The Peter Ramsay Heritage Carpentry and Joinery Bursaries

The family of Peter Ramsay, a graduate of the Algonquin College heritage carpentry program, has made a major endowment to the college to set up two bursaries in his memory.

Karen and Howard Goodfellow established the Peter Ramsay Heritage Carpentry and Joinery Entrance Bursary and the Peter Ramsay Heritage Carpentry and Joinery Bursary to honour their son-in-law.

Peter, who ran his own heritage carpentry and millwork business in the Kingston, Ont., area, graduated from the Heritage Carpentry and Millwork program at the Perth Campus in 1994. He also instructed in the program in 2001. Peter died in May 2021, at the age of 51.

About Peter Ramsay

For more than 25 years, Peter Ramsay brought his skilfulness to heritage building and restoration projects in and around Kingston, Ont. He was a perfectionist in the best sense of the word, often working with the hand tools of the original craftspeople and seeking out original materials.

Early in his career, Peter restored and added to a 19th century cabin on Howe Island, in the St. Lawrence River east of the city, much appreciating the “home’s logs and their refined, even spacing,” as the cabin’s owners wrote in a history of their home.

Peter’s passion for heritage restoration extended beyond his business. He spent 20 years restoring one of the oldest houses in the Kingston area, the family home he shared with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children. He was also generous with his help and knowledge, especially with his own children and others.

“He was always the go-to person for our family, and he loved sharing his knowledge and passion for heritage things with us,” said his father-in-law, Howard Goodfellow.

Peter learned his trade at Algonquin College, graduating from the Heritage Carpentry and Millwork Program in 1994. Within a couple of years, he had established his own company.

Lachlan Oddie studied under Peter during a brief period when Peter taught at the College. After he graduated in 2001, Lachlan began working with Peter on the Howe Island cabin until its completion. He worked with Peter for another year on a variety of historically sympathetic renovations. They did other smaller jobs together in later years.

He said Peter had very high standards and was interested in the craft itself. He added that Peter always asked himself what was present in a building, what needed to stay, what could be fixed and what must be replaced.

“He was really a good example of a craftsperson taking it upon themselves to set a really high bar of craftsmanship and aesthetic,” said Lachlan, who is now a full-time professor in the Heritage Carpentry and Joinery program at the College’s Perth campus. “He was very good at respecting the historical aesthetic and building with the proper construction joinery.”

He also put Howard’s collection of old wooden hand planes and other tools to work as he laboured to preserve the past and bring beauty to the world.

Lachlan added that working under Peter on the Howe Island cabin was foundational to his own development as a heritage carpenter. He said Peter provided not only unique historic projects to work on, but also a passionate and positive attitude towards the craft of carpentry and joinery and a deep curiosity and respect for the ways in which old structures were built, their traditional shapes, and aesthetic details.

Peter was family-oriented, a community volunteer with a special dedication to the South Frontenac Fire Service, a canoe-tripper, and a good neighbour who always encouraged others to do the best they could.

“Peter had this ability to make people at ease,” said Howard. “You’d sit down and talk with him, and you walked away feeling like he was your best friend.”

Peter was a mentor and guide to many. Through the Peter Ramsay Heritage Carpentry and Joinery Entrance Bursary and the Peter Ramsay Heritage Carpentry and Joinery Bursary, he can continue to be a guide and inspiration to generations of carpenters to come.