‘His voice bellowed like the lowest register of a Highland bagpipe, either engaging or irritating, depending on your point of view,” Maclean’s noted in their obituary.” His manner was gruff with anyone who dithered when answering his tough questions, yet gracious with ordinary people who sought his help. His jowly face, thick Scots' eyebrows and rotund figure made him instantly recognizable on the street. And his whisky-misted, Glaswegian burr distinguished him at once. Jack Webster, who died last week at 80 of congestive heart failure, was a performer nonpareil, a dogged, irreverent newsman who loved the thrust and parry of a tough interview.”

Then Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, who had been interviewed on more than one occasion by Webster, paid tribute to him on this date in 1999. “Jack Webster was one of the select few in any field who achieve the status legend in their lifetime. He was tough, strong-willed and never one to mince words,” the PM said. “I think I can speak for anyone who he interviewed during his long and distinguished career, when I say it was a truly unforgettable experience. At the same time, Jack never let his uncompromising professional independence stand in the way of forming friendships with those he covered. He was a rare and unique talent who will be greatly missed.”

Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.