When the last graduating students have crossed the stage during convocation, Memorial University’s orators step forth.

The role of the orator at convocation is to act as a bridge between the university and its community of freshly minted graduates and soon to be honorary degree recipients.

Their carefully crafted speeches must fuse eloquence with storytelling and an acceptable amount of erudition with a healthy offering of wit. They must accomplish this task while praising honourees and making a somewhat long ceremony feel fresh and lively.

Over 23 years as Memorial’s public orator, Dr. Shane O’Dea cultivated a mastery of the craft and established himself as the voice of convocation.

Born in St. John’s, Dr. O’Dea received both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in English from Memorial.

He joined the university’s faculty in 1970 and quickly established himself as a passionate teacher.

In 1988, he was named Canadian Professor of the Year and became Memorial’s first recipient of its Distinguished Teaching Award. In 2002, he was inducted as a 3M National Teaching Fellow, one of Canada’s highest honours for educators.

Beyond the Department of English, Dr. O’Dea expanded his academic reach by teaching a course in architectural history through the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science from 1975 to 1989.

He began serving as a university orator in 1982, and in 1995, he was appointed Memorial’s public orator.

Over the next two decades, he delivered more than 100 orations, presenting honorary degrees using his singular style noted for its combination of literary flair and heartfelt tribute.

In 2009, he edited and published Orations: A Selection of Orations from Memorial’s Convocations, preserving the legacy of Memorial’s public ceremonies and honouring his predecessor, Memorial’s first public orator, Dr. George Story.

 

In 1988, Shane O’Dea (BA’66, MA’74, LLD’22) was named Canadian Professor of the Year by the Council of Advancement and Support of Education. Photo from Memorial University Archives.

 

But Dr. O’Dea’s influence extends beyond the classroom and his orator’s robes.

He has been a tireless advocate for preserving Newfoundland and Labrador’s architectural heritage.

As a founding director and chair of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, and as president of the Newfoundland Historic Trust, he played a pivotal role in safeguarding historic sites across the province.

His efforts were instrumental in preserving landmarks such as Christ Church in Quidi Vidi and the Commissariat House in St. John’s.

Dr. O’Dea’s leadership extended to national organizations, including serving as chair of the board of governors of Heritage Canada from 1996 to 1998 and as a member of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

He was appointed to the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2005 and to the Order of Canada in 2016, honouring his contributions to education and heritage preservation.

In 2022, Memorial conferred upon him an honorary degree, acknowledging his extraordinary service to the institution and the province.

That year, the tables turned, and Dr. O’Dea stood by and listened as Memorial’s public orator, Dr. Jennifer Lokash, sang his praises.

For those who were fortunate enough to attend his classes, he’s known as a teacher of the highest order.

But for Memorial’s graduates, he’s known as that voice from the stage exhibiting qualities comparable to gravity.

Dr. O’Dea demonstrated that oration is no mere feat of rhetorical trickery. He taught us that when delivered with the convictions of one’s own character in the service of honouring those who are worthy of praise, oration becomes a work of art.

It expresses the ideals and values at the very heart and soul of the university itself.