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John Alexander Monteith Bell was one of Appleby’s principal builders. On his appointment as headmaster in 1937, the school numbered fewer than a hundred boys; by his retirement 31 years later, in 1968, the student population had grown to almost 250. During his tenure, some 21 acres were added to the campus, and the classroom building, the gymnasium, the John Guest Dining Hall, Walker House and several staff houses were
constructed.

His last project was the extension of the Chapel to accommodate the growing number of students. When the work was completed in his last year as Headmaster, the Chapel was named after him in appreciation of his forty years of service to the school and its boys.

Born in 1903, Bell was educated at Trinity College in the University of Toronto, where he received his B.A. degree and his theological training. After graduation, he served as curate of St. George’s Church in Guelph until 1928, when he came to Appleby as a teacher of history, chaplain, and coach of the First Football Team.

He was appointed housemaster of Powell’s House in 1934, and on the death of Percival Wickens three years later, became Appleby's third headmaster. Bell believed he could see the potential for good in every young man he met. He was by turns a praiser and a critic. He could make the most outrageously controversial statements, but always to make a boy think; he needled and goaded to challenge boys’ conceptions of the world around them. And he was a consummate actor – more often than not, his famous rages were assumed and dismissed at will. While people didn't always agree with him, they respected his strength of character, his desire and instinct for fairness, his forthrightness,
and (most of all) his conviction that a school like Appleby could do a great deal of good for even the most recalcitrant boy.

Recognizing his contribution to Canadian education, Trinity College conferred upon him the honorary degree Doctor of Divinity in 1951. He was awarded the Centennial Medal as a tribute to his valuable service to the nation on Canada's hundredth birthday. He was also named a Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Hamilton.

Dr. Bell died in 1981.

Charles Roger Blackhurst was born on March 12, 1918. He attended Appleby School from 1930 to 1931 and participated in Junior Soccer Sixes, he Junior Hockey League, and the Junior Cricket League. He was a Leading Seaman of the Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve and the Royal Navy and was killed in action on Nov. 25, 1941 at age 22.

David Boyd (b. 1951) and raised in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, he received his Honours B.A. in English (1974) from Mt. Allison University. Upon graduation, he joined Appleby College as a teacher of English in the Junior School and was a faculty member from 1974 to 2008. During his tenure, David taught English at every level and was instrumental in introducing and molding the writer’s craft and media arts courses for senior students. He wrote and directed numerous plays for the Junior School, including two three-act musicals, Tom Brown’s Schoolday, the Musical (1991), and Mice in the Cellar (1992), as well as Macbeth, A Multimedia Event (1995) and Caesar, A Multimedia Event (2005). He created the Black Magic Mime Troupe composed of students from grades 6 to 8 who performed throughout Ontario. He established and supervised the long-running student newspaper Re•Source and designed Appleby’s first website.

Away from teaching, David coached hockey, softball, cricket, soccer, and basketball. He has served as assistant housemaster of Junior School House, and later as Housemaster of Chattaway’s from 1974 to 1988 and was assistant house director of Powell’s House from 2001-2008. In 1999, he received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. David founded TEACH-IT, an international education technology team that instructs educators on integrating technology into the curriculum. He was the former Chairman of the Read In Foundation Inc., an international organization that promotes literacy through telecommunications. David introduced Read In! events at Appleby where students had the opportunity to discuss books, speak to authors over the Internet prior to introducing the school’s laptop program. As a forward thinker and technological innovator, David assisted with the transition to e.school@appleby program.

Outside of Appleby, David has authored more than 20 books for children and young adults. His novel Bottom Drawer (1996) was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Text.