Dr. Charles Deshaies

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Dr. Charles (Chuck) Deshaies was born in Massena, New York; about two hours to the west of Plattsburgh. His interest in Canada stems from his geographic proximity to that country. He could (and did) holler into Canada from the road across from his parents house. Also, he had grandparents who were born and lived part of their lives in Canada. A trip to Montreal at age nine convinced him that Montreal was where Chuck wished to live. It took a while, but Chuck has lived in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for the better part of 15 years and holds Canadian Permanent Resident status.

As an undergraduate, Chuck was instructed by Dr. Arthur Johnson at SUNY Potsdam that if he wished to pursue graduate study on Canada, there was a program at the University of Maine that offered such a program. That too took a while, but eventually, he left employment with New York State government and began work on a Ph.D. program with the University of Maine at Orono. While there, Chuck started a campus-wide group called ‘Club Canada.’ As part of their activities, there were Canadian film viewings, election night party’s, trips to Ottawa and Montreal, and, most interestingly, participating in a curling tournament!

While researching and writing his dissertation, Chuck was contacted by Dr. Kirkey who offered him a position teaching the Introduction to Canada course. This year marks his tenth anniversary of teaching that class. Chuck is very proud of how it has evolved over the years and is always seeking new ways to make learning about Canada more fun, interesting, interactive, and thought provoking.