President's Statement on David Adams Richards Appointment to the Senate of Canada
On behalf of the º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ community, I am pleased to offer our congratulations to writer David Adams Richards on his appointment to the Senate of Canada. From his time as a student at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ to more recently, David has been a special contributor to our university.
David attended º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ in the early 1970s and received an honorary degree in the late 1990s. More recently at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½, he co-chaired our centenary celebrations, was a featured speaker at the National Congress of the Humanities when it was hosted at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ and UNB, was Artist in Residence and was the Irving Chair. In these roles, he has spoken with thousands of students, and some of our faculty have published scholarly studies of his work.
He has an unparalleled body of work and has received every major literary award in Canada. His lectures at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ were standing-room only events and he held his audiences spellbound. At the same time, I have seen him quietly work with our students, in classrooms and in one-on-one sessions. Perhaps it is most impressive that he always found the time to listen to and encourage young writers. The generosity that permeates his writing is reflected in his personal graciousness and interest in young students. Indeed, many of these students are amazed that such a humble person is a writer whose novels are read, celebrated and studied world-wide.
We are proud of our long association with David. Through the David Adams Richards Prizes for Fiction and Non-Fiction, our students continue to benefit from his legacy.
Congratulations to David. His selection by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is inspiring. He will be a fine representative for a province that he has written about so movingly for more than four decades.