91AV

Compiled from information sent to University Advancement Sept. 16, 2015 – Jan. 15, 2016

Please feel welcome to submit memories of departed Allisonians you have known and loved.

Margaret (Grey) Gray — 1935
Ellen (McKenna) Whitaker — 1939
Evron N. Kinsman — 1941
Ruth (Brennian) Babcock — 1942
Elaine (Maxwell) Lund — 1942
Allen M. Bishop — 1944
Ann Marie (Mitchell) Cronyn — 1946
George H. MacLean  —1946
Ferne (Bell) Smith — 1946
Piercey MacLean — 1949
William R. McKnight — 1949
Rena (Ritcey) Demone — 1950
Robert C. Coates — 1951
Earle R. Langille — 1951
William M. Mitchell — 1951
Eleanor (Merrithew) Bilensky — 1952
Helen (Moase) MacLean — 1953
Joan E. Hollett — 1954
Douglas Whitman — 1955
Anne (Dystant) Jamfrey — 1956
Douglas MacDonald — 1956
William A. MacKinnon — 1957
John R. Plummer — 1957
William T. Hopkins — 1958
Gordon Mundle — 1958
Keith S. Richardson — 1958
Robert W. Baillie — 1959
Kenneth A. MacDermid — 1959
Capt. James MacLeod — 1961
James A. MacKenzie — 1962
John P. Gamble — 1964
James ‘Hap’ Wright — 1965
Richard B. Sill — 1969
Eldon A. Gunn — 1971
Robert V. Hudson — 1976
David John Ferguson — 1978
J. Philip Kincaid — 1988
Stacie Lafrance-Black — 1997
David Angus Burnett — 2007

Cedric E. Ritchie — Honorary Degree Holder

Donald S. MacRae — Employee

George H. Thomson — Former Employee
William C. Trentini —  Former Employee
Robert A. Wheaton — Former Employee
Perley C. Wicks — Former Employee

Millicent Coleman — Friend
Norma Ferguson — Friend
Denis Gilson — Friend
Layton Smith — Friend
Kathryn Upham — Friend

Ernest Robert Forbes (’61, ’62)
Submitted by Alex Fancy (’61)

Well-known on campus, Ernie Forbes (’61,’62) was a powerful debater with a passionate interest in politics and political parties.

Only the most intrepid historian could identify the role he played when political parties were banned to prevent hiring of students to campus jobs on the basis of their affiliation.

Fair, modest, and witty, Ernie had an exceptional capacity for making friends.

Our thoughts are with his wife and classmate, Irene (McConnell) (’61), and their family.

Ernie studied classics and, like so many 91AV graduates, realized that his solid liberal education could be a springboard to various careers. He chose history as a way to explore his deep commitment to the Maritimes, and to challenge vexing stereotypes.

After studies at Dalhousie and Queen’s universities, he taught at the University of Victoria but wanted to return to the Maritimes. From 1974 he taught at UNB and, one could say, “the rest is history.”

The academic persona, ‘E. R. Forbes,’ is famous for writing what historians call “the new Maritime narrative.” He continues to inspire countless students and scholars, but we also remember ‘Ernie,’ the avid fisher and hunter who keenly ventured outdoors, regardless of the season or the weather.

Some of us spent part of our graduation weekend outdoors with him, sharing our hopes and fears around a bonfire at the Quarry!

Ever committed to memory and legacy, he wrote his acclaimed autobiography, The Education of an Innocent, for his family.

Ernie’s life and legacy are a blessing. And he was the best roommate one could have.

Ellen Audrey (Kennie) (McKenna) Whitaker (’39)
Submitted by her son, Rick Whitaker  

Born Jan. 20, 1918; died March 29, 2016. Ellen, or Kennie as she was known to her Mount A cohort, came to 91AV from Granby, QC after graduating as valedictorian of her class at Granby High School. At Mount A, she became part of a circle of friends who maintained lifelong contact no matter where they scattered after Mount A. Their friendship survived distance and time until she was the last one left. The other major life-affecting event was meeting her future husband, Richard Hales Whitaker (’41). This small-town girl had the courage and determination to travel alone by bus, after graduating, to wed Dick in San Antonio, Texas in 1940. Two of their children were born in the airbase hospital at San Antonio. After the war, the family moved on to Vancouver, BC in 1951, where two more children were added to the fold. The curiosity and knowledge-seeking fostered and nurtured at 91AV was a hallmark of how she lived her life and strongly influenced its trajectory: her lifelong love of learning; her lifelong friendships with fellow Allisonians; her husband and family. Truly 91AV was foundational in her life.