Austin Albert Mardon,

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

(born 25 June 1962) is an author, community leader, and advocate for mental health. He is an assistant adjunct professor at the John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...

. In the mid 80's, he founded and today still directs the Antarctic Institute of Canada, a non-profit entity based in Edmonton, Alberta. He is currently married to lawyer and activist Catherine Mardon, and has co-written several books with her.

Biography

Family history

Mardon's paternal grandfather, Austin Mardon, attended

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

prior to becoming a professor in comparative classics and history. With his wife, Marie, Mardon's grandfather purchased Ardross Castle in Scotland, which remained in the Mardon family until 1983.

Early years

Dr. Mardon was born in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

in 1962 to May and Ernest George Mardon. Dr. Mardon grew up in Lethbridge and currently resides in Edmonton. As a child, Dr. Mardon was often sick and subject to a great deal of bullying in school. During this time, he spent many winters in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

with his mother and sister. In his late teens, Dr. Mardon lived in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and attended

Grenoble University The Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA, French: meaning "''Grenoble Alps University''") is a public research university in Grenoble, France. Founded in 1339, it is the third largest university in France with about 60,000 students and over 3,000 resea ...

. Afterwards, Dr. Mardon returned to Canada and attended the

University of Lethbridge , mottoeng = '' Let there be light'' , type = Public , established = , academic_affiliations = Universities Canada , endowment = $73 million (2019) , chancellor = Charles Wease ...

. Here, he pursued a major in geography. He also served in the Canadian Primary Reserves, taking his basic training at the Canadian Armed Forces Base at

Dundurn, Saskatchewan Dundurn is a town of 647 residents surrounded by the RM of Dundurn No. 314, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Dundurn is located on Highway 11, or Louis Riel Trail, in central Saskatchewan, about 42 km south of Saskatoon. As w ...

Education

Dr. Mardon graduated in 1985 with a major in cultural geography from the University of Lethbridge. He became a graduate student at

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...

, where he also attended the Space Studies Program, and received a master's of science in 1988. He also received a master's degree in education from

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

in 1990. After he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, he earned a Ph.D. from

Greenwich University , mottoeng = "To learn, to do, to achieve" , former_name = Woolwich Polytechnic(1890–1970)Thames Polytechnic(1970–1992) , established = , type = Public university , budget = £214.9 million (2020) , administrative_staff = , chancel ...

. He has done work on other degrees from

Newman Theological College Newman Theological College (NTC) is a Roman Catholic school of theology founded in 1969 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. Founding NTC was founded in 1969 in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. NTC grew out ...

, Kharkov National University, and the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...

. He received an honorary law degree (LL.D.) from the

in 2011.

Career

While doing graduate work at the South Dakota State University in 1986, Dr. Mardon was invited to be a member of the 1986-87 Antarctic meteorite expedition for

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

and the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

. 170 miles from the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

station when his team found hundreds of meteorites. During his sojourn he suffered environmental exposure which damaged his lungs and gave him a permanent cough. He received the

Antarctica Service Medal The Antarctica Service Medal (ASM) was established by the United States Congress on July 7, 1960, under Public Law 600 of the 86th Congress. The medal was intended as a military award to replace several commemorative awards which had been issu ...

for his efforts and risk. On his return to Alberta, he gave lectures on Antarctica at the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

and the

. He secured an interview to be a member of the Canadian/Soviet Arctic traverse from northern

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

to Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic, but failed to get on that expedition. He was a part of the failed meteorite recovery expedition in the Canadian Arctic near Resolute in the Northwest Territories, and wrote a paper on his conversations with locals and what the

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

thought of meteorites. He was also supposed to join an

Argentinian Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish ( masculine) or ( feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

Antarctic expedition in the late 80's, but a fire at the Argentinian Antarctic base caused his membership to be canceled. One of his most significant contributions to astronomical science was a series of articles he wrote on the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The Chronicle is a running commentary on different events in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

during the medieval period. With the assistance of his father, a medieval scholar, Dr. Mardon found eleven cometary events mentioned in the Chronicle that are not mentioned anywhere else in astronomical literature, as well as two meteor showers recorded in the Chronicle. In 1991, Dr. Mardon was invited to join an expedition to the

sponsored by the Geographical Society of the USSR. He traveled to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

and met with some expedition officials, receiving a strange welcome with little information and odd accommodations. He soon found out that he was under suspicion by the authorities and was arrested first by the

GRU The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, rus, Гла́вное управле́ние Генера́льного шта́ба Вооружённых сил Росси́йской Федера́ци ...

, then by the

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

. Dr. Mardon was questioned, held for a time, and then forced to wander the streets of Moscow with an escort that could have been a spy or guard as well as a guide. Dr. Mardon finally secured passage back to Canada after a harrowing experience in Moscow, and eventually received an official letter of apology from Moscow. In 1992, Dr. Mardon was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Following his diagnosis, Dr. Mardon began work as an activist for people with mental illnesses. Dr. Mardon has written multiple books on the subject of mental illness, and has been bestowed several honors and awards for his work as a mental health advocate. In 2011 the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) awarded Dr. Mardon the CMA Medal of Honour in recognition of, " ..personal contributions to the advance of medical research and education." In regards to the awarding of the medal to Dr. Mardon, CMA president Jeff Turnbull said, "Dr. Mardon has worked tirelessly to help Canadians better understand the issues around mental illness. In courageously talking openly about his own experiences, he is truly making a difference in coaxing mental illness out of the shadows in this country." Dr. Mardon received his most prestigious honor in 2006, when he was awarded 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 cen ...

. As of February 2019, Austin has been serving on the University of Lethbridge senate.

Bibliography

Austin Mardon has edited, authored and self-published 50 books. He has published books on Canadian politics, history, mental health, science, geography, fiction and children's fiction as well as numerous scholarly articles and abstracts. Many of his written works explore the topic of mental illness, with a specific focus on providing aid to disabled people.

Non-fiction

*''A Conspectus of the Contribution of Herodotus to the Development of Geographical Thought'' (1990. Reprint in 2011) *''A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland'' (1990, Translator, with Ernest Mardon) *''The Alberta Judiciary Dictionary'' (1990, with Ernest Mardon) *''International Law and Space Rescue Systems'' (1991) *''Kensington Stone and Other Essays'' (1991) *''A Transient in Whirl'' (1991) *''The Men of the Dawn: Alberta Politicians from the North West Territories of the District of Alberta and Candidates for the First Alberta General Election'' (1991, With Ernest Mardon) *''Down and Out and on the Run in Moscow'' (1992, with Ernest Mardon) *''Alberta General Election Returns and Subsequent Byelections, 1882-1992, Documentary Heritage Society of Alberta'' (1993, with Ernest Mardon) *''Edmonton Political Biographical Dictionary, 1882-1990: A Work in Progress'' (1993, with Ernest Mardon) *''Biographical Dictionary of Alberta Politicians'' (1993, with Ernest Mardon) *''Alberta Executive Council, 1905-1990'' (1994, co-author) *''Alone against the Revolution'' (1996, with M.F. Korn) *''Early Catholic Saints'' (1997, co-author) *''Later Christian Saints'' (1997, co-author) *''Childhood Memories and Legends of Christmas Past'' (1998, co-author) *''United Farmers of Alberta'' (1999, co-author) *''The Insanity Machine'' (2003, with Kenna McKinnon) *''English Medieval Cometry References Over a Thousand Years'' (2008, with Ernest Mardon and Cora Herrick) *''2004 Politicians'' (2009, with Ernest Mardon) *''A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland'' (2009, with Ernest Mardon) *''Space Rescue Systems in the Context of International Laws'' (2009) *''Alberta Election Returns, 1887-1994'' (2010, with Ernest Mardon) *''Community Place Names of Alberta'' (2010, with Ernest Mardon) *''Alberta's Judicial Leadership'' (2011, with Ernest Mardon) *''The Mormon Contribution to Alberta Politics (2 ed.)'' (2011, with Ernest Mardon) *''Mapping Alberta's Political Leadership'' (2011, with Ernest Mardon and Joseph Harry Veres) *''Alberta's Political Pioneers'' (2011, with Ernest Mardon) *''Alberta Ethnic German Politicians'' (2011, with Ernest Mardon and Catherine Mardon) *''Financial Stability for the Disabled'' (2012, with Shelley Qian and Kayle Paustian) *''The Liberals in Power in Alberta 1905-1921'' (2012, with Ernest Mardon) *''Designed by Providence'' (2012, with Ernest Mardon and Claire MacMaster) *''Who's Who in Federal Politics in Alberta'' (2012, with Ernest Mardon) *''What's in a Name?'' (2012, with Ernest Mardon) *''History and Origin of Alberta Constituencies'' (2012, with Catherine Mardon) *''The Conflict Between the Individual & Society in the Plays of James Bridie'' (2012, with Ernest Mardon) *''Alberta Catholic Politicians'' (2012, with Ernest Mardon) *''Tea with the Mad Hatter'' (2012, with Erin Campbell) *''Lethbridge Politicians: Federal, Provincial & Civic (2 ed.)'' (2013, with Ernest Mardon) *''Alberta Anglican Politicians'' (2013, with Ernest Mardon) *''Political Networks in Alberta: 1905-1992 (2 ed.)'' (2014)

Children's books

*''Many Christian Saints for Children'' (1997, coauthor) *''Early Saints and Other Saintly Stories for Children'' (2011, with May Mardon and Ernest Mardon) *''When Kitty Met the Ghost (2 ed.)'' (2012, with Ernest Mardon) *''The Girl Who Could Walk Through Walls'' (2012, with Ernest Mardon) *''Gandy and Parker Escape the Zoo: An Illustrated Adventure'' (2013, with Catherine Mardon) *''Grownup for a Week'' (2014, with Catherine Mardon, Aala Abdullahi and Agata Garbowska) *''Gandy and the Cadet'' (2015, with Catherine Mardon) *''Gandy and the Man in White'' (2016, with Catherine Mardon)

Awards and honours

*Antarctic Service Medal- US Congress(Navy)- 1987 *Duke of Edinburgh Award- Bronze Level- 1987 *Texas State Proclamation #51, Texas Legislature- 1988 *Governor Generals Caring Canadian Award- 1996, presented 1999 *Nadine Stirling Award, Canadian Mental Health Association- Alberta 1999 *Flag of Hope Award, Schizophrenia Society of Canada- 2001 *Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Lethbridge- 2002 *Presidents Award, Canadian Mental Health Association-Alberta- 2002 * Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal- 2002 *Alberta Centennial Medal- 2005 *Ron LaJeunnesse Leadership Award, Canadian Mental Health Association- Edmonton 2005 *Order of St. Sylvester - 2017 *

, Member- October 2006, Invested- October 2007 *Bill Jefferies Family Award, Schizophrenia Society of Canada- 2007 *C.M. Hincks Award, Canadian Mental Health Association- National Division- 2007 *Best National Editorial, Canadian Church Press- 2010 for Western Catholic Reporter article *Medal of Honour, Alberta Medical Association- October 2010 *Mental Health Media Award,

Canadian Mental Health Association The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is a Canadian non-profit mental health organization that focusing on resources, programs and advocacy. It was founded on April 22, 1918, by Dr. Clarence M. Hincks and Clifford W. Beers. Originally nam ...

-Alberta October 2010 for AHE Edmonton Journal articles *Honorable Kentucky Colonel- Commonwealth of Kentucky April 2011 *Honorary Doctorate, L.L.D.,

- 10 June 2011 *Medal of Honour, Canadian Medical Association- 25 August 2011 *Catherine & Austin Mardon CM Schizophrenia Award permanently endowed at U of Alberta for $500 per annum 2012 *Dr's Catherine & Austin Mardon CM Student Award Bursary established at Newman Theological College 2012 *

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

- Presented 28 May 2012 *Catherine & Austin Mardon CM Schizophrenia Award endowed at Norquest College for $1,000 per annum August 2013 *Honorary Doctorate, L.L.D.,

, 19 June 2014 *Honorary Social Worker, Alberta College of Social Workers, April 2015 *Mardon was elected into the Royal Society of Canada as a Specially Elected Fellow in 2014. *Order of St.Sylvester (2017)

References

External links

Austin Mardon website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mardon, Austin Scientists from Edmonton Living people 1962 births Writers from Edmonton 20th-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian children's writers Grenoble Alpes University alumni University of Lethbridge alumni South Dakota State University alumni Texas A&M University alumni Members of the Order of Canada Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada People with schizophrenia 20th-century Canadian scientists 21st-century Canadian scientists Canadian male non-fiction writers