Peter Ramsay Doig
Gentleman, friend, student. Born on March 29, 1930, in Halifax, N.S.; died on Aug. 17, 2014, in Halifax, of heart failure, aged 84.
My father asked a lot of questions. A lot. He always wanted to know how and why things were the way they were. Why did people act the way they did? What was that new building, and how would it be used? How was school? Our dinner table was an ongoing exploration of our lives, our home, our community. Nobody escaped – not his wife Carolyn, his five kids (and partners), or the eventual brood of nine grandchildren.
Dad grew up in Halifax's South End, where he and his two brothers and their friends invented their own fun. Creativity was the catchword. They figured things out. That childhood set the stage for a lifetime of exploration and learning.
He was a golfer, among the best of his generation. By the time he stopped playing competitive golf in his early 30s, he had won every major amateur event (and a couple of professional ones) in Atlantic Canada, and competed at a national level. He returned to competition as a senior and in 1994 was inducted in the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. Blessed with natural talent, he was also a student of the game, constantly looking for ways to improve.
He attended Dalhousie University and went on to serve as president of its alumni association and as a member of the board of governors, receiving the A. Gordon Archibald Award for outstanding alumni contribution. For most of his career, 28 years, he worked for National Sea Products. He took on what was then a relatively new business role, a risk manager, and became an expert in the field of marine insurance.
Dad's hobbies provided an outlet for his inquisitive nature, and for a creative side that we only came to appreciate in later years. When we were young, he became absorbed in philately (we loved that word as only kids can – perhaps because it's a little too close to flatulence) and spent long afternoons at the dining room table working on his stamp collection. With his older brother, David, he shared an undying interest in classical music. Dad was also a student of Second World War history: No detail was too arcane, no battle too obscure (as his large book collection can attest).
But his enduring fascination was with photography. He was keenly curious about how to make a good picture, and after he retired at 63 he had the time to test his creativity. He tackled it with a vengeance (another collection of books!). Research was key, and resulted in several rounds of good gear, and images that we all cherish. Photo shoots were an opportunity to learn more about our province, and he could always find a fellow enthusiast to explore the back roads and harbours – Burntcoat Head was his favourite. Underlying it all, as always, was a thirst to learn.
He loved the fact that Halifax was finally building a new central library, a place where anyone could go to indulge their passion for learning, to meet others and to be a part of the community. He was intrigued by its cantilevered, glass-clad design. He really wanted to share in that experience, but died a couple of months before the doors opened in December. I miss him when I see people enjoying this vibrant and inviting space.
Perhaps most of all, I miss the questions.
Peter Doig is Peter's son.