Dr. Alistair MacLeod honoured

“All of us are better when we’re loved...” The well- known words of late English and creative writing professor Dr. Alistair MacLeod were remembered 
by family members, friends and colleagues during a November ceremony to mark the official dedication 
of Alistair MacLeod Walk, a pedestrian thoroughfare stretching from the campus’s Stephen and Vicki Adams Welcome Centre to the Leddy Library.

Dr. MacLeod’s words and personal story were immortalized on a plaque marking the spot, which notes the walk will “serve as a permanent reminder of the importance and impact of literature and humanities to a university, and of the power of creativity and the written word in guiding personal journeys.”

Formerly a portion of Patricia Road, the walk honours one of Canada’s most acclaimed scholars and authors in recognition of both his personal and academic contributions.

“Alistair MacLeod inspired generations of students to pursue creative scholarship and was universally admired and respected by the campus community,” said UWindsor president Alan Wildeman.

MacLeod, who died in April 2014, taught English and creative writing at UWindsor for more than three decades and mentored dozens of aspiring young writers. His literary career included the 1999 novel No Great Mischief — winner of the 2001 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Trillium Book Award, and the Lannan Literary Award — as well as the short story collections The Lost Salt Gift of Blood (1976), As Birds Bring Forth the Sun and Other Stories (1986), and Island (2000).

In 2000, MacLeod was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 2007, he was appointed an of officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his commitment to Canadian literature.