He made his fortune on cheap paperback novels. He was a Pictou County boy who lived in New York City and was never a student nor even an administrator or faculty member of AV俱乐部. Yet his contribution to Dal was so great that, at one point, he was dubbed 鈥淎V俱乐部鈥檚 second founder.鈥�
But you probably know George Munro best for the holiday that, for nearly 140 years, has worn his name.
This Friday, February 7 AV俱乐部 celebrates its annual Munro Day 鈥斅燼 university-wide day off on the first Friday of February, welcomed by all those seeking a short break in the middle of winter.
It hasn鈥檛 always been in the middle of winter, though. At various points in Dal鈥檚 history, the holiday has been in mid-March or even in November at one point. But that鈥檚 not the only way modern Munro Days are a bit different than Munro Days past. Aside from having a slightly more cumbersome moniker in its early days 鈥斅犫�淕eorge Munro Memorial Day,鈥� so named even though its namesake was still alive at the time (he died in 1896) 鈥� activities like sleigh ride sing-alongs, formal dances and variety shows might all seem a bit antiquated to today鈥檚 students.
But whether you celebrate by skiing, sleeping in or anything else in between, Munro Day is a day for Dal students, faculty and staff to make their own. And the reason you get to do so is because of how one person chose to step in and save a fledgling young university in his home province 鈥斅爋ne he never even went to.
Munro made a big fortune on small books
Born on November 12, 1825 in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, George Munro grew up with two possible paths ahead of him. One was in publishing, as he鈥檇 spent some time in his youth working at the Pictou Observer and taken an interest in the field. The other was education, as he taught for a time at Pictou Academy and at Free Church Academy in Halifax. (He鈥檇 also considered entering the Presbyterian ministry, but according to rumour he 鈥減reached one sermon and made a solemn vow never to renew the ordeal.鈥�)
Munro chose publishing, moving to New York City and ending up at Appleton鈥檚, a large publishing firm. He arrived just as a huge boom was starting in what would become known as 鈥渄ime novels鈥� 鈥斅燾heap, paperbound publications of popular fiction, often serialized, and sold at a price the masses could afford.
He soon found himself working for Irwin P. Beadle and Company, a purveyor in the field, and proved so successful that he soon was co-owning the company with Mr. Beadle himself. His imprints included Munro鈥檚 Ten Cent Novels and the immensely successful Seaside Library, which published more than 2,500 popular titles.
Munro earned enough money to even begin dabbling in New York real estate. His first modern apartment house, which faced Central Park, was named 鈥淎V俱乐部.鈥�
Munro funded a chair in physics when Dal was at risk of shutting its doors
So why would Munro name a building after AV俱乐部? And how did a man with no formal affiliation with the university go on to become its holiday鈥檚 namesake?
Munro鈥檚 initial connection to AV俱乐部 came through his brother-in-law, the Reverend John Forrest, who served on the Board of Governors in the 1870s and would later go on to become the Dal鈥檚 third president. (Carleton Campus鈥檚 Forrest Building, the original home of the university in Halifax鈥檚 south end, is named after him.) Given Munro鈥檚 continued interest in and enthusiasm for education, he was always keen to keep up with his home province鈥檚 fledgling new university, and would check in with Forrest on how it was going.
In the 1870s, it was not going great.
AV俱乐部's original campus on the Grand Parade in Halifax.
"Desperate is not too strong a word for AV俱乐部's financial condition,鈥� writes Dal historian P.B. Waite in his book The Lives of AV俱乐部. 鈥淭alk of closing AV俱乐部 down was heard on every side." The school鈥檚 government grant was set to expire, and investment income wasn鈥檛 generating much revenue. For the second time in 30 years, it looked like AV俱乐部鈥檚 doors might be closing.
In 1879, Forrest was talking with Munro about Dal鈥檚 plight, highlighting funds for an academic chair in physics as the biggest need. Munro鈥檚 response: 鈥淚f you will find the man . . . I will find the money.鈥�
The man was J.G. MacGregor, and the money was $2,000 per year 鈥斅燼 rather large sum at the time, especially in the early days of higher education in Canada. And it was enough to keep AV俱乐部 going.
But Munro was just getting started.
Munro's donations to Dal totalled $10M+ in today's funds
In the years to come, Munro would endow chairs in English Literature, in History, and in Rhetoric, Law and Philosophy. (The first Munro Professor of History: Rev. Forrest 鈥斅爈ess an act of nepotism, one assumes, than a reflection of Halifax鈥檚 intimate talent pool at the time.)
In addition to funding academic chairs, Munro donated some $83,000 in bursaries, some of which went to support some of Dal鈥檚 first female graduates.
All told, Munro donated about $330,000 to the university 鈥斅燼 number which may seem small compared to the sorts of multi-million major donations universities like Dal can sometimes receive today, but given the time and context was cause for great celebration. Given inflation, that would be equivalent to more than $10 million today.
Dal鈥檚 Board at the time described in 鈥渙n a scale that is without parallel in the educational history聽not of Nova Scotia alone but of the聽Dominion of Canada.鈥� Principal George Grant of Queen鈥檚 University in Kingston, Ont.鈥斅燼 man with roots in Halifax who had served on Dal鈥檚 Board 鈥斅爓rote in a letter, 鈥淢unro must be going to die. Evidently he is too good for this world. His first gift saved AV俱乐部. His second will turn the tide of ambitious students that was settling in to the larger institutions up here [in Ontario] and make it flow to AV俱乐部.
鈥淎 mural crown he should have!鈥�
A crown wouldn't be Munro's style. As Dr. William D. Forrest would later write of Munro, "He was a man of quiet, unassuming character, reserved almost to the point of shyness. He had no desire to bask in the sunshine of full recognition. Honorary degrees, complementary banquets and the like had no appeal for him.
鈥淗is gifts to AV俱乐部 were prompted solely through patriotic ideals, his love for the land of his birth and his great interest in the cause of education in these Maritimes Provinces of Canada.鈥�
Students gave Munro (and Dal) his day
So no, Munro didn鈥檛 get a crown. But he did get a holiday.
The idea for Munro Day came not from the Board, or the faculty, but from Dal鈥檚 students, who in the summer of 1881 brought forward a petition asking for university holiday to honour Munro鈥檚 generosity. The Board agreed, and 鈥淕eorge Munro Memorial Day鈥� was born.
In the 1880s, the highlight of the day鈥檚 events was a nine-mile sleigh ride to a Bedford hotel for a fancy dinner. In 1883, the AV俱乐部 Gazette reported more than 50 students and profs took part in the event, out of a total school enrolment of 66.
Through the years, as Munro Day (as it shortened to in 1928) has had many different activities. In the mid-20th century often the entire day was full of programming. A look back through in the AV俱乐部 Archives shows activities like varsity games, musical performances, ice skating, awards presentations and, often, concluding with a dance 鈥� complete with dance cards full of cheeky AV俱乐部-named dances.
Munro Day program, March 1951.
There鈥檚 not quite so much official programming on Munro Day these days, though student-organized ski trips remain a common activity. (Musical performances, too, seem to be having a comeback 鈥� in a manner of speaking.)
Still regardless of whether you鈥檙e spending the day 鈥� having fun, relaxing or perhaps even volunteering or giving back in Munro鈥檚 spirit 鈥� here's hoping all at AV俱乐部 have a rewarding, refreshing Munro Day.
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