ABOUT MAURICE PRICE A man of great generosity, humour and friendliness, Maurice was insatiably curious, and was a true renaissance man. Although an engineer by training, he read voraciously in all areas, and had deep knowledge of the arts, literature and music. He was a wry observer of the political scene, with a strong sense of social justice. He retained the ability to be a maverick, believing in ideas that made sense, irrespective of the which party or group had initiated them. A superb cook and renowned local wine lover and collector, his home was open to his friends and to strangers for good company, intelligent conversation, and of course good food and wine. Maurice died in 1991 at the age of 65 from cancer. The Foundation is dedicated to continuing the support for his values and interests.

Maurice was now free to indulge in his passions, which were around libraries and education. Having experienced the advantages that a good education afforded him, he became a passionate advocate of educational opportunities, especially for those less financially able. He was a longtime supporter of Carleton University, for its policies of encouraging students who had come from different backgrounds and to whom, places in other universities were not always available. He was responsible for the building of a new library in Carleton Place, and became an influential advocate for libraries, serving on various regional and provincial committees and boards. He also was an early supporter of educational television and served on the advisory board for TV Ontario. For some time after his retirement, he made use of his expertise as an electronics engineer, as a consultant for numerous ventures, including a task force on the industrial development of Halifax Nova Scotia, and on the boards of several electronic design and manufacturing companies. He retained a strong affiliation to local public education, with an ongoing interest in the Carleton Place school system and the regional board of education.

Maurice Price was born in December 1926 in Port Alfred, South Africa, but spent most of his childhood growing up in Kimberly, South Africa. Born into moderate circumstances, he excelled from a very young age as a student, and established early on his lifelong love for, and commitment to education, libraries and knowledge. There are numerous stories of how as a child he rapidly finished all the available books in the small library near his home, and forced the librarians to continually update their collections. After high school he went to Johannesburg, where he graduated as an engineer from the University of Wittwatersrand in 1948. After working as an electronics engineer with South African Railroads, he moved to England in 1953, working as an electronics design engineer until 1955. In 1955 Maurice moved to Canada, where he worked in Montreal as an electronics design engineer in the burgeoning aircraft instrumentation industry. Together with 3 other colleagues, he moved to Carleton Place, Ontario, where they founded Leigh Instruments Ltd, a company engaged in the design and production of aircraft navigation and instrumentation equipment. This company, which for many years was the flagship of Canadian electronics industry, was a pioneer in the design and manufacture of early aircraft data recording systems, including the blackbox recorders designed to survive aircraft crashes. The company thrived, and in 1977, at the age of 51, he sold his share of the business and retired in Carleton Place.