Always with a Twinkle in His Eye

Ron Hatch was a gentleman and a scholar who never sought the limelight; always empowering others to do so.

November 29th, 2021

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by Alan Twigg

Beloved publisher and editor Ron Hatch died peacefully at Vancouver General Hospital on November 25, 2021, with a soundtrack of his favourite baroque music playing, having persevered with cancer for much of the year while continuing to function steadfastly as a publisher for as long as possible.

A keen environmentalist, a meticulous proofreader and a courageous soul, Ron Hatch was a gentleman and a scholar who never sought the limelight; always empowering others to do so. Without any fanfare, his Ronsdale Press, co-managed by his wife Veronica Hatch, compiled an impressive list of biographies about prominent British Columbians such as lifeguard Joe Fortes, sprinter Percy Williams, Nobel Prize winner Michael Smith, WW II resistance hero and forest scientist Vladimir Krajina, weightlifter Doug Hepburn, first Indigenous MP Frank Calder, composer Jean Coulthand and African bush doctor and Albert Schweitzer colleague Louise Jilek-Aall.

 

The most recent Ronsdale title to win a significant prize is Geoff Mynett’s biography, Service on the Skeena: Horace Wrinch, Frontier Physician, winner of the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in 2021. It also received the Jeanne Clark Publication Award.

In 2019, Daniel Marshall’s Claiming The Land: British Columbia and the Making of a New El Dorado received the CHA Clio Prize as well as the Basil Stuart-Stubbs Prize for Outstanding Academic Book in B.C.

Ron Hatch never blew his own horn. He resolutely went about his business, publishing more than 300 titles, including a series in support of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. These titles included Bialystock to Birkenau: The Holocaust Journey of Michel Mielnicki, (2000), as told to John Munro, introduction by Sir Martin Gilbert; Lillian Boraks Nemetz’ Ghost Children (2000); Leon Kahn’s No Time to Mourn: The True Story of a Jewish Partisan Fighter (2004); Rhodea Shandler’s A Long Labour: A Dutch Mother’s Holocaust Memoir (2007); and Barbara Ruth Bluman’s I Have My Mother’s Eyes: A Holocaust Memoir Across Generations (2009).

Although not a gusher, Ron Hatch was exceptionally proud to have published Richard Wagamese’s book of poetry Runaway Dreams (2011).

In 2014, the Association of Book Publishers of BC announced Ron Hatch and his Ronsdale Press imprint was the recipient of its annual Jim Douglas Publisher of the Year Award, an appropriate honour for someone who doubled as one of the most respected and fastidious copy editors in the book trade.

Most Ronsdale titles have been designed by Julie Cochrane and the top floor of the Hatch household on West 21^st Avenue in the Dunbar neighborhood of Vancouver has always served as the headquarters. The press is currently managed by Kevin Welsh. Previous assistant publishers included Hélène Leboucher and Meagan Dyer.

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Remembering Ron Hatch

Although Ron developed an intense critical awareness as a distinguished English literature professor, I never heard him make a negative comment about anyone during the thirty-plus years I knew him as a neighbour and Ronsdale author. He often struck me as old-fashioned in the best possible ways. To save money on stamps, he or Veronica preferred to drop off their cheque payments for ads by hand while I was publishing B.C. BookWorld. At a crowded literary event, I once spontaneously introduced Ron Hatch to the person next to me by saying. “This is Ron Hatch. He tells the truth and he does things on time.”

Ron loved to ride his motorcycle, he enjoyed family time at three cabin retreats (Hollyburn Mountain, Comox and Loup Garou near Prince George). Ron was an accomplished mountaineer in his youth including first ascents in the Himalayas. He was a steadfast supporter of wilderness-saving efforts in B.C. long before they became mainstream concerns and was even willing to be thrown in jail alongside his son, Chris and daughter-in-law Tzeporah Berman.

I well remember the day in 1993 when Ron dropped by and chuckled with pride when he showed me the ankle bracelet he was forced to wear after he was arrested by the RCMP at Clayoquot Sound anti-logging protests. I have ended up doing seven books with him—with an eighth title on the Holocaust literature of British Columbia now in limbo—and I have never regretted a second I spent with him.

Back in 2013, aware that Ron’s low-key and determinedly non-self-referential manner was being under-recognized, I organized a surprise gathering to mark Ron’s and Veronica’s twenty-fifth anniversary as a publishing team. Here are some comments that arose:

 

“Ron is indeed on the side of the angels, a wonderful publisher and person.” — J. Edward Chamberlin

“Ron has been a gentle warrior for B.C. history and he and Veronica’s vigorous publishing tells a much more complete story of the West Coast. They love this place and have worked hard to conserve its best qualities. My great thanks to both for going the extra distance.”  — Douglas Todd

“I am proud to be among Ron’s roster of very fine authors. All of Ronsdale’s books are of high literary quality with wide-ranging topics, the scale of Ronsdale’s contribution to literature in Canada being much larger than its size. As an editor Ron has been a tremendous support to me, helping me to get the best out of my manuscripts and correcting my egregious grammatical errors with patience and good humour—and always with a twinkle in his eye. Ronsdale Press meets publication deadlines, helps with promotion, puts out stunningly beautiful catalogues and, unlike many publishers these days, pays royalties on time. Throughout the process, Veronica is at Ron’s side with her wisdom and a sweet smile.” — Beryl Young

“Ron published my book, The Opening Act: Canadian Theatre History 1945-1953, because it was a worthy subject, not because he ever expected to make any money from it. I will be forever in his debt.” — Susan McNicoll

“Ron is the best editor I have ever worked with.” — Ann Walsh

“There is one Ron Hatch. I wish there thirteen Ron Hatches: one for each provincial and territorial capital. One is not enough!… I admire his determination to publish quality books in the face of public apathy. It is enough for me to know that he is there, “there” being in the busy world of authorship, editing, and publishing.” — John Robert Colombo

“The thing that stands out for me about Ron is his honesty, something that has come through in both my own dealings with him and in discussions I’ve had with others. As a new author, it has made doing business with him very comfortable for me.” — Patrick Bowman

“I have nothing but gratitude to Ron, Veronica, and Ronsdale for publishing my volume of poetry, At the Mercy Seat, back in 2003. Books have an ongoing life, a mysterious consciousness that continues to reach out and connect. Yet without publishers of integrity like Ron, this rich process wouldn’t happen. — Susan McCaslin

“We are grateful to Ron for his care and his publishing advice when we needed it.” — Mona Fertig and Peter Haase, Mother Tongue Publishing

“From Hamilton, I join heartily in singing your praises as an editor, publisher and gentleman non pareil. — Jean Rae Baxter

“When my co-editor and I approached Ronsdale with our manuscript I had been professionally published only once before, many years previously. It was daunting to re-enter the game of pitching to publishers. When Ron accepted our book, that closed door was once again opened and has remained so.” — Chris Lowther

“Ron has a kindly tolerance and understanding of authors and would-be authors despite their many founderings. Even his rejections are couched in sorrow. The Ronsdale team has become firmly established as a much-respected member of the BC book world.” — Betty O’Keefe and Ian MacDonald

“Ron Hatch is a brilliant man and a tireless publisher. I have nothing but respect and admiration for him and I consider myself lucky to be one of his Ronsdale authors. I am thankful for the endless patience of Ron Hatch and I am confident that he will not let me put a book on the shelves that isn’t worthy. I am thankful for the honesty and integrity he brings to the world of publishing.”  — Lois Donovan

“I want to thank Ron for publishing such a beautiful new edition of Steveston in 2001. He had Steveston printed on high-quality paper with a generous amount of white space (qualities that are hard to find these days). This has been the third edition of our book and this is not only the authoritative version but certainly the most beautiful of all three editions.” — Daphne Marlatt

“Ron has done a lovely job of getting my first four books back in print and on the shelves (with meticulous copy-editing and great covers). All correspondence with him or his employees during the process has been interesting, and in the end very satisfying. Every time the latest Ronsdale catalogue arrives I’m impressed all over again with this important publishing house.” — Jack Hodgins

“I found gold when Ron Hatch decided to publish my poetry manuscript. His integrity, high standards, his never-failing support and encouragement of my work and the perpetual twinkle in his eye are everything a budding author could dream of. Ron Hatch is my ideal publisher. He has a discriminating eye for the beautiful book cover utterly fitting to the work, is a meticulous editor and a proud papa of every new book he sends out into the world.  I will be thankful to Ron for the rest of my life for taking me on as one of his authors. What luck! The stars must have been swirling in my favour when I thought to send my manuscript to him.”  — Pamela Porter

“Having worked with Ron for over seven years now, I can say Ron is simply the man with the most integrity, professionalism and kindness all wrapped into one that I have ever known. I’m sure others feel the same. He is a role model with real class.” — Philip Roy

“I am grateful to Ron for publishing my Rilke translations. ‘Let earth sing within the poem!’” — Graham Good

“I consider it an honour to have collaborated with this wonderful man on four books.” — Howard Richler

“Ron is a gentleman and a scholar, wonderful to work with, honest and just. Back in October, 2007, Ron received a sample of my manuscript. Other publishers might have taken some time to write back asking for the full manuscript, but he called. On the phone. Right away. He said, “if the rest isn’t crap, I’ll publish it.” And when I sent the rest, he called again. It was December by then, and he said, “I don’t want to leave you worrying and wondering over Christmas, so yes, we’ll publish your book.” He did so, beautifully, and on time. Editing the manuscript with him was fun and challenging. I was so lucky (and so grateful) that he published my book. We are so lucky to have Ronsdale Press continuing to publish important and diverse books at a time when everyone is worrying about independent presses. — Barbara Pelman

“It was a cloudy afternoon in 2010 when I received the message on my answering machine from Ron. It said, “We would very much like to publish your book.” I listened to it twenty-three times. Little did I know what lay ahead. New to the publishing world, and more than a little green around the ears, I remember enjoying a glass of wine and naively assuming: “Right. That’s it, then. Now it’s on to the next book.” What followed after that initial phone call, were several in-depth conversations, many emails and numerous hard copies of my manuscript that crossed back and forth across the water. I didn’t know what to expect from Ron. I didn’t know what “the norm” was, if in fact there was one. I didn’t know how long these things were supposed to take, and I didn’t know how ignorant I was. What I did know, however, was that I should have paid more attention to grammar classes back in elementary school.

“Upon reflection, it’s a wonder Ron didn’t demand I re-do some English courses before deciding to take me on. I definitely needed to get in touch with my inner dangling participle. And don’t even get me started on semi-colons! But Ron and Veronica walked me through the minefield that was my manuscript, paragraph by pronoun by predicate, with perseverance and plenty of patience. Fortunately, my spelling was pretty good…. I am so grateful to have worked with Ron from the get-go. Ron is a first-class editor. He is sometimes blunt, often dry, and always spot on.  He does not mince words and he never gushes: when you receive a “nicely done,” you know you’ve done it nicely.

“When I finally met the Hatches in person, I was delighted. Ron was wearing a hairy old sweater with patches on the elbows, and both he and Veronica said really nice things about their dogs.” — Carol Anne Shaw

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[Recent condolences]

“It is terribly sad. Ron was the kindest man I ever met. He had such a strong character and yet the deepest and truest humility. I remember we took some trips together to book shows, and we’d sight-see afterwards, such as the day we examined the spot where Kennedy was shot, or when we scoured every inch of an aircraft carrier in San Diego. Ron had an insatiable and childlike curiosity about everything, and he was tireless. He was eminently professional, of course, but it was his kindness that always came to mind first when thinking of him. He will be so dearly missed by so many, and yet his legacy is rock solid in the work he and Veronica did together, a true beacon in the literary culture of Canada. Terribly sad, but I suppose we have to be grateful for having known him at all. Such friends are far more rare than people know. – Philip Roy

“My sympathies go out to Ronnie and all of Ron’s family and close friends. I had the pleasure of having my life enriched by my dealings with Ron through his publications of several of my books. May his memory be a blessing.” — Howard Richler

“Ron Hatch was my publisher/editor for several books. He was also a dear friend. I loved working with him and I owe him a debt for his tireless efforts on behalf of all his writers, for his really keen editing skills, and his support and friendship. I am very sad and I wish Ronsdale Press only the best.” — Luanne Armstrong

“Ron took a chance on me and published my book of short stories. Our last conversation was on my new novel—he always provided frank and helpful advice—and I’m still working on it. I remember visiting Ron and Veronica in Vancouver and being so moved by their love. Feeling sad and sending condolences to all who were influenced, supported, and touched by this amazing man.” — Sheila James

“Today we received a double blow with the deaths of literary giant Marie-Claire Blais, a dear friend and collaborator, and Vancouver publisher Ronald Hatch, also a friend and colleague, who published the first two of many translations I have done for Marie-Claire Blais and others. He has done much to promote Canadian literature in unique fashion. They represent a quality and stature in Canadian and Québec writing that may never be equalled. Adieu et farewell to them both.” — Nigel G. Spencer

“When Dan and I sent an unsolicited manuscript to Ronsdale, Veronica saw potential but Ron asked, “How hard are you willing to work?”  Over the following months, we laughed as numerous drafts were exchanged between Vancouver and Ottawa and reminded one another that Ron had given us ‘heads up.’  He was equally devoted to ensuring that our second book was as good as it could be. St Michael’s Residential School: Lament & Legacy was published this June after more than a year of review and rewriting. We will always remember Ron’s kindness and caring. In 2018, we had the pleasure of meeting Ron and Veronica at a book fair in Tacoma, Washington. Ron said he liked Rebecca, the heroine of our first book, because she had agency, a quality he wanted to promote in young people. Ron himself had agency and plenty of it. Working with him was a privilege. We are grateful for his gift; we have found direction and meaning as published authors in our eighth decade.  We send heart-felt sympathy to Veronica and the other members of the Hatch family.” — Nancy Dyson and Dan Rubenstein

“Ron was a gentle bear of a man—whose strong beliefs never stopped him from engaging with others. An enthusiastic publisher, especially of BC writers, he was also a friend, always ready to help, advise, and appreciate a moment of relaxed laughter. I loved publishing with Ronsdale Press because Ron was such a fine editor—scrupulous with text and sensitive to the demands of each project, always keeping the readership in mind. I admired his independence, appreciated his patience, and was stirred by his commitment to the world in which we live. What a remarkable contribution he made to life, letters, and thought in British Columbia.  He is already much missed.” — Bill New

“I was deeply saddened to hear of Ron’s passing. Ron was always kind, thoughtful, and supportive but also meticulous in his crafting of fine books. I shall always be thankful for his publishing of my volume of poetry, At the Mercy Seat. What a loss to us all.” – Susan McCaslin

“When a good and wise man dies…a library burns down. Ron of course had the good sense to build and leave us all a great library. It was and is no small achievement. I like so many others am grateful for his help in steering my work to publication. My sincerest condolences to his family.” — F.B. André

“What sad news!  For me, it was a privilege and a pleasure to be an author with Ronsdale Press. Now my thoughts are very much with his wife and family.” — Eileen Kernaghan

“Ronsdale published my book Heart Like a Wing in 2016. Veronica picked my ms. out of the 800-odd submissions they get each year and gave it to Ron. They both liked the story. Ron helped me turn it into a polished YA novel. I am so very fortunate to have found a man of Ron’s integrity and literary skills. We worked together for two months before he even asked me to sign a contract. Ron and Veronica both came to my book launch in Sidney, for which I am so very grateful. He was unfailingly kind and encouraging. I’ve never forgotten Ron’s big heart. I’ve no doubt that everyone who met him feels the same way. We will all miss him.” — Dan Dunaway

“He was an amazing man. The BC literary community will miss him.” — Byron Sheardown

“His reach was clearly far greater than I had ever imagined. He will be sorely missed by so many. I am truly appreciative of what he published with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. He was clearly remarkable.” – Robert Krell

“I am truly saddened to hear of the passing of Ron. Ron took a chance on me in publishing my books when so many others had rejected me in the writing world. I will never forget that, and I wished I had thanked him while he was alive. To his wife and children, I send my sincerest condolences.” — Garry Gottfriedson

“Ron was a pillar of support and encouragement to my late wife, Inge Israel, in her early publishing efforts. She would have been very saddened, as am I, by news of his passing.” – Werner Israel

“Ron was an honourable man, decent and without pretension. I’ve read the fine obit done for him and I started making a list of the books he’d published that affected me. These have included Graham Good’s Rilke translations, his own co-translations of three books of Korean poetry that I reviewed at length, Richard Wagamese’s Runaway Dreams (probably the book that really put Richard on the map), the Jean Coulthard biography, Ron Smith’s brilliantly-presented stroke memoir The Defiant Mind and Service on the Skeena, the Ryga Award book on B.C.’s north. As well, Moon Madness by Alan Twigg is a wonderful tribute to a real humanitarian. These are all testaments to his admirable life. His good work has influenced me. When I attended meetings with him, he was a steadying force, just by his presence. The ranks of the just are thinner for his departure.” – Trevor Carolan

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• Friend and fellow publisher Michael Carroll first met Ron Hatch in early 2000 shortly after he [Carroll] took over BeachHolme Publishing. He once recalled, “We met up at book fairs, ACP meetings, and of course ABPBC events. I recall one ABPBC retreat in particular on Gabriola Island. About halfway through, there was a massive snowstorm that knocked out the power on a good deal of Gabriola. As always Ron seemed outwardly tranquil while I noticeably fretted. He was a living embodiment of grace under pressure. Power failure? Freezing temperatures and no heat? So much snow that we might never get off the island? ‘What’s the problem?’ Ron might have said, smiling serenely. ‘Look at all the trees, the sea, plenty of good food even if we can’t cook it, and an endless supply of good books to read. What more could you want?’” — Michael Carroll, BeachHolme Publishing


• A few year’s ago, publisher Brian Lam paid tribute to his colleague, Ron Hatch: “I was around when poet J. Michael Yates started a poetry press in the mid-1980s with the beguiling name of Cacanadadada Press. Michael was and is a larger-than-life character in Canadian literature, but I think he’d agree that he wasn’t an expert in the business of publishing, so when Ron bought the press and renamed it the more sensible ‘Ronsdale Press,’ we among his B.C. colleagues knew he was on the right track. Whereas Michael was loud and outlandish, Ron possesses a calm and thoughtful demeanor that comes in handy as Ronsdale Press navigates the vagaries of literary publishing in Canada with aplomb. Ronsdale is an important publishing house in B.C. and Ron Hatch is a worthy and significant publisher.” — Brian Lam, Arsenal Pulp Press


• “I did a few publishing internships with Ron at Ronsdale Press when starting my own press on Vancouver Island. I really appreciated Ron’s kind and giving nature when mentoring me into the world of book publishing. One thing that really impressed me was the special care and attention he gave to submission rejections: It was apparent he was genuinely sorry, and he always took the time to impart at least a few lines of positive critique with the rejection. Ron and Veronica created a publishing company that truly has heart…something I have tried to emulate.” — Lori Shwydky, Rebel Mountain Press


• “Ron was a good friend. He was always a kind, generous and gentle soul and will be missed in the world of publishing and in life. I will miss his sparkling smile. Ron Hatch has left behind an important legacy.” — Richard Olafson, Ekstasis Editions


• “Ron was a good friend and valued colleague. Sadly missed by all at Tradewind.” — Michael Katz, Tradewind Books

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A Life, in Brief

Ronald B. Hatch completed his PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 1969, with a dissertation on eighteenth century social history and the poetry of George Crabbe. He subsequently published a book on George Crabbe (Crabbe’s Arabesque: Social Drama in the Poetry of George Crabbe) and numerous articles on the literature of the eighteenth century. His reviews and articles for Canadian Literature often focussed on works by Mavis Gallant or Margaret Atwood. He joined the UBC English Department in 1969 as Assistant Professor and became Associate Professor in 1974. In 1979-80, he was Visiting Professor at Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany. In 1989-90 he was Visiting Professor at the University of Erlangen/Nuremberg. And again in 1997, he was invited to be Visiting Professor at the University of Chemnitz, where he introduced a program in Canadian Studies.

Conversant in German, Ron Hatch has also co-translated a number of Korean poetry books, including Sowol Kim’s Fugitive Dreams, and Yong-un Han’s Love’s Silence. Ronsdale Press has maintained a varied mandate ranging from history and the environment to fiction and poetry, as well as children’s literature edited by Veronica Hatch. Many of the press’s juvenile novels unabashedly address serious historical issues and political turmoil.

Ron Hatch was born on November 12, 1939 in what is now called Thunder Bay, Ontario, formerly known as Fort William before 1970. He met Veronica at the University of British Columbia and they were married in Comox by Veronica’s father, Christopher Lonsdale, an Anglican priest.

Ron Hatch is survived by his wife Veronica, his brother Bruce, sons Christopher (Tzeporah Berman) and Kevin (Alannah Hatch) and grandchildren Forrest, Quinn, Cameron, James, and Ian.

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A grandson remembers: Ronald Hatch led a full life of mountains and letters

by Forrest Berman-Hatch

Dec. 2, 2021

Retired UBC Professor Ronald Hatch died on November 25, 2021. Ron was a professor in the UBC English department for over 35 years. Outside of UBC, he was an accomplished mountaineer and ran the publishing house Ronsdale Press with his wife Veronica. He was also my grandfather.

Ron was born in what is now Thunder Bay in 1939. He attended university at UBC for his undergrad, where he began studying math and philosophy, later graduating with an honours degree in English and philosophy. In the summers he worked as a timber cruiser on Vancouver Island. While at school he made a point of getting into the mountains, something that became a lifelong passion. It was at UBC where he met his wife Veronica Hatch (née Lonsdale), in a philosophy club meeting.

He got a masters in English from UBC, after which my grandparents taught in India, embarked on epic motorcycle journeys across South Asia and the Middle East and spent time in the Himalayas so my grandfather could climb among the world’s most legendary mountains. He and fellow mountaineer Colin Pritchard became lifelong friends (I once joked that grandma was far too sensible to accompany him into the mountains; he admonished me, “You should have seen your grandmother handle the crevasses on Mount Baker.”) In the Himalayas he completed multiple first ascents but would never mention them unless pressed. Colin asserts that Ron saved both their lives on one trip: Colin slipped off of a steep ridge, they were roped together and grandpa, always the sharp thinker, swiftly hurled himself off the opposite side to act as a counterweight.

After climbing, my grandparents hitchhiked to Europe through Afghanistan and the Middle East. They bought a revolver for safety. Veronica carried it because the police didn’t search women in those days, but it was never needed and they always spoke warmly of the hospitality they received on that trip.

The young couple moved to Edinburgh, Scotland in, where my grandfather received his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh in 1969 with a dissertation on eighteenth century social history and the poetry of George Crabbe. Ron read widely. He was a lover of Shakespeare and the classics but also a champion of contemporary West Coast writers.

It was in Edinburgh that Ron and Veronica had their first son — my father — Christopher Hatch. They would go on to have another boy, Kevin. My grandfather loved Scotland — it was the land of his own mother and he considered himself a diasporic Scotsman. He would proudly don his kilt whenever an occasion demanded formal attire. His favourite night of the year was on Robbie Burns day, when he would lovingly recite Robbie Burns while brandishing a sharpened blade over the haggis.

After leaving Edinburgh, the young family moved back to Vancouver where my grandfather took a teaching post at UBC as an assistant professor. He dedicated a large part of his life to UBC, although he never lost his love of traveling: he took sabbaticals and teaching exchanges in Scotland, Germany, France and China.

Ron and his wife Veronica at a Trans Mountain Pipeline protest. Courtesy Forrest Berman-Hatch

My grandparents bought a house in Dunbar, a block from the one my grandfather had grown up in. He would commute by bicycle and later by motorbike, wearing a leather jacket over his classic shirt-and-tie to UBC, where, by all accounts, he was feared as a hard-marker and stringent advocate of proper grammar. But students grudgingly admitted that he was fair and imparted a genuine love for literature. He would invite his upper-year seminar and postgraduate students over for dinner to drink the wine that he made in his basement, among his looming stacks of books.

He continued to climb and ski in those days — my father and uncle remember hiking up to Whistler mid-station from a young age to avoid paying lift tickets at the bottom. His love of the outdoors was something he instilled in his sons and they passed on to me. My grandparents bought a cabin on Hollyburn Mountain, where my grandfather was a member of the Hollyburn Ridge Association. He loved that cabin and would go up there to read manuscripts under a propane lantern for decades.

The family spent summers in Northern BC where my grandparents bought an off-grid property to enjoy the stillness and teach their sons backcountry skills. Both Chris and Kevin would go on to attend UBC.

After Chris graduated, he got involved in the Clayoquot protests of 1993, where hundreds of people were arrested protecting old-growth forests from logging. My grandparents made the trip out to see what their son had gotten himself mixed up in. Grandpa recalled his experiences as a logging surveyor in his youth — like many loggers he had taken that job because he loved being in the woods. When they got to the protests, Ron watched, increasingly irate, as peaceful protestors were hauled off the logging road by police officers. He stepped onto the road, sat down and was arrested for civil disobedience. My grandma attests she would have been too, but someone had to look after the dog.

My grandparents would later publish a book titled Clayoquot and Dissent, in which Ron penned an essay titled “The Clayoquot Show Trials.” Even a couple of years ago, Ron was still hiking up Burnaby Mountain to protest the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

As Ron approached retirement, my grandparents purchased a publishing house and named it Ronsdale Press; an amalgamation of my grandpa’s name and my grandmother’s maiden name. At Ronsdale, my grandfather co-translated several works of Korean poetry, while also relentlessly publishing local authors and the poetry of Richard Wagamese.

My grandparents’ literature was of the kind that champions the values of freedom, decency and critical thinking. To my grandfather, literature was about maintaining civilization in the face of darkness. During the Cold War and after, they were close friends with Eastern European dissidents and, especially, Czech-Canadian Professors W.J. Stankiewicz and Marketa Groess-Staniewicz. My grandpa taught me that the greatest endorsement of the power of literature is the fear dictators show for poets and a free press.

"UBC was important to my grandfather. Even near the end, he would consistently ask me how my studies were going."

My grandfather loomed large as I grew up. He was a bear of a man: gruff but kind. He would stuff Charles Dickens in my stocking at Christmas but stick an avalanche shovel under the tree for me. He seemed a reliable constant force when I was young. It wasn’t until two years ago, when I went to visit him at his cabin at Hollyburn that I really thought of him as mortal. I was shocked to notice that the old bear seemed to be moving more slowly, he still smiled a lot, but on that mountain, among the silver snow and curling woodsmoke, I realized that my grandfather had become an old man.

Even after his body let him down, his mind remained sharp. He would demand details about my ski trips, smiling wistfully, and then describing the geography of the terrain I had seen the week before better than I could have.

I once read him a poem I wrote. He told me he did not think much of it. “Not enough imagery. I can’t see the poem; those are just words.” His honesty, infamous in the Canadian literary community, meant more than I can say.

The night that he died, I sat by a fire to write this. I’m putting these words here, so that the community of letters might mark his passing. So that we might all remember to keep our fires burning.

UBC was important to my grandfather. Even near the end, he would consistently ask me how my studies were going. He studied here, taught here, met the love of his life here and sent two sons and two more grandsons (thus far) to this university.

He passed away peacefully surrounded by family, after a yearlong battle with cancer during which he continued to edit and publish the manuscripts of local writers until the last possible moment. He is survived by his loving and wise wife, a brother, two sons and five grandsons, of which I am honoured to be one.

Ronald Hatch lived his life in letters and mountains. He was a steadfast defender of the written word and the natural world. I suggest we celebrate his life by taking a hike, pouring a glass of wine (or Scotch) and opening a book.

[Published in the Ubyssey, December, 2021]

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ALSO FOR REFERENCE:

In 1993, in response to a B.C. government decision to allow logging in two-thirds of the old growth forest in Clayoqout Sound, more than 12,000 people attended blockades on Vancouver Island, resulting in more than 850 arrests. It was the largest collective act of peaceful civil disobedience in Canadian history.

That summer of protest and its legal aftermath are the subjects for Clayoquot & Dissent (1994), edited by Ron Hatch, with essays by Tzeporah Berman, Maurice Gibbons, Gordon Brent Ingram, Christopher Hatch and Lois Maingon. These essayists reveal the lack of a scientific basis for forestry decisions, explain why Canada's forests continue to be destroyed, and propose alternatives for conservation. The first logging blockades in Canada had occurred in the same region, on Meares Island, in 1984.

Clayoquot blockades received world attention when the Australian rock group Midnight Oil gave a concert in the protestors' "peace camp." But the logging company, Macmillan Bloedel (MB) in the short term, won the fight, with the support of the courts.

"The whole experience has deepened the sense of what we have to fight against," said Ron Hatch, a UBC professor. "We discovered during the trials that the RCMP had been giving information to Macmillan Bloedel on a daily basis. The police, wittingly or unwittingly, were aligning themselves with MB. At the same time, you begin to realize how much the court system is slanted towards the logging companies. We soon found ourselves fighting the courts instead of fighting MB. The courts took the heat off Macmillan Bloedel and the province paid for the process. By the time the sentencing was over, the process didn't satisfy anybody except Macmillan Bloedel. The judges were unhappy, the protestors were unhappy, and the general public was unhappy. The courts failed to understand that civil disobedience could be done, as Martin Luther King said, 'lovingly,' with respect for the law one is breaking."

Hatch pleaded not guilty to criminal contempt and was sentenced to 20 days under electronic surveillance, 25 community hours and probation for the rest of the year. "On the day of my sentencing, I tried to be calm and logical. But I was really angry. We were never allowed to justify our actions. Given the sort of charge it is, the judges believe it's possible to infer your motives. At the time of our trial in Victoria, we flew over environmental planner Brent Ingram from UBC to speak about old growth forests. He's an internationally recognized expert but the judge decided he couldn't offer evidence. The only time we were allowed to say anything of substance was at our sentencing."

UNESCO made Clayoquot Sound into a World Biosphere Reserve in 2000. First Nations timber companies now control licences for 90,000 hectares of its forest, including old-growth valleys.

*

According to the UBC English Department...

"Ronald Hatch completed his PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 1969, with a dissertation on eighteenth century social history and the poetry of George Crabbe. Previously he had studied at the University of British Columbia, completing a double Honours degree in English and Philosophy and a Masters degree, with his thesis on the gothic literature of the eighteenth century. He joined the UBC English Department in 1969 as Assistant Professor and became Associate Professor in 1974. In 1979-80, he was Visiting Professor at Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany. In 1989-90 he was Visiting Professor at the University of Erlangen/Nuremberg. And again in 1997, he was invited to be Visiting Professor at the University of Chemnitz, where he introduced a program in Canadian Studies.

"Dr. Hatch's teaching and research interests lie in eighteenth-century British Literature and in Canadian literature. He has published a book on George Crabbe (Crabbe's Arabesque: Social Drama in the Poetry of George Crabbe) and numerous articles on the literature of the eighteenth century. In Canadian literature he has published on the fiction of Mavis Gallant. He has supervised graduate students in the areas of eighteenth-century literature, Canadian literature and postcolonial literature. He regularly teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in both the eighteenth century and Canadian literature.

"In 1990, Dr. Hatch became the publisher of Ronsdale Press, a literary press that publishes some eight to ten books each year, specializing in Canadian poetry, fiction, belles lettres and children's literature. He took over the press from Margaret Fridel when it was called Cacanadadada Press. As the publisher, he edits the work of many Canadian writers. Recently he prepared a collection of Marie-Claire Blais's short fiction in an English translation, and provided an introduction. He is also the editor of The Judge's Wife: Memoirs of a British Columbia Pioneer (2002), a memoir that covers the period from 1860 to 1906, and is one of the earliest memoirs by a woman in BC. He has co-translated a number of Korean poetry books, including the anthology Modern Korean Poetry, Sowol Kim's Fugitive Dreams, and Yong-un Han's Love's Silence. In his publishing capacity, he has also been responsible for the production of the annual English Department Sedgewick Lecture.

"He is a member of the Canadian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies and the Northwest Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies. He was formerly Secretary-Treasurer of the Association of Canadian College and University Teachers of English. He is also on the executive of the Association of BC Book Publishers and is a member of the Association of Canadian Publishers. He has a listing in Canada's Who's Who. Dr. Hatch has travelled and lectured extensively in Europe, in particular in France, Germany and Poland."

[UBC English Department, 2002]

BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS:

BOOKS
(a) Authored

* Crabbe's Arabesque: Social Drama in the Poetry of George Crabbe (Montreal: McGill-Queen's Univ. Press, 1976), 284 pp.

(b) Edited

* Clayoquot & Dissent, edited by Ronald B. Hatch, Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 1994.

* Modern Korean Verse in Sijo Form, selected & translated by Jaihiun Kim, edited by Ronald B. Hatch, Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 1997.

* A Second Earth: Poems Selected and New by Harold Enrico, edited and with an Afterword by Ronald B. Hatch, Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 1997.

* Fugitive Dreams: Poems by Sowol Kim, selected and translated by Jaihiun Kim & Ronald B. Hatch, Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 1998.

* Love's Silence & Other Poems by Yong-Un Han, translated by Jaihiun Kim & Ronald B. Hatch with a foreword by Jaihiun Kim & Ronald B. Hatch, Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 1999.

* The Judge's Wife: Memoirs of a British Columbia Pioneer, edited by Ronald B. Hatch, introduction by Jean Barman, Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 2002.

(c) Chapters

* "Mavis Gallant and the Creation of Consciousness," in Present Tense, ed. John Moss, Toronto: NC P, 1985: 45-71.

* "Chinatown Ghosts in the White Empire, in Intercultural Studies: Fictions of Empire, Heidelberg: Universitôtsverlag C. Winter, 1996: 193-210.

* "Afterword" to Harold Enrico's A Second Earth: Poems Selected and New, Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 1997: 175-84.

* "The Clayoquot Show Trials" in Clayoquot & Dissent, Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 1994: 105-153.

* "W.J. Stankiewicz and the Examined Self," in Holding One's Time in Thought: The Political Philosophy of W.J. Stankiewicz, Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 1997: 281-300.

* "The Art of Marie-Claire Blais" - Introduction to The Exile & The Sacred Travellers, Vancouver: Ronsdale, 2000: vii-xviii.

* "Margaret Atwood, the Land, and Ecology," in Margaret Atwood: Works and Impact, ed. Reingard M. Nischik, Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2000: 168-189. Republished in paperback by Camden House & House of Anansi, 2002.

JOURNALS

* "This Will Never Do," RES ns 21 (Feb. 1970): 56-62, Cited in R. D. Altick's The Art of Literary Research, rev. ed. (1975): 274-75.

* "George Crabbe, the Duke of Rutland and the Tories," RES ns 24 (Nov. 1973): 429-43.
Reprinted in Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism, volume 121.

* "Heathcliff's 'Queer End' and Schopenhauer's Denial of the Will," Canadian Review of Comparative Literature 1 (Winter 1974): 49-64. Reprinted in Heathcliff, in the series "Major Literary Characters," edited by Harold Bloom, New York: Chelsea House, 1993: 92-105.

* "George Crabbe and the Tenth Muse," Eighteenth-Century Studies 7 (Spring 1974): 274-94.

* "David Hartley: Freewill and Mystical Associations," Mosaic 7 (Summer 1974): 29-39.

* "Joseph Priestley: An Addition to Hartley's Observations," Journal of History of Ideas 36 (July-Sept. 1975): 548-50.

* "'Philosophy' and 'Science,'" Notes and Queries ns 22 (Jan. 1975): 24-25.

* "George Crabbe and the Workhouses of the Suffolk Incorporations," Philological Quarterly (Summer 1975): 689-97. Reprinted in Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism, volume 121.

* "William Smellie: Philosopher of Natural History," Studies in Scottish Literature 12 (Jan. 1975): 159-80.

* "The Three Stages of Mavis Gallant's Short Fiction," in The Canadian Fiction Magazine 28 (1978): 92-114. Reprinted in Short Story Criticism (Detroit: Gale, 1990).

* "Mavis Gallant: Returning Home," Atlantis 4.1 (Autumn 1978): 95-102.

* "Edith Wharton: A Forward Glance," in GRENA (Aix-en-Provence, 1981): 1-10 [Journal for American Studies in France].

* "Mavis Gallant and the Expatriate Character," in Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Kanada-Studien 1 (1981): 133-42.

* "Poetry," in "Letters in Canada" for 1982 in University of Toronto Quarterly 52.4 (Summer 1983): 343-58 (with S. Djwa).

* "Poetry," in "Letters in Canada" for 1983 in University of Toronto Quarterly 53.4 (August 1984): 342-59 (with S. Djwa)

* "Poetry," in "Letters in Canada" for 1984 in University of Toronto Quarterly 54.4 (August 1985): 347-63.

* "Towards Transcendence: The Poetry of Ted Hughes, Margaret Atwood, and Judith Fitzgerald" in West Coast Review 19.4 (April 1985): 47-59.

* "Narrative Development in the Canadian Historical Novel," in Canadian Literature 110 (Fall 1986): 79-96.

* "Poetry," in "Letters in Canada" for 1985 in University of Toronto Quarterly 56.1 (Fall 1986): 29-45.

* "Beyond Permanence: The Poetry of J. Michael Yates and Robin Blaser," West Coast Review 20.4 (April 1986): 3-10.

* "Poetry," in "Letters in Canada" for 1986 in University of Toronto Quarterly 57.1 (Fall 1987): 33-50. Part of this has been reprinted in Contemporary Literary Criticism, ed. Daniel Marowski & Roger Matuz (Gale Research).

* "Poetry," in "Letters in Canada" for 1987 in University of Toronto Quarterly 58.1 (Fall 1988): 32-49. The section on Gwendolyn MacEwan's Afterworlds is reprinted in Contemporary Literary Criticism, ed. Daniel G. Marowski & Roger Matuz (Detroit: Gale, 1989).

* "Charles Churchill and the Poetry of 'Charter'd Freedom,'" in English Studies in Canada 15.3 (September 1989): 277-87.

* "Poetry," in "Letters in Canada" for 1988 in University of Toronto Quarterly, 59.1 (Fall 1989): 32-51.

* "Temporality, Narrative Irony and the Loss of Freedom in La Princesse de Cleves," in Transactions of the Northwest Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 8 (1989-1990): 1-11.

* "Mavis Gallant and the Fascism of Everyday Life," in the special "Mavis Gallant" issue of Essays on Canadian Writing, ed. E.D. Blodgett, 42 (Winter 1990): 9-56.

* "Change and the Concept of History in the Canadian Historical Novel," in Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik 38 (Heft 1 1990): 49-57. Reprinted in Tensions Between North and South: Studies in Modern Commonwealth Literature and Culture, ed. Edith Mettke (Königshausen and Neumann: Würzburg, 1990): 19-27.

* "Poetry," in "Letters in Canada" for 1989 in University of Toronto Quarterly 60.1 (Fall 1990): 24-42.

* "Poetry," in "Letters in Canada" for 1990 in University of Toronto Quarterly 60.1 (Fall 1991): 50-69.

* "Lordship and Bondage: Women Novelists of the Eighteenth Century," in REAL 8 (1992): 231-242 [Yearbook of Research in English and American Literature].

* "Chinese Canadian Writing: The Silence of Gum San," in Multiculturalism in North America and Europe, Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag, 1995: 169-179.

* "A Self-Less Enlightenment: The Eighteenth-Century Theatre of Multiple Identity," in Critical Interfaces: Contributions in Philosophy, Literature and Culture in Honour of Herbert Grabes, ed. Gordon Collier et al. Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag, 2001.

[BCBW 2014]