William Gerald Burch, known as Gerry Burch, was born on August 2, 1923. The son of a forest ranger, he grew up in Moyie, BC, and Trail, BC. After his secondary education, he went to study forestry at the University of British Columbia. His studies were interrupted by conscription into the navy in 1942, when he served as a sub-lieutenant on HMCS Eyebright. In 1945, he was demobilized and returned to his studies at UBC. He spent his university summers working for British Columbia Forest Products, which became his employer for most of his career. Burch was appointed Chief Forester in 1968, and Vice President of Timberlands and Forestry in 1976. He was also active in professional associations, serving for a time as President of the Canadian Institute of Forestry. Burch has been awarded with such distinctions as the Distinguished Forester Award and the Achievement Award from the Canadian Institute of Forestry. After retirement from BC Forest Products in 1988, Burch remained active in forestry as a consultant for Stewart & Ewing Ltd., as an adjunct faculty member at UBC in the faculty of forestry, and by collecting research, writing papers and giving speeches. Burch was the director of The Working Forest of British Columbia, a book published by I.K. Barber in 1995. Burch’s autobiography, Still Counting the Rings, was published in 2006.

The Alcuin Society is a non-profit organization devoted to the art of the book and fine book publishing. The society‟s aims are to further the interests of book collecting and promote the interest of fine books and reading. To achieve this end, the society is involved in the production of limited edition books, memorabilia and a society periodical, the Amphora. The society was established in 1965 in Vancouver in response to the initiative of one of the original society members, Geoff Spencer. Since its creation, the Alcuin Society has continued as a limited editions venture while actively promoting other book related interests including “authorship, book design and production, bookselling, book buying and collecting, printing, binding, papermaking, calligraphy and illustration.” (Alcuin Society Website)
The Alcuin Society is actively engaged in a wide variety of cultural activities, including book design competitions, educational events, awards and prizes. The Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada and the Antiquarian Book Roadshow are the most prominent of these activities.
The Alcuin Society is a volunteer association, with members throughout Canada and the world. The Alcuin Society is governed by a Board, which is elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.

Rosemary Brown is remembered for her empowering speeches that inspired all who listened, but even more so for her contribution to Canadian politics, feminism, human rights, and international development. Rosemary was born in Jamaica on June 17, 1930. She moved to Canada in 1950 to attend McGill University where she obtained an undergraduate degree in Women’s Studies. In 1955, she relocated to British Columbia, where is earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of British Columbia and married Dr. William Brown after which she began a family. Drawn to feminism and the peace movement, Rosemary established the Vancouver Status of Women. In 1972, she became a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the riding of Vancouver-Burrard and thus became the first Black woman elected to the B.C. legislature, where she served as a MLA for 14 years until 1986 when she retired from politics. In 1975, she sought the federal leadership of the New Democratic Party and lost to Ed Broadbent by a matter of 4 votes. As a MLA for B.C., Rosemary promoted equality and human rights. In her political campaigns she fought for the elimination of sexism in textbooks, against discrimination, and for the equality of women, as well as legislation on issues such as affirmative action and laws that protected rape victims. After leaving politics in 1986, Rosemary became the Ruth Wynn Woodward Endowed Professor at Simon Fraser University in Women’s Studies. In1988, Brown became CEO for MATCH International, an international development agency. Following this, she served as the organization’s Special Ambassador and then President. Between 1993 and 1996, Rosemary served as Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Over her career, significant honors for Rosemary included earning many honorary doctorates from many Canadian universities including the University of Toronto, Dalhousie, and the University of Victoria, as well as being the 1995 recipient of the Order of British Columbia. Rosemary passed away on April 26, 2003 leaving behind three children, as well as many grandchildren.

Richard Butler was a Master of Arts candidate in the Department of English at the University of Victoria in the mid-1970’s. His Master’s thesis proposal was a bibliography of Roderick Haig-Brown’s works. After his thesis proposal was rejected by the Department of English, Butler intended to pursue the publication of the bibliography outside his M.A. program. He later directed his efforts towards the preparation of a biography of Haig-Brown. Butler was in correspondence with both Ann and Valerie Haig-Brown through the mid-late 1970’s and received their active assistance in the accumulation of material for the biography. There is no indication that Butler published either the biography or bibliography.