Dr. J. Donald Wilson Undergraduate Scholarship in History

Awarded a second- or third-year student majoring in History of high academic ranking. May be divided and offered to more than one student at the Department of History’s discretion. No differentiation between full-time or part-time student status.

Dr. J. Donald (Don) Wilson was an award-winning Canadian historian of education whose academic career began in 1964 at the then Lakehead College of Arts, Science and Technology. One of the first faculty members at Lakehead University, he taught history and politics between 1964 and 1966 and became a full-time faculty member in the Department of History in 1971. Although Don left Lakehead for the University of British Columbia in 1975, he maintained academic and personal connection to the region throughout his career retiring in Shuniah Township in 1999. A leading expert on educational history, his work explored aspects of education in rural Ontario and British Columbia, multiculturalism, women in education, separate schools, and residential and industrial schools. He was also a leading expert on Finnish Canadian history and played a significant role in Lakehead University’s Library acquiring nationally significant archival materials. A past President of the Canadian History of Education Association, it recognized him with its Distinguished Contribution Award in 2016 for his contribution to scholarship.