David S.R. Leighton
Feb 20, 1928 – Aug 11, 2022
Dr. David Struan Robertson Leighton, a leading figure in Canadian business, education, and the arts, passed away with family by his side in Canmore, Alberta.
He is mourned by his wife Peggy, sons Doug, Bruce and Andrew, daughters Katy and Jenny, partners Maree, Doreen, Karin and Ted, ten grandchildren, extended family, and the many people whose lives he touched. He is predeceased by his brother John and parents Gordon and Mary.
Born in 1928 in Regina Saskatchewan, David was raised in Ottawa
and attended Queens University, where he (the editor of the Queens Journal) met the beautiful and charming Peggy House (president of the Levana women’s association). Legend has it that they tobogganed down a hill one winter evening and fell in love – the beginning of a
71-year partnership and series of adventures.
David and Peggy were married in 1951, and immediately moved to Boston with the help of a small scholarship to the Harvard Business School. David worked hard, and supported by Peggy, obtained both MBA and DBA degrees from Harvard and was named Baker Scholar.
Returning to Canada in 1956, David joined the fledgling business program at the University of Western Ontario, teaching marketing in the MBA and executive programs and helping found the PhD program.
At age 28 he was younger than many of his students, some of whom became life-long business associates and friends. He was a prolific author and was especially proud of co-writing the first Canadian casebooks in Marketing with fellow professor Don Thain.
His marketing expertise led to two year- long posts at the IMEDE business school in Lausanne Switzerland. He later taught at Harvard, Cambridge and other institutions and received honorary Doctorates from both Queens and the University of Windsor.
David was elected President of the American Marketing Association
in 1971 and then the International Marketing Association, the first Canadian to hold either post.
An exciting opportunity arose in 1970 to combine his interests in management and music, and he became President of the Banff Centre for the Arts and Continuing Education. And so began a new adventure…
The Leighton family moved west, and over the next thirteen years David helped transform the Banff Centre into an internationally – renowned institution. In collaboration with a great Board of Directors, he nurtured an extraordinary family of employees and artists. David was awarded the Alberta Order of Excellence in recognition of this major achievement.
Although reluctant to leave Banff, David was asked to become President and CEO of the Organizing Committee for the Calgary Olympics in 1983. Over the next ten years he also became Chairman of Nabisco Brands and then Director of the National Centre for Management Research, all while serving on major corporate Boards. This governance experience resulted in influential publications such as Making Boards Work (with Don Thain in 1997), leading to David’s recognition as a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Directors.
One constant throughout David’s career was his love for the arts. An amateur violinist, he served on the Boards of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Conference of the Arts, International Bach Piano Competition, and was co-founder and Chair of the Banff Television Festival. This combination of arts and management experience was to lead to yet one more career.
By 1999 David thought he had finally ‘retired’ with Peggy in London Ontario. It was a surprise when he received an invitation from Ottawa to become Chair of the National Arts Centre. The next seven years were, in his words, “a complete joy” as David worked with new President Peter Herrndorf and the Board to rebuild and enhance the Centre’s reputation.
This success and his leadership in the arts, business, and education led to David’s appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2007.
However – David’s greatest pride was always his partnership with Peggy and their family. David and Peggy travelled the world and saw their five youngsters grow and succeed. Family get-togethers with children, partners and grandchildren at Logan Lake, Banff, Whistler, and around the world created life-long memories and bonds for all twenty-one family members.
In 2018 David and Peggy moved back to the mountains they loved in Canmore. The family owes a debt of gratitude to the caring people at Origin Spring Creek, Dr. Emma Morin and the acute care team at the Canmore Hospital.
David / Dad / Grandpa is remembered with love and admiration.
He led a life worth celebrating and set an example worth emulating.
He was a great Canadian.
Recognition of David’s life can be made by contributions to
Leighton Artist Studios at the Banff Centre:
www.banffcentre.ca/support-us/donate
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of David SR Leighton Feb 20 1928 Aug 11 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Banff, Province: Alberta