Bader Philanthropies Visits Vic

^{Several members of Bader Philanthropies, Inc., including President and CEO Daniel J. Bader, visited Victoria University on Nov. 1, which would have been the 98th birthday of his stepmother, Isabel Bader. (Photos by Peter Power)}

By Leslie Shepherd

When Noah Rudder arrived at Victoria University as an undergraduate student four years ago, he would call his best friend at Queen’s University and talk about this “absolutely gorgeous space” on campus where classes and events were held.

“I would tell him how every detail of this building was pristine, from the floors to the balconies, to the very air in the halls, and of course, I was speaking of the Isabel Bader Theatre,” Rudder said during a recent visit to Vic by the Bader family and Bader Philanthropies, Inc.

“So you can imagine my surprise when he responded to me very simply, ‘Oh we have one of those… and ours is nicer.’”

Rudder said he had an opportunity to visit the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts in Kingston in 2023 and had to admit it was “quite nice.”

But what struck him was how one benefactor had sponsored the nicest facility at not one but two schools, and what “a testament to their generosity” that was.

“That, to me, is a truly magnanimous act and speaks to the spirit and legacy of Mrs. (Isabel) Bader and Bader Philanthropies at large,” said Rudder, the recipient of a Bader Opportunity Award for under-represented students and recent recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship.

Several members of Bader Philanthropies, Inc., including President and CEO Daniel J. Bader, visited Victoria University on Nov. 1, which would have been the 98th birthday of his stepmother, Isabel Bader Vic 4T9 Hon. 9T5 She died in 2022.

Every year on her birthday the charitable foundation visits places that were special to Isabel and her husband Alfred Bader. The couple built a remarkable philanthropic legacy that benefited students, scholarship, research and the arts across Canada and the United States.

After touring the campus, including the Isabel Bader Theatre, the Bader family, board members and staff met students who had received Bader Scholarships and bursaries, Opportunity Awards and Scholars-in-Residence scholarships.

The Bader family and Bader Philanthropies, Inc., are together Victoria’s single largest donor, having given $8.6 million over the years, including $6 million in 1998 to name the purpose-built 500-seat Isabel Bader Theatre.

They also gave $400,000 to the Opportunity Awards, which are offered to students from under-represented or at-risk groups, and a $1 million endowed gift to support the Jackman Scholarsin-Residence program, an immersive and intensive, four-week paid fellowship where undergraduate students live together on campus and conduct humanities and social science research with professors and researchers.

And they supported students who want to participate in the Independent Summer Program at Herstmonceux Castle, a 15th-century brick castle in England they gifted to Queen’s, Alfred Bader’s alma mater.

Dr. Rhonda McEwen said that when she arrived at Victoria University as president in 2022, the Isabel Bader Theatre was one of the campus buildings she knew best. As a documentary film fan, she often attended the Hot Docs Festival there.

^{Dan Bader and Victoria University President Dr. Rhonda McEwen.}

“It is the centre for everything that happens at Vic,” McEwen said, noting that it is not just a location for festivals, concerts and conferences, it is also a lecture theatre for students and it is where Vic One plenaries and convocations take place.

Isabel Bader was born in Kirkland Lake in northern Ontario in 1926. Dan Bader said he wasn’t sure how she wound up in the big city of Toronto or at Vic, but she was the first member of her family to go to college, earning a BA in modern history in 1949.

“She loved this university and she loved this college,” he said. “It really gave her something that she had for the rest of her life, a sense of personal dignity.”

Shortly after she graduated, Isabel sailed to Britain to pursue graduate studies. On that voyage she met Alfred Bader, who also had a passion for the arts. They developed an immediate bond but parted ways. For the next 30 years, she pursued a career in teaching and developed an interest in theatre and poetry. Alfred founded an international chemical company based in Milwaukee. They eventually reconnected and married in 1982 and became a philanthropic force.

“Their gifts have benefitted countless students over many decades,” said McEwen. “This is something we treasure in our graduates—people who had an amazing experience and find a way to give back.”

In recognition of her tremendous contributions, Victoria University bestowed an honorary degree on Isabel Bader in 1995. In 2018, U of T inducted both Isabel and Alfred into the Chancellors’ Circle of Benefactors, which recognizes the university’s most generous donors. Victoria University published a collection of love letters between Isabel and Alfred titled A Canadian in Love, which was a special limited edition of 1,000 volumes.

“Your support in my journey has meant everything to me and my family over the last four years,” Noah Rudder said. “Thank you for making my load light enough to carry.”