Sports complex named for
longtime UVic supporter
UVic has renamed its Gordon Head sports complex after Victoria businessman and lawyer Ian Stewart, a long-time supporter of the university.
Stewart was chair of UVic’s board of governors when the university acquired the sports complex in 1991. Housing an outdoor pool, ice rink, tennis, squash and racquetball courts, weight room and dance studio, the complex provides recreational facilities for university students, staff and faculty, as well as members of the community.
Stewart was first appointed to the UVic board in 1976. He served on the board for nearly 12 years, eight of them as chair. Stewart was among the founding donors who established UVic’s centre for studies in religion and society in 1991. He’s also been a keen supporter of UVic’s athletic programs.
Stewart was born in Hankow, China. He lived in Hong Kong and Shanghai before and after the Second World War prior to moving to British Columbia permanently to attend school at Vancouver College. He was a member of UBC’s football team and moved to Victoria shortly after graduating from law school.
Stewart ran for the provincial Liberals in 1963 and 1969 and was elected a Victoria alderman in 1966. By 1978 he was devoting more and more time to legal consulting and doing the legal work for a fledgling auto dealership in which he had an investment. Today, Stewart is president and general manager of Victoria’s Honda City.
The Ian H. Stewart Complex averages more than 20,000 visits each month during the fall and winter terms. Over 3,500 spectators come to the rink each year to watch minor and old timer hockey and school groups use the facility frequently for tennis and squash lessons. The seniors’ exercise therapy program “Re-fitt” is held in the weight room and each year the complex hosts the Ryan Arden Memorial Tennis Tournament to raise funds for Vikes scholarships.
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