legendary Canadian novelist, playwright, and editor, Robertson Davies. Davies and his successors--Patterson Hume, Ann Saddlemyer, and John Fraser--fostered a dynamic community of students, scholars, and public intellectuals that thrives today under the mastership of Hugh Segal. Written by Judith Skelton Grant, A Meeting of Minds is the definitive account of the college's first fifty years, its many traditions, and the hundreds of fellows who have passed through its halls. Full of wonderful anecdotes about the college's notable fellows and alumni, this history of Massey College takes the reader into the heart of one of Canada's most important intellectual institutions."-- From publisher's website