Beland Hugh Honderich, (November 25, 1918 – November 8, 2005) 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 ...

newspaper executive who was the Chairman and Publisher of the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...

'' and Chairman and President of the

Torstar Corporation Torstar Corporation is a Canadian mass media company which primarily publishes daily and community newspapers. In addition to the ''Toronto Star'', its flagship and namesake, Torstar also publishes daily newspapers in Hamilton, Peterborough, Ni ...

. Born in

Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

, the son of John Honderich Sr. and Rae Honderich, he was a high school drop-out who worked as a cub reporter for the

Kitchener-Waterloo Record The ''Waterloo Region Record'' (formerly ''The Record'') is the daily newspaper covering Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, including the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as the surrounding area. Since December 1998, the ''Re ...

before heading to

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 anch ...

. He was hired at the Star to replace reporters who went to serve in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, as Honderich was rejected by the

RCAF The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

due to poor eyesight. In 1955, he was appointed editor-in-chief of the ''Toronto Star'' and a director in 1956. In 1966, he was elected president and publisher of Toronto Star Limited. In 1976, he was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Torstar Corporation. In 1988, he retired as publisher and moved to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

after his third marriage in 2000. He died at St. Paul's Hospital in

after having a stroke. His final request was for cremation.

Personal life

Honderich was married three times, with two sons and a daughter: * John Honderich, was also publisher of the ''Toronto Star'' from 1994 to 2004 * David Honderich, an entrepreneur * Mary Honderich, philosophy and English teacher as well as six grandchildren. His brother, the British-Canadian philosopher

Ted Honderich Ted Honderich (born 30 January 1933) is a Canadian-born British professor of philosophy, who was Grote Professor Emeritus of the Philosophy of Mind and Logic, University College London. Biography Honderich was born Edgar Dawn Ross Honderich o ...

, worked for the newspaper in the 1950s.

Honours

* In 1976, he was awarded an honorary LL.D. from

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 ...

. * In 1977, he was awarded an honorary LL.D. from

Wilfrid Laurier University 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 ...

. * In 1986, 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 cen ...

. * In 1989, he was awarded an honorary D.Litt. from

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 Wo ...

References

External links

Order of Canada Citation

He made his mark on city and nation
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Honderich, Beland Businesspeople from Kitchener, Ontario Canadian newspaper executives Canadian people of German descent Officers of the Order of Canada 1918 births 2005 deaths Toronto Star publishers (people) 20th-century Canadian newspaper publishers (people)