P.E.I.’S ‘DEAN OF HISTORY DIES
P.E.I. mourns death of Rev. F.W.P. Bolger
An educator, author and scholar, Rev. F.W.P. Bolger well-known for his knowledge in Island history, Confederation and the writings of L.M. Montgomery
Prince Edward Island has lost its dean of history, a man who seemed to know everyone’s name and background.
Rev. Francis W.P. Bolger died of a heart attack at his home on Thursday at the age of 92.
Bolger maintained a home in Charlottetown and Stanley Bridge.
“Father Bolger was kind of a cultural icon for Prince Edward Island,’’ said UPEI historian Ed MacDonald. “At a time when Canadian history was essentially thought of in terms of national history, he introduced the history of Prince Edward Island at the university level and became a trailblazer in that respect.’’
Born in Stanley Bridge on July 8, 1925, Bolger was ordained on June 10, 1951, serving generations at St. Dunstan’s University as professor of history (1959-69) and UPEI from 1969 to 1994.
He was also chaplain of the air force reserves and in the Royal Air Force of Canada.
His course at UPEI on Island history received broad acclaim and was recognized as a must for students eager to learn more about the development of the province. He was famous for walking back and forth in class at the Duffy Amphitheatre and seemed to know every single student, including their families.
MacDonald said he also did significant work as a scholar in the history of Confederation and P.E.I. His early work helped transform Lucy Maud Montgomery from a children’s author into a figure worth examining in a serious way.
“He was a charismatic and influential teacher. He was a traditional lecturer — that was his style — and he is one of the reasons why that style can work. He was fun, he was entertaining, he had that knack for remembering people’s names and for working things into his lectures.
“On a third level, he was a genuinely loving and lovely person. I don’t know if anyone had a bad word to say about him.’’
Charlottetown historian Catherine Hennessey will remember how important a speaker he was on the Fathers of Confederation.
“I’m sad, sad, sad. I mean, what an inspiration he was,’’ Hennessey said. “He led us in an incredible way. He just strengthened our understanding of ourselves so much and I just can’t say enough good things about him.’’
Hennessey also points out that Bolger sat on the national historic sites and monuments board and the heritage foundation board.
Simon Lloyd, university archivist and special collections librarian at the UPEI library, said he can’t even picture what the last several decades of writing about Island history and L.M. Montgomery would look like without Bolger.
“I think about the books and articles in those fields that students and community researchers refer to the most, and it’s a good bet that any one of those key texts was either written by Father Bolger or was inspired or influenced by him in some way,’’ Lloyd said.
“I started working at UPEI nearly a decade after Father Bolger retired and you’d still hear people talking all the time about his Island history classes. Their popularity and impact were just legendary.’’
Opposition Leader Jamie Fox called Bolger a gifted and popular educator who breathed life and passion into the history of P.E.I. and Canada.
Bolger was also a recipient of the Order of Canada and Order of P.E.I.
Bolger is resting at Hennessey Cutcliffe Charlottetown Funeral Home for visiting hours on Monday, 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., and at St. Ann’s Church, Hope River, on Tuesday from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Ann’s Church on Tuesday at 2 p.m.