William Ean Dubinsky February 6th, 1964 January 2nd , 2008.

. We gather today to celebrate the life of William Dubinsky and to say our final goodbyes. So many of you who are gathered here today only knew William for a brief period of his life, but it is fair to say that all who encountered him found him a welcome presence in his/her life. William was well-known in his hometown of Yarmouth. All of us have our unique memories of William as he crossed our paths in his own special way each day. Professionally, we knew him as a merchant, customer, researcher and a friend. I first came to know William after his relocation in Halifax. I run an organization here in Halifax. the organization, Restoring Dignity, is an international organization which works with

people who, as children were abused under the auspices of institutions. As part of our mandate we also work on the issues of poverty in Canada.
I was staying at a motel where William happened to be staying as well. One evening, I came to the front desk and found William frantically trying to repair a very old laptop computer. Noticing that William knew very little about operating a computer, I offered to help. William, it seemed, had a great deal more troubles than his computer. I offered my help to William in my capacity as an advocate. In the course of events, which later followed, I soon became very aware of the tragic life this man endured as a child and subsequently, throughout his life. William was born with a deformed heart that came as a result of a genetic defect. When William was 6 and 7 years of age, corrective surgery was performed on him to repair a bad heart valve. During these surgeries, William suffered several strokes in his brain, leaving him with permanent impairment. His life would never be the same. The medical and social institutions, which should have properly cared for him, failed him through a barrage of misdiagnoses. William was an only child reared by parents who likewise suffered from disabilities. Subsequently, this affected his socialization serving as a further challenge to him throughout his life. Records show what must have been the many years of torment for William. It is through these records, and subsequent conversations with William, that I learned of his courageous battles to overcome the many injustices he endured throughout his life. Despite these challenges, in their own way, Williamss parents both loved him very much. It is profoundly tragic that Williams mother Annette, after losing her husband has now lost her only child. Perhaps the most permanent figure in William's life was his long time friend Ken Langille, who provided what I saw as a loving father figure, something William had not known until he encountered Ken.

William met Ken while a student in a law course Ken taught in high school when William was 15 years old. Ken selflessly gave of his personal time to William and his family through some of the most difficult periods in Williamss life. He gave William strength in time of trouble, wisdom in time of uncertainty, and sharing in times of difficulty and happiness. Ken was always by his side. William graduated from Carleton University with a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Political Science with honours. During his Masters studies, he undertook extensive research in the Atlantic Fisheries authoring a massive thesis on the history of the North Atlantic fishery. His Aunt Esther Strug once said that William would have excelled in a University or research setting. William knew that and longed for it. But, as we know, that was not meant to be. After graduation, William published numerous articles on maritime fishery-related matters in a number of Canadian publications. Then, he decided he wanted to teach in public schools. So, he completed his Bachelor of Education from Memorial University in St. John's, N.L. Following this, he taught in Korea for a brief time and then studied in British Columbia and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. After his return from Scotland William decided that he wanted to return to academia. In August 1996, Williams plans were suddenly halted, when his father, Leonard, suffered a heart attack. and died. Returning to Yarmouth, William and his mother Annette decided to continue with his fathers tourism business. Tourism was flourishing in Yarmouth at the time and they continued the success of the business, operating three souvenir shops and a small wholesale business. But, as we all know, after 9-11, the bottom fell out of our local tourism industry. William was visionary enough to realize he had to make a new start. He wanted to be on his own and wanted to build a life for himself. He moved to Halifax where he took on numerous positions in an effort to find what was right for him. He continued his love of research and academia, publishing numerous articles and book reviews as he worked at several jobs. Most recently, William was working as a telemarketer, a position he thoroughly enjoyed as it gave him a chance to talk and meet new people on a daily basis. Scripture tells us that when Joshua and the Israelites arrived at the gates of Jericho, they could not enter. The walls of the city were too high for anyone to get over. The walls were too strong to be taken down by sheer brute strength. So there the people sat because they could not penetrate the walls. But God had a plan for his people. He told them to stand together and march together around the city. And on the seventh day, he told them that when they heard the sound of the Ram's horn, to speak with one loud voice. And upon the chosen hour, upon the sounding of the horn, a chorus of voices cried out together, and the mighty walls of Jericho came tumbling down. The parable of this story speaks of a wall of brick and a wall of oppression. It was because the people believed that they could overcome the mightiest of walls and because they were willing to join together that the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. Those of you gathered here today know this truth, because each morning you go to work you struggle to tear down the walls of oppression, the walls of exclusion.

One of Canadas most awe inspiring stories of heroism was that of Terry Fox, a young amputee who set out on one leg, across Canada determined to eradicate a disease which has plagued millions of people all over the world. After 3,339 miles, Fox had run six provinces, two-thirds of the way home. On September 1, 1980, Terrance Stanley Fox ran his last mile. His personal battle with cancer had claimed his leg and finally, his life. Almost three decades later, Foxs valour endures to define the war against cancer. His legacy has inspired runs for thousands of causes. It has inspired disabled persons to live beyond the limitations of their disabilities everywhere. In so many ways, William Dubinsky's life was filled with this struggle. William never once faltered in his struggle for social inclusion. And it can be said as well that the many of you who are gathered today, likewise did not. And so this is the gift William Dubinsky and so many others like him have given us. William's determination reminds us of why our work and our concern for our fellow human beings are so important. In a speech entitled "The Perils of Indifference", delivered to the White House, Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and novelist, wrote: "So much violence, so much indifference. In a way, to be indifferent to that suffering is what makes the human being inhuman. Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred. The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees. To not respond to their plight, to not relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory. And in denying their humanity, we betray our own." Love for our fellow human beings is essential to the survival of the human race. Not love as it is described with such facility in popular magazines, but the kind of love that is affection and respect, order and encouragement, and support. There are wrongs which require our attention. There are people who are poor and need help. And we have a responsibility to them and to this nation. Through no virtues and accomplishments of our own, we have been fortunate enough to be born with gifts of intellect, resourcefulness and leadership. We, therefore, have a responsibility to others who are less well off. The social agencies and those individuals, who serve for that very same purpose, defend our way of freedom, our way of life, and it is the surest way to ensure the survival and vitality of the human race. And in helping the William Dubinskys of the world to find their humanity, we too can find our own. All free people, wherever they may live, are citizens of the world. The right for women to vote, the Charter of Human Rights and freedoms have become the stepping stones to progress and survival - we are the officers, the keepers of the gate, and we have a duty now as we continue to overcome the deficits of morality and empathy in the world around us; to stand steadfast in the struggle for equality, social inclusion regardless of race, culture, gender or disability.

Our lives are defined by the choices we make and by the choices we are afforded. And so the pursuit of freedom and equality is not perfect and humanity progresses very slowly. There can be no rest. "If Athens shall appear great to you," said Pericles, two thousand years ago, "consider then that her glories were purchased by valiant men, and by men who learned their duty." Such is the greatness of all societies, and it is the key to progress. Many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single person. A young monk began the Protestant Reformation, a young general extended an empire from Macedonia to the borders of the earth, and a young woman reclaimed the territory of France. It was a young Italian explorer who discovered the New World. And there are the William Dubinsky's of the world whose courage and determination remind us of that urgency to engender change and our duty to it. Despite his disabilities and his barriers, William travelled the world, earned degrees, helped to run a family business, and in the last chapter of his life, was beginning to rebuild his life after the family business succumbed to economic woe. It is of sad commentary that William died prematurely, after being so close in finally finding his place in the world. His long time friend Ken Langille remarked Although William was physically limited with heart problems stemming from his childhood, he refused to let any of this stop him. He fought on and always was in pursuit of happiness, peace and acceptance. In appreciation for a life well lived and as an expression of our thanks and gratitude for what William has accomplished, I would ask you to please rise and let us express our love for this young man. As we leave this house of worship and celebration, and leave William to his place of rest today, let us remember William Dubinsky, what he meant to each of us and the meaning his life brought to the greater good we all seek to find. Let us honor William's memory by joining together in one voice as we shout down the walls of Jerricho.

R.K.L., Restoring Dignity 29/10/2012