CLIFFORD H.C. EDWARDS C.M., O.M., Q.C.

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CLIFFORD H.C. EDWARDS C.M., O.M., Q.C. November 8, 1924 - July 5, 2008 With great sadness we announce the passing of Clifford Edwards on July 5, 2008 at the Riverview Health Centre. Cliff is survived by Kathy, his beloved wife and best friend of 57 years, their children Jeanette (John), John (Linda), Michael (Catherine) and Marnie (Malcolm); grand-children Steven, Gregory, Laura, Austin, Daniel, Luke, Devon (Ethan) and Garret; great-grandchildren Zackary and Elijah; sister-in-law, Margaret; cousins Robert (Eileen) Coad in Whitby, Ontario, Evelyn Peckham and her family on the Isle of Wight and Macclesfield, England, and Louise Coad in Ilfracombe, England. Cliff was predeceased by his infant son, Paul and by his parents. Clifford Henry Coad Edwards, the son of George Henry Probyn Edwards and Constance Ivy (Coad) Edwards, was born in Jamalpur, India where his father was employed with the railway system. He was educated in England at King's College School and at the University of London, where he was the only candidate in his year to be awarded first-class honours. He subsequently did post-graduate work and was admitted in 1949 as a solicitor of the Supreme Court in London. In 1951, he married Kathleen Mary Faber and they later moved to Jos, Nigeria where Cliff was an adviser to SIM (Sudan Interior Mission' now named Serving in Mission'). In 1956, Cliff accepted an appointment as lecturer in law at Kumasi College, Ghana. In 1958, he and his young family moved to Winnipeg, Canada where he joined the Manitoba Law School. In 1964, he was appointed Dean and he was called to the Bar of Manitoba that same year. Dean Edwards led the transformation of legal education in Manitoba, which saw the adoption of a full-time Bachelor of Laws program, a new curriculum, the creation of the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law (to carry forward the work of the Manitoba Law School), the recruitment of new faculty, the development of the E.K. Williams Library and the building of Robson Hall. Dean Edwards served terms as President of the Canadian Association of Law Teachers, chair of the Committee of Canadian Law Deans, and member of the executive committee of the Commonwealth Legal Education Association. He was also a member of the board of Balmoral Hall School and a member of the University of Manitoba Board of Governors. After resigning as Dean in 1979, Professor Edwards served until 2005 as President of the Manitoba Law Reform Commission. He also served as a Manitoba member of the Canadian Uniform Law Commission and as a director of the Federation of Law Reform Agencies of Canada. Clifford Edwards was known by his students as an outstanding and wise teacher and sympathetic counsellor. He was dedicated to the education and welfare of his students. On their nomination, he received the University's Stanton Award for excellence in teaching. Although he officially retired a few years ago, he continued to lecture until the spring of this year. For nearly 20 years, he also taught commercial law in the Faculty of Management. His half-century of law teaching in Manitoba is a record almost certain to remain unequaled. In recognition of his many distinguished contributions to legal education, law reform and community service, Professor Edwards was made Queen's Counsel (1980), was appointed Dean-Emeritus of the Faculty of Law (1986), and received the Manitoba Bar Association Distinguished Service Award (1995). In 2005 he was recognized by Rotary International as a Paul Harris Fellow. He was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 2006 and a member of the Order of Manitoba in 2007. A person of quiet but sure Christian faith, Cliff was an Elder at the Church of the Way for 38 years and in recent years a member of Saint Aidan's Anglican Church. He served on the Canadian and international board of governors of SIM, which supports churches, education, hospitals and health programs around the world. He also served on the Canadian and international boards of Scripture Union and Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. The family expresses special thanks to Dr. J. Elizabeth Giesbrecht, the WRHA Hospice and Palliative Care Program, and the wonderful staff at 3East, Riverview Health Centre. A memorial service will be held on Friday, July 11 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Aidan's Anglican Church, 274 Campbell St., Winnipeg. A reception will follow at Robson Hall (Faculty of Law), University of Manitoba. Flowers are gratefully declined. If friends so desire, donations may be made in Cliff's memory to SIM Canada, 10 Huntingdale Blvd., Scarborough, ON M1W 2S5; or Scripture Union, 1885 Clements Rd. Unit 226, Pickering, ON L1W 3V4; or to University of Manitoba - Clifford Edwards Memorial Fund', in care of Dean's Office, Faculty of Law, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2. Cliff had expressed a desire that this fund assist law students in financial need. THOMSON IN THE PARK 925-1120 Send expressions of sympathy to www.mem.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 09, 2008