Of the Highest Order: A Foundation for the Future. Acadia alumni appointed to the Order of Canada

By Rachel Cooper (’89)

Three prominent members of the Acadia community were invested into the Order of Canada in late 2019 and early 2020. Don Oliver (’60, invested in December 2019), Barbara Butler (’70) and Ray Ivany (Honorary Alumnus and President Emeritus) are all, in different ways, builders. They have worked to lay foundations for the future and build a more vibrant, diverse and creative world and each has received recognition for their outstanding contributions to society.

The Honourable Donald H. Oliver, C.M., Q.C.

Don Oliver’s advocacy for diversity, education and inclusion sets a powerful example for Acadia’s alumni to emulate. Now retired, Oliver is an African-Nova Scotian lawyer and a trailblazer who broke down the barriers of systemic racism. During his 23 years in the Senate, he promoted equality and fairness in Canada’s parliamentary institutions and public service. His vision of an inclusive society is shared with new generations through post-secondary scholarships and bursaries for minorities. He was also invested into the Order of Nova Scotia in 2020. Oliver’s family connections to Acadia go back more than 100 years on both sides. His grandfather, William A. White, born into slavery, was only the second Black person admitted to Acadia and the first Black Canadian to receive a Doctorate of Divinity from Acadia. “He graduated around 1903, and we’ve been graduating as a family in great numbers ever since then,” Oliver says. In 2007, Oliver received an Honorary Degree (DCL) from Acadia. Notwithstanding the pandemic, he sees 2020 as a turning point in race relations. “In terms of racism and the Black Lives Matter movement, the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis turned the tide for people around the world,” he says. “They basically said, ‘Enough is enough. Why should we be treating one group of people this way, particularly people of African descent?’ The year 2020, with its political and social changes, has really made the difference.”

Barbara Elizabeth Butler, C.M.

Barbara Butler’s tireless efforts to promote the arts in Nova Scotia, particularly through her work with the Cecilia Concerts and Musique Royale, have created foundational experiences for performers and musicians throughout the province. She is the founder and past Artistic Director of the St. Cecilia Concert Series (now the Cecilia Concerts) and former Director of the Lieutenant Governor’s Concert Series. Until she retired last year, she had been Artistic Director of Musique Royale for 20 years. The number of concerts she presented sometimes exceeded 80 in a single year. “It was definitely a passion,” she says. “The projects I was involved in and the musicians I worked with – whether with opportunities to commission works from musicians who were also composers or to present fantastic soloists or chamber musicians – was an incredible journey.” Growing up, Butler was passionate about music. Her parents were supportive, but formal training was limited until university. She went to Acadia after meeting Felicita Kalejs. “Everyone loved Mrs. K.,” she says. “She was my teacher, and her husband, Janis Kalejs, was the Dean of Music. She nurtured me and started me on a musical path.” Working with youth was important to her, she says. “Reaching youth was always a huge focus for me, whether with the Nova Scotia Youth Choir or the National Youth Orchestra – all those kinds of organizations that fostered talent in youth. I was drawn to that.”

Raymond Ivany, C.M., O.N.S.

Throughout his career, Ray Ivany has shown a steadfast commitment to higher education and public service in Nova Scotia. He led Acadia as President and Vice-Chancellor from 2009 until 2017, the year he also received the Order of Nova Scotia. In 2012, Ivany chaired the Nova Scotia Commission on Building Our New Economy, which resulted in the report Now or Never: An Urgent Call to Action for Nova Scotians. He is currently a Director of Nova Scotia Power Inc. and the Bank of Canada. He believes the Order of Canada should recognize the work of a team, not an individual. “Acadia was an extraordinary university long before I and my colleagues arrived,” he says. “For any major decision, we would ask not only, ‘Is this good for Acadia today?’ but also, ‘Is this good for Acadia 20 or 50 or 100 years from now?’” In his view, the passion of its alumni sets Acadia apart, and his connection with alumni was a highlight of his tenure. “Acadia touches the head and heart in equal measure,” he says. “It upholds a high academic standard, but has tremendous capacity to help students reach that high bar.” When he received news of the award, he immediately thought of his parents. “My father was a steel worker in Sydney and my mother worked at Dairy Queen,” Ivany says. “I wish they were still alive, because it would honour their belief in the value of both education and hard work.”

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