Trent becoming a family affair

Trent University already holds scores of special memories for the Sutton family of Newmarket, and there may be more in the making.

It was June of 1969 when Mary Frances O'Toole and Douglas Sutton accepted their diplomas as members of the third graduating class in Trent's history.

Both went on to pursue teaching careers and a few years later they married. Sean, the eldest of their four children, has just graduated, while Brendan, is entering third year and leaves this fall for the year abroad program in Ecuador. Two other children are in high school.

While the final decision of where to attend university was left up to them, Mary Frances said she and her husband encouraged both boys to choose Trent. "We felt that Trent offers a far superior education with its tutorial and seminar system. Learning in small groups and the personal attention of the professors is so much more beneficial than sitting in huge lecture halls."

Sean's convocation was an emotional moment for Mary Frances as she proudly watched him receive his undergraduate degree while her memory flashed back 31 years to the day she did the same.

Sean bears a striking resemblance to his dad, a point driven home when the family viewed an 8-millimeter film last year shot by Doug's uncle during the 1969 convocation, said Mary Frances. "The other children couldnąt understand how there could already be graduation pictures of Sean, since he still had a year to go in his undergraduate degree. They couldn't believe they were actually watching their father, who not only looked almost identical to Sean but even had the same walk."

Eventually, Sean may make his way back to Trent, says Mary Frances, as he has expressed an interest in earning his Ph.D. and becoming a professor. So how would one of the younger siblings feel about taking classes from their big brother?

Probably not well, if Dad's experience means anything. A history teacher in Newmarket, Doug did a one-year stint at Aurora High School, where the two youngest children are enrolled. "They presented him with their own list of 10 commandments," said Mary Frances. "It was a series of 'thou shalt not' rules intended to keep him from talking to them in the halls, asking about homework, talking with their teachers and a list of other things that might embarrass a teenager in front of his or her peers."

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