Spotlight on a proud Scottish Canadian - Donald Smith, EdD, CPT
This is part of an ongoing series on People of the Scottish Society of Ottawa (SSO)
By Kenneth Allan
Scottish Canadians make up the third-largest ethnic group in Canada, and are amongst the first Europeans to settle in this country. It is not too hard to find a Canadian who is either from Scotland, or has some Scottish ancestry. Regardless, these folks are proud of their Scottish roots, and find many ways to celebrate it. There are several reasons why people join the Scottish Society of Ottawa, or partake in their many activities. It could be because they have Scottish roots, or they have a love for all things Scottish. Donald (Don) Smith (Doctor of Adult Education, and Certified Performance Technologist), is no exception. His grandfather, Johnathon Smith, emigrated to Canada from the Isle of Hoy, which is located on the far North-East part of Scotland, in the late 1800s, to work in Canada’s railroad industry.
Don’s father, Clifford, followed in his father’s footsteps by also working for the same railway, The Grand Trunk Railway (GPR). Donald Smith (a Scottish-born Canadian businessman who became one of the British Empire's foremost builders and philanthropists, and aka Lord Strathcona - 1820-1914), the company director, was one of the few men who drove in the last spike, along with General Manager, William Van Horne, on the morning of November 7, 1885, to finalize the completion of the transcontinental CPR. They had gathered that morning at a mountain pass in British Columbia, called Craigellachie, in honor of a Clan Grant gathering place in Scotland. Don’s namesake is the CPR director.
Don, who turned 85 in July, is proud of being born with both Scottish (and Irish from his mother), and railroad in his blood. When Don was little, his father used to take him to the Embro Highland Games, a few miles outside of his birthplace, Stratford, Ontario, where they watched with pride, as the mass Pipe bands performed. Don immediately fell in love with, not only the pipes, but with his Scottish roots. One of his finest jobs as a teenager was as a clothing sales clerk for a store called Prout and Lamont, that sold Scottish clothing; Harris tweeds, trousers and trews, cashmere sweaters, and accessories, and all things argyle.
As he contemplated his place in life, some thought that he would follow his family into a job with the railway. He, however, had a higher calling. While reading the book, The World, the Flesh and Father Smith, by Scottish writer Bruce Marshall, Don knew he wanted something different for his life. He enrolled in Saint Peter’s Seminary (a Catholic campus of the University of Western Ontario, in London), where he studied to become a Catholic Priest. While in the seminary, he purchased a set of bagpipes, and was determined to learn how to play.
In 1963, Don was ordained, and was sent to practice his ministry in the Dominican Republic, by the Scarborough Foreign Mission Society. While there, he was the Parish Priest for four villages high in the mountains. His name Donald did not have a Spanish equivalent, so he adopted the name Andrew (Andrés, in Spanish), and to this day, he is called Andrés by his Spanish speaking family and friends). The locals must have wondered, in the early sixties, what kind of priest he was, when he took out his bagpipes to practice. In 1967, he returned to Canada only to be deployed again, this time to Puerto Rico, now as a specialist educator, who was fluent in Spanish. At this time, in the history of the Catholic Church, there was a movement towards Liberation Theology, which sought to apply religious faith, by aiding the poor and oppressed through involvement in political and civic affairs. As a result, the Latin American Churches, during this era, were very conservative and priests were being expelled from these locations.
Don became a firm believer in Liberation Theology, and began to question his calling to the priesthood. He then began a teaching assignment in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he met Marlen Pérez, whose last name in Spanish was as common in the Spanish Speaking world, as Smith is in the English-speaking world, who would later become his wife. The combination of this new theology and that Marlen and Don fell in love, led to him to leaving the priesthood and marrying her in 1969.
Three months after they were married, Don’s teaching assignment was transferred to the state University of New York, in Albany, New York. Both Marlen and he worked at the University, and while working there, Don received his BA and MSc in Education. He also joined the University Pipe Band, which had just been formed. His manager also just happened to be a Scottish American, by the name of Alistair MacKinnon, whose father had come from Scotland, as a gardner, at the turn of the century.
In 1971, Don and Marlen returned to Canada, where he continued to teach. He worked for the Department of National Defence at their Language School in St Jean, Quebec, and then, in 1972, won a promotion to CFB Borden, outside Toronto, where he became the Vice Principle of a new English Language school, where English was taught to Francophones. Don and Marlen became very close friends with a couple named Allan Ainslie and Cahterine Clark, whose roots were also Scottish, and nearly 60 years later, here in Ottawa, they remain the best of friends, and have shared many Scottish celebrations together, including the Robbie Burnes Dinner on January 25th..During this time Marlen and Don had two sons; the first, was named Andrew Lewis, and the second was named Glen Stewart. Don has always had a love for education and in 1984, he graduated with his doctorate in Adult Education from the University of Toronto.
His last job, before retirement, was with Transport Canada as an Education Specialist in Ottawa. Then, as a consultant, he worked with NAV CANADA, and the global International Civil Aviation Organization, whose headquarters is in Montreal. Don’s last manager, while working with Transport Canada was a fellow member of the SSO, one Emmett Hossack. In 1994 Emmett introduced Don to the finest Scotch he had ever tasted, Oban, which was interesting because the name of his paternal grandmother was Oman when they came to Canada, but Oban when they lived in Scotland. He does not know if he is related to the present Oban Company or not.
Don still has a strong desire to study and read, and has just completed writing a 600 page book on “Liberation Leadership”. In 2000, he also began to focus his activities on two major concentrations: Life Passage Celibrancy, and becoming a Life Passages Celebrant. This led to his certification by the Government of Ontario to celebrate weddings and funerals. He worked closely with the Beachwood and Pinecrest cemeteries, where he officiated over ceremonies for people who did not want an ordained clergyman. Soon he was celebrating weddings with All Seasons Weddings in Metcalfe. During these weddings and funerals, he realized that about 25% of the people wanted something Scottish. So, Don re-invented himself once again, and bought himself a Bonnie Prince Charlie kilt, complete with all the accoutrements, that he wore proudly as an Officiant. He practised this ministry for over ten years (2000-2010).
He still owns his bagpipes and the kilt, however he no longer plays them, nor wears his kilt. He played for a while in the late 90s, with the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band, where he paraded around and attempted to play. Don has two sons and two grandsons, but none of them have the desire to play the pipes; apparently, they find drumming, key boarding, and guitar playing easier and more enjoyable. There is an old Scottish expression that says a true gentleman is someone who knows how to play the bagpipes, but doesn’t.
When asked, as to how he should be referred; should it be Father Smith, Doctor Smith, or Reverend Doctor Donald Smith? These days he prefers Don, Dad, or Grandpa Smitty. Whatever you wish to call him, just know that with all his education, teaching engagements, and global adventures, Don likes to be known that he is simply a loyal and staunch Scottish Canadian.
