General Secretary and Members of the TTC -

I write as a concerned citizen and lover of Toronto's transit system, inspired by Mr. Joe Clark's weblog post regarding the removal and destruction of signage from the St. George, Pape, Victoria Park, Eglinton, and Islington/Kipling stations (see http://joeclark.org/design/signage/TTC/activism/).

Our city's current renaissance is beautiful to behold but we must not forget that it is founded on a history - albeit a short one - full of people with equal passion and drive to see Toronto flourish. They may be gone but their work is not forgotten and it lives on (and is celebrated) in the intricacies and details of our collective history. Although the signage in those stations may need replacement for reasons of modernization or safety, it deserves to be preserved as part of the rich fabric that makes up the life of our city. Please take this request into consideration as a plea to donate those works to an institution or individual who will protect them with the respect they deserve. Mr. Arthur's papers reside at the ROM - perhaps they might take his St. George signage as well? I'm sure I speak for many of the TTC fans and supporters when I say that I would rather take on the responsibility of preserving one of the signs myself than to see them neglected and in a trash heap.

Thank you for your time!