Albert Bandura receives one of Canada’s highest civilian honors
Canadian native ALBERT BANDURA, the David Starr Jordan Professor, Emeritus, was recently honored with an appointment to the Order of Canada.
The Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honors, was established in 1967, during Canada’s centennial year. It recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. Bandura, who grew up in Mundare, Alberta, was recognized “for his foundational contributions to social psychology, notably for uncovering the influence of observation on human learning and aggression.”
The honor received coverage from the Edmonton Journal, which wrote an extensive feature article on Bandura in which he noted the influence of his parents.
Following is an excerpt from the article:
Bandura’s Polish father worked on the railroad and his Ukrainian mother at the Mundare store to save enough to buy their land. They had no formal education but believed in it for their children.
Bandura, born in 1925, was the youngest child and only boy in a family of six children. He lived mostly in Mundare, where the family by then also owned a mill and stables. The youngster played hockey, had the run of the town and worked on the family farm in the summer.
Bandura recalls with a chuckle that he was not impressed with his first day at school in Mundare.
“I told my mother when I got home: ‘I’m not going back, they speak some kind of funny language there.’
“My mother replied: ‘I think that’s English.’ And sent me back.”