Michael TAIT

1931 - 2022

MICHAEL TAIT February 25, 1931 - September 10, 2022 Professor, playwright, father, husband "High in moral value was his speech, and gladly would he learn and gladly teach" - Geoffrey Chaucer Michael died in Toronto in his 92nd year after a long life and a short illness. He was cared for at home by his wife, Sheila, and by his daughter, Julia, and will be dearly missed by his stepdaughters, Melanie and Christina. Michael comes from a distinguished line of scholars and educators. His father Marcus was a Rhodes Scholar and for many years a Classics professor at University of Toronto. He is buried in Rome in the Protestant Cemetery near Keats. Michael's love of teaching was ignited when he spent teenaged summers in Sweden teaching young boys to canoe and to appreciate William Blake. Michael was known for his strong opinions and his conviction of them. He was the first student to successfully reject the mandated cadet training at Oakwood Collegiate. He earned his B.A. from Trinity College while also playing many roles at Hart House Theatre including Henry V. He did graduate studies at Oxford University and earned his Ph.D. from U of T while teaching and running the theatre at Ryerson P.I. (now MTU). He was briefly a professional actor but in the midst of performing in 'Of Mice and Men' at the Crest Theatre, Michael had a flash realization: "My future is not as an actor!" So he altered his course and became a beloved professor of English Literature and Canadian Drama. He first taught at Carleton University and then at U of T, while also writing plays and novels. In 1961, he married future film producer, Anne Weldon, and their daughter, Julia, was born in 1963. In 1989, he married high school teacher and actress, Sheila Macdonald Palka, after she played Frieda in his drama, Glimpses of Paradise about D.H. Lawrence. In 1975, Michael's play Fellowship was staged at the Stratford Festival to strong reviews and the next year the CBC produced a television version. In Ottawa, a senator objected to one particularly racy scene, so the broadcast was moved to 3 a.m. where it would be 'unlikely to offend." This controversy only increased interest in it. A lifelong tennis player and fisherman, Michael was deeply attached to the family cottage at Lake of Bays, built in 1930 by his parents, Marcus and Ruth, a potter and poet. In Michael's last years, he spent treasured days at the cottage with Julia and with Sheila. He played the piano every day of his life, practising Bach's Goldberg variations for forty years. Julia and Sheila will especially miss Michael playing the score of 'Les Mis' while they sang along with gusto. Michael continued writing plays into his 90s and was an active member of the Arts and Letters Club where he gave many talks. At his final one about old age, he read Yeats. Michael is survived by his wife, Sheila; daughter, Julia; stepdaughters, Melanie and Christina; his nieces, Catherine, Alison, Ruth and Zoe; and his nephew, Godfrey. His brother, Richard, a diplomat, died before him. A celebration - with readings from Michael's plays - will be held mid October. Contact JuliaWeldonTait@gmail.com for details. Love you Dad