Learn More About Our Generous Contributors
FOUNDER: Edward William Bickle
Ed Bickle was born in 1890 in Toronto and attended public schools, leaving at a young age to work in a variety of jobs. At the age of seventeen, he entered the finance field when he took a job with Wood Gundy. However, when the First World War broke out, he joined the 48th Highlanders and served in France with the 1st Division. He fought at Ypres and was invalided home in 1916.
After the war, he formed Wills Bickle & Co., which financed many interesting initiatives, including Maple Leaf Gardens. In the early 1930s, he became a Director and then President of the Gardens. A memorable tradition was established when the 48th Highlanders opened the first game of each season!
Throughout his life and into retirement, Bickle was a director of many companies and was actively involved in the community. He was Chair of Canadian Food Products; Director of Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, Trans-Canada Air Lines, Argus Corporation, Abitibi Power and Paper Company Ltd., Canadian Bank of Commerce and TransCanada Pipelines, to name a few. He was President of Queen Elizabeth Hospital (now known as The Toronto Rehab Hospital) and Treasurer of Victoria College (now part of the University of Toronto).
He was influential in provincial politics and was Treasurer of the Conservative Party for more than 20 years. As a close friend of Premier Leslie Frost, he often advised him on development projects. Mr. Frost described Bickle: “I know of no person of greater integrity or sounder judgement or more enthusiasm for the possibilities of our country.”
He was an elegant gentleman, impeccably dressed – always wearing a rose in his buttonhole!
The Story of Bickle House
Explore the history behind Trinity College School’s third student residence. Discover who it was named after and witness its original construction.
William Price Wilder
Bill Wilder was born on September 26, 1922, in Toronto. He attended Upper Canada College, then commenced a commerce degree at McGill University. However, his studies were interrupted by the Second World War. After officer training at Royal Roads Naval College, he was seconded to the Royal Navy and saw active duty as a sub-lieutenant on the destroyer HMS Whitshed.
Wilder returned to McGill after the war to complete his degree. He then joined Wood Gundy as a bond salesman. After a few years, he decided to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School, a life—changing experience.
Bill Wilder returned to Wood Gundy, where, in 1961, he was promoted to Executive Vice-President at the age of 38. Six years later, he was named President and Chief Executive. Under his leadership, the firm came to play a dominant role in financing Canada’s big energy companies and their projects.
In 1972, a group of leading Canadian oil and gas producers persuaded Wilder to head the Canadian Arctic Gas Consortium, which planned to build a natural gas pipeline along the Mackenzie River Valley. However, the multibillion-dollar project was put on hold five years later when a Royal Commission recommended that construction be delayed at least ten years. Wilder moved on to become Chairman and Chief Executive of Consumers Gas, Canada’s biggest natural gas distributor.
He served on many boards, including the Royal Bank of Canada, Canada Life Assurance, Noranda Mines, McLean Hunter, and The Hospital for Sick Children. Following his retirement, he became an investor in and Chairman of Creemore Springs Brewery, one of Ontario’s most successful craft breweries.
Wilder was a lifelong and active member of Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, where his faith was an important element of his life’s philosophy. “I believe that you can’t take everything out of life without putting something back in. . . . Billie and I like to pull our weight and stay active in the community. We want to be generous as long as we can afford it . . .”
His major philanthropic interests included Upper Canada College, where he made a leading gift for the building of a new hockey rink, now named The William P. Wilder Arena and Sports Complex, and Harvard Business School, where a small building, originally known as the Student Club, was renamed Wilder House in 1997.
In 2017, Bill Wilder was awarded the Order of Canada and was inducted into the Investment Hall of Fame. In 2018, he received The Legion of Honour from France in recognition of his war service.
Judith “Billie” Ryrie Wilder
Billie Wilder was born on November 16, 1928, in Toronto, the daughter of Edward William Bickle and Helen Ryrie Bickle. Although her birth certificate stated “Judith” as her name, she was christened “Billie” and was affectionately called “Billie” throughout her life. She attended Havergal College, then McGill University. Interested in pursuing a career in journalism, she enrolled in Lorne Green’s Radio Academy. However, soon afterwards she met Bill Wilder, to whom she was married for over 66 years.
She was generous to family and friends and gave her time as a volunteer in the community. As a voracious reader, she took an active interest in the Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books. She was a loyal supporter of Canada’s National Ballet School and The National Ballet Company over many years. Her love of classical music inspired her to give a transformative gift to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at a crucial time in its development.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Billie Wilder became a member of the board of The Toronto Rehab Hospital in 1972 and later was elected Chair. In 2007, she made a transformative gift to the “Everything Humanly Possible” campaign—helping support the creation of the IDAPT Centre, Toronto Rehab’s world-famous centre for research and discovery. Billie Wilder’s gift was recognized with the renaming of the Queen Elizabeth site at 130 Dunn Avenue to The E.W. Bickle Centre for Complex Continuing Care. The surrounding area of The E.W. Bickle Centre will soon be complemented by “The Billie Wilder Therapy Gardens.”
