The Killam Trusts
Encyclopedia
The Killam Trusts were established in 1965 after the death of Mrs. Dorothy J. Killam, the wife of Izaak Walton Killam
. Mr. Killam was a Canadian business figure. He died in 1955, but before his death he and his wife discussed in extensive detail a scholarship plan, on which the Killam Trusts were founded. When Mr. Killam died intestate in 1955, half of his estate went to found the Canada Council
(along with similar funds from the estate of Sir James Dunn, also from Nova Scotia
). The rest of Mr. Killam's estate was left to his widow, Dorothy J. Killam. In the ten years between his passing and hers, she doubled their money. Upon her death (at her villa in France
- Villa Leopolda
), her lawyer
Donald N. Byers, QC put into motion the plans Mr. and Mrs. Killam had discussed during their joint lifetimes. Having no children of their own, the Killams decided to leave their sizable fortune to further post-secondary education in Canada at the graduate level.
The Killam benefactions went to five Canadian universities: University of British Columbia
, University of Calgary
, University of Alberta
, Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University
and Dalhousie University
. The Canada Council for the Arts also received Killam funds. The Council's Killam Research Fellowships are open to professors from all Canadian universities. The Council's $100,000 Killam Prizes in Health Sciences, Natural Sciences, Engineering
, Social Sciences
and Humanities
, recognize lifetime contributions.
In the words of Mrs. Killam's will:
Many students who have received Killam scholarships have gone on to be leaders in their fields.
In addition, the four Trustees to the Killam Trusts hold an annual conference every fall to meet with representatives from each of the Killam institutions to discuss scholarship related concerns, as well as ways to ensure the continued success of Canadian Graduate Studies. Immediately following the conference the Killam Trusts hold an annual public lecture. The purpose of the lecture is to stimulate public support of pre- and post-doctoral education in Canada and to encourage other wealthy people to make bequests similar to that of the Killams.
The current four Trustees are Mr. George T.H. Cooper, CM, QC, LLD, of Halifax, Nova Scotia; Mr. John H. Matthews, LLD of Toronto, Ontario; Mrs. M. Ann McCaig, CM, AOE, LLD, of Calgary, Alberta; and John S. Montalbano, CFA, of Vancouver, British Columbia. A complete listing of the Killam Lecturers, as well as copies of their lectures can be found on the Killam Trusts website.
Izaak Walton Killam
Izaak Walton Killam was one of Canada's most eminent financiers.-Early life:Born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Killam rose from paper boy in Yarmouth to become one of Canada's wealthiest individuals.-Business ventures:...
. Mr. Killam was a Canadian business figure. He died in 1955, but before his death he and his wife discussed in extensive detail a scholarship plan, on which the Killam Trusts were founded. When Mr. Killam died intestate in 1955, half of his estate went to found the Canada Council
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
(along with similar funds from the estate of Sir James Dunn, also from Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
). The rest of Mr. Killam's estate was left to his widow, Dorothy J. Killam. In the ten years between his passing and hers, she doubled their money. Upon her death (at her villa in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Villa Leopolda
Villa Leopolda
Villa La Leopolda is a large villa in the French town of Villefranche-sur-Mer on the French Riviera.-History:Villa La Leopolda in it's current incarnation was designed and built from 1929 through 1931 by an American architect, Boston's Ogden Codman Jr...
), her lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Donald N. Byers, QC put into motion the plans Mr. and Mrs. Killam had discussed during their joint lifetimes. Having no children of their own, the Killams decided to leave their sizable fortune to further post-secondary education in Canada at the graduate level.
The Killam benefactions went to five Canadian universities: University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
, University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
. The Canada Council for the Arts also received Killam funds. The Council's Killam Research Fellowships are open to professors from all Canadian universities. The Council's $100,000 Killam Prizes in Health Sciences, Natural Sciences, Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, Social Sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
and Humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, recognize lifetime contributions.
In the words of Mrs. Killam's will:
- "My purpose in establishing the Killam Trusts is to help in the building of Canada's future by encouraging advanced study. Thereby I hope, in some measure, to increase the scientific and scholastic attainments of Canadians, to develop and expand the work of Canadian universities, and to promote sympathetic understanding between Canadians and the peoples of other countries."
Many students who have received Killam scholarships have gone on to be leaders in their fields.
In addition, the four Trustees to the Killam Trusts hold an annual conference every fall to meet with representatives from each of the Killam institutions to discuss scholarship related concerns, as well as ways to ensure the continued success of Canadian Graduate Studies. Immediately following the conference the Killam Trusts hold an annual public lecture. The purpose of the lecture is to stimulate public support of pre- and post-doctoral education in Canada and to encourage other wealthy people to make bequests similar to that of the Killams.
The current four Trustees are Mr. George T.H. Cooper, CM, QC, LLD, of Halifax, Nova Scotia; Mr. John H. Matthews, LLD of Toronto, Ontario; Mrs. M. Ann McCaig, CM, AOE, LLD, of Calgary, Alberta; and John S. Montalbano, CFA, of Vancouver, British Columbia. A complete listing of the Killam Lecturers, as well as copies of their lectures can be found on the Killam Trusts website.
Further reading
- Canada's Mystery Man of High Finance, Douglas How, Hantsport: Lancelot Press, 1986. ISBN 0-88999-305-X
- A Very Private Person - The story of Izaak Walton Killam and his Wife Dorothy, Douglas How, Halifax: Dalhousie University Graphics Services, 2004. Originally published Trustees Estate Dorothy J. Killam (1976)