Following a prolonged illness, Professor Stanley M. Corbett, the Law Faculty’s longest-serving Associate Dean, passed away peacefully at Kingston General Hospital on May 18, just 10 days before his 70th birthday. He will be deeply missed by the Queen’s Law community. Faculty, staff and students, like his family and friends, were inspired by his limitless curiosity, touched by his generosity, and delighted by his gentle humour.

In Corbett’s 50-year history at Queen’s University – particularly during his time with the Faculty of Law – he distinguished himself as a scholar, author, teacher, mentor, leader, colleague, and friend. Those campus years included four degrees: BA’66, MA’72, PhD’82, and LLB’95. He started his studies in mathematics before moving to philosophy for post-graduate studies. After several years on faculty at Acadia University, including a term as head of the Philosophy Department, he left that academic career to return to Queen’s for a law degree.

Dean Bill Flanagan, who would become Corbett’s long-time colleague and friend, first met him in his property law class in 1992 and recalls he was a “terrific student” – which is why he was invited to join the faculty full-time in 1997, just two years after his graduation.

“Stan was a brilliant student,” agrees Professor Emeritus David Mullan, LLM’73, who had him in his first-year public law class. “Later, as a colleague, I benefitted greatly from our many discussions about emerging public law issues and our respective courses.”

Flanagan sees Corbett’s overall influence on Queen’s Law as incalculable. “It is rare that a single individual has an indelible impact on a school,” he says. “In our case, it is impossible to imagine what our Faculty would be like today without Stan’s work here.”

Many of his greatest contributions to the Faculty’s future were made as Associate Dean (Academic). He held this top academic post for an unprecedented three terms, starting in 2008, and, in the Dean’s words, “always demonstrated skill, good judgment, a sense of humour, and dedication to the school.”

Colleagues also recall that Corbett routinely carried a heavier-than-usual teaching load, was ready to assist faculty and students with any challenge, and was an accomplished author with a commitment to justice. His 2007 book, Human Rights Law and Commentary (LexisNexis Canada), now in its second edition, is catalogued in more than 100 law libraries across North America, and he published more than two dozen articles, reviews and other materials over his career.

It was under his guidance that the law school expanded from classroom education into blended and online learning; added essential law skills courses to the first-year program; and updated and expanded the curriculum to meet the evolving needs of today’s law students – and the profession itself.

In April, just weeks before his death, Queen’s Law faculty, staff and students gathered to honour and thank Stan Corbett for his tireless service as a senior administrator. When they acknowledged that the role of associate dean can be complex and difficult, he returned their compliment: “It’s work I’ve enjoyed because of the colleagues, students and staff I’ve worked with.”

His other main legacy, among many, is as a teacher who shaped his students’ experience of Queen’s Law, both at home and abroad. Corbett won the Law Students’ Society Teaching Excellence Award three times. Over the years, he taught primarily public, constitutional, administrative, and public international law, as well as teaching health law in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

He was a leader in curriculum planning for both the Law school and its Global Law Programs overseas, serving as the latter’s academic director at the Bader International Study Centre (BISC) at Herstmonceux Castle from 2008 to 2014. “Stan excelled, and was beloved by students and faculty alike,” says Flanagan. “He was a very big part of the ongoing success of the international law program.”

Professor Christian Lloyd, BISC’s overall academic director, agrees. He notes that Corbett “consistently went above and beyond his regular duties, both as faculty and as academic director,” and was universally respected by staff, colleagues and students. “I fondly remember students chanting Stan’s name at the end-of-term dinner last summer as a sign of appreciation – much to the embarrassment of this modest man!”

Students and alumni frequently name Corbett as their favourite lecturer. His deep-rooted understanding of his subjects allowed him to practise what he called a “classic” teaching style: seemingly off the cuff, unsupported by PowerPoint, and dedicated to engaging students in Socratic conversation about the law.

“Professor Corbett had a significant impact on me, in terms of both my time as a student and my post-academic career as an administrative tax lawyer,” says Lauren Wihak, Law '08, an associate at Gall Legge Grant & Munroe LLP in Vancouver, BC.

As a teacher, he was “relatable, engaging, and oftentimes entertaining,” she adds. “His approach to administrative law stimulated my interest in the subject, which is now the focus of my practice.”

Students could count on him for academic guidance and support during their studies and far beyond. In Wihak’s case, he took time this past spring to review and provide comments on an article on administrative law she was submitting for publication – “six years after I graduated!”

Calling him “so beloved by Queen’s Law students,” Wihak also recalls how he could be relied upon to attend social functions with them. “He was not just a professor you could learn from, but one you could share a pint with as well.”

At the annual talent show, “Lawlapalooza,” he frequently performed and often starred in video skits prepared by students, and he was always willing to be publicly “arrested” and “jailed” for the annual Queen’s Law “Jail and Bail” event in support of cancer research.

Faculty and staff also attest to Corbett’s professional, and personal, impact. At the April event, Career Development Director Gillian Ready, Law’87, speaking on behalf of staff, said, “He is a superb and much-admired teacher and administrator, but he has also simply made the Faculty a happier place for those who teach, study and work here. He is infinitely patient and extraordinarily kind, with a great sense of dedication. He cares deeply about the academic mission of the school, the collegiality of the working environment for faculty and staff, and the professional development of the students.”

Looking back now, Professor Cherie Metcalf, Law’02 (Artsci’90), adds that “Stan shouldered heroic burdens with a cheerful and upbeat demeanour that almost completely disguised the effort required.”

He was a humble, good-humoured, and generous teacher and colleague, she adds, “always willing to review draft exam questions to offer feedback, discuss new cases, brainstorm about how to get students to talk more … whatever the challenge of the day, he made time to think about it with those who asked. Many small things made him exceptional. Stan literally warmed the faculty with his positive energy.”

He is survived by his wife, Jane Russell Corbett (MA’96, PhD’04), children Sean Corbett and Alison Baxter, grandchild Charlotte Baxter, brother David Corbett (Artsci’81), and nieces and nephews Katie Malone, Michael Morris, Joel and Kirstie Russell, and Samantha Corbett.

A celebration of his life will be held on campus this summer.

By Kirsteen MacLeod