Norman Bethune honoured with Toronto Legacy Plaque on 75th anniversary of his death

Norman Bethune honoured with Toronto Legacy Plaque on 75th anniversary of his death

Norman Bethune: The Most Famous Canadian (Source: www.lackenbauer.ca/Hist103/6-2_Bethune)

TORONTO–Renowned surgeon, teacher, inventor, author, and political activist Norman Bethune was celebrated Wednesday (Nov. 12) with the installation of a Toronto Legacy Plaque on the 75th anniversary of his death (Nov. 12, 1939).

Born in Gravenhurst, Ontario in 1890, Bethune achieved fame for his advances in surgery, inventing or redesigning surgical instruments, and publishing scientific articles. His innovation of the mobile blood transfusion unit, which allowed him to treat wounded soldiers on the battlefield of the Spanish Civil War and the Sino-Japanese War, was a breakthrough in battlefield medicine and was adopted by the Allied Powers during the Second World War. The plaque is the latest in Heritage Toronto’s series of iconic blue and white plaques, presented in partnership with the Toronto Legacy Project to commemorate great Torontonians at places strongly associated with their extraordinary achievements.

Plaque close-up
(PHOTO: Heritage Toronto)

The Norman Bethune Legacy Plaque was installed today at 136 Robert Street, the location of one of Norman’s numerous childhood homes.

Acknowledgement of the contributions of Bethune has grown in Canada in the past forty years, and he is now considered one of the most internationally recognizable Canadians in our history. “Bethune’s name is embedded in the landscapes of Spain and China, where he served. It is an immense pleasure to see Heritage Toronto commemorate his achievements here in Toronto,” says Canada’s 26th Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, author of a 2009 biography on Bethune. While there are currently memorials for Norman Bethune in Beijing, Montreal, and Malaga and the house where he was born in Gravenhurst is a museum, there is no existing plaque for Bethune in Toronto. “Norman Bethune is an internationally recognized figure who resided in Toronto during his childhood. This plaque gives us the opportunity to recognize his contributions to medicine on an international scale, in a place where he spent his formative years,” says Gary Miedema, Chief Historian and Associate Director of Heritage Toronto.

From left:  Joe Cressy (incoming City Councillor), Brent Pearlman (Heritage Toronto board member), Ceta Ramkhalawansing (current acting City Councillor), Grace Westcott (of Toronto Legacy Project), and Caroline DaBreo (of Scotiabank, sponsor of Heritage Toronto’s Plaques and Markers program) (PHOTO: Heritage Toronto)

Thank you to Scotiabank, Heritage Toronto’s Plaques Program Sponsor, for their commitment to engage citizens within their local communities.

About Heritage Toronto:

Heritage Toronto is a charitable arms-length agency of the City of Toronto established in 1949 to promote a greater appreciation for the city’s rich architectural, cultural, archaeological and natural heritage. Through partnerships with local community groups and volunteers, Heritage Toronto provides city-wide programs and services.

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About the Toronto Legacy Project:

The Toronto Legacy Project was established by Toronto’s first Poet Laureate, Dennis Lee, to celebrate residents of Toronto who have achieved great things in their field of endeavour. By weaving the names of remarkable individuals into Toronto’s cityscape, we celebrate Toronto’s dynamic past. Since 2009, the Toronto Legacy Project has worked with Heritage Toronto to create elegantly designed plaques that honour Torontonians of note in the places that they have lived or worked.

(PRESS RELEASE)