Prof to be remembered with the Richard Handscombe Memorial Tree

Many members of the York community will remember the constant good humour and supportive energy of  Richard Handscombe, a talented teacher of English and linguistics at York and a great lover of the natural world.


Before his death in December 2005, Prof. Handscombe expressed the hope that friends might remember him by simply planting a tree and watching it to see what birds came to visit. The members of Prof. Handscombe’s home department, the Department of English at Glendon College, would like to plant a bird-friendly tree in his memory on the Glendon campus. Members of the York community who knew Prof. Handscombe are invited to join in this project.


The full cost of planting and maintaining a tree on the Glendon campus, and marking it with an appropriate plaque, is $1,500. A tax-deductible contribution may be made in any of the following ways (please be sure to indicate that your gift is for the Richard Handscombe Memorial Tree):


Cheques, made out to the York University Foundation, should be mailed to:


York University Foundation
West Office Building
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, Ont. M3J 1P3


Alternatively, credit card donations may be made by calling 416-650-8210. And to donate online, go to http://www.yorku.ca/foundation/ or click here to download a PDF donation form.


Include your name (without gift details) so that it can be shared with the organizers as they would like to acknowledge your gift with a private card. If you prefer your participation to be anonymous, indicate this with your incoming gift.


To view YFile’s Passings notice for Prof. Handscombe, click here.