{"id":28118,"date":"2020-11-27T13:01:13","date_gmt":"2020-11-27T18:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=28118"},"modified":"2020-12-04T19:02:03","modified_gmt":"2020-12-05T00:02:03","slug":"wallace-remembered-as-auroras-chief-cheerleader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wallace-remembered-as-auroras-chief-cheerleader\/","title":{"rendered":"Wallace remembered as Aurora’s “Chief Cheerleader”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ron Wallace, fondly known by the nickname \u201cMr. Aurora\u201d, is being remembered for his passion for the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wallace, founder and long-time editor of The Auroran, died Sunday afternoon after a nearly decade-long battle with an atypical parkinsonism-related disease. He was 76.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wallace was a three-term Aurora Councillor, a York Region District School Board Trustee, volunteer firefighter and tireless community advocate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wallace founded The Auroran in 2000 with a vision for a hyper-local community newspaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move came after a long career in journalism which began in the early 1960s working as an \u201coffice boy\u201d at The Toronto Star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While at The Star, he was the first person in the newsroom to learn about the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, after pulling the breaking news bulletin off the wire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A passion was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After bouncing to the Canadian Press and other organizations, a chance letter back home to North Bay ended up in the local paper and, thereafter, Wallace had a taste for bylines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After studying journalism at Ryerson University, work at the Stouffville Tribune followed before he took the helm as editor of the Aurora Banner and the Etobicoke Guardian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, his love of books fuelled a second career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1985, while he was juggling his newspaper work with being a volunteer firefighter in Aurora, he and his late partner Rosemary Schumaker founded the R&R Book Bar, a popular store selling new and used books that, thanks to Ron and Rosemary\u2019s tireless involvement in Aurora\u2019s civic life, became a community hub well beyond the printed page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was 1.30 in the morning \u2013 Sunday, November 25, 1984 \u2013 when the fire alarm pager in my bedroom went crazy,\u201d Wallace recalled in an article he penned for Ryerson alumni. \u201cAs a volunteer firefighter, I jumped out of bed and my life took a 180-degree turn. It took me, however, about two more weeks before I realized it. In downtown Aurora that cold November morning, a major fire was blazing out of control. At stake were three businesses and eight apartments. By dawn, all would be destroyed. Among them, a bookstore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nearly impossible to restore a book damaged by water, and the owner, throwing in the towel, knew it. He had been 11 years in Aurora, and only three weeks earlier, had moved to the location that was now a stark ruin against the early-morning sky.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The penny dropped two weeks later and, while vacationing in Florida, Ron and Rosemary decided to step up to the plate and establish a store of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey say that journalism is the most fun anyone can have with their clothes on,\u201d he joked. \u201cSo can selling books, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new millennium brought a new enterprise for Wallace. With a vision for a new paper serving the community he loved, he founded The Auroran in October of 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The newspaper\u2019s early motto was simple \u2013 \u201cIf it matters to Aurora, it matters to us\u201d \u2013 and it was a motto he took seriously. Aurora was not only a community he loved \u2013 the community also inspired the name of his daughter, Aurora Wallace, now a university professor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wore Aurora on my sleeve, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d he said, proudly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to his careers in journalism and politics, Wallace was a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Aurora, a keen supporter of the Aurora Optimist Club, the Lions Club, the Royal Canadian Legion, the Society of York Region Artists (SOYRA), the Aurora Farmers\u2019 Market and a driving force behind the Aurora Street Festival, a popular annual event hosted by the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, which was set to mark its twenty-fifth anniversary in June before COVID-19 forced its cancellation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring the early weeks of 1995, Ron Wallace approached me at the Aurora Chamber with the idea of celebrating the 200th<\/sup> anniversary of Yonge Street by holding a street sale,\u201d recalls Rosalyn Gonsalves, who served as manager of the Chamber at that time. \u201cI just about had a fit as Mary Lynn Stephenson and I were the only employees and with the Home Show and the demands of an ever-growing membership, we wondered how this would all happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They listened to the pitch, were skeptical, but promised to bring it up to the Board, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They got the green light and Board member Lisa Knappett stepped up to help Wallace make the \u201cLongest Street Sale on the World\u2019s Longest Street\u201d a reality for June of that year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs our luck would have it, the Hon. Hal Jackman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, was visiting [Trinity Anglican Church] and together with Cathy Vrancic, President of the Board, they walked over to Yonge and Wellington and [Jackman] officially opened the very first Aurora Street Sale to much fanfare. Lisa, who was relatively new to Aurora, was not too thrilled with having to make a speech and Ron said, \u2018Don\u2019t worry, dear. I\u2019ll be more than happy to write it for you. That\u2019s what I do for a living, you know.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following Wallace\u2019s passing, community leaders past and present shared their tributes of their friend and colleague.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are all deeply saddened at the news of the passing of Ron Wallace, affectionately known as \u2018Mr. Aurora,\u2019\u201d said Mayor Tom Mrakas. \u201cWhat a profound loss for our community. Ron Wallace gave so much to Aurora [and was] a remarkable community leader that will be truly missed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former mayor Tim Jones recalled working with Wallace on Council, paying tribute to his friendship and camaraderie both at and away from the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore and after I left active political life, while Ron was still active, Steve Hinder and I would invite Ron up to the YRP (York Regional Police) \u2018shed\u2019 in Newmarket on a monthly basis for a beer, simply to discuss what was happening in our Town and have a few laughs. When Ron and Herb McKenzie got together to fight to preserve anything to do with Aurora, you knew you were up for a heartfelt argument where they were not wrong with their ideals. And, I recall how happy we all were when he and (wife) Pat got together as a couple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAurora was so fortunate to have had Ron play the roles that he did in our Town. Hopefully Council will find a way to recognize his influence and effect in a suitable manner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ron Wallace was recognized for his work in life. In 2012, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, an honour instituted by the Federal Government, which was presented to him at a Queen\u2019s Park ceremony by then-MPP and good friend Frank Klees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRon Wallace touched countless lives over the course of his many iterations as an elected politician, community leader, volunteer and Chief Cheerleader of the Town of Aurora,\u201d said Klees. \u201cIn his roles as a \u2018newspaper man\u2019 \u2013 whether as a reporter, editor or publisher, Ron was always my toughest critic and will always be remembered by me for his first column on my foray into the race for MPP, which ran with the headline: \u2018Frank Who?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was privileged to know Ron in his professional capacity, but more so, I was honoured to count him as a friend and will forever remember his love for our Town.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A year later, the community Ron Wallace loved honoured him with the Citizen of the Year award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe is a stranger to very few,\u201d said former mayor Geoff Dawe when he presented Wallace with the accolade. \u201cHe has been an exceptionally visible and active member of our community. He came to Aurora in 1969 to work in the newspaper industry. His community involvement speaks volumes for his character and his commitment to our Town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith a wealth of accolades and a lifetime commitment to his community, our Citizen of the Year\u2019s altruism can be summed up best by his own words: \u2018I love Aurora and that\u2019s all there is to it. I would do anything I could for this Town.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ron Wallace is survived by his wife, Patricia, daughter Aurora, and sister Bunny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HAVE YOUR SAY \u2013 Share your memories of Ron Wallace to brock@lpcmedia.ca.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir<\/strong>
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/em><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ron Wallace, fondly known by the nickname \u201cMr. Aurora\u201d, is being remembered for his passion for the community. Wallace, founder and long-time editor of The Auroran, died Sunday afternoon after a nearly decade-long battle with an atypical parkinsonism-related disease. He was 76. Wallace was a three-term Aurora Councillor, a York Region District School Board Trustee, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":28119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/2020-11-26-04-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-7jw","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-16 08:05:56","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}