Laverty, A. Marshall

Born in 1912, in Toronto, and known to thousands of students as "The Padre," the Rev. Dr. A. Marshall Laverty served as Chaplain at Queen's University at Kingston for 36 years (1947-1983), and is one of the University's best-known personalities. He was educated at the University of Toronto, graduating with honours in 1937. "Marsh" as he was also affectionately known, was ordained a minister in the United Church of Canada in the same year and served in parishes in Toronto, Manitoulin Island, and Stirling, Ontario, before enlisting as a Chaplain in the Canadian army in 1942 and serving with troops in Europe. In 1947, he was appointed Queen's Chaplain. He has acted as a minister, advisor, counsellor, and friend to generations of students and his organizational skills and contacts across Canada have been of immeasurable benefit to the University. Famed for his rhetorical skills and prodigious memory for names, he has also been active on behalf of numerous charitable organizations in the Kingston area, and served on the Frontenac County Board of Education for more than 30 years. He retired from his position as Chaplain in 1983, but has remained extremely active in the University community. He has received numerous awards from Queen's and other Canadian institutions. A. Marshall Laverty was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1985, and received an honorary doctorate from Queen's in 1991.