TGJ Archives - Alison Garwood-Jones Alison Garwood-Jones

Say no to racism

Originally published in July 2018 in Blog

I grew up in a multi-racial family. From left to right: Catherine, Alison, Richard, Trevor, Peter, and our 1972 orange Volvo wagon. My brothers and I were born at time when Martin Luther King Jr. was doing his most important work, standing up to segregationists in Georgia and organizing non-violent protests in Alabama. Meanwhile, a […]

Missing them

Originally published in March 2018 in Blog, Illustration, Toronto Illustrators

Catherine and Trevor Garwood-Jones Catherine, Trevor, Peter and Richard.

Andy Warhol’s Wig

Originally published in December 2017 in Blog

What started out as a patch for male pattern baldness turned into a fashion accessory before culminating in a full-on exploration of drag. My dad and I visited the Warhol Museum in Pittsburg in the fall of 2008. We took in the displays in our Obama T-shirts. Good times.

We work for society

Originally published in October 2016 in Blog

“We work for society.” This is how my dad, Trevor Garwood-Jones (1928-2011), described an architect’s responsibilities to the communities they build in. Buildings house our existing emotions, but also create new ones — some drab, some inspired depending on the quality of the design. Beauty was key, in Trevor’s mind, to building empathy and a sense […]

What’s your name?

Originally published in December 2013 in Blog

Having an unusual name is like hitting the jackpot from a search engine standpoint. There are plenty of Alison Joneses in the world, and even more when you throw in the alternate spellings of Allison/Allyson/Alyson/Alisson. But Google suggests that I am the only Alison Garwood-Jones. I went to high school with an Alison Jones, a […]

Show up

Originally published in April 2013 in Blog

What was true then is true now: focus and discipline will take you far. I showed up at the kitchen table almost every day of my young school life. It was “homework central” in our house (well, I made it so). And sometimes it was a group effort. My mother had a day job, but […]

Goodbye, Mommy

Originally published in December 2012 in Blog

Catherine Lucy Garwood-Jones (1928-2012), Hamiltonian extraordinaire, died on Sunday, Dec. 9 after a ten-year battle with Alzheimer’s. Pre-deceased by her husband Trevor in 2011, Team “Cath and Trev” changed the face of the city they loved so much — he through architecture and she through her commitment to health care, education, music and family. Catherine’s […]

Far and away

Originally published in October 2012 in Blog

[M]y last big trip was two years ago. I did Holland, Germany, Austria and Hungry with my 82-year-old dad. We stayed in a hotel in Amsterdam, just down the street from Anne Frank’s hideout. I listened to the same church bell Anne used to mark time. I even recorded the tolling on my iPhone. In […]

Last day

Originally published in June 2011 in Blog

Because I find writing about my dad more fun than crying. Happy Father’s Day, Papa Jones Our Mt. Rushmore, TGJ (©AGJ) My dad was still hanging in the air inside his home a few hours after he died (it’s now been 12 weeks). I took note of his presence before the march of […]

He’s outta here

Originally published in May 2011 in Blog

The author takes full responsibility for her many spelling mistakes. ©AGJ This is the only underwear shot you’ll ever see on this website. Sorry guys. Readers of this blog who know my family will immediately recognize the model. “It’s Trevor!” — my dad — they’ll squeal. Yup, like you’ve never seen him before. Dad […]

Alison Garwood Jones

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