The Rankin memorial window was donated by Dr. W.D. Rankin of Woodstock in memory of his two children, son Franklin Sharp Rankin and daughter Marjory Rankin Coleman. N.B. Franklin Sharp Rankin was the oldest son of Dr. Rankin and studied at the Royal Military College before enlisting with the 28th New Brunswick Dragoons. He was then transferred to the 1st Brighton Field Company and became a Lieutenant of the Royal Flying Corps.
His plane was shot down over Bapaume in 1916.
"One cannot help but feel — it is only natural — that this window will stand in our memories not only as a memorial to a son and a daughter of the Doctor, but as a memorial to the donor, Dr. Rankin himself. May this fine gift, and more especially the fine and virile useful life of the donor be a constant and lasting inspiration to succeeding classes of young men and young women passing through these Halls to noble and useful service." – Alumni Bulletin, June 20, 1928
The design of the window is based on a poem from the 1600s called Paradise Lost by John Milton.
