John Hugh Currie, BA, LL.B. '54, CM

John Hugh Currie was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, the son of Lauchlin D. Currie, a former chief justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, and Margaret Elizabeth Curry.  He graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Halifax and then completed a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours, majoring in History at St. Francis Xavier University in 1950.  In 1954, Mr. Currie graduated with a LLB from Dalhousie Law School.  At university he was on the debating team and was active in athletics, particularly rugby.  Mr. Currie married Roberta C. Kelley, a 1955 Dalhousie graduate with a BA in Literature.  They have five children, Brenda, Jean, Lachlan, Genevieve, Allison and Ian.

Mr. Currie’s legal career began at Bennett, Jones in Calgary where he articled in 1955.  He was admitted to the Alberta Bar the following year.  Mr. Currie then began work in the oil industry in various legal departments, culminating with this current position at Canterra Energy as Senior Vice-President in charge of Administration.

Mr. Currie’s belief in the rudimentary Christian, human values of selflessness and tolerance has formed the foundation for the varied and extensive community activities that he has taken part in.  These activities have covered the whole spectrum of community involvement.  His spiritual activities have included serving as Southern Alberta Project Coordinator of the Papal Visit, chairman of the Lacombe Nursing Home, 1965-1975, chairman of the ecumenical project to consolidate churches after Vatican II, project chairman to build a library in Northern India and coordinator of the placement of churches in schools in the 1960’s.

In 1983 Mr. Currie was honoured as “Citizen of the Year” in Calgary on the basis of his many community activities, primarily as President of the Western Canada Summer Games.  Under Mr. Currie’s guidance, the games came in under budget and several major sports facilities of international caliber were built for all Calgarians to use and enjoy.

Mr. Currie’s belief in the potential of youth led him to serve for nine years as a television judge for the C.F.C.N. Debate program, for six years as the chairman of the Forum for Young Albertans, and currently as a sponsor of the Alberta Debate Association, and as a national director for the Canadian 4-H Club. Cultural activities have also benefited from Mr. Currie’s expertise.  He is currently a director of the Calgary Philharmonic Society, the Southern Alberta Opera Association, the Calgary City Ballet, the Government Tri-Level Cultural Committee, the Calgary Parks Foundation and the vice-chairman of corporate funding at the Glenbow Museum.  Mr. Currie has served for six years as a trustee and two years as chairman of the Calgary Catholic School Board.  All of these activities exemplify the Dalhousie Law School’s tradition of unselfish public service.

Mr. Currie’s leadership is based on quietly bringing out the best in those with whom he works and the belief that what he does is not exceptional but that every citizen owes their community a high level of involvement and participation.  It is these convictions that make Mr. Currie an outstanding example of the Weldon tradition.