Dr Thomas Bassett Macaulay (1860-1942), one of Canada’s Scottish sons, is remembered for many things – not least of which is the foundation of the Macaulay Institute in 1930.

Aside from his induction into the Insurance Hall of Fame (in recognition of his landmark presidency of the Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada) or the fact that almost all Holstein cattle carry bloodlines from his original herd, TB Macaulay was also a great humanitarian donating considerable sums of money to many worthy causes both in Canada and his ancestral Scotland.

Two Canadian brothers will visit the Granite City this week (Wednesday 8 November 2006) to attend an event with special significance for each of them. Thomas and Doug Macaulay are coming to Aberdeen to attend to a lecture given by a world famous ecology expert at an Institute established by their grandfather in 1930.

The grandsons of the founder of the Macaulay Institute, Dr Thomas Bassett Macaulay, will also visit the Isle of Lewis, and the towns of Fraserburgh and Peterhead during their stay, in an attempt to learn more about their Scottish ancestry and the various enterprises for which their grandfather became known during the visits he made to Scotland over the course of his life.

“Doug and I are delighted to be attending the Macaulay lecture this year, which marks thirty years of talks from a host of distinguished speakers on a wide range of topics, from the ecology of the Serengeti to the concept of a renewable energy future,” explains Thomas Macaulay. “Our grandfather’s legacy is apparent in various parts of Scotland, not least at the Macaulay Institute here in Aberdeen, and I am convinced that he would be very proud of the Institute and the continuously ground-breaking work of its staff if he was with us today.”

“It is a great honour to have the grandsons of the Institute’s founder in attendance for the 30th annual Macaulay Lecture,” says Professor Richard Aspinall, Chief Executive of the Macaulay Institute. “Dr Macaulay’s continued loyalty to his homeland is evident in the return trips he made and the numerous donations to the country of his forebears, including that which led to the creation of the Macaulay Institute.”

Among Macaulay’s generous donations was a substantial endowment to the public library on the Isle of Lewis, the home of his ancestors, where he also funded the construction of a new wing in the local hospital. In 1930, in accordance with his long-held hobby and interest in farming and soil fertility, he donated the capital to buy fifty acres of estate at Craigiebuckler in Aberdeen, and soon established the Macaulay Institute for Soil Research as it was then known.

Today, some 76 years later, the Macaulay Institute is the premier land use research institute in the UK. Two hundred and seventy staff are based at the Macaulay Institute at Craigiebuckler in Aberdeen. The Macaulay Institute aims to be an international leader in research on the use of rural land resources for the benefit of people and the environment and is involved in research across the globe; from Scotland to Chile and China. More about the Macaulay Institute can be found at www.macaulay.ac.uk.

The thirtieth Macaulay lecture will be held at the AECC on Friday 10 November from 2-3.30pm. Anyone wishing to attend the lecture should contact Jane Lund, events manager for the Macaulay Institute, on 01224 498200 or email j.lund@macaulay.ac.uk .

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About TB Macaulay (1860-1942):

Under Macaulay’s leadership and direction, the Sun Life Assurance of Company of Canada for which he worked for 47 years, was the first company in the world to remove policy restrictions on travel, occupation, residence and suicide.

By the mid 1920s, the company expanded its global reach to over 55 countries worldwide.

Through his continued drive and leadership, Sun Life Assurance soon became the largest assurance company in Canada and one of the world’s leading life assurance institutions.

As a result of his passion for farming, Macaulay set up a farming and research station in Hudson Heights in Montreal in 1924, where he bred prize Holstein bulls with high quality cows and managed to develop Holsteins into a successful dairy breed. As a result of this enterprise, almost all of the world’s Holstein herds are estimated to contain a bloodline from his original herd!

About Doug and Thomas Macaulay:

Born in 1929 and 1931 respectively, brothers Thomas Bassett Macaulay and Douglas Hazen Macaulay grew up in Hudson, 35 miles west of Montreal in Canada. There they literally lived in the shadow of their grandfather, T.B. Macaulay (founder of the Macaulay Institute), whose house and farm, where he kept a herd of 70 prize Holstein cattle, were situated at the top of the hill overlooking theirs.

Both grandsons attended McGill University and graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering, Doug in Electrical Engineering and Thomas in Mechanical, although Doug started his first year at Macdonald Agricultural College.

Neither pursued a career related to agriculture. Doug started his career working for the electronics division of Canadian General Electric in Toronto, later returning to Montreal and eventually joining the RCA Victor Company where he worked for the next 20 years before becoming a consultant engineer.

Thomas worked for a variety of different companies in the nuclear, industrial chemicals, industrial design and consulting and municipal engineering fields, before retiring in 2000 two weeks before his 71st birthday.

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