Dr. Alexander H. Beaton (1838 - 1932)Inducted 1973

A pioneer in the treatment and education of the developmentally challenged, Dr. Alexander H. Beaton justly deserves to be included in "The Hall of Fame." He worked hard to justify his belief in the educational requirements of the patients as well as residential facilities.

Dr. Beaton was educated in the Township of Pickering, then graduated from the Toronto School of Medicine in 1864 with a specialty in surgery. He practiced in Stayner for ten years. In 1876 he was appointed superintendent of The Orillia Asylum for Idiots, five months after the institution was opened with 100 residents. It was the first Canadian institution for the developmentally challenged and remained the only one for almost twenty-five years. Dr. Beaton was superintendent for thirty-four years, retiring at age seventy-two.

It is significant to note that, as more progress was made as to the treatment, research and education of the developmentally challenged, the institution was renamed The Ontario Hospital, then The Ontario Hospital School, and today is known as The Huronia Regional Centre.

Dr. Beaton was twice elected the president of the Association of Medical Officers of American Institutions for Idiotic and Feeble Minded Persons. To this day, it is believed Dr. Beaton is the only Canadian ever elected president of that association.

Dr. Beaton was an elder in the Orillia Presbyterian Church for forty-five years and was involved with the planning and building of the church sanctuary. The beautifully carved communion table in the church, presented by his son, is a memorial to Dr. Beaton and his wife.

Dr. Beaton died in 1932 at the age of ninety-four