Alasdair Maclean SINCLAIR

1935 - 2021

ALASDAIR MACLEAN SINCLAIR June 30, 1935 - March 14, 2021 Alasdair Maclean Sinclair passed away on March 14, 2021, at the Abbey J. Lane Memorial Hospital, at the age of 85. Alasdair was born on June 30, 1935, in Valleyfield, Prince Edward Island, to Donald and Mary (Jones) Sinclair. He attended school in Whitney Pier, Cape Breton, and Queen Elizabeth High School, in Halifax, before taking a B.A. with First Class Honours at Dalhousie University. Alasdair won the Governor General's Gold Medal in 1956 and was also awarded the Nova Scotia Rhodes Scholarship. He received a B.A. and a B. Phil. from Oxford University before moving on to Harvard, where he earned his Ph.D. Alasdair taught Economics at Dalhousie from 1961 to 1994, focusing on Macroeconomics and International Trade. In 1982 he became Dalhousie's first elected Chair of the Senate, and from 1983 to 1988 he was Vice-President Academic and Provost. He was made Professor Emeritus in 1995, and in 'retirement,' he continued to lecture, served on the Dalhousie Board of Governors, sat on numerous boards and committees, and did consulting work all over the world. In his later years, Alasdair suffered from dementia, losing his ability to do the two things he loved most - read and converse - but he was fortunate to be able to live at home right up until the end of his life. Alasdair is survived by his wife, Carol (Vincent), with whom he enjoyed many happy years and countless adventures. He is also survived by his sons Andrew (Julie Lindsay), Peter (Claudine Giroud), Douglas (Kristin) and his daughter Sarah (Donald Dorey), as well as his brothers John (Evelyn) and Donald (Jill), his sisters Margaret James, Janet Hartry, and Sheila Sinclair, and his brother-in-law Hugh Vincent. He is also survived by ten grandchildren who loved him dearly: Eilidh and Allie, Aurelie and Loic, Torsten, Annika, and Linnea, and Elizabeth, Madeline, and Alexander, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, and by his brothers-in-law David Hartry and Richard James, his sisters-in-law, Joy Sinclair and Marnie Vincent, his nieces Natalie Sinclair and Nicki Vincent, and his nephew Mark Vincent. Alasdair was lifelong supporter of, and two-time candidate for, the New Democratic Party, running against heavyweight politicians Gerald Regan and Robert Stanfield. Alasdair was also an active member of Fort Massey United Church, where he served as Clerk of Session and on the Board of Management for many years. He was president of the Atlantic Canada Economics Association, a member of the Non-Resident Ownership Task Force, a board member of the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation, Chairman of the Dalhousie Budget Advisory Committee, a member of the Dalhousie Board of Governors Human Resources Committee and Chair of the Dalhousie Academic Affairs and Research Committee, and member of the Maritime Provincial Higher Education Committee, to name just some of his many contributions over the years. The family would like to express their deep appreciation for the attentive and thoughtful care provided by his home-care workers, Daniel, Anoop, Lilu, Joseph, Helen, and Elaine, by the nurses, doctors, and staff of the Q.E. II Emergency Room and the Abbey J. Lane hospital, and to the Reverend Trent Cleveland-Thompson of Fort Massey United Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alasdair Sinclair Memorial Fund in the Department of Economics at Dalhousie University. The specific use of the funds donated will be announced at a later time. The donation can be made online at giving.dal.ca/sinclair or by calling the Office of Advancement at 902-494-6970. Donations can also be made to Fort Massey United Church. A memorial service will be held at a later date. To view the full obituary and to offer condolences, please visit: www.coleharbourfuneral.com.