William Rodney was born, raised and educated in Alberta. He earned a degree from the University of Alberta, then an MA from Cambridge and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. He was later appointed a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the Royal Geographical Society.Rodney has written several books, many articles and radio documentaries. For Kootenai Brown, he received the University of British Columbia's Medal for Popular Biography. The book also won an Award of Merit and Distinction from the American Association for State and Local History.Literary awards, however, are only one aspect of Rodney's life. During the Second World War he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and survived an operational tour with the RAF Bomber Command. This duty was extremely hazardous, with some 50 percent of the air crew killed in action. During his service Rodney won the Distinguished Flying Cross and B