Thank you, Ryan, of reminding me of Ernest Buckler. He wrote one of my favorite books, /The Mountain and the Valley/; well worth a read. John John D. Wilson Windsor, NS On 12/24/2010 1:57 PM, Ryan Thompson wrote: > Noted N.S. author E.R. Buckler dies > > BRIDGETOWN - Dr. Ernest Redmond Buckler, 75, recognized as one of Canada's > finest writer, died Sunday in Soldiers Memorial Hospital, Middleton. > > Born is West Dalhousie, he was a son of the late Appleton and Mary (Swift) > Buckler. > > The author of the Canadian classic, The Mountain and the Valley, Dr. Buckler > received his B.A. with distinction in mathematics from Dalhousie University > in 1929 and an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Toronto in 1930. > Following his graduate degree, he did actuarial work for five years with > Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, Toronto. > > Ill health forced his return in 1936 to his family farm in Centerlea, > Annapolis Valley. Shortly after his return, he began contributing articles > and short stories to United States and Canadian magazines, notably Esquire, > 1938 -1941, Saturday Night, 1940 - 1948, and Maclean's, 1948 -1951. He also > wrote many scripts for CBC Radio (plays, 1940 - 1945; stories, talks and > more plays, 1950 - 1954). > > A few years after the publication of his first novel in 1952, The mountain > and the Valley, which received critical acclaim in North America, he began > to write full-time; until then he had considered farming his principle > occupation. > > Dr. Buckler received three Canada Council grants, the president's medal for > Best Canadian Short Story, 1957 and 1958; first prize, Maclean's fiction > contest, 1948; the Canadian Centennial medal for "valuable service to the > nation," 1967, and the Order of Canada in 1974. He won the Stephen Leacock > Award and the Hudson Bay Company Award in 1978. > > Dr. Buckler received three honorary degrees, and honorary doctorate of > letters from the University of New Brunswick, honorary doctorate of letters > from Acadia University, and honorary doctorate of law from Dalhousie > University. > > Surviving are three sisters, Mrs. Nellie Buckler and Mrs. Olive Rice, both > of Bridgetown, and Mona, (Mrs. Robert Simpson), Nanaimo, B.C.; and five > nephews. > > He was predeceased by a sister, Ruby. >