Left: Doug Peacock in his graduation photo in the 1960s. Right: Doug at a UW Athletics event in 2024.
By Nancy Schnarr, Senior Manager, Central Communications
As a Renison staff member, I hear so often from students and alumni that Renison is “special.” This “special”-ness extends back to the early days when it was a much smaller, but no less welcoming, place for students.
Doug Peacock, now 80, spent the first years of his university career at Renison, living in residence for two years while completing his degree in History. When I asked him to give me one word to describe Renison he said “magic.”
Let’s start at the beginning. Doug was young athlete who grew up in a 2nd floor flat in Scarborough. His family was blue collar, and no one had yet attended university until Doug set off to the small town of Waterloo in 1961. His initially planned to attend Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, but a meeting with an Assistant Registrar changed his course to the University of Waterloo and Renison.
From an Anglican family, Doug was drawn to the new Anglican college on campus called Renison. They had a special rate for athletes, and since Doug was also wanting to play hockey and football, it seemed a perfect fit. When driving to campus from the bus station though, Doug says that the taxi driver hadn’t even heard of it. When he arrived at the small campus on Westmount Road, he says it felt like he was in the middle of nowhere, right on the fringe of farm country.
It didn’t take long for Doug to settle into life at the new college. He describes it as small, new, and comfortable. His roommate was Rod Ferguson from Fergus, and one of his classmates was Gail Cuthbert Brandt, who would serve as Renison’s Principal from 1992-2002. At the time the resident population was made up of about 2/3 men and 1/3 women. Doug chuckles as he recalls that the women’s residence was well-patrolled by the Dean, and that often the meeting place for men and women was in the shared laundry room. Doug says that Renison was a very friendly place, there were lots of fellow athletes in the residence, and he appreciated the way Principal Wyn Rees and Dean Rolfe kept an eye out for students.
Doug was impressed with the teaching style of Principal Rees, who was also a History Professor. “I took all of his History classes,” he says. “I remember he was a very good teacher; short in stature but his way of teaching was amazing.” Doug himself would go on to begin his teaching career in 1966, teaching Physical Education, History, and Special Education before moving into a more administrative role as Principal, and then moving on to Trent University as a Teaching Coordinator and making his home in Peterborough.
After a long career in teaching, Doug was encouraged to make an impact on the community in another way – municipal politics. He was elected to City Council and served for a number of years before stepping back in 2010.
Then, in 2020, Doug’s life changed dramatically with the sudden death of his wife while they were on vacation in Australia. The tragedy caused him to re-evaluate his life and he began to focus on grace and hope, leaning on his Anglican faith for inspiration. He spoke at conferences about the importance of intramural sports, and strived to help make school a meaningful place for students.
When he talks about his life, Doug says that his career and volunteer choices have always been to support his community and make a difference; a value that was instilled in him at Renison. Even then the community was progressive and involved with the issues of the day, which Doug looks back on with pride.
Doug remains tied to Renison and the University of Waterloo through his many relationships, and enthusiasm for athletics. “I became quite the academic,” he says. “But my passion was always for athletics.” He stayed in touch with many of his friends from Renison and has often been back for homecoming and other athletic events. In 2005 Doug was inducted into the Waterloo Warriors Hall of Fame, in recognition of his many athletic achievements.
Doug was most recently on campus in 2019 for the opening of the Columbia Ice Fields Sports Centre, and gave a tour of Renison to his wife. They took the walk down the hill, over the bridge, and across the creek. Though he says he gets lost on the growing campus, it’s a walk he’s done countless times before, and he says it was one of the highlights of the trip.
Nowadays Doug can often be found on the golf course, riding his bike, or spending time in his garden. Now remarried, his wife has suggested on more than one occasion that he find a hobby to occupy his time, but he laughs and says that he’s done enough!
Magic. It’s the word that got us here in the first place, and how Doug describes the Renison community. “I’m so lucky that I met that Assistant Registrar, and that I started out at Renison,” he says. “I was blessed to have started off in university at small place where everyone knew your name. Magic was discovering the way Professor Rees taught classes, I felt the magic of being inspired and that has stayed with me.”