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History
Donald Edward Curren, CM, LLD (Honoris Causa), QC, was born in Halifax, N.S., 21 January 1923, the son of Capt. Reginald H. and Mary (Roche) Curren. He served as a flying officer in the RCAF during the Second World War and was severely injured in an airplane crash in 1943, which left him paraplegic. Curren graduated from Dalhousie Law School in 1950 and was admitted to the Bar of Nova Scotia in 1951. He founded the Maritime Branch of the Canadian Paraplegic Association and served as its executive director from 1951 until 1984. He was appointed chairman of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission in 1986. Curren was an advocate for, and proved instrumental in, the improvement of the quality of life of disabled people and others throughout Atlantic Canada. He was a founding member of the Nova Scotia Wheelchair Sports Club and represented Canada at international games such as the British Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in New Zealand in 1974 and the Pan-American Wheelchair Games in Halifax in 1982. He was recognized provincially and nationally, receiving numerous professional and humanitarian awards including honorary degrees and membership in the Order of Canada. Curren died in Halifax, 25 November 1996.