Fostering Music, Learning, Community for Trent Students
December 18, 2024
From family ties to lifelong support, Anne-Marie Prendiville ’69 and John Gillies inspire musical creativity, academic excellence, and community spirit at the University
When Anne-Marie Prendiville '69 hears how students connect, forge friendships, and find solace within the music room that she and her husband John Gillies established at Trent University, her heart fills with joy.
Both amateur musicians are thrilled to have created the Prendiville-Gillies Music Room at Lady Eaton College, which is Anne-Marie’s home College.
"Music has been a cornerstone of our lives, bringing us immense joy and a sense of community. We wanted to ensure students have a space to explore their own musical journeys," Anne-Marie says. "We hope the Prendiville-Gillies Music Room becomes a place where creativity flourishes and lifelong friendships are formed."
The couple has been longtime supporters of the University, also contributing to the Bata Library renovations and creating a study-abroad scholarship for students.
"We feel so privileged to be able to support the University that means so much to me," says Anne-Marie.
Anne-Marie says her family history is intricately intertwined with Trent. Her family moved to Peterborough in the 1960s after her father learned about the construction of a new university, because he realized it would be more affordable for his children to live at home while pursuing their post-secondary education. Both Anne-Marie and her brother Richard Prendiville '72 attended, followed by her mother Clare Prendiville '76 and sister Elizabeth Prendiville '77.
While Trent remains a small university with small class sizes, it was even more close-knit in the 1960s and '70s and Anne-Marie fondly remembers some classes with as few as three students, allowing for significant interaction with both peers and professors. Everyone knew everyone on campus, she adds, and she loved walking through the beautiful campus along the Otonabee River. "When I graduated, I worked for two years at Bata Library because I simply couldn’t bear to leave!" she says.
After moving away to start her career, Anne-Marie stayed connected by attending Trent University Alumni Association events in Toronto and started giving back to the University regularly.
After having her first date with John, she says the Trent connection grew even stronger. John told his co-worker Robert W.F. Stephenson '68 (Champlain College) - a Trent alumnus and former Trent Board chair - that he just met a lovely young woman who had attended Trent.
"He told me, 'Well, you should marry her!'" John says with a laugh. "And I did." Together, the couple supported Trent by contributing to the Bata Library renovation and establishing the Prendiville Family Travel Award for Study Abroad.
The music room, however, was extra special for the couple, who say music has been integral to their lives. In addition to singing in both early music and jazz choirs, Anne-Marie plays piano, recorder, and jazz drums, while John pays bass, cello, and jazz piano, and they attend various music camps in the summer. They were thrilled to establish the Prendiville-Gillies Music Room so that students can share their love of music. The room has become foundational to LEC culture, adds LEC Principal Dr. Christine Freeman-Roth.
"On move-in day, a group of first-year students met in that room and became fast friends," Freeman-Roth says. "I have also seen students use the space to decompress during stressful times. The Prendiville-Gillies Music Room has contributed significantly to students choosing to affiliate with LEC because they can continue to practice and play their instruments. Yet the room is used by students from all colleges, in all years, to come together over the shared love of music."
Anne-Marie and John express excitement about continuing to support the University that has given so much. In fact, they have become part of the Trent Legacy Society to ensure an enduring impact.
"I feel privileged to be able to help in this way," Anne-Marie says. "John and I hope our legacy at Trent will be building community, supporting learning, and, of course, celebrating the transformative power of the arts. We believe that through these efforts, we can help shape a brighter tomorrow for future generations."
Learn more about making a momentous impact at Trent University.