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Interview of Hugh McLennan
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May 25 2004 Hugh McLennan Audio is distorted by background noise and difficult to hear/inaudible at times. Born: Montreal, Quebec, Oct 22nd 1927. Eldest of two children. Younger sister Elizabeth passed away several years prior to the interview. She had 3 children. Father: William Durie McLennan, born in Montreal on Nov 24th, 1889. Youngest of 3 (2
Show moreMay 25 2004 Hugh McLennan Audio is distorted by background noise and difficult to hear/inaudible at times. Born: Montreal, Quebec, Oct 22nd 1927. Eldest of two children. Younger sister Elizabeth passed away several years prior to the interview. She had 3 children. Father: William Durie McLennan, born in Montreal on Nov 24th, 1889. Youngest of 3 (2 older sisters). Worked as an architect. Also worked with the Canadian Field Artillery. Paternal Grandfather: Also William. From a large family. Married June 7th 1883, passed away in Florence, Italy. He had two brothers who were involved in military work. William was a notary in Montreal. He also wrote novels and music. Great-Grandfather: Hugh, born 1825. Lived in Glengarry Country (what is now Eastern Ontario). Was in the fur business and did quite well for himself in Montreal. Great-great Grandfather: John, born in Glen Shiel, Scotland in 1780. He came to Canada with his father, Murdoch, in 1802. Landed in Quebec after a 4 month voyage with 1000 people on an old warship called the Neptune. They moved to an area which is now Lake St. Francis. Murdoch died very soon after arrival, but John continued to live out his in Quebec. Back in Scotland, Murdoch was a farmer. John followed in these footsteps in Canada, and also fought in the war of 1812. He was also part of a militia during the uprisings in 1837-38. He was called “Squire John”, and was known as a local mediator. He had a fairly large family. Mother: Born Gyneth Maud Wanklyn, in Montreal. 3 siblings (2 older brothers, 1 younger brother). Both older brothers were in the military; one was killed in action in World War I. Maternal Grandfather: Frederick Wanklyn. Hugh feels it is unlikely his great-grandfather spoke Gaelic. His feelings of “Scottishness” come from his own interest. He heard of a “gathering of the clan” McLennan from a friend which took place in Scotland in the 1970’s. He took the trip to Inverness and had a splendid weekend getting in touch with his roots. He has been involved with other McLennan clan events in years past, but it has “fallen by the wayside” as there are fewer in the area. He keeps in touch with some members in Scotland. Politics and religion were not large parts of his family gatherings growing up. He attended Selwyn School, a small, boys only school in Montreal. He worked summers as a lumberjack in Quebec. He attended university at McGill, and got his degree in Chemistry. He was interested in doing postgraduate work, but there were not very many opportunities in Chemistry at the time. He ultimately received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from McGill. He did postdoctorate work at a local university college, as well as the Montreal Aerological Institute. He was particularly interested in the physiology and chemical process of the brain (neuropharmacology), and it continued to be his interest for the rest of his professional life. He taught on the subject, which led him to work as a professor in the Department of Physiology at UBC in 1957. Hugh met his wife in 1944 on a blind date in Montreal. Married in 1949; they were still married to the time of the interview. Wife: Hilda Connell. Father was an immigrant to Canada. She also attended McGill and received her Bachelor’s degree. They had two children. His daughter lives in Prince George and his son lives in Tsawwassen at the time of the interview. His biggest lesson from his time in Scotland was that “Canada wouldn’t be Canada without Scotland – particularly Montreal”. He discusses the history of Scots coming to Canada, and the affinity between the two countries. He eats haggis from the local butcher frequently. He’s a fan of the bagpipes. He has done a lot of personal research on his heritage. He invested in the Arran Distillery in Scotland, which has done quite well. He has a love of reading and taught himself to read Welsh. He learned of a historical connection between Welsh and Scottish culture. Hugh was a long-time member of the Canadian Physiological Society, which inspired his research on the first physician in Canada. Looking back on his life, he doesn’t have any regrets – perhaps he should have started golfing sooner. He feels well respected by his colleagues and loved ones, and aside from his scientific accomplishments, his greatest satisfaction in life was having research students in his lab, and seeing them go on to do well. Hugh passed away seven months after recording this interview (Dec 24, 2004).
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Date
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2004-05-25
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