BERTHA WILSON HONOUR SOCIETY

The late Honourable Bertha Wilson was a native of Kirkcaldy, Scotland. Soon after earning a masters degree from the University of Aberdeen she emigrated along with her husband, John Wilson, a Presbyterian minister, to Canada in 1949. John took up a ministry in Renfrew, . During the Korean War he served a six-year secondment as a naval chaplain. Wilson joined him in Halifax and enrolled at Dalhousie Law School where she graduated near the top of her class. She was called to the Nova Scotia bar in 1957. She moved to Toronto in 1959, was called to the Ontario bar and joined the law firm of Osler Hoskin Harcourt and practiced there for 17 years. In 1975, she was the first woman appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal. In 1982, then Prime Minister appointed her to the ; she was the first female justice to serve. At the time of her death Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, on behalf of the Supreme Court of Canada, stated: “Bertha Wilson was known for her generosity of spirit and originality of thought. She was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada the same year the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was enacted. As a member of this court, she was a pioneer in Charter jurisprudence and made an outstanding contribution to the administration of justice. She will be sorely missed by all who were privileged to know her.”

The Bertha Wilson Honour Society at the Schulich School of Law recognizes extraordinary alumni and showcases their geographic reach. One alumnus/alumna from each alumni branch along with up to three additional alumnus/alumna nominated by the Board of the Society are honoured each year at the annual Law Alumni Dinner.

An initial call for nominations will go to all alumni across Canada. Both the candidate and the nominator must be an alumnus/alumna of the Schulich School of Law. Nominations for each province or region will be forwarded to their respective Branch Presidents. Each branch may nominate only one candidate a year. The Board of the Society may nominate up to three additional candidates a year. Recipients of the Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service and honourary degree recipients from Dalhousie University are eligible for nomination to the Bertha Wilson Honour Society. The candidate cannot be nominated posthumously.

To be considered for nomination, candidates must have made exceptional contributions in one or more of the following areas:

• the legal profession, • legal education, • the judiciary, • their communities, • business and industry, • non-profit or charitable organizations, • the arts, or • other activities that have made an exceptional contribution to law or society.

Members of the Bertha Wilson Honour Society will be inducted annually at the Law Alumni Dinner.

2014 NOMINATION FORM BERTHA WILSON HONOUR SOCIETY

Eligibility: • Must be a Schulich School of Law alumnus/alumna; • Must be nominated by an alumnus/alumna of the Schulich School of Law/Dalhousie Law School • Must have made exceptional contributions and/or achievements in one or more of the following areas: . the legal profession, . legal education, . the judiciary, . their communities, . business and industry, . non-profit or charitable organizations, . the arts, or . other activities that have made an exceptional contribution to law or society.

Nominations: Nominators are asked to submit a description of the achievements of the nominee not to exceed three single-spaced pages along with the nominee’s curriculum vitae.

Deadline: Nominations must be received by June 1, 2014.

I nominate: ______for the Bertha Wilson Honour Society.

Nominated by: ______Address: ______Telephone: ______Email: ______

Please return this form and supporting documentation to: Karen Kavanaugh Director of Alumni Relations Schulich School of Law 6061 University Avenue Halifax, NS B3H 4H9 Tel: 902-494-3744 Fax: 902-494-4222 [email protected]