Obituary of Hugh Alan Craig Cairns

In loving memory of H. Alan C. Cairns, who passed away on August 27, 2018, surrounded and comforted by the love of his daughters Lynn, Wendy, Elaine and his partner Anne.  

Alan was a celebrated academic, a scholar and a gentleman.  He was a devoted father to daughters Lynn, Wendy, and Elaine (Raffles) and Silly Grandpa to Eli, Sadie and Tess.  He shared his later years with partner Anne Innis Dagg in Waterloo. Together they adventured widely – cycling in Cuba, rafting the Tatshenshini, hiking to Cape Scott.  He will be remembered for his humour and enjoyment of the simple pleasures of life – cheese, opera, bubbly water, corn on the cob, poetry and limericks, leftovers, daffodils and his story about meeting the Queen.  A dedicated and loyal friend, he had a wonderful capacity to see the best in people and maintained friendships around the world. He delighted in the exchange of ideas and the pursuit of scholarship, happily supporting and mentoring fellow academics.  

Born and raised in Galt, now a part of Cambridge, Ontario, Alan was the youngest son of Scottish immigrants Hugh and Lily (Crawford) Cairns.  Younger by 9 and 7 years than brothers John and Jim, ‘wee Alan’ towered at over 6 foot 4 in his prime. Alan left behind his first love – playing baseball with the Galt Pups - to study political science at the University of Toronto, graduating in 1953 with a gold medal, where he also earned his MA. He obtained his doctorate from Oxford University; his thesis, based on research conducted while living in Rhodesia, was later published as Prelude to Imperialism (1965).

With wife Patricia (Grady), Alan lived in Vancouver, raising three daughters (and dog Gregory), teaching Political Science at the University of British Columbia from 1960 to 1995, serving as head of that department from 1973 to 1980.  His research focussed on Canadian politics, particularly federalism, electoral and party systems, judicial review, and constitutional issues. Alan also studied Aboriginal issues in depth as a member of the Hawthorn Commission in the mid-1960s, returning to these issues in his prize-winning 2000 book Citizens Plus.  Alan was also one of three research directors of the (Macdonald) Royal Commission reporting in 1985 on the economic union and Canada’s development prospects.

Visiting appointments and chairs were held over the years at the University of Toronto, Memorial University of Newfoundland, the University of Edinburgh, Harvard University, Queen’s University, the University of Saskatchewan, York University, the University of Waterloo and the University of British Columbia.   

Alan was a member of the British Columbia Advisory Committee on the Constitution, leading up to the 1982 Constitution Act. In that year he was awarded the Molson Prize of the Canada Council and he subsequently received a Killam award for 1989-1991.  He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada, an Officer of the Order of Canada and is the recipient of Honorary Degrees from the University of British Columbia, University of Saskatchewan, University of Toronto and Carleton University. In 2003, he was inducted into the City of Cambridge Hall of Fame.

Despite failing health, in his last years, Alan did his best to continue engaging with the issues about which he had spent his life thinking and writing.   In his final days, Alan was deeply moved to receive numerous messages from friends and colleagues across the globe expressing their admiration and affection for him.  Alan was supported in his last days by his daughters, his partner Anne, her sons Hugh (Kate) and Ian (Laura), and daughter Mary (Ian), as well as the extended Cairns clan. In the words of his favourite, the Immortal Sir Harry Lauder, Alan ‘kept right on to the end of the road’.  He will be missed.

A Celebration of Life for H.Alan C. Cairns will be held on Tuesday, October 9, 2018, from 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in Vancouver B.C. at Cecil Green House, UBC, 6251 Cecil Green Park Road. Please RSVP to ebcairns@gmail.com

Arrangements entrusted to the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home 171 King St. S., Waterloo, www.erbgood.com or 519-745-8445.