A Walrus Tribute
We say goodbye to two great men
Charles Stuart Alexander helped bring The Walrus to life. A long-time philanthropist, he established the Chawkers Foundation in 1988 to support educational and environmental charities. When Charles’s son Ken co-created The Walrus in 2003, the Chawkers Foundation’s contribution was instrumental in launching the magazine and, two years later, the Walrus Foundation. Charles continued to provide his unwavering support to the Walrus community until his death last November. Charles was born in Great Britain and came to Canada in the 1940s. He paved an eclectic career path, doing everything from working in sales in the oil business in Calgary and practising law in Montreal to managing a neighbourhood grocery in Ottawa and farming in the Eastern Townships. First and foremost a family man, Charles was forever courteous, quick with a song or an appropriate Latin phrase, ever quotable, slow to embrace the digital age, and always on the lookout for “bloody good” fun. A true gentleman and patron of the Walrus Foundation, Charles lives on in the memories of his many friends, his family, and the Walrus community. — Gerald Lazare James (Jim) Meredith O’reilly was a founding director of the Chawkers Foundation and a dedicated supporter of the Walrus Foundation. In addition to serving on the board of directors for six years and providing valuable financial acumen and sage advice in his role on the advisory board, he rarely missed a Walrus event. When I met Jim, I had a tough time keeping up as he bounded up stairs two at a time, although he was sixtyfive and had thirty-three years on me. Though he had great energy, he was also a man of quiet contemplation and thought. At meetings, after listening studiously to every argument in the room, he would chime in with, “Well, it seems to me…” and then raise an issue that went to the heart of the matter. Despite having lived through the Second World War and two economic depressions, Jim was an optimist. He had a strong sense of family and community, and he believed in giving back. He had a love of family, enduring friendships, history, and Muskoka. Jim will be missed by many. He worked to make the Walrus Foundation and the world a better place, and we are better off for his contributions. At the end of the day, may we all be so lucky. — Bruce R. Bennett