Mr. Gordon Wood has often been called "The Father of Dryden High School".
Mr. Wood started teaching in Dryden at the Van Horne Avenue School in 1939. He became principal of DHS in 1945 and continued in this position until his retirement in 1970.
Gordon Wood was born in Ivanhoe, Ontario and was raised in Madoc (a small farming community located halfway between Ottawa and Toronto). As a child he suffered poliomyelitis and diphtheria. He was further disadvantaged with a short leg and was thus forced to wear a raised shoe on that foot. He walked with a characteristic gait. Because of his disability, he was determined to obtain an education and was the only child of eight siblings to have graduated from university. He completed his formal education at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. (more info at bottom of page)
Before coming to Dryden High School, Mr. Wood taught grades one to eight at a one room school in Whitby, Ontario. Upon his arrival to DHS, his influence and direction was seen immediately. The 1939 yearbook records that the Pulp Mill hall was decorated for the commencement exercises by a committee of boys under the direction of Mr. Wood.
After obtaining the principals position in 1945, he continued to expand the extra curricular activities at the high school by starting the first DHS hockey team, the Rockets. The high school team only competed in the local hockey league for one year as there was already a well established hockey league for boys of high school age.
Mr. Wood was instrumental in furthering the sport of curling at the school. The DHS team won the Northwestern Ontario Junior Curling champions for three consecutive years starting in 1947. As a result of his support, DHS was able to garner financial support from the local community to send the team to the national championships in Edmonton, Quebec City and Nelson BC. Each year, Mr. Wood accompanied the team and was known as one of its boisterous and enthusiastic supporters.
Both in the old Van Horne street school and the new school on Casimir Avenue, Mr. Wood became known as the Warden of the Halls. He made it a regular practice to know each of the students names as well as their class schedule. In this way, no excuse fashioned by any student caught wandering the halls could fool Mr. Wood. Mr. Wood learned the names of the students and their class schedules by writing by hand each students timetable during the summer months. He once commented that retirement was near at hand when he had some difficulty knowing the names of all 1300 students that attended the school during the 1960s. (more information at bottom of page)
For many years, Mr. Wood chaired the Easter Seals fund that raised money to help crippled children. He received the Harris Fellowship from the Rotary club for his efforts in that club. In addition, he received an award from the Secondary Teachers of Ontario for his commitment to education.
Finally, the recognition that meant the most to Mr. Wood were the many letters of thanks he received from students. There exist many letters thanking Mr. Wood for the time he took to know the students well, to encourage them to pursue their highest dreams and to work hard in achieving them.
The main gymnasium at Dryden High School has been named the "Gordon Wood auditorium" in recognition of his contributions to the school.
