Bora gets it all: the library we spend too much time in; the bust everyone uses as a meeting point; and a damn awesome name. Plus I won’t even mention the whole Chief Justice of the Supreme Court thing. But what about Cecil? Cecil Augustus Wright to be precise, and Caesar to those around him. Did you know in our daily travels through Flavelle, hiding in the shadows is Cecil’s head? No not his literal head, but rather his bust – just like Bora. If you knew this already then humour me for a few moments while I opine on the lack of love for Cecil. Anyway, it’s not like you want to read torts right now. No one does.
So what’s the deal with Cecil? Well if you are amongst the fortunate to be in Professor Dubber’s Administrative Law, then you recognize Caesar from the photo of himself, Bora Laskin, and John Willis that keeps popping up in our class slides. According to my limited Google research, which ultimately just led me back to the U of T Law website, Caesar championed reforms in the legal education system by advocating the modern day law school that focused on full-time legal education rather than the apprentice-style model persistent at the time. It was Caesar, Bora, and Willis* who left Osgoode in 1949 and came to U of T where they transformed our fine faculty into Ontario’s first professional university law school. Caesar was Dean for close to twenty years and he stayed with the university until his death.
But really this history in a minute moment isn’t my reason for writing. My true dismay is that Cecil Augustus Wright has a bust and he doesn’t get nearly as much attention as Bora’s Head. Bora left the faculty for other things, but Caesar stayed – shouldn’t that count for something? When we all came to Flavelle as wide-eyed newly admitted 1Ls we were told of Bora’s Head. It’s the quick reference for an easy meeting place. It’s the location of all ticket sales for the latest cause/event we over-achieving students are trying to promote to fellow peers. Heck I even saw some random tourist take a photo of it one day.
Like Bora, why can’t Cecil’s bust get an equivalent level affection on most days and good natured vandalism on Halloween? We don’t need to call it Cecil’s Bust. That name won’t work again until the hipsters reclaim it for their children. But we could just say meet at Caesar’s, which actually makes it sound like we are meeting to drink Caesars. Who doesn’t enjoy the inference of alcohol in our daily events?
So I propose we relocate Caesar’s bust out of the shadows of the Upper Rotunda and to a location of the building where he will be appreciated for our utilitarian gathering purposes. Bora’s already claimed the skylight portions outside the doors of his name-sake library, so Caesar just needs to find a good new home. I am open to suggestions if you have them. Although I am rather impartial to the junction in the basement that heads to the hallway to MCR. Many of us naturally meet there post-class already, and this way we could also say hello to Caesar every morning en route to class? That is guaranteed to push him past Bora on the popularity scale and give Caesar the love he deserves.
* Willis just sounds way better in the sentence rather than calling John by his first name.
