Sam Sniderman’s son is dismayed Ryerson University is breaking its promise to reinstall the record store owner’s iconic neon sign — a move he says would have “outraged” his deceased father.

Meanwhile, Canadian musicians such as Gordon Lightfoot are also fighting to save the two-storey, 800-light spinning records, which illuminated Yonge St. from 1961 to 2008 and are seen as symbols of Toronto’s music history.

Bobby Sniderman, 64, said his father supported Ryerson’s purchase of the Sam the Record Man property because of the university’s promise to honour his legacy, which led to an agreement to hang the sign.

“If my father was alive today, there would be no possibility of this taking place. He would be outraged by it, and he would be leading the charge to get the recognition he deserves,” said Bobby.

But Ryerson president Sheldon Levy said Wednesday that he spoke with Sniderman many times before he died last September. The humble businessman never insisted the sign be preserved, he said.

“At no time did Mr. Sniderman, may he rest in peace, and I have any discussion about his desire to have that sign resurrected,” said Levy.

Ryerson bought the crumbling record store property from the Sniderman family in 2008. After the city threatened a heritage designation, the university agreed to restore and hang the sign — either on its new Student Learning Centre on Yonge St. or on Gould St.

But last week, the city unveiled a proposal that would let Ryerson off the hook for reinstalling the sign. Instead, the university would embed replica signs in the Yonge St. sidewalk and hang a plaque retelling the history of the beloved store.

Bobby is fuming that Ryerson did not contact his family before revealing the plan, which will be debated by Toronto and East York Community Council on Sept. 10 before going to city council Oct. 8.

Although he has only seen a small rendering, Bobby said the replica sidewalk signs would be no comparison to the real thing. “The signs are really larger-than-life and iconic ... It just wouldn’t have anywhere near the same relevance and importance.”

Levy said the university will seek the family’s input now that the city report has been published. Ryerson first wanted to see if the alternative plan was feasible before looping in the Snidermans, he said.

But as it did in 2007, public opposition appears to be heating up — with major Canadian music stars including Gordon Lightfoot, Danny Marks and Liona Boyd stepping forward to save the iconic sign.

“The giant neon spinning discs are a reminder of the huge role that Sam Sniderman and his store played in the cultural life of Toronto,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “I believe they should be preserved and remounted in the interests of our city’s heritage.”

Local councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam endorsed the new plan, but stressed it is just the first part of a larger vision to honour “the man, not the store.”

“We have to celebrate our history and we need to do it in a way that is appropriate,” she said. “There might be a whole generation — the millennials, the young folks — who may walk by some spinning discs and they don’t recognize the brand.”

City staff and Ryerson have also discussed renaming Gould St. as Sam Sniderman Way, or housing Sam the Record Man artifacts, including the sign, in a “museum of Toronto” or a “museum of music history,” she said.

Wong-Tam said Ryerson and the city have been searching for an alternative to reinstalling the neon sign since at least 2010. Their concerns include the possibility that toxic mercury could leak out in the event of fire or damage; that very few neon experts still exist to repair the sign; and that it would guzzle energy.

When she asked Sniderman about the sign in 2011, he didn’t have a “strong reaction” and seemed surprised by a social media campaign to preserve it, said Wong-Tam.

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Kyle Rae, former councillor for the area, said that in hindsight, asking Ryerson to reinstall the sign was impractical. “When I think about it today, telling a new property owner that they have to put the sign up of a no-longer-existing business is a pretty bizarre thing to do.”

But Bobby insists his father was “unequivocal” in his wish to see the sign reinstalled, and is calling on Ryerson to uphold its end of the deal.

“Ryerson made a commitment to my father and our family,” he said. “We’re a family that is really big on honouring commitments.”