Hiram Walker Remembered

Robert W. Sexty is a commerce professor at the Memorial University of
Newfoundland and author of Canadian Business: Issues and Stakeholders.

This unusual biography of the founder of a well-known Canadian
distillery is divided into three parts: narrative, chronology, and
illustration. The narrative is divided into 21 sections that cover an
array of topics in no particular sequence. Part 2 is a year-by-year
chronology with more than 50 entries, while the final part consists
mainly of photographs.

Everything about the book is short and choppy. The sentences are
abbreviated, the paragraphs are often only one sentence, and sections
are usually less than a page in length. As a biography, the book is
merely a compilation of dates and facts about events, people, and
organizations. A matter-of-fact account of Walker’s life is given, but
the book fails to provide an insightful portrait of the subject. A
saving grace is that the author, a librarian, has provided a good list
of references. In researching the book, she relied heavily on an
unpublished biography in the archives of the Hiram Walker Group, and on
materials in several other public archives and newspaper morgues. Thus,
an opportunity awaits some enterprising author who wishes to record the
life, success, and acumen of a prominent businessperson.