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Jim Herder
’64
eaving a legacy
In June, Jim Herder retires from St. Andrew’s after 23 years as Director of a department that has been known variously as the “Alumni Office”, “Development”, “The Foundation”, “The Association”, and “Advancement”. Some think of it as “Fundraising”, but no, says Jim, that’s not it at all. “That’s a very, very limited and limiting view of what we do.” Few positions at St. Andrew’s offer the opportunity to influence the school as much or in as many ways as the Headmaster’s, but Director of Advancement is one of them. Jim Herder’s influence on St. Andrew’s during his tenure here has been immense, from paintings on the walls, buildings on the grounds, the astonishing growth of the endowment and the SAC Legacy funds, the social warmth of the MacPherson Tournament and the breadth and history contained in this magazine. A dignified, respectful and respected man with a mind that sees the big picture while still attending to the details, Jim Herder is an eloquent and engaging storyteller. In the following pages, he tells his own story, gleaned from an interview conducted in his home last December with Andrean writer Jim McGillivray.
You presumably had a ready-made career in St. John’s. How did you end up in Ontario?
I first arrived at St. Andrew’s with my mother when I was 12 years old in September of 1958, so when I retire in June it will be almost
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exactly 50 years of involvement here. I attended the school for six years and finished in 1964. I went into the chartered accountancy business in the days when you worked with a C.A. firm during the day and took correspondence courses from Queen’s on the side.
(L-R) pictured after Old Boys basketball Jim Herder ’64, Sheila Whalen, Jim Herder ’90 (who is “36 and not too happy about it”) and Gail Herder at courtside.
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