In Memoriam: Professor Emeritus, Archie Young

In Memoriam: Professor Emeritus Archie Young

Archie Young smiling


We are saddened to hear of the passing of Professor Emeritus Archie Young, a scholar of More and Erasmus and longtime member of our department. Condolences to his wife Mary and to all who knew and studied with him.

Archie Young spent his childhood in Saskatchewan and Alberta. At the age of 14, he moved with his family to Ontario where he completed his schooling, first at East York Collegiate, then at Victoria College in the University of Toronto. He graduated in 1959 and married Mary Lige in 1960. In 1961, before joining the U, of .T graduate programme in English, he taught for one year at the University of Guelph. In 1964, he joined the Department of English at York University's Glendon Campus where he remained until he received a Canada Council Research grant that allowed him to pursue work on his thesis at the British Museum in London. In the fall of 1968, he joined the English Department at Western University.

While a member of the Department of English at Western, Archie published articles and reviews on Shakespeare (Airmont Press), St. Augustine (Harvard Theological Review) Thomas More, St. Germain and Desiderius Erasmus (Moreana). One of these, an article on the theory of conscience in More and Luther, was later reprinted in a collection of important articles on the renaissance and reformation. During his academic career he served on the Faculty Association, first as a member of its executive, then as its president; and in the community he served as a founder and first president of the South London Community Association.

Upon retiring in 2002, much of Archie's time was spent reading, writing and taking up the study of Chinese literature and culture.