BELAND HONDERICH: REMEMBERING A CRUSADER   From The Toronto Star, Dec. 6, 2005. He wanted only an `informal gathering' and he got it: 300 friends, politicians and journalists trade stories about the extraordinary longtime Star publisher by JESSICA LEEDER STAFF REPORTER A man widely known for his decisiveness and direction, Beland Honderich left strict instructions for his family regarding his memorial. Instead of a funeral, he wrote to them, he wanted an "informal gathering," memories shared over glasses of wine, "without fuss." There was much laughter and negligible levels of fuss at a downtown reception last night where the former Toronto Star publisher and fierce perfectionist was remembered as nothing less. More than 300 guests traded stories of the legendary man who was one of the most influential publishers in the newspaper's history. He spent 22 of his 52 years at the Star as publisher. Honderich died Nov. 8 at his home in Vancouver following a stroke. He was 86. In a final letter to the family read by his son John, who was publisher of the Star between 1994 and 2004, Honderich described his life as one "that was far from perfect, but endeavoured to make a useful contribution to society." Others were far less humble. Political dignitaries and journalists alike remembered Honderich as an infallible man of enduring principles and with a steadfast commitment to Canadian society. "I've met very few men in my public life or since who were more dedicated to this country," said former Ontario premier William Davis, adding that Honderich had "a real commitment to trying to reduce the diversity between those who have and those who have not. "We may not have achieved all of his objectives, but it's not because he didn't provide the leadership, desire, motivation," Davis said. "He was a deeply committed Canadian and a very sensitive human being." For Maithily Panchalingam, that sensitivity has permanently marked her life. A decade ago, the 28-year-old Star advertising employee learned that she had won a Honderich Scholarship award. Then a new immigrant from Sri Lanka going through a "rough patch," the award — for high grades and financial need — was a chance to succeed where she might not have been able to on her own. "Just the fact that you're an immigrant, you're not going to have the right connections," she said, adding that the scholarship, combined with part-time jobs at The Star, helped her earn a degree from York University. "He gave me a start. He made success possible for many students like me," she said. More than anything, Honderich was held up last night as an advocate for those who most needed someone like him. "I believe that he was a person who never forgot his roots, the common man, the underdog, the `little people,'" said Frank Iacobucci, a former Supreme Court justice and current Torstar chairman. "He championed the cause of the disadvantaged, minorities, equality, and fundamental freedoms of religion and of the press long before there were legislative or constitutional provisions reflecting these and other basic human values of an enlightened democracy." The two-hour event included taped speeches from former Toronto mayor David Crombie, and several current and former Star editors, including former managing editor Mary Deanne Shears. Using the boyish nickname he had for his elder brother, Ted Honderich, a London-based philosopher, delivered one of the evening's most touching tributes. "He improved what out of his good principle he preserved, which was the newspaper of the greatest value to his country. There was a greatness in this," he said. "Death without another life afterward did not make this life meaningless. Goodbye, Bee-Bee." Also in attendance were Premier Dalton McGuinty, Ontario Conservative Party Leader John Tory, former Ontario premier Bob Rae, Education Minister Gerard Kennedy and Health Minister George Smitherman. ----------------------- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation obituary Beland Honderich: A Tribute Made by Ted Honderich HOME to T.H. website HOME to Det & Free website