Dear King’s Community,
This week, we learned that a beloved member of our community, Dr. Dale Godsoe, CM, DCL’19, passed away. Few people have touched the lives of as many Nova Scotians as Dale Godsoe, an educator, mentor, community leader and advocate for equality, particularly for women.
Born in Halifax, Dale graduated from Dalhousie with a BA, BEd and MEd before beginning her career as a schoolteacher, where her savvy for organizing and inspiring others propelled her into leadership roles. She had a rich career in philanthropic and social impact sectors and continued her passion for public education for life, as chair at the (then) Halifax School Board, on the Board of Governors at Mount Saint Vincent University and in the decade that she served as Dalhousie’s Vice-President External. Her extensive work at Dalhousie also included fundraising for the Dalhousie Arts Centre and the creation of the J. Gerald Godsoe Scholarship, named for her late husband, a prominent lawyer and public policy leader. The scholarship supports JD students with a passion for public policy.
Dale joined King’s Board of Governors as a co-opted member in 2007 and was appointed to the executive in 2011, where she was also Chair of the Fund Development Committee. She assumed the role of Board Chair from 2013 to 2018 and provided patient and steady leadership. She possessed a thorough understanding of university governance that helped make King’s more transparent and stable, our community more cohesive and the Board more diverse. Her steady hand helped guide King’s through turbulent times and her insistence on inclusivity only made the school stronger.
In preparation for writing this, I asked former President George Cooper CM, DCL’08, who served from 2012 to my arrival in 2016, for his thoughts about Dale’s leadership. He replied, “As board chair Dale often played Virgil to my Dante, taking me by the hand and gently guiding me—and thus King’s—safely through “the dark wood of error.” I will forever be grateful for the firm but gentle guidance she gave me during my time as President.”
At the 2018 King’s Alumni Annual Dinner, Dale was awarded The Order of the Ancient Commoner for embodying the spirit of service and selfless contribution to the betterment of the university. In their remarks, then Vice-President Kim Kierans, BA’82, HC’83, DCL’23, MFA’25, and then Board Member Andrew Black, acknowledged her “indelible imprint” on King’s, and described her quiet unassuming manner of chairing a meeting and handling sticky situations as “Dale’s magic.” They rightfully referred to her as “one of Nova Scotia’s most accomplished people—ever—and especially in the charitable and public sectors.”
Dale’s devotion to fundraising and work in the non-profit and cultural sectors benefited an astoundingly long list of organizations that stretched across Canada, earning her a Canada Volunteer Award in 1995 and an appointment as Member of the Order of Canada in 1998. She served, often as Chair, on boards in Nova Scotia, including the Symphony Nova Scotia Foundation, Develop Nova Scotia, QEII Foundation and the Symphony Nova Scotia Foundation—and for the United Way, YWCA Canada, Imagine Canada, the National Arts Centre, the National Ballet School and Women in Media Foundation, to name a few.
At King’s, Dale’s support for, and understanding of, the work of Advancement was formidable. Adriane Abbott, Director of Advancement remembers Dale this way: “She had a special way about her, fierce and firm and wildly encouraging all at the same time. She had an intimidating gravitas that was permanently upstaged by her warmth, uncanny listening power, empathy and general joy. Like so many women in this province, I owe many of the professional opportunities I have enjoyed, to her. Her network of mentorship is a thing of legend.”
For her wise leadership in governance, and unequivocal dedication to the best interests of King’s and her community, Dale received an honorary degree, Doctor of Civil Law, at the university’s 230th Encaenia ceremony in 2019. At the President’s Dinner, Dale delivered remarks that displayed her characteristic warmth and care for others, encouraging King’s students to, “…listen and talk with others and then tell their stories, speak to them, write them, share them, perform them. Use your voice. For it matters. And use it in service of those who may not have a voice. Do this with humility and with courage both…. Never be afraid of jumping in over your head. Of seeking truth in areas of discomfort and fear. For you are needed.”
The kindness, wit and wisdom of her voice will not be forgotten at King’s.
We offer our condolences to all of Dale’s friends and family, especially her three daughters, Suzanne, Stacey and Laura (FYP’98) and her seven grandchildren, including Rowan Helmer, a current King’s student.
Today, and next week, the flags in the Quad will fly at half-mast in honour of Dale.
William Lahey,
President and Vice-Chancellor
Photo Album: King’s Remembers Dale Godsoe
