Reverend George Bell holds title to an impressive array of Queen's "firsts." A Perth, Ontario, native, his name was the first on the official registry of Queen's original class, which entered the university in March of 1842.
He was a founder of the Dialectic Society, Queen's first student organization. He was one of three members of the university's first graduating class, earning a BA in 1847. In 1872, he became one of the first two alumni to receive an honorary doctorate from Queen's.
Finally, after years of service as a Presbyterian minister, he became Queen's first full-time registrar in 1881. Bell also doubled as librarian for some years and was a universal favourite among students.
He retired in 1897 at the age of 77.