Glanmore exhibit has heart
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Fans of Canadian icon Terry Fox can learn more about him through a new exhibit at Glanmore National Historic Site.
A travelling exhibit called Terry Fox: Running to the Heart of Canada is on temporary display at the city museum. It was created by the Canadian Museum of History in partnership with the Terry Fox Centre.
Fox began his Marathon of Hope in St. John’s, Nfld. April 12, 1980. He’d already lost his right leg to cancer and, with the use of an artificial limb, wanted to run across Canada to raise funds for cancer research.
Glanmore’s marketing and education co-ordinator, Melissa Wakeling, was 11 when Fox ran through Aurora, Ont. that summer. She was one of many people who shook his hand as he moved to and from a stage.
“I thought, ‘Wow – he’s doing something really big,’” she recalled. “It made an impression on me.
“He had a presence.”
By Sept. 1, 1980, Fox’s health forced him to stop.
“I can remember crying about that,” Wakeling said.
Fox died of cancer June 28, 1981 after running 5,300 km. He was 22.
“After he passed away, and as he became recognized as a significant Canadian hero, it made me feel connected,” she said.
The two-dimensional exhibit reproduces photos, press clippings, fan mail and more from Fox’s 143 days on the road.
“It actually uses his quotes from his journal … his actual thoughts as he was going through his run, which is really quite moving,” said Wakeling. “It makes it a bit personal.”
“It’s informative and very visual,” added intern Sara Hart, a post-graduate public relations student at Loyalist College.
The exhibit continues until May 5. Glanmore is at 257 Bridge St. E. at Dufferin Avenue and open Tuesday through Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Call 613-962-2329 or visit glanmore.ca for more information.
lhendry@postmedia.com