Fonds 1960 - Frederick and Joan Winter Family fonds

Prof. Frederick E. Winter (1922 – 2011) was a classical archaeologist whose research focused on various aspects of Greek and Roman architecture, fortifications, and travelling routes. Prof. Winter taught at the University of Toronto (UofT) for more than fifty years, while also spending substantial time in areas of the Mediterranean, where he was involved in research and teaching.

Prof. Winter was born in Barbados where he was awarded a scholarship to attend McGill University and complete his undergraduate degree in Classics (B.A., 1945). He later received his PhD at the UofT, writing his dissertation on Greek fortifications (1957). In 1971, he published the book, Greek Fortifications. Prior to completing his studies, he accepted lecturing positions in Classics at Trinity College and at UofT’s Department of Art and Archaeology (later to become the Department of Fine Art), the latter being where Prof. Winter continued to teach for a large part of his career. He served as the Department of Art and Archaeology’s Chairman from 1971 to 1977 and earlier as the Chair of the Association of Teaching Staff (1968-1969). In 1990, Winter was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus.

Throughout his career, Prof. Winter travelled and conducted grant-funded research in multiple Mediterranean countries. He was a Senior Associate Member and former Special Research Fellow (Whitehead Visiting Professor) at the American Classical School at Athens. In 2006, he published Studies in Hellenistic Architecture.

Joan Winter (nee Hay, 1925 – 2017) was a curator and archaeologist. Born in Alberta, she was raised outside of Lethbridge where her father worked on a Government Research Station (Government Experimental Farm). She attended the University of Alberta where she received her B.A. in 1947. Following her degree she accepted a position as assistant curator in the Department of Classical Archaeology at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). In 1948, Joan Winter was awarded the Reuben Wells Lenard Fellowship and in 1950 received her M.A. in Classical Archaeology. Her thesis work focused on classification of the Greek coin collection held at the ROM. Miss Hay was a member of the University Art Women’s Club where she served on the Executive Committee and as President.

In 1947, Miss Hay met Frederick Winter and the two were married in 1951. In approximately 1970, following the births of their four children, Mrs. Winter began assisting Prof. Winter with marking and tutorials for some of his classes. Beginning in 1971 and from 1975 onwards, Mrs. Winter accompanied Prof. Winter on his fieldwork and teaching trips abroad. By the early 1980s, the two began researching and retracing the routes followed by the second-century Greek geographer, Pausanias. This work resulted in two co-authored publications and a series of presentations. The Winters also presented a number of lectures to general audiences based on their travels and knowledge of the archaeology and the Mediterranean region.