Left: Students Michael Stack, Anastasiya Sadovska, Andrew Richards, and Richard Bilodeau
Centre left: Justice Ewing in his later years (Courtesy: Cordelia McIntosh)
Centre right: Justice Ewing and Mrs. Jean Agnes Ewing (Courtesy: Cordelia McIntosh)
"If my parents had to describe me, they would say that Mike goes overboard."
Those are the words of 1L student Michael Stack, who, at no surprise to his family, recently found himself at the centre of a class project he unintentionally created.
"I tend to take on not just difficult projects, but rather unusual ones," he said.
His latest endeavour is no exception.
Earlier this fall, Mr. Stack began a search for his great-grandfather and grandfather's legal texts; both individuals were at one time judges in Alberta. He started the search in Victoria, BC, after hearing rumblings from Vice Dean Moin Yahya that someone - possibly a distant family member - could be in possession of the books for which he was looking.
Unfortunately, after countless cold calls and emails, Mr. Stack came up empty-handed. Despite not finding the books, he was happy to connect with new family members.
"I met all sorts of relatives I didn't know or had forgotten existed," he said.
Not losing hope, Mr. Stack continued to track down the lead when he heard through Career Services Officer Pat Neil that it was actually her friend Cordelia McIntosh who had the legal texts; texts for which she was trying to find a new home. With his newly discovered family in Victoria, Mr. Stack wondered if the books could somehow be his grandfathers' - a small chance, but still possible.
Although it wasn't to be, Mr. Stack did discover another Alberta connection. The books in Ms. McIntosh's possession belonged to Justice Albert Ewing (1871-1946), a one-time MLA and member of the Supreme Court of Alberta. Ms. McIntosh and her husband John inherited the books from John's mother, Jean Agnes McFarquhar, who was once married to Justice Ewing. The books - a collection consisting of law reports spanning the years 1860-1920, and covering a variety of areas of British law, including chancery, exchequer, probate and appeals - have been in the family since the Great Depression.
Instead of moving on to the next lead in the search for his grandfathers' books - or giving up altogether - Mr. Stack struck a new plan. He became enthralled with the idea of finding a new home for Ms. McIntosh's collection.
"Neither government offices, museums, universities, nor law practices were interested in receiving the collection, either in whole or in part," said Ms. McIntosh. "I was told that they take up too much space, and that most, if not all, of the content would already be digitized."
Mr. Stack understands that some might find his desire to save the books strange, especially when there's no familial connection, but he said that he was simply doing what felt right.
"I'm a really sentimental Alberta guy," he said. "Knowing that this collection is a piece of Alberta judicial history, I felt like it should be preserved."
Mr. Stack initially planned to keep the books at his home, but after discovering that the collection was comprised of approximately 400 books - totaling 1,300 pounds in weight - the idea was no longer feasible.
He contacted several organizations in Edmonton to try and find a new home for the books, but no one would agree to take them on. Similarly to Ms. McIntosh, he learned that finding an organization with the space to house the books - and the funding necessary to transport them from Victoria - was going to be difficult. It was at this time Mr. Stack thought it may be possible to share the collection with the rest of his class, or at least other like-minded students - finding many good homes instead of just one. Ms. McIntosh agreed the books ought to be with those who would appreciate them, and that law students were a good match.
Mr. Stack shared his story with Assistant Dean (Administration) Robert Bechtel, who granted him permission to store the books at the Law Centre in an unoccupied office.
"Every faculty member, student, and department I contacted was eager to help in any way they could," he said.
With a temporary home for the books secured, Mr. Stack moved on to transportation logistics. Courier delivery services proved too expensive, so the books were chartered by a freight company in Victoria, and they arrived at the Law Centre three days later.
Mr. Stack is currently selling the books to his fellow law students for $5 each, or five for $20. To date, he has sold enough of the volumes to cover the $800 shipping cost, which he paid out of pocket. Mr. Stack said that students are selecting books based on a number of reasons: what area of law they wish to practice, particular cases they're interested in, or just as a keepsake and memento from their time at law school.
"I had one student come into the office with an itemized list of all the precedent-setting decisions from the time period covered by the texts," he said. "He wanted original copies of cases we were just beginning to study as law students. Another of my peers was only looking for a single volume that contained a case that dealt with cannibalism. They had written their undergraduate paper citing that decision and were overjoyed to possess a copy."
Mr. Stack is set to keep all of the volumes that are left over.
"At this point it looks like approxinately 180 texts will go unclaimed," he said, adding that he put all seven volumes of the English and Irish appeals cases off to the side for himself, as well as two volumes entitled 'Crown Cases Reserved'.
"The Stacks have their roots in Ireland and the Crown Cases Reserved was a specialty court I had never heard of," he explained.
As far as finding his grandfathers' books goes, Mr. Stack said he has been in contact with relatives in Victoria who may have yet another lead for him to follow, although with exams approaching and this latest project, the search is temporarily on hold.
"I haven't lost hope that I'll find them," he said.