Jack of All Trades: Memories of a Busy Life

Kenneth M. Glazier was Chief Librarian Emeritus at the University of Calgary, Alberta.

When you read the jacket cover and discover that J.V. Clyne was for 17 years a judge of the British Columbia Supreme Count and then went on to become the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer for MacMillan Bloedel, you presume that the book is either a novel or fanciful writing. It is neither, but an autobiography of a distinguished Canadian, learned in the law and effective in the world of international business.

What makes the book worth reading? Clyne had a brilliant academic record, including a Rhodes Scholarship, and he never ceased to learn — not only about the law, but about business, transportation, education, and the whole range of literature. He learned also from a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. He knew those in the top places of the business world (such as Ian Sinclair of C.P.R.), and they sought Clyne’s opinion as he sought theirs. He had a host of friends in the political and public life of Canada (Diefenbaker, Pearson, etc.) as well as many in the seats of the mighty in England. He had a self-confidence that impressed the common man and even royalty. Though a true Canadian, he was also a citizen of the world and travelled widely in Brazil, China, and Russia — always probing and trying to understand what made people succeed as well as what made them fail.

One question that every reader is bound to ask is what persuaded him to leave his position as a Justice of the Supreme Court to become Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MacMillan Bloedel, a lumber company. He knew MacMillan in the legal world, having been involved in some of the company’s transactions. But he also knew MacMillan as a neighbour with whom he exchanged books. He knew Bloedel through a little group of men who met to play poker. He wasn’t afraid to make the leap from the solemnity of the court to the tensions of the business world. He was fascinated by the opportunity.

Clyne felt his responsibility in the community and nation. He was in the group that demonstrated in support of the new site for the University of British Columbia and he finally ended up on the Senate and as Chancellor. He was a serious man who also had a sense of humour. The book is well written, and readers will enjoy the company of one of the great men in our contemporary Canadian scene. This “Jack of All Trades” mastered quite a few of them.