Loss of a life long friend.

William “Bill” Gairdner died recently at the age of 83. Few people have had as much positive influence on others as Bill as you will learn if you take the time to peruse his personal website.

Wow. What a shock! 

I learned of Bill’s passing from one of his closest friends this morning and a member of the Free Thinkers group of men that Bill initiated some 15 years ago. I have since read a string of emails from this group each expressing their loss and how Bill had affected their lives. Below is my personal short story of my relationship with William Gairdner.

I first me Bill as my boss at The Fitness Institute in the early 1970s when Rick (Rick Kerr is another Free Thinker member) and I were gym instructors. My respect for his intelligence and athletic prowess was very high. As two young men who had recently completed the Kitchener-Waterloo marathon in 1975, Rick and I were cajoled by Bill to buy cross-country skis and to start racing in the SOD (Southern Ontario Division) of the cross country ski racing circuit. After one “training session” at the Tam-O-Shanter golf course on a cold winter evening, I registered for my first “race”. 

Bill introduced me to two North America ski champions, two famous national xc ski coaches and other Nordic Ski athletes who all influenced my growing passion for the sport. I entered perhaps a dozen races over the next three years in which Bill and Don Corbett (another Free Thinker) were common entrants. I continued to dabble as a “participant racer” in this sport up until ~ 2010 and skiied with Bill from time to time.

In 2007, as a perennial cross country ski enthusiast, I purchased shares in Hardwood Hills, one of the best Nordic ski venues in Ontario. Before that decision, I called Bill for his business insights knowing his experience in running the Fitness Institute and his extensive involvement in the xc ski community. Upon his advice, and that of my father-in-law ( a former President of a Golf course in Florida), I bought a $50,000 share in what is now known as Hardwood Ski & Bike where I enjoyed many years in bliss on their excellent trails and served six years on the Board of Directors. (I sold my shares during the Covid lockdowns.) 

Soon after receiving his advice, Bill and I rekindled a friendship together with Rick. The Free Thinkers group soon followed, initiated and led by Bill, and it steadily grew under a closed, exclusive membership to include about twenty-five particants. The conversations we shared were varied and rich in content thanks to Bill’s careful curation of who may be accepted into the group and our rules of respectful engagement.

Bill also encouraged me to join Civitas Canada, another group that he had founded over 27 years ago. The “Philosopher Bill” loved to discuss ideas on a wide range of topics. The conversations that he and I shared were deeply meaningful to me because Bill had a way of challenging my premises on topics of mutual interest which either strengthened them or inspired me to rethink them entirely.

Today, I am a published writer thanks to Bill’s encouragement. On more than one occasion, Bill coaxed me to write a book. In retirement, thinking and writing have become my passion. I have two publications on Amazon Kindle and 350 posts on Substack with a growing following to show for it. 

In recent years, Bill became increasingly aware of the threat of “totalitarianism” to Western democracies as the photo shows. He discussed this topic in a long podcast interview recorded in late 2022.

I hope one day that his many books and papers become a popular source of educational materials and public discussion for generations to come. It was my privilege to know this great man and every Canadian deserves this privilege too through his rich legacy of written and recorded work,

I will sorely miss Bill - my friend, my mentor and my source of inspiration on more than one level.