Saskatchewan historian Bill Waiser awarded Royal Society of Canada’s Tyrrell Medal

Bill Waiser, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the University of Saskatchewan (USask), has been awarded the prestigious J.B. Tyrrell Historical Medal by the Royal Society of Canada for outstanding contributions to the field of Canadian history.

Professor Waiser, former faculty member in the USask College of Arts and Science for more than 30 years, is the author, co-author or editor of 17 books including A World We Have Lost: Saskatchewan Before 1905, which won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2016.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus Bill Waiser is the author of ‘A World We Have Lost: Saskatchewan Before 1905,’ which won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2016. Photo: Daniel Hallen.

The Tyrrell Medal will be presented to Professor Waiser at a special Royal Society ceremony on November 17 in Halifax.

USask Vice-President Research Karen Chad said in a news release issued by the university, “Professor Waiser is a gifted scholar who has investigated and shared the story of our province not just with students but with the broader Canadian public through his many books, public talks and extensive engagement with television, radio and print media.

“His passion for storytelling and dedication to providing a better understanding and appreciation of Canadian history — particularly the leading role played by Indigenous peoples — makes him a worthy recipient of this distinguished honour.”

Professor Waiser’s extensive community outreach has included a weekly column “History Matters” for The StarPhoenix, a weekly column “Mining the Past” for CBC Radio, and serving as researcher and on-camera host for “Looking Back,” an award-winning CBC Saskatchewan television production that was later reproduced in DVD format by the provincial government for distribution to all schools in the province. He has given more than 250 talks on Canadian topics to schools and libraries, conventions, clubs and organizations, public ceremonies, and conferences.

Since leaving USask, Professor Waiser has served as a visiting scholar at Duke University in North Carolina, McGill University in Montreal, Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, and Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand.

Professor Waiser was awarded the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal in 2005 and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2006. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2007. In 2017, he was named a Member of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honour.

The RSC medal is named for Joseph Tyrrell, a Canadian geologist, cartographer and mining consultant. Mr. Tyrrell discovered the dinosaur bones in Alberta’s badlands, and coal around Drumheller. The renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller is named for him.