Philosophical Lessons from the Death of Garry Hoy, By Chris Knight (Florida)
I saw a mention of the death of Canadian lawyer Garry Hoy (1954-1993), a story which stayed in my mind. Hoy had a habit of showing off to article law students how strong the glass was on the law firms' windows. They were on the 24th floor. He would throw himself against it, and the glass held. But the last time Hoy did this, while the glass did not shatter, the entire window frame came out, and he fell to his death. The moral of the story is as I see it that there are always unexpected black swan events that could lead to disaster, and life is so precarious that one does not want to tempt fate, as the saying goes. Do not take unnecessary risks; my life philosophy. Only necessary ones.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Garry_Hoy
"Garry Hoy (January 28, 1954 – July 9, 1993) was a Canadian lawyer who died when he fell from the 24th floor of his office building at the Toronto-Dominion Centre in Toronto, Ontario. In an attempt to prove to a group of prospective articling students that the building's glass windows were unbreakable, he threw himself against the glass. The glass did not break when he hit it, but the window frame gave way and Hoy fell to his death.[1]
Three of the Toronto-Dominion Centre's towers: (left to right) the Ernst & Young Tower, TD Bank Tower, and TD North Tower. Hoy fell from the TD Bank Tower (known at the time[2] as the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower).
Background
Garry Hoy was a corporate and securities law specialist for the law firm of Holden Day Wilson in Toronto. While giving a tour of the Toronto-Dominion Centre to a group of articling students, he attempted to demonstrate the strength of the structure's window glass by slamming himself into a window. He had apparently performed this stunt many times in the past, having previously bounced harmlessly off the glass. After one attempt which saw the glass hold up, Hoy tried once more. In this instance, the force of Hoy slamming into the window removed the window from its frame, causing the entire intact window and Hoy to fall from the building. This occurred in a small conference room adjacent to a boardroom where a reception was being held for new articling students.[citation needed]
Structural engineer Bob Greer was quoted by the Toronto Star as saying, "I don't know of any building code in the world that would allow a 160-pound [73 kg] man to run up against a glass and withstand it."[3] In another interview, the firm's spokesman mentioned that the glass, in fact, did not break, but popped out of its frame, leading to Hoy's fatal plunge.
Hoy's death contributed to the closing of Holden Day Wilson in 1996, which at the time was the largest law firm closure in Canada.[4]
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