Professor Frederick DeCoste in 1998 (source: UAlberta Law Without Prejudice alumni magazine, Winter 1998)
The University of Alberta Faculty of Law mourns the loss of a dear friend, Professor Frederick C. "Ted" DeCoste, who died at his Edmonton home on February 16, 2018.
DeCoste joined UAlberta Law in 1987 as an assistant professor and served as a Faculty instructor for 27 years until his retirement as a full professor in 2014. As an instructor he taught classes in jurisprudence, legal ethics and legal foundations as well as senior seminars on the law and its relation to topics like religion and the Holocaust. He also coached UAlberta Law's Laskin Moot teams and served a term as Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research.
As a legal researcher, DeCoste's articles have appeared in numerous journals in Canada, the US and the UK. A noted expert on the law and the Holocaust, his book The Holocaust's Ghost: Writings on Art, Politics, Law, and Education, which he co-authored with Bernard Schwartz, won the 2001 Alberta Scholarly Book of the Year Award and the 2001 Canadian Society for Yad Vashem Award for Holocaust History.
Born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, DeCoste initially studied social work and rose to the position of principal of Mistikwa Community College (now North West College) in North Battleford, Saskatchewan before deciding to pursue a law degree. He completed his LLB at the University of Saskatchewan in 1985 and an LLM at Osgoode Hall School of Law at York University in 1987.
He is survived by his wife of 21 years, Lynn Cunningham. More details about his life and legacy can be found in this Edmonton Journal obituary.