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Journalist and poet Kenneth Leslie was born in 1892 to businessman Robert Jamieson and Bertha (Starratt) Leslie in Pictou, Nova Scotia. He was raised and educated in Halifax, where he attended the Arnold School (a one-room private school), and Alexandra School. At age fourteen he entered Dalhousie University and received his BA in 1912. This was followed by one year of study at the Colgate Theological Seminary, an MA at the University of Nebraska (1914), and further graduate studies in philosophy and mysticism at Harvard University. Throughout this time, Leslie developed an appreciation of poetry, socialism and mysticism that would dominate his later life.

On his return to Halifax, Leslie married Elizabeth Moir, daughter of Halifax businessman James Moir. They had four children: Kathleen, Gloria, Rosaleen and Kenneth Alexander (later Alexander Moir). With James Moir’s support, Leslie experimented with a number of unsuccessful business ventures including farming and investment. During this time he also joined an informal Halifax literary group called the Song Fishermen.

Leslie moved to New York City where he experimented with preaching, broadcasting, composing music and acting. He continued to write poetry and was published in The Song Fishermens’ Song Sheet as well as Literary Digest and Scribner’s Magazine. In 1934 he published his first book of poetry, Windward Rock, which coincided with the end of his marriage. Between 1936–1938 Leslie published three more poetry books, including By Stubborn Stars and Other Poems, which won the 1938 Governor General’s Award. He also founded the religious and politically-minded magazine Protestant Digest (later called The Protestant) with his second wife, Marjorie Finlay Hewitt, and the assistance of three Nova Scotians—Ralph (Kelly) Morton, Sanford Archibald and Gerald Richardson. In 1943 Leslie established the Textbook Commission to eliminate anti-Semitic statements in American textbooks, and in 1944 he published an anti-fascist comic book called The Challenger. As publisher and editor of The Protestant, Leslie corresponded with many prominent American political and social figures and became a popular public speaker.

During the late 1940s Leslie's reputation as anti-Catholic and pro-communist began to grow; there were staff problems at The Protestant; and his marriage to Marjorie ended. In 1949 Leslie and his third wife, Cathy, returned to Halifax when Leslie and The Protestant drew criticism from Senator McCarthy for un-American activity. Leslie’s third marriage dissolved shortly after his return to Nova Scotia. He continued to publish The Protestant and successor periodicals from Nova Scotia on a smaller scale until 1972 when his health declined. He also worked sporadically as a taxi driver and teacher while continuing to write and publish poetry. In the early 1960s he married his fourth wife, Nora Steenerson. Kenneth Leslie died in Halifax in 1974.

Wendy Lill is an award-winning dramatist whose work has been produced extensively on Canadian and international stages. Born in Vancouver on 2 November 1950 to Edwin Henry and Margaret Galbraith (Gordon), Lill was educated in London, Ontario, and Toronto, receiving a BA in political science from York University in 1971.

Lill spent most of the 1970s in Northern Ontario, where she worked as a mental health consultant and later as a journalist. In 1979 she moved to Winnipeg to work for CBC Radio as a journalist, documentary-maker and dramatist. Her documentary, Who is George Forest? and her radio drama, Shorthanded, both received ACTRA Awards in 1981. Her work frequently explores social justice issues. Her first stage play, On the Line (1979), told the story of a Winnipeg labour strike of female immigrant garment workers. Sisters (1991), which dramatized the devastation caused by native residential schools, received the Labatt's Canadian Play Award at the Newfoundland and Labrador Drama Festival. Her television adaptation won a 1992 Gemini Award. Four of her plays have been nominated for the Governor General's Award, including The Glace Bay Miners' Museum (1996) and Corker (1998), both of which were first produced by Eastern Front Theatre, which Lill founded with Mary Vingoe and Gay Hauser.

From 1997-2004 Lill served as the Dartmouth Member of Parliament and was appointed as the NDP's critic for Heritage and Culture as well as for Persons with Disabilities. Her CBC Radio drama, Backbencher (2010-2011), was loosely based on her experiences in the House of Commons.

Wendy Lill is married to Richard Starr, with whom she lives in Dartmouth with their sons, Samuel Edwin and Joseph Alexander.

Thomas Donal Linehan was born in Singapore on December 28, 1924 to Dr. William and May Linehan. Thomas was raised in Ireland but resided in Canada for 45 years before dying at the age of 78 on January 7, 2003. Thomas is survived by his wife Therese and his 7 children, Mary, Jennifer, Noreen, Una, Patrick, John, and Michael.

During his life Thomas was an English teacher; however, he is primarily known for his poetry. Although he was never able to make a financial secure career in poetry, he nevertheless remained an active author. He is known for works such as “Birds of Fire”, published by Owl’s Head Press, and “Mystery of Things” published by Pottersfield Press, and had his work published in several literary magazines. Linehan was also a human rights activist and was an active member of Amnesty International, where he challenged political figures including former Canadian Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, to deal with human right violations occurring around the world.

Arthur Lismer was born 27 June 1885 in Sheffield, England. He was apprenticed to a photo-engraving company at the age of thirteen, and started evening classes at the Sheffield School of Arts at the same time. In 1905 he moved to Antwerp to continue his education at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts.

In 1911 Lismer immigrated to Toronto, where he was employed first at the commercial art firm Grip Limited, and later at Rous & Mann. It was during this period that he met fellow artists J.E.H. MacDonald, F.H. Johnston, Franklin Carmichael and Tom Thomson.

Lismer moved with his wife, Esther, and young daughter, Marjorie, to Nova Scotia in 1916, where for three years he served as principal of the Victoria School of Art and Design in Halifax. During this period he sketched and painted images of naval activity in and around Halifax Harbour, and in June 1918 was commissioned by the Canadian War Records, for which he produced a series of sixteen lithographs. He also created a number of drawings chronicling the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion, which were published in the Canadian Courier newspaper and in The drama of a city: the story of stricken Halifax (1918).

In 1919 Lismer was commissioned by the Dalhousie Centenary Committee to produce a series of sketches to illustrate the committee’s centennial commemoration publication, One hundred years of Dalhousie, 1818–1918 (1920), some of which were also reproduced in a promotional booklet published to advance the university’s 1920 "Millions Campaign” appeal.

Before the end of 1919 Lismer returned to Toronto to take up the post of vice-principal of the Ontario College of Art, and several years later became a charter member of the Group of Seven. In 1927 he was appointed supervisor of art education at the Art Gallery of Toronto and emerged as a leading figure in art education in Canada. From 1940–1967 he taught at the Art Association of Montreal.

Arthur Lismer died on 23 March 1969.

John Daniel Logan was a writer and professor of poetry, literary and music criticism, and literary history. Born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia on May 2, 1869 to Charles and Elizabeth (Rankin) Logan, he moved with his mother and siblings to Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1876 after the death of his father. He attended Pictou Academy where he developed an affinity for the Gaelic language and started a life-long love of Celtic culture in Canada. He then went to Dalhousie College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (1893) and a Master of Arts (1894), and Harvard University, where he received his PhD (1896). He remained in academia until 1902, holding several teaching positions in the United States. After 1902, he continued to publish papers and give lectures, predominantly on philosophy.

In 1902, he left his position at the State University of South Dakota to work as an advertising specialist with Siegel, Cooper and Company of Chicago, where he stayed until 1906, when he returned to Canada to take a position with Woods-Norris, Limited of Toronto. Two years later, Logan left advertising to become the first literary and music critic for the Toronto newspaper Sunday World (1908-1910), and then the News (1910-1914). In this role, he supported cultural and artistic endeavours in Canada. At the same time, he began to write for the Canadian Magazine, which he continued to do for the rest of his life. His work as a music and literary critic, however, did not result in much popularity or success, and in 1914, he left Toronto for Montreal in search of work. At this point, he also separated from his wife, Minerva Shepard Bromer of New York (married in 1897).

Logan stayed in Montreal for eighteen months before moving to Halifax in 1915 for a government position. During this time, he also worked part-time as a journalist for the Halifax Morning Chronicle. In 1916, he enlisted in the Army. He was discharged in April 1918 due to an injury and returned to Halifax, where he resumed his work in literary and music journalism. In 1918, he donated his library of Canadian literature to Acadia University (where he had given a series of lectures in 1915) and on May 28, 1918, his positions as "Special Lecturer in Canadian Literature" was formalized by the Board of Governors at Acadia. In Halifax, as in Toronto, he frequently clashed with the literary-intellectual community, and is known for arguing with Archibald MacMechan of Dalhousie University about the teaching of Canadian literature there, and with H.L. Stewart, head of the Philosophy Department at Dalhousie, about his teaching methods.

In 1924, he founded the Colonel William Ernest Thompson Library of Musical Literature in 1924 in memory of his classmate and to support a Faculty or Department of Music at Dalhousie University. In 1925, he was appointed Associate Dominion Archivist for the Maritime Provinces, after persistently campaigning for the position from Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. He was not happy in Halifax, however, and resigned his position as Archivist to move to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was elected Head of the English Department at Marquette University in 1927. He died there on January 24, 1929 and is buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Halifax.

Robert Archibald Logan was born on in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S. on August 17, 1892. Born to small land-owning farmers, he helped his mother on the farm whilst attending school. On his graduation, he attended the Technical University of Nova Scotia to become a Dominion Land Surveyor. When war broke out in 1914, he learned to fly an airplane at his own expense, and became the first Canadian civilian pilot to earn a commission in the British Royal Flying Corps. During the war he distinguished himself as a pilot and navigator, and was involved in training other pilots. On Apr. 8, 1917, he was shot down behind enemy lines by an aerial attack led by Baron von Richtoven. He and his observer survived the crash and spent the rest of World War I in 6 different German POW camps, including Schweidnitz. He began to study languages during his internment, which began an interest that continued for the rest of his life.

When the War ended, Logan participated in a Canadian government expedition by boat into the Arctic, and helped to establish the first air landing fields in the far north, including on Ellesmere Island. He also became involved in the new field of aerial surveying, which led him to south-central Africa for two years. Upon his return to the USA, he was employed by Pan-American Airways, where he investigated potential landing sites for the airline through travels that took him from Alaska to Argentina, and was Operations Manager for Pan-Am in Argentina and Brazil.

In 1933, he participated in the "Jelling" North Atlantic voyage with the Lindberghs, which investigated fueling and landing sites for Pan-Am’s cross-Atlantic routes. He also began and managed a gold mining operation in Nova Scotia during this time. He was then hired by the Irish national airline Aer Lingus Teoranta, and was its general manager until World War II necessitated the shutdown of its operations.

During WWII, Logan worked for the RCAF as a Command Navigation Officer in Nova Scotia, and Lt. Colonel and Director of Intelligence in Ottawa until the USA entered the War. In 1941, he participated in a secret Arctic expedition to Greenland and Iceland with the US military for the establishment of northern military airbases. After that, he continued work with the American military, and was sent on an another special mission to the South Pacific in 1943 with Rear Admiral Richard Byrd (who he knew from their mutual association with the Explorer’s Club in New York), again to research potential airfield and fuelling sites for the US military. Due to a leg injury during this expedition, he was given a medical retirement discharge, and retired as a Colonel.

After Logan retired from the military, he devoted most of his time to writing. His research and writing spanned a great deal of topics, such as genealogy, history, astrology, philosophy, mineralogy, writing systems, and fiction. He also compiled and published a two-volume Cree-English dictionary, and had it distributed to many academic libraries across N. America at his own expense.

Logan remained active in these pursuits well into the later years of his life, and his achievements have been noted by organizations like the International Biographical Associations of the UK and the USA, and the Explorer’s Club. He died shortly after his 100th birthday in 1992, in Duluth, Minnesota.

William Wadsworth Longfellow was a poet and educator born in 1807 to Stephen Longfellow and Zilpah (Wadsworth) Longfellow in Portland, Maine. He was educated in the private Portland Academy and at Bowdoin College, Maine. After travelling and studying in Europe he became a professor at Bowdoin and, later, at Harvard College. He retired from teaching in 1854 to focus on his writing and spent the remainder of his life in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His major works include Paul Revere's Ride, The Song of Hiawatha and Evangeline.

Longfellow's first wife, Mary Potter, died in 1835 after a miscarriage. His second wife, Frances Appleton, died in 1861 after sustaining burns from her dress catching fire. Longfellow passed away in 1882.