Halifax native Blair Beed BComm’77 was the recipient of the 2019 Charitable Irish Society Service Award in recognition of his research into the support given by Irish Americans after the Halifax Explosion of 1917. An authority on Nova Scotia history, he is the author of The 1917 Halifax Explosion and the American Response, and Titanic Victims in Halifax Graveyards. His work has also appeared in National Geographic Traveller, The Los Angeles Times and The Boston Herald. He has been featured in both local and international media and is now heard weekly on News Talk Radio 95.7 FM in Halifax, sharing his knowledge of local history with listeners. As a guest speaker, he has given talks at the prestigious British Titanic Society in Southampton, England and The Belfast Titanic Society in Northern Ireland.
Closer to home, Blair holds a lifetime membership in the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, The Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, The Atlantic Titanic Society, and the Monarchist League of Canada. He has worked closely with heritage projects in the province and has served as the Heritage Canada Foundation Mainstreet Co-ordinator. Deeply involved in restoration efforts at Saint Patrick’s Church, Blair also curated an exhibition at the church on the centenary of the Halifax Explosion which garnered much attention throughout Canada and the United States.
