Justice Thomas Cromwell awarded honorary degree

Photo by Chris Ng

Justice Thomas Cromwell, Law '76, stands before Chancellor David Dodge for the conferral of the Honorary Doctor of Laws degree on June 11, 2010. He was hooded by Dean Bill Flanagan.

The first Queen’s Law graduate appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, Justice Thomas Cromwell, Law ‘76 (Mus ‘73), received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree at Spring Convocation on June 11, 2010.

Drawing on his musical background, he offered guidance for this year’s graduating class. He remarked upon the sometimes difficult, sometimes frustrating, and other times brilliant career of famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach, and applied lessons from his life to the lives of the future lawyers.  

“Remember that your own commitment to justice and excellence in your work is far more important than the petty annoyances that inevitably creep into everybody’s professional life,” he said.  

“My wish to each and every one of you is that you, like Bach, will find the passion, the industry, the resilience, the commitment, and the humility to make your own contributions to the administration of justice and to your communities.”

Finally, with a smile, he concluded, “See you in Court!”

Justice Cromwell has had a significant connection to Queen’s since graduating. He taught Civil Procedure at the Law Faculty from 1980 to 1982 and served on the University Council from 1984 to 1990 and the Law Faculty’s Dean’s Advisory Council from 1994 to 1998.  

“Justice Cromwell has long been a tremendous supporter and friend of Queen’s University,” said Dean Bill Flanagan. “His contributions to the University are too numerous to mention.”

Read the cover story, “Tom Cromwell: A lawyer’s lawyer…a judge’s judge,” published in Queen’s Law Reports 2009, on pp. 6-11 at http://law.queensu.ca/alumni/queensLawReports/lawReports2009.pdf