I grew up in a small town on Vancouver Island. My mother had to leave university during the Depression and my father came to Canada after secondary school, seeking a better life. What our large family always had at home were books and lots of reading and discussion. When the family moved to Montreal in the early 60s, I was offered a place at McGill.
While I was not well prepared for the academic rigours of McGill, and struggled with some of the work, I was mentored by a cohort of wonderful professors – F.R. Scott, Louis Dudek, Hugh MacLennan, Archie Malloch – as well as the journalist Peter Desbarats. They changed my life. Believing what I could achieve, they introduced me to writing and publishing, researching and thinking. McGill gave me a network and friendships which have lasted for over 50 years. It gave me my career. I could say “I was made by McGill”.