I would like to add my congratulations to Dr. Edward Macdonald on his recent appointment to the Order of Canada, for “his leadership as a historian and scholar of Prince Edward Island, and for his mentorship of tomorrow’s heritage conservationists.”
As UPEI professor “Dr. Ed” was being interviewed on CBC Compass about his appointment, he spoke very highly of the importance of history:
“Some of us live with our eyes fixed on the future. But it’s important, in order to understand the present… in order to find a path to the future we have to understand how we got here… Why do the buildings look like that? Why is the town laid out like that? Why are we concerned about land?”
He continued, “We need history to understand the present, and we need that understanding as a context for going forward on a global scale and also on a local scale, and if that means wrapping it up in a story to make it more entertaining, so much the better.”
Understanding our own personal history is also important for going forward on a family scale. The stories we tell today can provide context for our future generations to move forward.
If you agree that family history is important, and you’d like some guidance on how to save your stories so they aren’t lost, I’d love to help. A PEI Video Legacy Interview is a wonderful way to capture your family history. We can wrap it up in stories that your descendants will find interesting and helpful as they find their own paths to the future.
