Joseph Connell

A native of Scotland, Joseph Connell was raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He became a school teacher and president of the Ontario Teacher’s Federation. He was president of the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA and was international director of the boys’ work for Y Men for five years. In 1937, he received the King George VI medal for his work with young people and the blind. During World War II, he served in the RCAF.

In 1948, he became general secretary of the YMCA in Kitchener. It is estimated that 10,000 people learned public speaking techniques from Connell, who travelled extensively and made as many as 200 speeches each year. He was named Kitchener Citizen of the Year in 1959 by the Sales and Ad Club and in 1963 by the Kitchener-Waterloo Jaycees.

Connell was chairman of the Federated Appeal for twenty-five years and he was executive secretary of the Grand Valley Conservation Foundation. He was designated an Officer of the Fellowship of Honour of the national YMCA, received a meritorious service award from the Industrial Accident Prevention Association, a Canada Centennial Medal and an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Waterloo “for service to youth, industry and education”.