Former T-R President Peter H. Naylor was honoured recently with this article from the Rotary Club of Toronto:
The Rotary Club of Toronto lost a valued friend and a philanthropic giant with the passing of Peter Naylor on August 16, 2018 in his 86th year. Peter joined the Club on March 17, 1967 and was recently recognized for 50 years of Club membership by President Susan Hunter.
Peter received his Club Builder Award in 1990, Paul Harris Fellow in 1992 and his William Peace Award in 1998. He was the Chair and member of the Probationers Aid Committee, Chair and member of the Youth Service Committee, Chair and member of the Classification and Membership Committee, Member of the New Members’ Committee and Club Director 1977-1979. He was an active member of the Club Bridge group for many many years and they miss him deeply.
Peter and Tippet-Richardson have a long connection with Rotary starting with founder Basil Tippet who was Club President in 1945 and District Governor in 1954-55. Peter was President of Tippet-Richardson from 1971 to 1986 and was still involved with the company until his passing. We could always count on Tippet-Richardson being a sponsor of our many events. The company is now being run by his four children.
Peter was also active outside Rotary. Among other things, Peter was President of Youth Employment Service (YES) a specialized agency to help “marginalized” and “alienated” youth in 1975 and was a YES Board member for 10 years. He was an active and engaged member of the Tippet Foundation Board. YES was founded by our Club.
Peter excelled in quietly helping people and situations where he could make a difference in people’s lives in a big or small way. Tippet-Richardson employed dozens of graduates of YES.
He arranged for the publication of Memories, which chronicles the wartime stories of many members of the Club. Copies were on our tables last week. The Rotary Club of Toronto and its members were the benefactors of Peter’s kindness and generosity in so many ways both financially and otherwise. He offered to anonymously help people who were having trouble paying their Club dues when times were tough for them. Many projects and personal moves were the beneficiary of Peter’s help and through him, the services of Tippet-Richardson.
Through his work at Tippet-Richardson he was a very strong supporter of environmentally sustainable energy projects with full solar systems on three of his warehouses. His last donation of $260,000 allowed the club to assist with a project to put solar panels on a school in Ghana through our International Service Committee.
It is fitting that he combined his belief in sustainable energy and his desire to help youth, which resulted in this system at Atorkor Vocational Training Institute, which is also helping the local hospital and village.
Peter was the embodiment of Rotary and Service Above Self and this legacy project will be a lasting memorial.
We miss you Peter.
