The
      third
      of
      |
     
     
      Acorn’s
      great
     
     
      honours
      came
      in
     
     
      1977,
      when
      the
     
     
      Island’s
      university
     
     
      elected
      him
      to
      the
     
     
      degree
      of
      Doctor
      of
     
     
      Laws,
      honoris
     
     
      causa.
      John
      Smith
     
    
   
   
    
     
      presented
      him
      on
      15
     
    
   
   
    
     
      country
      side
      of
      this
     
     
      Island,
      of
     
     
      manhandled,
     
     
      seabattered
      lobster
     
     
      traps,
      of
      a
      trout
      pond
     
     
      or
      a
      hummingbird
      or
      a
     
     
      man’s
      bristly
      head
      on
     
     
      it’s
      backbone
      stalk
      —
     
     
      those
      things
      seem
      to
     
     
      become
      more
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      which
      stuck
      out
     
     
      beneath
      his
      grand
     
     
      doctoral
      gown.
      Mary
     
     
      Hooper
      thinks
      “they
     
     
      had
      somebody
     
     
      watching
      Milton
      all
     
     
      the
      time
      to
      make
      sure
     
     
      he
      didn’t
      get
      up
      and
     
     
      make
      a
      speech.”
      His
     
     
      most
      memorable
     
    
   
   
    
     
      May
      1977
      to
      remark
      on
     
     
      UPEI’s
      the
      occasion
     
     
      convocation
      was
      an
      aside
     
     
      3
      AUG
      ite
      heey
     
     
      eS
      sneakers,
      bake
     
    

    
     
      Milton
      which
      stuck
      out
      he-
      the
      other
     
     
      James
      neath
      his
      grand
      doc-
      (icoscrrs
     
     
      Acorn,
      a
      toral
      TMT
      an
      honorary
     
     
      man
      :
      doctorate
     
    

    
     
      -from
      /n
      Love
      and
     
     
      militant,
      .
      that
      day:
     
     
      Uae
      k
     
    

    
     
      gentle,
      and
      5°
      “Milton
      and
     
     
      generous,
      a
      I
      were
      sitting
     
    
   
   
    
     
      poet,
      an
      Islander,
      a
     
     
      patriot,
      a
      lover,
      a
     
     
      revolutionary...
      His
     
     
      poems
      are
      poems
      of
     
     
      faith
      in
      the
      common
     
     
      people.
      Poems
      of
     
     
      wit,
      and
      of
      how
      wit
     
     
      has
      enabled
      the
     
     
      people
      to
      survive,
     
     
      and
      will
      enable
     
     
      them
      to
      prevail.
     
     
      Poems
      for
      the
     
     
      liberation
      of
      men
     
     
      and
      women
      from
      all
     
     
      forms
      of
      oppression.
     
     
      Poems
      of
      a
      tough
     
     
      and
      tender
      love.
     
     
      When
      Milton
      Acorn
     
     
      writes
      of
      the
      things
     
     
      of
      this
      world
      —
      of
     
     
      the
      patchwork
     
    
   
   
    
     
      concrete,
      more
     
     
      material,
      and
      also
     
     
      more
      alive
      to
      us.
      He
     
     
      seems
      to
      find
      the
     
     
      words-rough
      textured
     
     
      and
      resilient
      —
      that
      the
     
     
      things
      themselves
     
     
      would
      be
      if
      natural
     
     
      things
      could
      be
      words.
     
     
      (Citation)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      John
      Smith
      was
     
     
      in
      charge
      of
      Acorn
      for
     
     
      this
      event,
      and
     
     
      remembers
      that
      Acorn
     
     
      went
      shopping
      for
     
     
      clothes
      and
      “invested
     
     
      fairly
      heavily
      in
      a
      new
     
     
      rig
      for
      this
      occasion.”
     
     
      He
      wore
      orange
     
     
      canvas
      sneakers,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      together
      and
      he
      looks
     
     
      over.
      ‘Diefenbaker,’
     
     
      he
      says,
      ‘Diefenbaker.
     
     
      In
      a
      hundred
      years
     
     
      time
      they
      will
      be
     
     
      saying,
      “Oh
      yeah,
     
     
      that’s
      the
      fellow
      that
     
     
      got
      his
      doctorate
      the
     
     
      same
      time
      as
      Milton
     
     
      Acorn.”
     
    

    
     
      Smith
      had
      to
     
     
      take
      Acorn
      to
      the
     
     
      airport
      afterward,
      and
     
     
      arrived
      at
      the
     
     
      Charlottetown
      Hotel
     
     
      with
      an
      empty
      suitcase
     
     
      for
      Milton.
      Piled
      on
     
     
      an
      antique
      table
      in
      the
     
     
      hotel
      lobby
      was
      a
     
     
      “mountain
      of
      wrinkled
     
    
   
   
    
     
      clothes
      and
      other
     
    
   
   
    
     
      belongings.
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      On
      the
      way
     
     
      to
      the
      airport
      he
     
     
      seemed
      to
      be
      quite
     
     
      terrified
      that
      we
      were
     
     
      going
      to
      have
      an
     
     
      accident.
      I
      don’t
     
     
      know
      whether
      earlier
     
     
      in
      life
      he’d
      had
      a
     
     
      fright
      or
      whether
      he
     
     
      distrusted
      professors
     
     
      to
      be
      on
      time
      to
      the
     
     
      airport.”
      Smith
     
     
      phoned
      him
      later
      that
     
     
      day
      at
      the
      Waverly
     
     
      Hotel
      to
      see
      if
      he’d
     
     
      arrived
      all
      right:
      “The
     
     
      desk
      clerk
      replied,
     
     
      ‘Dr.
      Acorn
      is
      busy
     
     
      right
      now
      and
      can’t
     
     
      come
      to
      the
      phone.’”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      Love
      and
      Anger
      by
      Or
      Richard
      Lemm
     
    
   
   
    
     
      encourage
      him
      with
     
     
      that
      hope,
      because
     
     
      even
      Reshard
      Gool
     
     
      argued
      that
      Milton
     
     
      wouldn’t
      be
      the
      best
     
     
      choice
      for
      our
      first
     
     
      writer-in-residence.
     
     
      He
      did
      talk
      about
      how
     
     
      hard
      up
      he
      was,
      and
     
     
      made
      some
      of
      us
      feel
     
     
      guilty
      about
      taking
      the
     
     
      easy
      way
      out
      and
      not
     
     
      giving
      him
      the
      means
     
     
      to
      make
      a
      living
      as
      a
     
     
      poet.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Now
      that
      Acorn
     
     
      had
      awards
      and
     
     
      acclaim,
      some
      friends
     
     
      thought
      there
      was
     
    
   
   
    
     
      irony
      in
      an
      anti-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Arrived
      with
      his
     
     
      Honorary
      Doctorate,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Milton
      made
      it
      quite
     
     
      clear
      to
      me,”
      says
     
     
      Smith,
      “that
      he
      would
     
     
      accept
      a
      post
      as
      writer-
     
     
      in-residence
      at
      the
     
     
      university.
      I
      didn’t
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      establishment
      person
     
     
      enjoying
      such
     
     
      recognition.
      There
     
     
      was
      the
      example
      of
     
     
      Leonard
      Cohen’s
     
     
      refusing
      the
      Governor-
     
     
      General’s
      Award.
      But
     
     
      Cohen
      could
      afford
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sucn
      a
      gesture,
      even
      1n
     
     
      1968,
      and
      it
      added
      to
     
     
      his
      mystique.
      Acorn
     
     
      needed
      to
      accept
      and
     
     
      treasure
      these
      honours
     
     
      on
      his
      own
      behalf
      as
     
     
      an
      example
      of
      artistic
     
     
      and
      proletarian
     
     
      struggle,
      and
      on
      behalf
     
     
      of
      the
      “People”
      to
     
     
      whom
      his
      life
      and
      art
     
     
      were
      dedicated.
      “This
     
     
      things
      about
      Milton
     
     
      and
      praise,”
      says
     
     
      Woolnough.
      “Most
     
     
      people
      don’t
      realize
     
     
      that
      Milton
      was
      very
     
     
      shy.
      He
      would
      go
      on
     
     
      a
      mile
      a
      minute,
      so
     
     
      much
      that
      everybody
     
     
      would
      move
      away
     
     
      from
      the
      table.
      But
     
     
      underneath
      that
      it
      was
     
     
      all
      terribly
      shy.
      There
     
     
      was
      the
      thing
      he’d
     
     
      done
      with
      Cedric
     
     
      Smith,
      The
      Road
      to
     
     
      Charlottetown.
      We
     
     
      met
      him
      outside
      [the
     
     
      Mackenzie
      Theatre}
     
     
      and
      he
      didn’t
      even
     
     
      want
      to
      come
      in
      and
     
     
      he
      stayed
      way
      in
      the
     
     
      back
      shadows..
      He
     
     
      was
      nervous
      and
      sort
     
     
      of
      proud.”
     
    

    
     
      -In
      Love
      and
      Anger
     
     
      was
      written
      by
      UPEI
     
     
      professor
      Dr.
      Richard
     
     
      Lemm,
      and
      was
     
     
      published
      by
      Mcgill
     
     
      aia
      University
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ress.
      Thanks
      to
     
     
      both.-Ed.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      st)