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“To Encourage Intelligent Study and Hard Work”

Retired as of June 2019, I now spend a good bit of spare time doing my best to "encourage intelligent study and hard work" -- as Robert McCowan had said in 1930 or 31.

I continue to fund the:

• Robert McCowan Award for Senior Math and Senior Physics at R.H. King Academy 
• George McCowan Award for College Mathematics at R.H. King Academy

I also look after the Bill McCowan Work Ethic Award at Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute and, more recently, the Jack McCowan History award. 

In 2025, two Crestwood Academy students received nice cash awards for their essays based on world war 2 recollections in the Crestwood Oral History Project. These awards were under the Jack McCowan History Award. 

Four students at Larbert High School in Scotland received nice cash awards for their literary work commemorating the repatriation of the McCowan's Highland Cow tapestry.

Coming Very Soon
More Than a Land Acknowledgement Statement: Essay Competition

-Gr12_Essay_PermForm_Dec15_25-McCowan.pdf (Permission Form)
-1885_July4-Globe-COUNTRY_LIFE_AnnisInnIncid1814-TConant-Dec15_25.pdf (an archival newspaper "primary source")

By way of a preamble to this Essay Competition: 
In an uncontrolled manner, "new" primary sources become public knowledge every day, for example archival newspaper accounts. Some so-called primary sources could even be border-line "fake news" (politically-motivated pieces for example). In your random web-surfing -- all public knowledge -- you are bound to find some of these accounts that use dated language and skewed perspectives. It is the job of educators to guide you in using your critical thinking skills to carefully evaluate such accounts. Educators will guide you to use your creative thinking skills to imagine and compose alternative perspectives that may (or may not) be judged as potentially more truthful.

Artifact Donations

I recently arranged for the following donations of meaningful heritage artifacts: 

• Two mid-1940's "V" for "Victory" panels were donated by the McCowan family to Crestwood Academy in Toronto on November 11, 2024.
• Repatriation of McCowan's Highland Cow Tapestry to Larbert High School in Scotland, courtesy of Bruce and Bea McCowan, June 5, 2025.
• The McCowan family donated a Century-old Ceremonial Trowel on Nov 2, 2025, to Scarborough's Fire Fighting Museum in care of the Toronto Fire Historical Society.

These three artifact donations were all made in well-attended public presentations.

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The James McCowan Memorial Social History Initiative is dedicated to making occasional contributions to a body of work celebrating the endeavours and achievements of Scots and Scots' descendants in Canada.