Hello Linda, thanks very much for the kind words about my father. It was a real shock to us but he died very quickly and didn't suffer. His passing is a great loss to the community of Antigonish and to the larger group composed of members of this listserv and others who share a keen interest in their family histories. He was always very supportive of those who wanted to learn more about their ancestors and their culture. Unfortunately, while he owned a computer, he never mastered its use and wasn't able to use the Internet as a tool in his research. Over the past few years I have made a concerted effort to learn more about our family history, specifically the MacLeans and Gillises (his mother's family) and I kept him up to date regarding conversations I had with others who were doing research. He was delighted to see all the work that you and others are doing and was grateful that you were taking the initiative to maintain this listserv. Myself and a couple of others are working on a family reunion for all descendants of Donald (Oban) Gillis to be held in Antigonish July 8-10, 2005. Dad was very excited about this and I was hoping he would be around to sign some books and give a speech about the history of the area. I will be thinking of him constantly as we plan for this event. I am sure I will be reaching for the phone to call him and ask him a question about local history for quite some time. Thanks again for all of your work, it is a great service, and to everyone who is working to expand our collective knowledge of our past. Sincerely, Colin MacLean