From campus connections to lasting friendship: Richard Swenson’s gift to Hart House
Sep 5, 2025
Richard (Dick) Swenson.
Richard (Dick) Swenson has generously included U of T’s Hart House in his estate planning as a way of ensuring that others can experience the same warm welcome he enjoyed as a U of T employee in the late 1960s. In 1968, math and computer whizz Richard (Dick) Swenson began working at the University of Toronto and first connected with Hart House. His time at the University was greatly enriched by his strong connections to and relationships within Hart House and the Hart House Fitness Centre ‒ a community that he says wholly embraced him.
Today, Dick and his wife Juli live in Washington State. But he never forgot Hart House. “Hart House is truly grateful for Dick’s deeply generous support. His Hart House story is one of exceptional kindness and grace. He is giving back to a place that he says was so welcoming and caring of him. He’s truly paying it forward so that others can enjoy the same welcome he received,” says Associate Director of Advancement, Peter Wambera.
An instant connection with U of T
Dick earned his Master’s in Math from NYU (New York University), focusing on computer-related areas. He was set to undertake his PhD. But while at NYU, he worked with a U of T professor and this association altered his trajectory. “Because of this connection, I was approached by Professor Calvin (Kelly) Gotlieb of the Department of Computer Science at U of T to manage a program to convert the existing computer facility to a connected collection of computers throughout the University. That was the beginning of my 13-year association with U of T.”
U of T was, to me, ‘a real campus’ with many buildings of various ages and styles.
Dick loved U of T from the start. “The whole campus of the University was vastly different from where I worked in New York. My employer at NYU was the US Atomic Energy Commission in Greenwich Village. It had no similarity, in terms of aesthetics, to a classical university. So, U of T was, to me, ‘a real campus’ with many buildings of various ages and styles.”
U of T was, to me, ‘a real campus’ with many buildings of various ages and styles.
From the beginning, he found Hart House to be a welcoming place. He particularly enjoyed swimming at the Hart House Fitness Centre. Interestingly, years later at age 60, he became a scuba diver after earning his PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certificate in Victoria, British Columbia.
Dick was also very active in the (then named) Recreational Athletic Committee (RAC) at Hart House. He remembers this time fondly. “I was conscripted to run for Secretary and won. I was re-elected a number of times,” he says, adding, “I became a devotee of RAC. I found a very comfortable organization to belong to.”
Forging lasting friendships at Hart House
At U of T, Dick worked with Dan Herbert who was in computers in dentistry. “Dan was a powerful influence on me; I can say he was the single biggest influence in my Hart House experience for many reasons. He was a serious athlete. He and his wife Marilyn Freeman were fantastic cyclists. He was very smart. He and I liked to spend time together talking. We could talk about anything … whether we agreed or not! I always enjoyed his constant encouragement.”
Sadly, Dan passed away in November 2003. “I was in Toronto and spent Dan’s last night in hospital by his side. I was able to attend his funeral and honoured to speak at his interment. I have missed him every day since. Marilyn is someone with whom Juli and I have maintained an email connection ever since.”
Dick also formed a lasting friendship with Jon Evans. “Jon was a dentist who was among a small group of participants in the daily workouts at the Hart House Fitness Centre. They called their group “the over and under 30” because they were over 30 years of age and could run 10 kms in under 30 minutes,” Dick explains.
Jon Evans with his son Owen outside Hart House.
“Jon also liked cars and owned a highly coveted Lister Costin racing car.” Dick and Jon once traveled to Daytona speedway in Florida. “I basked in the glow of being associated with the car and otherwise followed Jon around like a puppy dog.” Dick surprised himself by repairing the gear box on the fly. “Pretending to know what I was doing, I took the gear box apart, repaired it and then reassembled it … and it worked. What a hoot!”
Jon Evans with his son Owen outside Hart House.
Years later, the two met up in Switzerland and had a memorable lunch on the terrace of the Palace Hotel in Gstaad. “A hot air balloon was launched while we were there. I took a picture that turned out to be stunning. The hotel liked it so much that they hung a copy at the reception desk!”
A lasting legacy
Dick will turn 88 in November. His wife, Juli, raised the question of donating to a worthy cause through his will. “We considered this question together: What do I do with the money?”
First, he thought of how much he loves Canada. “In 1975, I became a Canadian. I have dual citizenship, both American and Canadian,” he explains. “Both my wife and I find the atmosphere in Canada very pleasant.” Then, he thought of how much Hart House means to him, and decided to incorporate it into his estate planning. “The House has fine memories for me as it was one of the first places that I felt comfortable and was greeted in a way that was new to me,” he sums up.
Dick’s generous donation will, no doubt, help to forge more life-long friendships and create more unforgettable memories at Hart House.
