Ted Szilva, creator of Sudbury’s Big Nickel, passed away March 9th at the age of 81.
Erected by Szilva in 1964, Sudbury’s Big Nickel has remained one of Northern Ontario’s most iconic landmarks for over 50 years.
A community leader and visionary, Szilva overcame many obstacles in his mission to create the Big Nickel as a symbol of the region’s mining heritage and prosperity.
“The Big Nickel and Dynamic Earth would not exist today if, 52 years ago, Ted Szilva had not persisted with his vision to create the Big Nickel attraction,” said Guy Labine, Science North CEO. “Ted’s dream will continue to shine as the Big Nickel and Dynamic Earth go on to celebrate our rich mining history and heritage for decades to come.”
Szilva was named to the Order of Ontario in 2009.
Along with his son Jim Szilva, Ted published The Big Nickel: The Untold Story in 2014, which chronicles the history of the nine-metre replica of the 1951 Canadian five-cent coin.
