During the summer of 1998, the Alberta Law Review moved out of the University of Alberta's Law Centre and into new accommodations. The Alberta Law Review took possession of a house located on the University of Alberta Campus across the street from the Law Centre.

On September 10, 1999 the new location of the Alberta Law Review was named in recognition of the contributions of The Honourable W.A. Stevenson, former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and one of the founders of the Alberta Law Review. The house is now officially known as:

• The Hon. W.A. Stevenson Alberta Law Review House

The plaque unveiled at the ceremony humbly dedicates the house to:

A founding editor, advisor, benefactor and friend. In recognition of his continuing involvement with and support of the Alberta Law Review since its inception.

The dedication ceremony was well attended by family, friends and colleagues of Mr. Stevenson. The following words are those of a great friend of Mr.Stevenson and are reproduced here as a further tribute to the man:

The Honourable William A. Stevenson

It is hard to use formal titles for someone who has been my mentor and friend for so long. Nor are they suitable for all the lawyers and law teachers around when he was practising and teaching. All know him and were happy to call him "Bill".

Bill Stevenson is a very modest, private man. He has a host of distinctions, among them the amount of time he has dedicated to his profession and his family. His achievements are far too numerous for a few pages of prose. But three distinctions are exceedingly rare. First, he may well be the best student ever to graduate from the University of Alberta's Faculty of Law, allowing for changing marking standards. The second arises from his practising law for almost 20 years, the great bulk of it as a top-flight litigator. In all that time, he made no enemies and was universally popular with his fellow lawyers. Third, his priority and his interest has always been law students and young lawyers.

When Bill Stevenson came to article with W.G. Morrow, Q.C., one of Alberta's top barristers, the principal quickly realized that his student had a brilliant future ahead of him. That is why Mr. Morrow ensured that Bill Stevenson be the youngest of the counsel on the last Canadian appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

Younger men and women of the profession now know Bill though the reported judgments which he wrote for about 20 years, on seven different courts (maybe the first person in Canada to collect letters patent).

In a very partisan age, Bill's thoughts, arguments, and writings were never shaped by partisan considerations, pre-judgments, dogma, social theory, or politicized views.

An important reason for that is his distrust of theory which is unrelated to experience.

Never has any lawyer or judge more fully integrated theory with fact, teaching with practice, than did Bill Stevenson. His statements of claim, examinations for discovery, and trials made full use of his very articulated knowledge of the law. Every talk which he gave to a law student, whether privately or to a big class, was full of practical examples and shaped by actual experience.

There were two notable examples of his wedding of theory with practice. First, the Legal Education Society of Alberta; he was its Founder and Chair, and often a lecturer at the courses given by it (and its predecessor in the Faculty of Extension). And, for the Law Society, he invented and headed Alberta's Bar Admission Course.

Second was the Alberta Law Review. He was its co-founder. He pushed its first number through to publication. For many years he has been its constant advisor. For years he was its benefactor, from the plate for the original title page, to the cost of many annual banquets and awards. Only his family is closer to his heart than the Alberta Law Review.

Biographical notes prepared by the Honourable Justice J.E.COTE