Henry N. R. Jackman Gift

In the ensuing 62 years, however, Jackman has had many opportunities to read about his grandfather's achievements and hear stories about Rowell's outstanding service to Ontario and Canada.

It has made Jackman intensely proud of a man he knew only briefly but who was admired by so many. Jackman uses phrases such as "a very distinguished lawyer and jurist …virtually self-educated…a literary and educated person…well known for his courtroom appearances" to describe his grandfather who graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1891; was elected to the Ontario legislature in 1911; served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1921 and was a Cabinet member in Sir Robert Borden's Union government.

In 1936, Rowell became Chief Justice of Ontario, and in 1937 he was appointed by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to head the Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations. He was forced to resign in 1938 due to ill health, and was replaced as chairman by Joseph Sirois. The Rowell-Sirois Report, which came out in 1940, called for an expansion of Dominion responsibilities – contrary to earlier Liberal party policies.

To honour his grandfather's memory and contribution to Canada, Jackman has given $250,000 to establish the Newton R. Rowell Graduate Scholarship in Law. It will be awarded annually to qualifying full-time students registered in the Graduate Program in Law who have demonstrated academic excellence. The investment income, which is matched by the provincial government, will support students who have been awarded an Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS). Preference will be given to students pursuing studies in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

Osgoode Dean Peter Hogg noted that this generous gift "really makes a difference to us" in that it helps with three objectives. "The first is to provide more support for graduate students, who do not have the same level of scholarship funding as the LLB students. The second is to provide encouragement for the study and practice of alternative dispute resolution, which is often speedier, cheaper and more appropriate than the courts. And the third is to gain access to government matching funding for graduate scholarships."

It was the emphasis on ADR that Jackman says clinched his decision to establish the scholarship.

"I was very impressed with the Dean's and the School's commitment to the teaching of Alternative Dispute Resolution," Jackman says. "The cost of litigation really has gone beyond the ability of the average Canadian to take advantage of it. ADR may well be an answer for the future."