Interview with Emeritus Professor, David Lank

[Claudia Del Balso]

Professor Lank is the Director Emeritus of the Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies at McGill University. He received his degree from Princeton University, and attended Université de Grenoble in France prior to a career with Du Pont International in Geneva. He returned to Canada as Deputy Head of Operations for Expo ‘67, before starting his career as Senior Partner in Canada’s oldest investment management firm. In 1968 he co-founded Helix Investments, one of Canada’s pioneering venture capital firms, being personally involved in the founding and funding of 150 corporations. He is currently Chair of Helix. He was the curator of the touring exhibition Audubon’s Wilderness Palette -The Birds of Canada. He is a Fellow of the Explorer’s Club of New York, the Royal Society of Arts in London, formerly a Fellow of the Grolier Club, the American Antiquarian Society and the Angler’s Club. He was Chairman of the Atlantic Salmon Association for 10 years and was recently inducted into the Atlantic Salmon Hall of Fame. He has sat on the boards of Wildlife Habitat Canada and the Zoological Societies of Canada and Montreal, and was an Adjunct Curator of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. He is currently a director of Muséums de l’Histoire Naturelle de Montréal. In 2006, he received the Distinguished Teaching Award in the Graduate Program at McGill.

Professor Lank, when did you start writing and what type of writing was it?

Writing seriously, I started in elementary school. It wasn’t creative, it was descriptive writing. It was interpretive material so it required more research to create something. If you have no life experiences, you’re a prisoner inside yourself and this is a major inhibiting factor. You have to have the “I was there factor”; a magical transition that adds colour between being a reporter and a writer. I always say, ‘If it’s worth doing it, it’s worth doing it badly.’ We don’t try therefore, we don’t do it, unless we can be terrific. But you have to at least try so that you can learn to appreciate and respect others. I wrote my first true piece of creative writing at the end of high school; an essay about the pond.

As a child, which author influenced your writing? Who was your favorite author then and now?

Art and writing are two different forms of communication, and yet there’s a magical marriage between them. As a child I was moved by books with illustrations: beautiful words and beautiful phrases. My favourite book was Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit (I think every child has read it). Sir Arthur Rackham was another favourite. I liked The Wind in the Willows. I read a book every week so I found something different and worthwhile in all of them. As an adult, I liked William Beebe, 1920s American Director of the Zoological Society. I liked reading him because of the “I was there factor”. He was there, so he did it. I still read a book a week. I’m not too fond of fiction (no offense to you or other writers).

Did you know you would write books some day, or did the opportunity present itself?

I didn’t do it on purpose. A compilation of diaries of the Canadian Arctic and the Yukon started it all. I wrote articles at the same time of my first book.

The day of your lecture on May 4^th, you told me, and I quote: “I couldn’t write a novel.” Why? I think you’re a great storyteller.

A short storyteller. For a novel to be really good, it has to have some element of surprise. I’m too transparent so I don’t think I could be successful with the unexpected.

You’ve written over forty academic books, hundreds of articles and museum catalogues. Are you planning to write another book? And if you are, what would it be on?

There’s a difference between writing a book and publishing it. So yes, I’m working on a project, but the project is working in itself. It’s a compilation of theme essays –the philosophy and art of business. It’s for educational purposes: it’s to be shared by students so they can discuss it and grow as human beings.

I know you’ve starred in three major productions at Centaur Theatre. Have you written any plays? Would you like to write one?

No. I’m not interested. It’s even more daunting than writing a novel. Becoming that character is the hardest part. You cease to exist in order to become someone else. You get an appreciation for the economy of words in good playwriting. What I appreciate the most is that you become part of a living organism with the audience being there.

At your lecture, you handed out the drawing titled, The Wonderful Years. You asked us, “…when, in your own lives, did you begin to lose the true meaning of the words, ‘wonderful’ and ‘awesome’?” Do you still use these words in your daily vocabulary? Do you still have that inner child reminding you no to be so world-weary?

Yes, I do. And I find that little children gravitate to me as if I were ice cream. I guess it’s because I always talk about bugs, animals, and plants. The secret is not to take things too strictly. Notice that I didn’t say ‘seriously’.

I loved your quote, “The brush and the pen are the weapons to fight aging.” When did you come to this cognizance?

That day at the lecture. I can’t think of anything sadder than to think what I’m going to do to fill my day.

You are an erudite professor, well-rounded scholar and accomplished businessman. How do you keep yourself humble?

[He laughs] That’s easy! I have so many people around me that are better at what they do. I’m surrounded by talent. You ought to set goals for yourself and when you do, relax. If life were just about winning, then nobody would want to play in your game. I’ll give you a piece of advice about living that I always share with my students: Everybody in my life can do something better than I can.

Because of your life-long contributions in different fields of endeavour, you were awarded the Order of Canada, (the highest honor for merit), in 1996. How did you feel that day?

I was very young so it was unexpected, very thrilling. I felt humble being surrounded by wonderful people. But after the initial surprise, I’ve never been so proud to be Canadian by any adopted country. As you know, I was born in Argentina but raised in Montreal. I was awarded for the category of Patrimony.

The order’s motto is desiderantes meliorem patriam, meaning "they desire a better country.” Do you think you’ll carry on with your desire to make Canada a better place?

Yes, by making Canadians being proud of being Canadians. Talking to students from all over the globe and teaching them to make this a better world.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to interview you, Professor Lank.

My pleasure.