Alexander Norbert MacDONALD

Norb was my colleague in the UBC History Department from the day I joined the department until his retirement many years later. I recall so many rich conversations with Norb, often over lunch at the old Faculty Club, and these conversations continued long after he retired. I loved experiencing Norb's passion for history, for Canada, for friendship, and for his family. It was always a delight when Norb told one of his great stories, invariably laced with good-natured humour. Many of those stories were about his own early days as a historian when he was making the transition from being a student of chemistry -- a process that included a few rough spots along the way, which he recounted with jocular irony, but which ended successfully with his becoming a well-regarded expert on North American urban history and a cherished member of the UBC History Department. It is sad that in his last years Norb was deprived of the chance to keep up the kind of lively interactions with other people which had been his lifeblood. But his memory is greatly cherished among those who knew him.

Very sorry to hear of Norb's passing. I have fond memories of being one of his students in Contemporary American History in 1974. Great teacher! Nice man! Good guy! Sincerest wishes to his family.
Craig Thomson
Ladner B.C.