The OCAD University community is deeply saddened by the passing of Norman Blasdell Hathaway, past president of the Ontario College of Art between 1985 and 1989. He passed away at the age of 96 on May 11, 2021.
His life was filled with music, classic cars, family and friends. In 1942, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy, and with his saxophone and clarinet by his side, joined the HMCS York Navy Band in Toronto. Hathaway was then drafted to the HMCS Chatham in Prince Rupert, B.C. along with 30 navy musicians.
After the war, he attended the Ontario College of Art to study drawing and graphic design, graduating with first class honours. He continued as a professional musician performing with the renowned Leo Romanelli Orchestra at the Manoir Richelieu in Quebec, the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, and King Edward Hotel in Toronto. He also played with Moxie Whitney's band in the Imperial Room at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.
His career included working as an advertising manager for the Office Specialty Manufacturing Company and he later launched Hathaway Templeton, a corporate industrial design company. He joined Sebert Productions as vice-president and sales manager where he produced TV commercials and award-winning corporate films.
In the early 1970s, he created Hathaway Associates, one of Canada's foremost design firms specializing in packaging and corporate identity. He was responsible for iconic designs, such as the Ontario Trillium and the Coat of Arms for the Government of Ontario as well as package designs for Smarties, Coffee Crisp, KitKat, Aero bars, and Robin Hood.
He won first prize for an industrial film at the International Film Awards in Chicago, and his annual reports for GM, Ford, and Massey Ferguson were highly recognized. Most notably, he finalized the design of the new Canadian flag.