Silver Donald Cameron

Silver Donald Cameron
Cameron in 2004
Cameron in 2004
BornDonald Cameron
(1937-06-21)June 21, 1937
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DiedJune 1, 2020(2020-06-01) (aged 82)
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Occupationauthor, journalist
Alma materUniversity of British Columbia (BA)
University of California, Berkeley (MA)
University of London (PhD)
GenreNon-fiction, fiction, drama, journalism
SubjectSocial justice, the environment and sailing
Notable worksThe Education of Everett Richardson (1977, 2019)
The Prophet at Tantramar (1988)
Wind, Whales and Whisky (1991)
The Living Beach (1998)
Sailing Away from Winter (2007)
Notable awardsOrder of Canada, Order of Nova Scotia
SpouseMarjorie Simmins

Silver Donald Cameron CM ONS (June 21, 1937 – June 1, 2020) was a Canadian journalist, author, playwright, and university teacher whose writing focused on social justice, nature, and the environment.[1] His 15 books of non-fiction dealt with everything from history and politics to education and community development.[2]

An avid sailor, Cameron wrote several books about ships and the sea. He was the author of a young adult novel and a thriller, both set in Nova Scotia where he lived for more than 40 years.[3] Two of his books, The Education of Everett Richardson (1977 and 2019) and The Living Beach (1998), are included in Atlantic Canada's 100 Greatest Books.[4]

Silver Donald Cameron in conversation with George Monbiot as part of the Green Interview series
Jane Goodall in conversation with Silver Donald Cameron, discussing her work.

Cameron's only stage play, The Prophet at Tantramar, was about Leon Trotsky's month-long confinement in a prisoner-of-war camp in Amherst, Nova Scotia, and was also produced as a radio drama, one of more than 50 Cameron wrote for both CBC Radio and CBC Television. In addition, he produced radio and television documentaries, as well as writing and narrating two documentary films for The Green Interview, Bhutan: The Pursuit of Gross National Happiness (2010)[5] and Salmon Wars: Salmon Farms, Wild Fish and the Future of Communities (2012).[6]

His magazine articles numbered in the hundreds and his newspaper columns appeared in The Globe and Mail and the Halifax Chronicle Herald. He also wrote extensively for provincial and federal government departments as well as for corporate and non-profit clients.[2][7]

Cameron served as writer-in-residence at two universities in Nova Scotia as well as at the University of Prince Edward Island. He was dean of the School of Community Studies at Cape Breton University and served as its first Farley Mowat Chair in Environment. He also taught at Dalhousie University, the University of British Columbia and the University of New Brunswick.[8][9]

One of Cameron's last projects involved a series of video interviews with environmental thinkers, writers and activists that appeared on subscription website "The Green Interview".[10] Interviewees include Vandana Shiva, Farley Mowat, James Lovelock, Jane Goodall and David Orton.[3]

Cameron's writing and journalism earned him many awards, and in 2012, he received both the Order of Canada and the Order of Nova Scotia.[11][12]

  1. ^ Adams, Trevor. "Following his conscience". Halifax Magazine. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Silver Donald Cameron". Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Member Profile". Writers' Union of Canada. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ Adams, Trevor and Clare, Stephen Patrick. (2009) Atlantic Canada's 100 Greatest Books (2009) Halifax: Nimbus Publishing. The Living Beach ranked 35th, pp. 96–97, while The Education of Everett Richardson ranked 47th, pp. 120–121.
  5. ^ "TEDxHalifax - Silver Donald Cameron - Bhutan: The Pursuit of Gross National Happiness". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  6. ^ "Salmon Wars - A Video Documentary". salmonwars.com. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  7. ^ "Silver Donald Cameron". silverdonaldcameron.ca. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  8. ^ "About Silver Donald Cameron". Silver Donald Cameron. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  9. ^ "In Memoriam: Donald "Silver" Cameron, CM, ONS, BA'60". Trek: A Publication of alumni UBC. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  10. ^ Cameron, Silver Donald. "About The Green Interview". The Green Interview.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference McLeod was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Order of Nova Scotia Recipients - 2012". ONS. Retrieved November 11, 2012.