For those who may not be aware, Dr Walter Avis, an English professor and veteran of World War II, was a former Dean of Arts at RMC, an Honorary Graduate of the Class of 1979, and also the father of Classmate Pete Avis. He was the founder of the first Canadian Linguistic Association, and writer and editor of the Gage Dictionary of Canadianisms Based on Historic Principles (1967) and four other Canadian Dictionaries. For some of our classmates, likely the first time they became aware of him was in their first year when they were issued one of the dictionaries he had helped edit, the Funk and Wagnall's Canadian Edition Dictionary.

Dr Avis helped put Canadian English on the academic and social map in the 1967 Centennial Year. Although the Canadian Weekly article from that year first talked about the subject, more recently in June of 2019, a book was published online that was entitled Creating Canadian English. The Professor, the Mountaineer, and a National Variety of English by Stefan Dollinger of the University of British Columbia. The book tells the story of how “Canadian English" became an accepted reality in the 1950-1990 period. The Professor in the sub-title is actually Dr Avis who figures prominently in the book. And, interestingly, one of fingernail sketches of Chapter 3 says “It explores the intellectual background of Avis at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where he met his future wife Faith Hutchison, who was one of the most educated women in all of Canada at the time.” In the banner photo, Captain (N) Avis is seen here with his mother Faith presenting a painting of Dr Walter Avis to RMC.

Pete says that “[w}hen I saw the section in the Book entitled, “Webster-Mencken, Lovell-Avis,” and read “giants who sometimes need to be written back into collective memory,” I saw what I have had on my mind for the better part of 40 years!

The Gage “Canadian Dictionary”

One of the dictionaries that Dr Avis helped edit, this one published in 1983 and actually dedicated to him - “To the memory of Walter S. Avis, 1919-1979, scholar and teacher of Canadian English”. Included at the front end is an essay Dr Avis wrote about Canadian English for the first edition of the Dictionary of Canadian English: The Senior Dictionary, and first published in 1967.

This photo, taken by Ty Pile, was inspired by a dream Pete Avis had while in fourth year – one where all of his English professors were teaching at the same time! Left to Right -- Mr. Don Binnie (seated), Dr. Michael Mason, Dr. George Parker, Dr. Wally Avis, Dr. Stephen Bonnycastle, Dr. Tom Vincent and Dr. S.R. Beharriel