Jock Harty Arena
In the summer of 2007, in its third incarnation, the Jock Harty Arena was demolished to make way for the Queen's Centre, a $230M athletic and student life complex which, when completed, will more than double the capacity of Queen's existing facilities. The original Jock Harty Arena was built in 1922, with the money for its construction being largely supplied by friends, family, and classmates of John Joseph Harty. This building was located on Arch Street, where Humphrey Hall now stands. It burned to the ground only two short years afterwards, and a second Jock Harty Arena was built on the same location in 1924. The arena remained there until 1968, when it was torn down to make way for the new psychology building. The third Jock Harty Arena was opened on the north side of Union Street in 1970, and boasts a skating rink, indoor running track, and six tennis courts located on the roof. Jock Harty Arena is also used as an exam hall, convocation hall, and venue for concerts and dances.


John "Jock" Harty
John Joseph Harty, more commonly known as Jock Harty, was born in Kingston in 1874. As a young man he attended Kingston Collegiate and then Loyola College of Collège Ste-Marie in Montreal. He developed a love of hockey while playing for the Loyola team in Montreal, something that would stay with him the rest of his life. He returned to his hometown to study medicine at Queen's, and with him he brought a faster version of hockey which he had learned to play in Montreal.

In 1896, he scored six goals to lead Queen's to a victory in the Ontario Hockey Association Championship against Stratford. The third verse of the Oil Thigh is now mostly unknown to students, but it urges them to "remember Captain Curtis and the Conquerors of Yale," referring to the 1897 victory over Yale in New York City. Everyone at Queen's knows about at least one of those "conquerors", whether they know it or not: Jock Harty was part of that team, and his name lives on, quite appropriately, in the arena dedicated to his memory.

After graduating from Queen's in 1897, Harty did a medical internship in New York. While he was there, he played for the New York Crescents. Eventually he returned to Kingston to take up a job with the Canadian Locomotive Company, of which he would eventually become President. Jock Harty maintained his link with Queen's and with hockey by coaching. He coached the CLC company team and the Queen's team as well, leading the Queen's team to a victory in the Allan Cup over Ottawa in 1909.

Sadly, Jock Harty died in the prime of his life while on a business trip in England. He contracted the Spanish flu and died of septic pneumonia on February 23, 1919 at London's Savoy Hotel. There is no doubt that his memorial is one that would have made Jock Harty proud.