Fonds 1358 - David Mackness Hayne fonds

David Mackness Hayne was born on August 12, 1921 in Toronto, the son of Herbert George and Elizabeth Mackness (nee Niven) Hayne. He received his early education at Malvern Collegiate Institute and entered University College at the University of Toronto in 1938. As a first year student, David Hayne won a share in the first Gordon Southam war memorial scholarship. This award was made “…for all-round ability and the winners must be leaders in all aspects of college work.” A Toronto Star article reported in July, 1939, that “This is the sixth scholarship this student has won in three years. Hayne graduated from Malvern Collegiate in 1938 after winning four awards.” By his graduating year of 1942, Hayne had won four more awards: the Quebec Bonne Entente Prize in French from the University and, from his college, the Governor General’s Silver Medal, the W.H. Van der Smissen Scholarship in German and the Reuben Wells Leonard Fellowship.

Following graduation from the University of Toronto, Professor Hayne studied at the University of Ottawa where he received an M.A. in 1944 and a PhD in 1945. His thesis entitled “The Historical Novel and French Canada” was the foundation “for a lifelong commitment to the literature and culture of Quebec”. During the war years he worked as a Research Officer for the National Research Council. In 1945 he returned to his alma mater as a lecturer in French at University College. He joined the Graduate Department of French in 1947. He was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1950, Associate Professor in 1956 and from 1956 to 1961 served as Registrar of University College. He was promoted to full professor in 1961.

During his career, Prof. Hayne has been involved in many external associations such as the North American French Group of the Modern Language Association and President of the Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association. He was editor of the Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada and Associate Editor of the University of Toronto Quarterly. He was also chair of the English Translation Committee of Volume I of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.

In 1955 he married Madge Hood Robertson. He retired from the University in 1985, and lived his remaining years on his 30-acre Claremont estate, 40 kilometres north of Toronto. He died in Markham Stouffville Hospital on November 20, 2008 at the age of 87.