Reg Shadbolt, who died in 2025, built a life around education, fairness, and quiet generosity, leaving a legacy that continues to shape Kingston, the BGC South East and the Community Foundation today. “He was an amazing man,” says his wife, Audrey. “We continue to hear of wonderful things he has done.” His daughter Katherine adds that Reg’s leadership was rooted in relationships. “Dad’s leadership style was visionary and highly collaborative. He loved working with people, and he obviously loved the Kingston community.”
Reg began his career as a teacher, working in North Kingston schools where many children faced financial barriers and arrived at school without the same advantages as their peers. As he acquired experience as an educator, starting as a teacher at Robert Meek, Frontenac & Kingscourt public schools; then as a Master at Ottawa Teachers College, and eventually Superintendent and Director of Education in Kingston, “real disparities in opportunities for children became even more obvious to him.” Audrey says that Reg noticed “differences between children at their start in school, those whose families were stable and secure and those whose families faced real challenges.”
That awareness shaped both his career and his philanthropy. “Always he had children in mind, especially children who were struggling,” Audrey notes, “and if there was any way to lift barriers and ease those struggles, he wanted that done.” One expression of this vision is the dedication Reg gave to the Boys and Girls Club, such that they set up the Reg Shadbolt Learning Centre, a centre that offers additional support and assistance to children who find the classroom challenging.
Another expression is the creation of The Audrey and Reg Shadbolt Trust Fund for Kids, to assist children who are disadvantaged financially or otherwise. While the Fund is managed by the Community Foundation, monies from the Fund are disbursed to the Boys and Girls Club (through the Executive Director, Harold Parsons) so that a child or children, at BGC, can benefit in a way that is consistent with Reg and Audrey’s wishes.
Katherine saw her father apply the same values from his community leadership to their family life. She describes him as respectful, “very inclusive” and someone who believed that different voices needed to be at the table. She also remembers that no matter how busy he was, “he was always available” to listen, advise, or offer support when someone needed him, a quality she now recognizes as central to his impact as both an educator and a community builder.
Audrey recalls his time on the Board of Kingston General Hospital, when he looked around a room where there was “talk about women’s health issues” and realized there was not a single woman present. “He said, I either have to resign (from the Board) or I have to fix that,” she remembers. As a result, he pushed to bring women onto the Board, a change Katherine sees as consistent with his belief that systems should be fair and reflective of the people they serve.
Reg’s belief in community also guided the family’s philanthropy, says Audrey: “Having long been involved with the Community Foundation, we had no problems deciding that the Foundation should manage the Trust Fund Reg and I set up to benefit the children in the Boys and Girls Club of Kingston.” Their gift to a Community Foundation fund to support children and youth extends Reg’s concern for those who need “a little extra support” well into the future.
The depth of their connection to the Kingston community was on full display at the celebration of Reg’s life, where donations were accepted to the Audrey and Reg Shadbolt Trust Fund for Kids. More than 500 people attended and Audrey remembers a friend arriving and calling out with a laugh, “Don’t worry, Reg, I brought my wallet and my cheque book.” It was a moment that captured both the warmth of the gathering and the generosity Reg inspired in others.
For Audrey, one of the most powerful memories is what Reg said near the end of his life. His last words were, “I am blessed. I am really blessed.” Katherine agrees. “He gave to so many people,” she says, “but he always felt that he received more than he gave.”
