Gordon B Shrum

Gordon B Shrum (1931 – 2018) was a man of many interests; a student of the arts, a lawyer, and a businessman. After two years in the Faculty of Arts at the University of British of Columbia Gordon took fine arts and studio courses at the University of California at Berkeley, receiving his B.A. in 1952. He then studied at the Vancouver School of Art (now Emily Carr) for a year, before starting work in the graphics department at CBC.

In 1955 Gordon changed direction and enrolled in the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia where he won several prizes including the Gold Medal as top student in the 1958 graduating class. He started his legal career at an established Vancouver firm, before leaving to form his own practice. The firm became known as Shrum, Liddle & Hebenton, and with high standards and progressive policies it grew until it merged with McCarthy & McCarthy in 1989 to form Canada’s first national law firm.

Soon after the merger Gordon retired from law. He remained busy for the rest of his life focusing on a wide range of interests, including business investments, his love of architecture and design, and philanthropy.

In recognition of a Grant made by the Gordon B Shrum Charitable Fund to Beedie Luminaries, each year
up to five students within the Beedie Luminaries Program are selected as the recipients
of a Gordon B Shrum Scholarship.

This is not an additional financial award, but rather a designation to acknowledge students’ study interest
in urban planning, architecture, environment and ecology, or fine arts.