Adhering to a family custom that dates back over 50 years, I composed a brief report of the highlights of 2012, illustrated with photos and a picture of the cover of a book that's coming out in February 2013. I posted this to 35-40 people, and emailed roughly 200 more. The pictures didn't come through in the email version, so here they are again in this blog post:
Annual Report
Annual Report
I hope 2012 has been a happy year for you and all your
family.
It’s been a good year for me. One unexpected happy event was announced in a
phone call in late May. On a day of many irritating phone calls the phone rang yet
again. “Call display” revealed that a government official was calling;
fortunately I didn’t snarl but answered politely. The call came from Rideau
Hall, home of the Governor General of Canada; his secretary was calling to
inform me that I was to be admitted as an Officer of the Order of Canada, in
recognition of my contributions to public health and epidemiology. This led to
much rejoicing, but also sadness that my beloved Wendy wasn’t here to share the
glory. The public announcement came on June 30 and the investiture followed on
23 November.
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| John celebrating at the investiture, November 23 2012 |
No exotic travels in 2012, just two short out of town trips. I flew to Waterloo on Bearskin Airlines with
its evocative list of destinations in remote parts of this huge province of
Ontario, to perform for this year’s intake of MPH students; and I flew to
Toronto where Karen Trollope Kumar met me, drove me to Hamilton whence we had
two trips to the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara on the Lake.
Finally, another book has my name on the cover and the title
page:
Several years ago I signed a contract with Oxford University
Press to write a descendent of Public Health
and Human Ecology. Aware that I’ve fallen behind the growing edge of public
health sciences, I recruited Frank White and Lorann Stallones as co-authors.
Then Wendy fell ill. For over a year I was preoccupied caring for her, and for
many months after she died I was mourning her, in a state of mind akin to
depression. I’d written first drafts of 2 of the 4 chapters I had originally
agreed to contribute, and left it to Frank and Lorann to close the gaps. I
think they have done a splendid job and the finished work will come out early
in 2013.
My warmest seasonal greetings to you and yours, as ever,
John
11A/300 Queen Elizabeth
Drive, Ottawa, Ontario CANADA K1S 3M6
jmlast@uottawa.ca or oldwhitebeard@gmail.com http://lastswords.blogspot.com
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