Albert William Trueman, OC, FRSC (January 17, 1902 – June 29, 1988) was a teacher, professor, cultural and university administrator.

Early life

Trueman was born in the United States, where his New Brunswick-born father John Main Trueman taught at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

between 1907 and 1913. The family lived in

Bible Hill, Nova Scotia Bible Hill (Mi'kmaq: Wi'kopekwitk) is an incorporated village in Colchester County, Nova Scotia. It lies on the north bank of the Salmon River, opposite the town of Truro and the unincorporated community of Salmon River. The village is home to ...

after 1913, where his father taught at the

Nova Scotia Agricultural College Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) was a publicly owned Canadian university college (founded 14 February 1905 and administered within the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture) located at Bible Hill, Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Agricultura ...

. Trueman attended high school in Truro, Nova Scotia and graduated from

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not parti ...

in 1927. He finished his Master of Arts degree in English Literature at Exeter College,

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1932.

Career

Trueman was a high school teacher, and then became school superintendent in Saint John, New Brunswick. He later worked a university administrator, serving as President of the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Americ ...

from 1948 until 1953. He was principal and dean of University College at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...

from 1965 until 1967. He was

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the University of Western Ontario from 1967 until 1971. He returned to academic life and had an extended term as visiting professor of English at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

from 1967 to 1981. Trueman acted as Government Film Commissioner and Chairman of the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

from 1953 to 1957, and then as the first Director of the newly created Canada Council for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, serving from 1957 to 1965. In these positions, he made contributions to Canadian cultural policies, primarily by promoting the roles and influence of both agencies. He also served on the Board of Governors of the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

(CBC). Trueman was given many honorary degrees. He was a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...

since 1964, and was invested as an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

in 1974. Trueman wrote and edited several books, including ''A Second View of Things: A Memoir'' in 1982.Judy Creighton, "Trueman Loves Leisure", Windsor, ON: ''Windsor Star'', Thursday, July 30, 1992, p. C9. His son Peter Trueman, was a well-known television journalist.

Publications

* Trueman, A. W. (1946). ''The Story of the United Empire Loyalists'', Toronto, ON: Copp Clark Co. * MacNutt, W. Stewart (1952), edited by A.W. Trueman. ''New Brunswick and Its People: The Biography of a Canadian Province '', Fredericton, NB: New Brunswick Travel Bureau * Trueman, A. W. (1952). ''Canada's University of New Brunswick: Its History and Its Development'', New York & Montreal: Newcomen Society in North America. * Trueman, A. W., Canadian Editor, with Wright, E.H. and Wright, M. H. (1957). ''Richards Topical Encyclopedia'', New York, NY: Richards Company. * Trueman, A. W., Davies, Robertson, Berton, Pierre; edited by D.C. Williams (1962). ''The Arts as Communication'', Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press. * Trueman, A. W. (1963). ''The Canada Council and the Culture of the Country'', Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria * Trueman, Albert (1982). ''A Second View of Things: A Memoir'', Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart.

Films

* ''The Maritimes: Traditions and Transitions'' ( NFB short, 1959) on-screen presenter and narrator

References

External links