J. Alphonse Deveau
Jean Alphonse Deveau was a Canadian historian from Nova Scotia known for his contributions to the study of Acadian history. He was the first director of the Acadian Centre at Université Sainte-Anne, and wrote more than 20 books across his career. He was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada in 1998.
Biography
Deveau was born in 1917 to parents Augustin and Grace Deveau. He attended Université Sainte-Anne in Pointe-de-l'Église, where he received his Bachelor of Arts. He earned his Master of Social Sciences from Université Laval in Quebec, an education diploma from Dalhousie University, and a French civilization diploma from the University of Paris.Deveau taught in high schools in Clare and Argyle, and was principal at Sainte-Anne-du-Ruisseau High School and Clare High School. He taught Acadian history at Université Sainte-Anne, becoming the first director of the university's Acadian Centre in 1973.
In 1981, Deveau was awarded an honorary doctorate from Université Sainte-Anne. He was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada on 22 October 1998.
Recognized as an authority on Acadian history, Deveau wrote over 20 books on the subject over the course of his career. In the days leading up to his death, he was continuing to conduct research on the genealogy of the Deveau family. He died on 28 July 2004, at the age of 86.