Cohen, H. Reuben

ENCAENIA, MAY, 1988
H. REUBEN COHEN
to be Doctor of Laws

I regret that I must begin my citation of Reuben Cohen with a report of personal failure. I have been unable to find out what the initial "H." stands for; indeed, I have been told that it does not stand for anything. Be that as it may, the man whom we seek to honour today — by making him one of our own — stands for a very great deal. He has been called the most outstanding financier produced by New Brunswick since the heady days of our own past Chancellor, Lord Beaverbrook. I, for one, cannot remain unpersuaded after reading Harry Bruce's excellent book, A Century at Central Trust, and a helpful letter, which I received from Norma Jones, his personal secretary. She writes that she herself is:

convinced that the single most important achievement in Mr. Cohen's very distinguished career would be his part in the building of Central Trust (now Central Capital Corporation).

It had humble beginnings in the Maritimes, has grown from the management of 25 million dollars to 23 billion dollars, and still has its headquarters in Halifax. (It is always unwise to discount the judgment of a secretary, and I wish I had the money to rush out and buy many shares in C.C.C.) Ms. Jones goes on to close her letter by writing that this financial giant "is the fulfillment of a dream which he [has] had for many years."

Like this Corporation, Mr. Cohen had humble beginnings here in the Maritimes. He was born in Moncton in 1921, the son of a Jewish immigrant from Russia. He lived above his father's grocery store and worked in the store from the age of nine. Despite these "advantages" he graduated from Moncton High School in 1938 at the head of his class, studied law at Dalhousie University, and was back in Moncton practicing law in 1945: he was twenty-three years old. With intelligence, integrity and boundless energy he began his long struggle against what he perceived to be the "Halifax Establishment," a tight little private club that closed its ranks against all outsiders—let alone a Cohen from New Brunswick. He himself has said that his only friend in Halifax in those days was R. J. Logue, and "He was a Cape Breton Islander." To make a long story short Reuben Cohen won, and, like his corporation, he remains rooted in the Maritimes, with his personal office still in Moncton.

I cannot today begin to tell the full story of his past and ongoing service to the community, but must content myself by telling you that characteristically he is a Past President of the Moncton Rotary Club, the Moncton Family Y.M.C.A., and the Friends of the Moncton Hospital Foundation. Throughout all these years he has maintained a solid confidence in his own ability and a boundless optimism about what Maritimers can do.

His remarkable faith and unfaltering vision began to be recognized in 1968 when he was appointed Queen's Counsel. Some ten years later he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada, and over the past fifteen years he has been honoured by our sister universities: The Université de Moncton, Acadia, and St. Thomas. I must close this citation on a personal note by stating that I believe it to be high time that this oldest of Maritime universities honours him, and that I am extremely pleased to be part of this ceremony. I am deeply gratified that you, Sir, have agreed to accept this public recognition, and I hope and trust that this day will mark the beginning of a long friendship between you and the University of New Brunswick.

Insignissime Praeses, amplissima Cancellaria, tota Universitas, praesento vobis H. Reuben Cohen ut admittatur honoris causa ad gradum Doctoris in Utroque Jure in hac Universitate.

From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 2