Lawrence J. Burpee Medal: Past Recipients

Photo: John Thomas/Can Geo Photo Club
2019
Anne Innis Dagg

Anne Innis Dagg, biologist, zoologist, feminist, author and publisher, is acknowledged internationally as the founder of giraffe science. Her groundbreaking field work and subsequent academic study have led to her being credited with the establishment of the fields of giraffology and behavioural biology.

Dr. Frederic Jackman

Dr. Frederic (Eric) Jackman is a businessman, psychologist and longtime supporter of the Society. With his generous support, the Society was able to complete its share of the renovations at its new headquarters at 50 Sussex Drive.

2018
Chris Cran

Chris Cran is an internationally recognized and widely exhibited visual artist, teacher and mentor. His art is represented in major galleries around the world and has been featured in solo and group exhibitions.

André Préfontaine

André Préfontaine, as president and publisher of Canadian Geographic Enterprises and latterly as executive director of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, led the Society through a critical period of financial upheaval and dramatic shifts in the world of magazine publishing.

Peter Suedfeld

Dr. Peter Suedfeld is a globally celebrated psychologist, professor emeritus of the University of British Columbia, and scholar of human adaptation to extreme environments.

2017
President Jimmy Carter

Former United States President Jimmy Carter was awarded the Lawrence J. Burpee medal in recognition of his role in expanding the U.S. national parks system and ongoing work with Habitat for Humanity. 

Andrew Prossin

For his contribution to geography and to the Society and its profile around the world.

2016
Simon Winchester

Simon Winchester is a geologist, journalist and acclaimed author who has enhanced the ability of the Society to fulfill its mission and assisted in the general advancement of geography.

2015
Louie Kamookak

Louie Kamookak dedicated his life to exploring the geographical legacy of the Canadian North and sharing his learning with Canadians and with the world. As Canada’s leading Inuit oral historian, he worked at the intersection of Inuit traditional knowledge and the more formal disciplines of anthropology and history.

Wendy Cecil

Since becoming a RCGS Fellow in 2012, Wendy Cecil has worked tirelessly to make the Society’s work better known to Canadians. 

Alex Trebek

While many of us know Alex Trebek as the celebrity host of Jeopardy!, Trebek was also a champion of geographic learning and education. Through a generous donation, Alex Trebek reinstated the Can Geo Challenge’s in-person competition, and served as Honorary President of the Society from 2016 until his death in 2020. 

2014
Parks Canada Victoria Strait Dive Team –  Marc-Andre Bernier, Ryan Harris, Jonathan Moore and Andrew Campbell  

The 2014 Victoria Strait Expedition made headlines around the world for its discovery of HMS Erebus, one of two ships lost in 1848 on Sir John Franklin’s doomed search for the Northwest Passage.