It is with deep sadness that the Osgoode Society marks the death of the Hon. R. Roy McMurtry, on March 18 th , 2024. The preface to all of our books states that the Society was ‘founded at the initiative of The Honourable R. Roy McMurtry’ in the late 1970s. Roy also served many years as President of the Society when he was not in the United Kingdom as High Commissioner, and stayed on our board as President emeritus and a director until his death. Roy was, of course, many other things during his remarkable career: Attorney-General of Ontario, Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Chief Justice of the Superior Court, and Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal and of Ontario. And he had many many accomplishments, most notably his pivotal role in brokering  the agreement which led to the patriation of the constitution in 1982 as one of the ‘gang of three’, with Roy Romanow and Jean Chretien. His contribution to developing Canadian legal history was thus a small part of his achievements but for Canadian legal history he played a very large role. I have greatly valued the friendship, support and advice of this remarkable Canadian during my time as Editor-in-Chief.

Jim Phillips