Norman Eric Webster and Alice Patterson (Pat) Webster (2007)
Norman Eric Webster
As President of the R. Howard Webster Foundation, a respected journalist and volunteer,
Norman Webster has been a constant advocate and supporter of education at
many levels. The R.H. Webster Foundation reports annual gifts and grants of almost
$5 million to charities across Canada.
Born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Norman Webster grew up in
Sherbrooke, Quebec and is a graduate of Bishop’s University. He attended St. John’s
College at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar before beginning a distinguished
career in journalism. He is a former editor-in-chief of both the Globe and Mail and
The Montreal Gazette. Mr. Webster has won two National Newspaper Awards - the
first for coverage of China’s “ping pong diplomacy”, while a correspondent in Beijing
for the Globe and Mail; the second award for editorial writing. Other postings with
the Globe were in London, Quebec, Ottawa and Queen’s Park. He also spent a year
in Winnipeg at the Free Press. Since 1990, Mr. Webster has written a weekly column
for the Montreal Gazette.
His direct community involvement includes terms on the boards of Green College
at the University of British Columbia, the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation,
McGill University Health Centre Foundation, Bishop’s University, the Canadian
Institute for Advanced Research, the Michener Awards Foundation, and the
Asia Pacific Foundation. Norman Webster served as chancellor of UPEI from 1996
to 2004 and was elevated to Chancellor Emeritus in 2006. He was a member of the
UPEI Building a Legacy Campaign cabinet and is a Member of the Order of Canada.
Alice Patterson Webster
Ms Webster is a pioneer in bilingual education, as the founding President of Canadian
Parents for French, an organization dedicated to promoting and creating Frenchsecond-
language opportunities for young Canadians across the country. A native of
West Virginia, Pat Webster became aware of the advantages of bilingualism upon
her marriage and arrival in Canada. When a group of concerned parents from across
Canada launched CPF in 1977, she was elected its first president.
Ms Webster has been a member of the Ontario government’s French Language
Services Commission and Chair of the Board of Directors for the Society of Education
Visits and Exchanges in Canada (SEVEC). Most recently, she is one of the key
organizers and builders of the popular multi-lingual Montreal literary festival, Metropolis
Bleu / Blue Metropolis. She has served on the Boards of The Toronto French
School and York University. She has volunteered for The Piggery Theatre and The
Stratford Festival, served as Chair of the Board at Bishop’s College School (BCS) and
chaired a very successful capital campaign. Pat Webster has been an active fundraiser
for causes about which she feels passionate, and has raised millions in aid of education
and the Arts.
In 1998, Canadian Heritage recognized Ms. Webster for her exemplary promotion
of linguistic duality. For her extensive work in establishing CPF, she was awarded
the Ordre national de mérite (National Order of Merit) by the French Embassy in
Ottawa in October 2003 and an Honorary Doctorate from Laurentian University. In
2006, she was awarded a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa from the University of PEI
and delivered the convocation address.
Individually, Norman Webster and Pat Webster are worthy recipients of the
Wellington West Clearsight Friend of Education Award. Together, they are an outstanding
team who personify true friends of education.