Alexander Gordon "Sandy" McKay, (December 24, 1924 – August 31, 2007) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

academic who specialized in Vergilian studies. Born in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, McKay graduated from

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious preparatory school, and has produce ...

in 1942. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1946 from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, a Master of Arts degree in 1947 from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, a A.M. degree in 1948 from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

and a Ph.D. in 1950 from Princeton. He started his academic career as an instructor at Princeton University from 1947 to 1949. He then taught at

Wells College Wells College is a private liberal arts college in Aurora, New York. The college has cross-enrollment with Cornell University and Ithaca College. For much of its history it was a women's college. Wells College is located in the Finger Lakes reg ...

(1949-1950), the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

(1950-1951), 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.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 ...

(1952-1953),

Waterloo College Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton. The newer Brantford and Milton campuses are not considered satellite campuses ...

(1953-1955), and again at the University of Manitoba (1955-1957). He started teaching at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

in 1957. He was appointed an associate professor in 1959, a full professor in 1961, and retired as a Professor Emeritus in 1990. He was chair of Classics from 1962 to 1968 and from 1976 to 1979. From 1968 to 1973, he was the founding dean of the Faculty of Humanities. He was president 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 ...

from 1984 to 1987. After his retirement from

in 1990, he taught at

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

as adjunct professor of humanities from 1990 until 1996.

Honours

In 1965, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, the

Canadian Centennial Medal The Canadian Centennial Medal (french: Médaille du centenaire du Canada) is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1967 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation and was awarded to Canadians who were ...

, and the

125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal The 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal (french: Médaille commémorative du 125e anniversaire de la Confédération du Canada) is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint to commemorate the 125th anniversary of ...

. In 1988, he was made 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 recognition for being a "distinguished scholar, educator and humanitarian". He received honorary degrees from the University of Manitoba (1986), Brock University (1990), Queen's University (1991), McMaster University (1992), and the University of Waterloo (1993).

Selected works

* ''Naples and Campania'', 1962 * ''Victorian Architecture in Hamilton'', 1967 * ''Vergil's Italy'', 1970 * ''Ancient Campania'', Vols. I and II, 1972 * ''Houses, Villas, and Palaces in the Roman World'', 1975 * ''Vitruvius, Architect and Engineer'', 1978 * ''Römische Häuser, Villen, und Paläste'', 1980 * ''Roma Antiqua, Latium & Etruria'', 1986

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, Alexander Gordon 1924 births 2007 deaths Canadian university and college faculty deans Academic staff of McMaster University Officers of the Order of Canada Academics from Toronto Princeton University alumni University of Toronto alumni Upper Canada College alumni Yale University alumni Wells College faculty Canadian expatriates in the United States