Meet an OttScot: Gordon Lutze-Wallace

By Nujma Bond

Gordon Lutze-Wallace says he associates most strongly with the Scottish side of his ancestry, but he can’t quite explain why – other than it’s literally in his genes.

He joined the SSO after hearing about the need for a new treasurer, and now carries out the society’s financial reporting and detailed bookkeeping. The work is right down his alley, given he currently runs a small accounting business, and having previously gone back to school to study accounting.

“I look forward to volunteering at events as well as crunching numbers so that the whole machine can keep running,” he says.

Gordon believes it’s crucial to remember that “culture” doesn’t happen by itself. Without planning and holding events, writing and performing music, and speaking and recording traditional languages, it can all disappear. “I think that Scottish culture is unique and beautiful, and worth the effort of preserving,” he shares.

His passion for Scottish culture and history is such that he studied for a degree in Celtic Studies at the University of Ottawa, but without immediate prospects to use his newfound knowledge, he branched off into accounting. Gordon and his wife  recently welcomed their third child.