Toronto, Ontario
Mr. Shea was a Cadet Instructor Cadre officer. Currently a Governor of the Air Cadet League, Ontario Provincial Committee, he is also a partner in a law firm. Following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, he has been a member of the Royal Canadian Legion since he was 19 years old Mr. Shea conceived of a project to memorialize 60 Ontario students-at-law who were killed during the First World War, before they could be called to the Bar. He has dedicated hundreds of hours of research, including multiple trips to the Archives in Ottawa, to prepare biographies and photos of these 60 soldiers. He has also contacted many of the families. On November 10, 2014, there will be a formal ceremony and dinner at the Law Society of Upper Canada to confer honorary calls to the Bar on the 60. An extension of this project has led Mr. Shea to discover an additional 160 students–at-law from across Canada. He is continuing his research into their lives and intends to follow through with a book commemorating the lives of these Veterans. Mr. Shea received the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal for his support to the Canadian Armed Forces and co-founded a non-profit corporation to perpetuate the traditions of Canada’s Highland Regiments.