Norman Earle Hallendy

Norman E. Hallendy of Carp, Ontario passed away at the Heart Institute at the age of 91 on Friday, October 27, 2023. He was born April 7, 1932, in Toronto to Marie and Michael Hallendy. Norm will be greatly missed by his wife Diana Cousens, daughter Angela Hallendy (Gilbert Maloney), grandson Nicholas Roy (Olivia O’Sullivan), daughter Andrea Hallendy-Mallon (Karl Mallon), grandson Cayden Yooeun Mallon, sister-in-law Muriel Cousens, niece Cheryl Davidson (James), grandnieces Sydney and Emily, nephew David Cousens and sister Delores (Terry) Smith. 

Norm attended Upper Canada College, Ontario School of Fine Arts and received the Rowney Prize in 1953 and the John David Eaton, European Traveling Scholarship in 1954. His Post-Graduate Studies included the Swedish Institute for Cultural Relations in Stockholm, Design Research in Zurich and Milano in 1955 and Environmental Research, M.I.T., Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1957.

Norman enjoyed a varied work career that included working (as a Designer) at the Brussels World Fair, the National Film Board and Northern Affairs where he played a role in launching Inuit Graphic Art in 1959. When he retired from the post of Vice-President at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in 1988 he was able to concentrate on his passion for the Canadian Arctic to which he returned to year after year.

Norman developed a close bond with the elders of Cape Dorset. Many were eager to share their knowledge relating to the traditional way of life when they lived on the land. An old friend, Osuitok stated: “I’m telling you these things so that they are written. Write carefully, you are carrying the remains of our thoughts.” An internationally recognized Arctic ethnohistorian, writer and photographer Norm lectured at Oxford, Cambridge and numerous universities in Canada and abroad. He was a leading authority on inuksuit and published several books on the Arctic.  His work on inuksuit and ethnographic work in southwest Baffin Island was recognized by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2001 with the Gold Medal. His contribution to geographical knowledge through documenting Arctic landscapes and ancient sites earned him the coveted Mungo Park Medal from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 2007. Then in 2018 he was awarded The Polar Medal, an Honour from the Crown presented by the Governor General which recognizes persons who render extraordinary services in the polar regions and in Canada’s North.

Visitation will be held at the Carp Chapel of Tubman Funeral Homes 115 Rivington Street, Carp on Saturday, November 11, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at 11:00 a.m. Reception to follow from noon until 2:00 p.m. Donations can be made either to the Heart Institute or a charity of choice.