1994 Fredericton Encaenia - Ceremony A
Mackey, William
Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Orator: Patterson, Stephen E.
Citation:
ENCAENIA, MAY, 1994
WILLIAM JOSEPH MACKEY, S.J.
to be Doctor of Letters
Father William Mackey is little known in Canada, the country of his birth, yet a hero in the tiny Asian kingdom of Bhutan, the country of his adoption. The fact that he is a teacher would itself bring him honour among the Bhutanese, but they all know him as more than this, for he is the founder - the father - of the modern education system in that country. He created the first high schools, introduced the first western style curriculum, and created the first college. Today, virtually every educated leader of that country, including the members of the royal family, can claim him as their teacher. Yet for all of his accomplishments, Father Mackey approaches life with modesty and simplicity.
He was born in Montreal, half a world away from Bhutan, and this is where he spent his early life. He graduated from Loyola High School before joining the Jesuits and continuing his education in philosophy at the University of Montreal. A friend and colleague has written: "He began life as a poor Irish boy in Montreal, who eventually made a difficult choice between becoming a professional hockey player or entering the priesthood. There is no doubt in his mind or in the minds of those of us who have grown to love him that his decision was the right one."
Father Mackey's career began in 1946 when he went to teach school in the Darjeeling district of India. It was like an apprenticeship for what was to come, for here he learned to speak, read and write Nepali. Here he taught and became the head master in two different high schools. In 1963, he went to Bhutan, the small mountainous kingdom at the eastern end of the Himalayas. Bhutan was a country still clinging to a medieval way of life, deeply suspicious of foreigners, and providing only a monastic education for the very few. It is a credit to Father Mackey's determination that none of this deterred him. He traveled the dusty mountain roads on foot or on motorcycle, recruiting students and promoting his new school where he taught mathematics and a western-style program. He did so, however, with enormous sensitivity to the history and traditions of the Bhutanese. No ugly westerner or religious zealot, he impressed the Bhutanese people with his willingness to learn from them, not only to respect their heritage and culture, but to take from it what fitted comfortably with his own beliefs. It pleases Father Mackey greatly that we are honoring him today, May 25, for this is the holiest of days in Bhutan, the Day of the Enlightenment of the Lord Buddha.
In a 30-year period, Father Mackey's single school became several, a full system emerged under his guidance and direction, and without exaggeration, a small country was transformed. The Bhutanese revere this dedicated and modest Canadian-born priest because he has given them much, and because he has become one of them. In 1973, they recognized his contribution by awarding him the rare "Son of Bhutan Medal," the first awarded to a foreigner, while in 1985, the king honored him by granting him Bhutanese citizenship. Today he continues to serve as Honorary Education Advisor, long after the age that most people retire.
UNB is the first Canadian university to award Father Mackey an honorary degree, and it is especially fitting that we should do this. In 1985, our Faculty of Education entered into a partnership with the governments of Canada and Bhutan to train teachers for Father Mackey's schools. More than twenty Bhutanese students have taken their degrees here at UNB and during this past year, there were eight such students pursuing their studies here.
But a recitation of Father Mackey's achievements falls short of honoring the man. Fortunately we have the words of a colleague who has known him well, and who therefore comes much closer to the mark: "In spite of the physical hardships and the loneliness he must have often felt, he willingly gave up his own family and society to become a true citizen of Bhutan. In all the times I have spent with him, I have never heard him complain. He has never uttered a criticism or harsh word about anybody, even when it might have been deserved. He sees the world completely without malice and I believe that he is the only truly good person I have known. To watch Fr. Mackey light his Bhuddhist temple candles and say Mass each morning in his small Bhutanese house is an affirmation of all that is good in the human spirit."
Father Mackey, you are an inspiration for all of us who teach, and for all who would know life's promise.
From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 3
WILLIAM JOSEPH MACKEY, S.J.
to be Doctor of Letters
Father William Mackey is little known in Canada, the country of his birth, yet a hero in the tiny Asian kingdom of Bhutan, the country of his adoption. The fact that he is a teacher would itself bring him honour among the Bhutanese, but they all know him as more than this, for he is the founder - the father - of the modern education system in that country. He created the first high schools, introduced the first western style curriculum, and created the first college. Today, virtually every educated leader of that country, including the members of the royal family, can claim him as their teacher. Yet for all of his accomplishments, Father Mackey approaches life with modesty and simplicity.
He was born in Montreal, half a world away from Bhutan, and this is where he spent his early life. He graduated from Loyola High School before joining the Jesuits and continuing his education in philosophy at the University of Montreal. A friend and colleague has written: "He began life as a poor Irish boy in Montreal, who eventually made a difficult choice between becoming a professional hockey player or entering the priesthood. There is no doubt in his mind or in the minds of those of us who have grown to love him that his decision was the right one."
Father Mackey's career began in 1946 when he went to teach school in the Darjeeling district of India. It was like an apprenticeship for what was to come, for here he learned to speak, read and write Nepali. Here he taught and became the head master in two different high schools. In 1963, he went to Bhutan, the small mountainous kingdom at the eastern end of the Himalayas. Bhutan was a country still clinging to a medieval way of life, deeply suspicious of foreigners, and providing only a monastic education for the very few. It is a credit to Father Mackey's determination that none of this deterred him. He traveled the dusty mountain roads on foot or on motorcycle, recruiting students and promoting his new school where he taught mathematics and a western-style program. He did so, however, with enormous sensitivity to the history and traditions of the Bhutanese. No ugly westerner or religious zealot, he impressed the Bhutanese people with his willingness to learn from them, not only to respect their heritage and culture, but to take from it what fitted comfortably with his own beliefs. It pleases Father Mackey greatly that we are honoring him today, May 25, for this is the holiest of days in Bhutan, the Day of the Enlightenment of the Lord Buddha.
In a 30-year period, Father Mackey's single school became several, a full system emerged under his guidance and direction, and without exaggeration, a small country was transformed. The Bhutanese revere this dedicated and modest Canadian-born priest because he has given them much, and because he has become one of them. In 1973, they recognized his contribution by awarding him the rare "Son of Bhutan Medal," the first awarded to a foreigner, while in 1985, the king honored him by granting him Bhutanese citizenship. Today he continues to serve as Honorary Education Advisor, long after the age that most people retire.
UNB is the first Canadian university to award Father Mackey an honorary degree, and it is especially fitting that we should do this. In 1985, our Faculty of Education entered into a partnership with the governments of Canada and Bhutan to train teachers for Father Mackey's schools. More than twenty Bhutanese students have taken their degrees here at UNB and during this past year, there were eight such students pursuing their studies here.
But a recitation of Father Mackey's achievements falls short of honoring the man. Fortunately we have the words of a colleague who has known him well, and who therefore comes much closer to the mark: "In spite of the physical hardships and the loneliness he must have often felt, he willingly gave up his own family and society to become a true citizen of Bhutan. In all the times I have spent with him, I have never heard him complain. He has never uttered a criticism or harsh word about anybody, even when it might have been deserved. He sees the world completely without malice and I believe that he is the only truly good person I have known. To watch Fr. Mackey light his Bhuddhist temple candles and say Mass each morning in his small Bhutanese house is an affirmation of all that is good in the human spirit."
Father Mackey, you are an inspiration for all of us who teach, and for all who would know life's promise.
From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 3
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