Alumni of Influence

Author, curator and art historian Joan Murray has played a significant role in developing the study of Canadian art. Starting in 1968, she worked at the Art Gallery of Ontario, first as head of education, then as the gallery’s first curator of Canadian art and as acting chief curator. From 1974 to 1999, Murray was at the helm of the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa where she organized more than 100 exhibitions and assisted in fundraising for the gallery.

Upon her retirement, she served as adjunct curator to the Varley Art Gallery in Unionville, as well as assisting the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Ontario as one of the curators for a major retrospective of Tom Thomson. Murray also developed several exhibitions for leading Ontario galleries, including a major retrospective of Florence Carlyle for Museum London.

A leading Tom Thomson scholar, Murray was responsible for bringing the paintings of the visionary Canadian painter to world attention through a series of exhibitions and books, including a biography. She has authored more than 20 books on the history of Canadian art, notably Canadian Art in the Twentieth Century, Northern Lights: Masterpieces of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven and McMichael Canadian Art Collection: One Hundred Masterworks. She has also published more than 200 articles on subjects ranging from folk art to contemporary artists in the Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, and other publications. She is a well-known lecturer, both in Canada and abroad.

Murray was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy in 1992 and, in 1993, was honoured with the Senior Award from the Association of Cultural Executives for her outstanding contribution and dedication to Canadian cultural life. She received the Order of Ontario in 2003.

Medical researcher, higher education leader and Rhodes Scholar David Naylor served as president of the University of Toronto from 2005 to 2013. After two years at University College, he entered medical school and received his MD from U of T’s Faculty of Medicine in 1978. He earned his PhD in the Faculty of Social and Administrative Studies at Oxford University in 1983 and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1986.

Naylor joined the Medical Research Council at Toronto General Hospital in 1987, and the Department of Medicine at U of T in 1988, becoming dean of Medicine and vice-provost for Relations with Health-Care Institutions at U of T from 1999 to 2005.

He is the co-author of approximately 300 scholarly publications, spanning social history, public policy, health economics and epidemiology and biostatistics, as well as clinical and health services research in most fields of medicine. He has also been active as a policy advisor to governments in Canada and abroad for 25 years. Among other contributions, he served as chair of the National Advisory Committee on SARS and Public Health in 2003. More recently, he was a member of the Global Commission on the Education of Health Professionals for the 21st Century, and he served on the federal Review of R&D Spending in Canada.

Naylor is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, a Foreign Associate Fellow of the U.S. Institute of Medicine and an Officer of the Order of Canada. He is also the recipient of various national and international awards for excellence in research and leadership in clinical medicine, public policy, public health and health care.

Experimental psychologist and cognitive neuroscientist Endel Tulving has fundamentally shaped our understanding of human memory. He introduced the concept of episodic memory, which has provided insight into neurological disorders such as strokes and Alzheimer’s disease, and his theories have provided the foundation for the field of memory research.

Tulving left his native Estonia during WWII and came to Canada, eventually enrolling in psychology at U of T, where he spent his career. Now a Professor Emeritus at U of T, he has influenced generations of psychologists and neuroscientists throughout his prolific career. His publications are highly cited, and he has been elected to seven distinguished science societies: the Royal Society of Canada; the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; the Royal Society of London; the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.; Academia Europaea; and the Estonian Academy of Sciences.

He has received numerous honours, including the prestigious Gairdner Award, Canada’s leading prize in biology; the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award of the American Psychological Association; and the Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in Psychological Science from the American Psychological Foundation, among other accolades. In 2006, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada and in 2007, he was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

An advocate for rural and Aboriginal communities, Florence Woolner has dedicated her life to improving the quality of life and opportunities for residents of remote communities. Upon graduating from UC, she settled in northwestern Ontario, where she continues to play an integral role in community and economic development through her signature approach involving training, mentoring and capacity-building.

Her volunteerism has spanned four decades and includes invaluable contributions to anti-racism, organizational and international development, health, education, arts and governance. Among her many accomplishments, she spearheaded the creation of a network of radio stations serving isolated communities, linking them to mainstream Canada and each other; helped establish a regional Children’s Aid Society office; and provided invaluable mentoring and support to Aboriginal leaders and hundreds of community members. Her impact has been local, regional, national and individual, and she has radically improved lives in Canada’s most distant and marginalized communities.

Woolner is also a founding member of the Sioux Lookout Creative Arts Circle, a not-for-profit group that promotes artists in northwestern Ontario and all forms of creative expression by providing opportunities for performance, exhibition, instruction and promotion related to the arts.