The York University Founders Honour Society was created for York’s 50th Anniversary. The following individuals have been named to the York University Founders Honour Society for their contributions to the founding or early development of the University:
| Neil McKinnon AGNEW | Early Faculty member |
| John ARMOUR | Administrative Staff/first director, Physical Plant |
| Mortimer APPLEY | First Dean of Graduate Studies |
| Yvonne AZIZ | Founding Administrative Staff |
| Naomi BLACK | Early Faculty member |
| David BELL | Former student/former Environmental Studies Dean |
| Hartwell BOWSFIELD | History Department/First archivist |
| Gerald A.P. CARROTHERS | First Dean of Environmental Studies |
| Joan CARRUTHERS | Former Assistant Director of Libraries |
| Alan M. CLARKE | Secretary of York Organizing Committee |
| Ramsay COOK | Early Faculty member |
| Gregory COOPER | Early Student; former president of the York University Alumni Association; Honorary Board Member |
| Jacques COTNAM | First French Canadian Faculty member |
| John COURT | Early Student and author of the York motto |
| Michael CREAL | Early Faculty, former Chair of Humanities & former Master of Vanier College |
| William DIMMA | Student in First MBA class, later Dean of Business and Chair of the Board of Governors |
| Vicky DRAPER | Founding Administrative Staff |
| Robert DRUMMOND | Early Student and Faculty Member |
| Sydney EISEN | Former Dean of Arts and Chair of History |
| Norman ENDLER | Founding Faculty |
| William D. FARR | Early student, first Secretary of the University, former Vice-President |
| Stanley FEFFERMAN | Early Faculty Member |
| C. David FOWLE | Founding Faculty |
| Bertrand GERSTEIN | Early Governor and later Chair of the Board |
| James GILLIES | First Dean of Business |
| H. K. GIRLING | Founding Member, Glendon English Department |
| Fred GORBET | Early Student, current member of the Board of Governors |
| Joseph GREEN | Founding Chair, Department of Theatre; former Dean of Fine Arts |
| H. S. HARRIS | Former Dean at Glendon; First chair of Philosophy |
| Conrad HEIDENREICH | Early Faculty Member |
| Jules HELLER | Former Dean of Fine Arts |
| Beland HONDERICH | One of the First Major Donors to the University |
| Donald JACKSON | Early Faculty Member |
| Vivienne JAMES | Early Administrative Staff |
| Harold KAPLAN | Early Faculty Member, Former Dean of Arts |
| Michael KOERNER | Former Governor |
| Allan LAMBERT | Founding Governor |
| Gerald LeDAIN | Former Dean of Law/retired Supreme Court Justice |
| John D. LEITCH | Founding Governor |
| Douglas G. LOCHHEAD | First Director of Libraries |
| Robert LUNDELL | First Faculty Member in Chemistry and later Dean of Science |
| Thelma McCORMACK | Early Faculty Member |
| Alex MURRAY | Urban Studies Faculty |
| Willard PIEPENBURG | Influential Early Associate Dean in the Faculty of Arts |
| William PURCELL | Established York’s hockey program |
| Escott REID | First Principal of Glendon College |
| Donald RICKERD | Second Registrar |
| Virginia ROCK | First Master of Stong College |
| Murray G. ROSS | Founding President |
| Clayton RUBY | Early Student |
| Frank SALERNO | Early Administrative Staff |
| John T. SAYWELL | Former Dean of Arts during its major growth |
| Harold SCHIFF | First Dean of Science |
| John SEELEY | Early Faculty |
| William W. SMALL | First Board Secretary and former Vice-President |
| Denis SMITH | First Registrar |
| D. McCormack SMYTH | First Dean of Atkinson College |
| Johanna STUCKEY | First Faculty Member in Humanities Division |
| Clara THOMAS | Early Faculty |
| Albert TUCKER | Former Principal of Glendon College |
| Douglas VERNEY | Former Chair of the Department of Political Science/Arts |
| John WARKENTIN | Early Faculty Member |
| David WOOD | Founding Faculty, Department of Geography, Atkinson |
| Gerald WRIGHT | Early Student, later Assistant to the President |
| John W. YOLTON | Former Chair of Philosophy Department and Acting President |