An Ontario court has granted Western University permission to remove the name of an emeritus history professor from six academic prizes funded by his estate following criticism that he espoused radical, racist views.
Kenneth Hilborn taught history and international relations at the London, Ont., university from 1961 to 1997. After his death in 2013 at age 79, Hilborn’s estate bequeathed $1 million to Western, including $750,000 to the history department for four undergraduate and two graduate awards that have been handed out since 2016.
In 2019, scholars began calling on the school to intervene, linking the scholarships with the legitimization of extreme right-wing beliefs by universities.
There is no point in denying History, use it as a teachable moment.
