Robert Boyd "Tom" Atkins

Robert Boyd "Tom" Atkins was an endlessly energetic man of great passions and diverse interests. His cheerful and optimistic personality made him someone everyone loved to have around.

He loved nature and technology, tinkered with engines, raced cars and constructed boats and buildings, and made great friends everywhere. He did not sit still very well, and a week seldom passed without a family trip to the wilds for a hike, a paddle or a ski. He was a natural educator and loved to share his knowledge with those around him. His dedication to the natural world shone strongly in his retirement years when he led numerous volunteer initiatives aimed at preserving the environment and encouraging people to get outdoors.

The greatest loves in his life were his wife and family, to whom he offered wisdom, guidance challenge and support to all, with easy humour.

Tom was devoted to his wife Virginia for more than 71 years. The two shared a love for dancing, often waltzing around the house when the mood struck. Together they raised four successful children.  

His children and grandchildren have been the great beneficiaries of the example he set as an upstanding, honest and caring person. He believed strongly in equity and fairness and in giving everyone a chance to shine. He also had a mischievous sense of humour and loved to gently tease friends and family alike.

He is sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure and privilege to know him.

Early years

Tom was the son of George Carman Atkins and Marie Eddington Boyd Atkins. His father was the owner of the Oakville Record Star. Tom was born in Hamilton, Ontario, on March 8, 1922. His nickname, Tom, was bestowed by the nursing staff at the hospital where he was born, in recognition of Tommy Atkins, the moniker for WWI British soldiers. His brother, George Junior, was born in 1925 and died in 1943 in an accident during pilot training in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.

The war

https://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/192:robert-tommy-atkins/

Tom volunteered for army service in 1942 while still enrolled in secondary school, joining the Lorne Scots regiment as an infantryman. On completion of officer training, he was stationed in Nanaimo, British Columbia, with the 13th Canadian Infantry Brigade and commanded the headquarters defence platoon.

In 1943 he shipped out to Alaska's Aleutian Islands as part of joint US-Canada defence against Japanese attempts to invade North America. Next he was assigned as a training officer in England, preparing for the invasion of Europe; as conflict eased he helped liberate Holland, ultimately leaving there to volunteer for Asian service and commando training in the U.S. As he was crossing the Atlantic Ocean returning to North America, the war concluded and he was honourably discharged in 1945.

Education and family

After the war Tom enrolled at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1949 he graduated with a B.Sc. in Printing Engineering.

In 1948, Tom met Virginia Gorman, a fine arts student at Carnegie, and the two married on June 17th, 1950. Their first child, Alison, was born in May 1951 in Chicago, where Tom had taken a job. 

Working years

In 1953 Tom and Virginia and baby Alison moved to Toronto. In 1954 Alison was joined by baby brother Andrew, and in 1955 Sara was born. Ten years later the birth of baby Emily rounded out the family.

In 1962 Tom and Virginia purchased a small island in Georgian Bay, and built a cabin there, creating the foundation for years of family outdoor activities and projects. Tom loved the bay and spent as much time as he could there.

Tom earned his MBA at the University of Toronto while working for Rolph Clark Stone Ltd. one of Canada’s largest printing firms. He went on to become the founding Chairman of the Printing Management Department at the Ryerson Institute of Technology, which has since evolved into Graphic Communications Management. He is honoured by the title Professor Emeritus at Ryerson, and had a scholarship dedicated in his name on his retirement in 1987. After retiring, he and Virginia moved from Toronto to King Township. There, Tom pursued his love of the outdoors and helped establish the Oak Ridges Trail, and was the founding president of the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust.

Over the years Tom received many accolades for his volunteer efforts. He was recognized with the Canada 125 medal in 1992, and was proud of commendations from the Oak Ridges Trail Association and King Township, among others.

Tom is hugely missed by his wife of almost 71 years, Virginia (nee Gorman) Atkins, his children Alison, Andrew (Patti), Sara (Paul McFarlane) and Emily. His grandchildren Lora Baker (Brett Plaizier) and their daughters Zoe and Kate; and Reid Baker (Kristy Payne) and their daughters Ellis and Sheridan; and Kendra Atkins (Jay Forest) and their daughters Addison and Willa, also miss Tom enormously.

Donations to the Oakridges Moraine Land Trust in Tom's name would be welcome. https://www.oakridgesmoraine.org/