Andrew Hall Macpherson (1932-2002)

Abstract

... As a teenager, Andrew was already living adventures that are the dreams of many teenage boys. From 1949 to 1957, before joining the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), he gained a lifetime of memories and valuable experience as a member of eight scientific expeditions to the Canadian Arctic. He served as a seasonal field assistant to scientists, working on contracts for the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys, the Defence Research Board, the Arctic Institute of North America, the Department of Northern Affairs, and the National Museum of Canada. He made most of his early trips to the Arctic in the company of his mentor and lifelong friend Thomas (Tom) Henry Manning, famed Arctic explorer and geographer-biologist. ... His time in the Arctic convinced Andrew that he wanted to be an Arctic wildlife biologist. So, after completing a B.Sc. degree in Zoology (geology and geography) in 1954 at Carleton College, Ottawa, he went on to complete a M.Sc. in Zoology in 1957 at McGill University, Montreal. ... In April 1958, he joined the CWS to work on Arctic wildlife problems. With glowing annual appraisals, he moved up through all the grades of biologist (I-IV) in only six years .... He continued his studies at McGill and in 1967 received a Ph.D. for his seminal study, The Dynamics of Canadian Arctic Fox Populations. ... In August 1967, Andrew left the Canadian Wildlife Service for a temporary position on the staff of the Science Secretariat, Science Council of Canada, as a project officer for studies in Canadian biological science. Once again, he expressed his desire to be a moving force, or at least a significant contributor to meaningful advances. ... In 1970, a promotion to Director, Western & Northern Region, of the Canadian Wildlife Service brought Andrew to Edmonton, Alberta. ...He ... remained regional director of CWS until 1974. When the department reorganized into five regions, Andrew took a significant promotion to Regional Director General, Environment Management Service, Environment Canada, Western & Northern Region, where he remained until 1986. Always looking for new challenges, he took a temporary posting between April and August 1985 as Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Planning, Environment Canada, in Hull, Quebec. Finally in 1986, apparently sensing the approaching end to his career as a public servant and ever willing to accept one more formidable task, Andrew became Director General, Northwest Territories Region, Northern Affairs Program, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. At the time, he said that he was still interested in innovative management challenges, implementing change, and redirecting programs into promising new avenues. In his Yellowknife position, he helped prepare for the creation of Nunavut, remaining in that position until his retirement in 1988. Once retired, he devoted himself to geopolitical and environmental causes. Andrew had a particularly strong concern about the growth of human population, its toll on natural habitats, and the ever-spiralling rates of consumption of resources. This concern led him to help found the Sustainable Population Society. ... Andrew's publications deal with a wide range of subjects, from conservation, ecology, population dynamics, wildlife management, taxonomy, zoogeography, social and environmental issues, and Inuktitut names for birds and mammals, to popular hunting and fishing articles. Perhaps his personal favorite was his book, The Canadian Ice Angler's Guide, published in 1985 by Lone Pine Publications. There is no doubt that Andrew Macpherson was by anyone's standards a highly intelligent, successful, personable, humorous, and inquisitive person. ... Andrew appeared to be quite successful at keeping his priorities right! [managing to keep his perspective and order priorities for the greatest enjoyment of life]. ... I would like to think that Andrew Macpherson is perched on a high prominence overlooking a game-choked valley and a fish-laden stream - his eternal "happy hunting ground"! ...