New Terry Fox plaque unveiled on Anniversary of Marathon of Hope Run through London, Ont.

London, Ont -

The City of London has added another memorial to Terry Fox.

A new plaque was placed on the Southeast side of the bandshell at Victoria Park as a reminder of his visit to the Forest City on July 17, 1980 as part of his Marathon of Hope.

"It's a central place where people are going to be coming by and they're going to see the plaques and they're going to be reminded of Terry's visit here," says Dr. Peter Ferguson of Terry Fox Run London.

"There's a nice story on the plaque on the left and it'll remind everybody about the need for cancer research funds, raising money and why the Terry Fox Run continues after 41 years."

While 2020 marked the 40th anniversary of Terry’s arrival in London, a formal unveiling of the plaque could not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

London mayor Ed Holder (L) and Dr. Peter Ferguson of Terry Fox Run London show off the new plaque at Victoria Park, seen on Saturday July 17. 2021 (Brent Lale/CTV London)
London mayor Ed Holder, left, and Dr. Peter Ferguson of Terry Fox Run London show off the new plaque at Victoria Park, seen on Saturday, July 17, 2021. (Brent Lale/CTV London)

Saturday, Ferguson was joined by London Mayor Ed Holder, MPP Terence Kernaghan, Bill Vigars, Terry’s publicist for the Marathon of Hope in 1980 and Lorilee Calhoun, daughter of Ron Calhoun, former national co-ordinator for the Marathon of Hope, working with Terry to organize the original run in 1980.

Vigars told the crowd he drove down Dundas Street Saturday morning and the memories from 41 years ago came flowing back.

"I remember watching the employees at Kellogg's throwing money off the roof to the team that we're collecting along the way that included the London Fire Department," says Vigars, who held a commemorative shoe created by Adidas which is an exact replica of Terry's from 1980.

Bill Vigars, publicist for the Marathon of Hope in 1980 holds a replica Adidas shoe which is identical to Terry Fox’s from the marathon of Hope in 1980, seen on Saturday July 17, 2021 (Brent Lale/CTV London)

Bill Vigars, publicist for the Marathon of Hope in 1980 holds a replica Adidas shoe which is identical to Terry Fox’s from the marathon of Hope in 1980, seen on Saturday July 17, 2021 (Brent Lale/CTV London)

"There's literally no support in it whatsoever," says Vigars.

The plaque includes a quote from Vigars which says 'A little bit of Terry Fox lives in every Canadian'. He read an exert from Fox's diary about his time in London.

"We arrived here at exactly 11 o'clock in the morning," read Vigars.

"Day 97, 14 miles. Today I could only do two miles in the morning and then I slept. I came back out and did eight more. Then we drove to London where I ran four miles through the city to a park reception. There were 1000s of people there. Tony Cuttino a young leukemia patient ran the final mile with me. Then I slept the day away".

The Victoria Park plaque is added to a number of others in the city. There are 38 custom signs along the 1980 route, a parkway named in his honour, as well as a memorial in Greenway Park.

New Terry Fox Plaque at Victoria Park in London, Ont. seen Saturday July 17, 2021 (Brent Lale/CTV London)

"With this it really shows how proud everybody is of the fact that Terry went out of his way to bring his Marathon of Hope through London," says Ferguson.

"We're very grateful that he did and it certainly motivated inspired a lot of people."

Over the past 41 years nearly $10 million has been raised city-wide in London for cancer research in the annual runs held in Fox's memory.

Saturday morning, Vigars recalled the last time he saw Fox in person in the hospital.

"We hugged, I said goodbye and I got to the door and I turned around and I came back and I gave him another hug and I said 'I will make you live forever.' I have not done that, you people have."

The 2021 Terry Fox Memorial Run will take place in 9 weeks on September 20, 2021.