Honourary doctorate for University of Guelph alumnus Denham Jolly
July 6, 2023
Though it is nearly 70 years since Denham Jolly arrived on campus at the Ontario Agricultural College, he still has fond memories of the brief time spent at the University of Guelph that bestowed him with an honourary doctorate on June 14.
He left Jamaica in 1955 to pursue higher education at the college that is affiliated with the southwestern Ontario university.
“Almost every meal I ate in the dining hall had potatoes,” the 87-year-old Jolly said in his convocation address. “Baked, boiled, mashed, fried and scalloped. I ate potatoes at home in Jamaica, but the staples were rice and yam. Talk about culture shock.”
After a year in Guelph, he transferred to Nova Scotia Agricultural College that merged with Dalhousie University in 2012 and completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture at McGill University’s Macdonald College that was the first Canadian school to graduate PhDs in agricultural subjects.
Jolly was a Nutrition Researcher with the Jamaica government for two years before returning to Canada in 1962 to serve as a City of Toronto Air Pollution Researcher, Biology teacher in Sault Ste. Marie and a Physics & Chemistry teacher at Forest Hill Collegiate Institute before venturing into entrepreneurship.
He published the defunct ‘Contrast’ community newspaper, owned nursing homes in the Greater Toronto Area and founded Canada’s first Black-owned urban radio station, FLOW 93.5 FM, in 2001 that helped launch the careers of many local artists and provided a gateway to young professionals to enter the radio and television industry.
“So if you are listening to Drake, the Weeknd and others, it is FLOW that has made your life more interesting,” Jolly told the graduates. “FLOW was not only a bona fide Black business success, but we were a strong voice in the battle for social justice.”
He later partnered with CHUM to start The BOUNCE 97.1 FM in Edmonton.
With the industry becoming more competitive and major radio stations dramatically increasing their economies of scale, FLOW – as a stand-alone station -- was backed into a corner.
CTV assumed ownership of the station in February 2011.
Jolly’s passion for entrepreneurship matched his fierce social justice advocacy.
The Cornwall College graduate co-founded the Black Action Defence Committee (BADC) in 1988 in the aftermath of the police shooting of Lester Donaldson, marched with protestors demanding social justice and contributed significant sums of money to community organizations and causes.
“BADC was a precursor to today’s Black Lives Matter movement and the principal force in the formation of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU),” said Jolly who co-founded the Black Business & Professional Association that administer the Harry Jerome Awards.
Established in 1990, the SIU investigates incidents involving police and civilians that result in serious injury, death or sexual assault allegations.
Former Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) President Adaoma Patterson nominated Jolly for the honour.
She said his life and journey represent the best of humanity.
“There is no question that his impact on the Greater Toronto Area, the province of Ontario and Canada is substantial,” Patterson pointed out. “He is a special individual who has achieved incredible success as an entrepreneur, but also understands the importance of giving back and investing in others. For more than 60 years, his life has been about more than himself and his personal accomplishments. He has used his position and access to spaces of power to open doors for others and speak out about anti-Black racism and other forms of discrimination.”
She noted that the Doctor of Laws degree will serve as an outstanding example of how one person can improve others’ lives.
“He is truly a unique individual with exceptional business acumen, a consistent and impressive record of service and someone who has confidently demonstrated an understanding of his place and role in the world,” Patterson added.
Black Experience Project Director of Community Engagement & Outreach Marva Wisdom supported Jolly’s nomination.
She was a member of the University of Guelph Senate Honours and Awards Committee.
“As a former member, I understand the rigour and care that goes into selecting a recipient who embodies ‘Improving Life’,” said Wisdom. “Dr. B. Denham Jolly improves lives, community, country and world. I have benefitted from his philanthropy and ‘barrier-breaking’ leadership both in the business and social justice environments.
“Beyond his curriculum vitae, he has provided an example of how one can navigate an inequitable system towards demonstrable success. He has also taught us the importance of giving back, both in time and treasure. That he built his foundation on a solid post-secondary education is an important example for the University of Guelph community, especially its students who identify as Black.”
In addition to his vast contributions in Canada, Jolly has financially supported Industry Cove Basic School founded by his late mother Ina Jolly in 1962 and early childhood educators in Jamaica.
Denham Jolly with Chancellor Mary Anne Chambers (r) and President & Vice Chancellor Dr. Charlotte Yates (Photo contributed)
University of Guelph Chancellor and former Project for the Advancement of Early Childhood Education (PACE) Canada President Mary Anne Chambers, who has known Jolly for over three decades, noted the support he extends to early childhood educators in Jamaica.
“Thousands of children, ages three to six years, have since had their first exposure to formal education at Industry Cove in an environment that is the envy of many, if not most other early childhood education institutions in Jamaica, thanks to the longstanding and ongoing investments in the school and its students, made by Denham Jolly,” she said.
“The extent of his support for early childhood education in Jamaica has resulted in him being named a Patron of PACE that works in partnership with the Government of Jamaica’s Early Childhood Commission.”
In 2019, the City of Toronto named a street running through a new residential community in Scarborough, ‘Jolly Way’ to honour the octogenarian.
Two years later, he was appointed to the Order of Canada.
