The INK POT TROPHY was originally created to be awarded each year to the school who won the senior football game.
The rivalry was between Earl Haig Collegiate and Bathurst Heights Collegiate. We had shared our school with Bathurst Heights kids while their school was being built.
Made from a half section of an actual Copper Ink Pot *, this trophy was beautifully designed and skillfully hand crafted by our shop teacher, Mr. Deare, in 1952. ( Carl was in his Manual Training class in grade 9.) It is a bit of a mystery as to why the Trophy was designed to include as many as 16 award shields.
TIMELINE OF AWARDS
1952 won by Bathurst Heights Collegiate
1953 won by Earl Haig Collegiate
1954 won by Earl Haig
1955 won by Bathurst Heights
The trophy was misplaced 2 or times. Consequently, there was a big gap in the timing for the next award. There were no more football games. We had all moved on.
Then we started having reunions and the trophy got “repurposed”, mainly for nostalgic reasons, Carl personally made most of the choices as to who would receive the trophy as an “award” each year from that time on.
1998 The first new “award” went to Bobo Pearson, as a joke to keep him quiet. At boy’s reunions he would speak out and would rant a bunch of nonsense for the longest time, usually with shouts from some of us to “sit down and shut up” (mainly coming from Roger Allen and Charlie Hardy).
1999 Next, it was awarded to Chuck Hardy as he was the best athlete at our school. One year he either won or tied every race he ran in the 100, 220 and 440, including other schools in the TDIAA (the Toronto District Interscholastic Athletic Association), and he set records. Hardy probably would have been on Canada’s 1960 Olympic team if he hadn’t become sick during the trials.
2000 awarded to Carl Dell’Agnese in recognition of all his time and efforts in keeping alive our annual reunions.
2001 we awarded it to one of our teachers, Mr. Charley Fick. He was a teacher and our football coach. A very nice man, once he took us to Niagara Falls for an exhibition game.
2002 it was awarded to all our beautiful cheerleaders, who were the envy of the other schools in the TDIAA. Bev Paterson was awarded the best cheerleader in the TDIAA one year.
2003 awarded to Allan Connolly, a very popular student who was elected president of the Student Council one year. Al was also a great athlete who played every sport at the school. He played for the University of Toronto football team (and was Best Man at Carl’s wedding).
2004 awarded to David Crombie. Well liked and everyone’s friend, he has an amazing memory of our past. Dave was elected Mayor of the City of Toronto and has done more for the city than anyone else. Still quite active, he is on many different committees. He was featured on a weekly radio show – always busy trying to help.
Both Al Connolly and Dave Crombie were Eaton’s Representatives.
2005 awarded to William Withrow, art teacher. In 1960, Bill joined the Art Gallery of Toronto as Associate Director and was appointed Director in 1961. Under his leadership, the AGT flourished. In 1966, he convinced the province that the institution should become the Art Gallery of Ontario, providing it with more prominence and funding.
— The trophy was again misplaced and not found for many years, Its whereabouts were found once by Mr. Fick; then again by Bill Dunsmoor. Bruce Klein took it and cleaned it up, restoring it to it’s present lustre.
2009 awarded to Nick Purdue, Jim Smythe and Jack Foote, teachers and sports coaches.
2010 awarded to Russ Strathdee & Sue Harding – both played a big part of our annual reunions. Russ created and maintains our great website.
2011 awarded to Bill and Susan Dunsmoor who actually started it all with a cocktail party early on before we held any reunions.
2013 awarded to Bruce Clarke, originator of the Fabulous 50’s group.
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Eventually it ended up with Carl.
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* WHAT WAS AN INK POT?
Back in the day, we learned cursive writing, using pen and ink, and dipping our pen into an inkwell when it started to run out of ink. At the beginning of a day, a teacher would go around the room and refill the inkwells from a supply of ink in a copper ink pot.
–oo–
earlhaig50s 
fun to reminisce; thank you
Marion McCabe 1955 Grad