Dr. Edward J. McBride

Edward John McBride was born in New Britain, Connecticut in1934. He was the son of Donald McBride and Helen (Spellman) McBride. He was raised in Utica, New York, and educated in the Catholic school system. With designs on a life in the priesthood, Ed earned his undergraduate degree from LeMoyne College and his Masters from the Catholic University of America. He served as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania.

While at St. Francis, Ed met Mary Ann Berner, who he would later describe as the “purest soul” possessing “the kindest heart”. The couple fell in love and they married on June 26, 1965. Ed and Mary Ann spent a two month honeymoon in Halifax and fell in love with the city.

In 1967, Dr. William Dalton offered Professor McBride a position with the Department of Political Science at Saint Mary's University where he taught until 1994. He received the William Stewart Medal for Teaching in 1987, was named Professor Emeritus in 1990 and received an honorary Doctor of Civil Law in 2012. His greatest accomplishment at Saint Mary’s was the profound impact he had on the careers and lives of his students.

With a unique teaching style designed to instill confidence in students as a prerequisite for their intellectual formation, Dr. McBride quickly earned a reputation at SMU as a fine educator and scholar. A self-described “avid sportsman, but not in the participatory sense”, and son of a minor league baseball player and coach, his lectures were famous for incorporating sporting analogies as they related to constitutional law in Canada and the United States, as well as the history and politics of both countries. He often spoke of his beloved Boston Red Sox and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Professor McBride was a fiercely proud Irish-Catholic and Democrat. His lectures contained many anecdotes of President John F. Kennedy, for whom he and his family successfully campaigned in 1960.

Dr. McBride’s lectures frequently included references to his former students, mostly Political Science majors, and their various successes since spending time in his classes. He was lavish in his praise of scholarly excellence and successes. The walls outside of Ed’s office were a “hall of fame” of student accomplishments. Professor McBride was particularly encouraging to future law students, even those who had not previously considered studying law. This served as a great motivation to his students at the time, many of whom enjoyed future successes of their own. Dr. McBride’s graduates went on to accomplished careers in various fields, including many distinguished members of the legal community across Canada. His students have contributed significantly to the judiciary, the practice of law, the teaching of law, and to political and volunteer organizations in this province, and nationally. For the rest of his life, he continued to follow the lives of his former students. His students credit him as the single greatest influence of their careers. He instilled in them the belief that they could make a difference, and the moral obligation to do so.

In addition to being a skilled educator, Dr. McBride was the author of many scholarly writings in the area of constitutional law, particularly in the early stages of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He co-authored several books: Charterwatch: Reflections on Equality and Benchmarks: a Study in Judging in Canada. He was a founding member of the Charterwatch course at Dalhousie Law School.

Despite not studying law himself, Ed McBride’s impact on the law in Canada will be felt for generations.

Following his retirement from Saint Mary's University in 1994, he enjoyed life with Mary Ann in the “White House” on Jubilee Road until her death in 2009. Ed continued writing, while he and Mary Ann dedicated their lives to serving the Catholic Church in Halifax.

Ed leaves to mourn a niece, Kathy Hayes, Mantua, New Jersey, sister-in-law Dorothy Berner, Vineland, NJ, a grateful legacy of former students, friends, devoted friends Frances Alstrup and Elizabeth Boyd.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 4 at Cruikshank's Funeral Home, 2666 Windsor Street, Halifax, from 2-4 pm. A funeral mass will be held on Monday, June 5, at 11 am, at St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church, 1725 Oxford Street, Halifax. A reception will follow. Burial will be held at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Lower Sackville following the reception.

For those who wish, memorial donations may be made to Companions of the Cross and/or St. Thomas Aquinas Parish.