Howard Douglas McCurdy, C.M., O.Ont., Ph.D. (1932 – 2018), was a citizen of distinction: Canada's first Black tenured professor; a founder of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association; a founder of the National Black Coalition of Canada; the person who named the New Democratic Party; the second Black elected to Parliament; etc. An international human rights activist, respected microbiologist, and phenomenal orator, McCurdy racked up headlines, whether he was at a microscope or at a microphone.