Arnold Edinborough, O.C., M.C., M.A., LL.D., Litt.SD
August 2, 1922-June 2, 2006

June 5, 2006 (Toronto, ON)

It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of CBAC's founding President, Arnold Edinborough.

The obituary is in The Globe and Mail.

Arnold Edinborough, was well-known in Canada as a writer, broadcaster and "man of the arts when, in 1974, Ed Bovey persuaded him to head up the Council for Business and the Arts in Canada. Charged with the responsibility of encouraging corporations to contribute more money to the arts, Arnold took up his new position as President & CEO of the CBAC with tremendous energy and enthusiasm.

In those early years, it was pioneering work, but Arnold's passion for the mission never wavered. On a shoestring budget and with a staff of three, Arnold spent 15 years at the helm of CBAC helping to make business support of the arts more effective. Among his many accomplishments, several stand out: business support of the arts increased at least tenfold; business needed facts and figures and so Arnold initiated the CBAC's annual arts surveys; recognizing that recognition is important, he created the Business in the Arts Awards; he helped to bring the concept of sponsorship to the forefront by persuading the Financial Post to hold a Sponsorship Conferences, and he helped to get younger business executives on the boards of smaller arts organizations by setting up the Young in Art Program. Business CEOs, donations officers, struggling artists, entrepreneurs, an accountant who wanted to volunteer in the arts - all came to seek advice from Arnold Edinborough. He had time for them all. And he also travelled to every region of the country to better understand the varying needs of both business and the arts - and to gather material for his weekly Financial Post column on the arts, which kept him, and CBAC, in front of the public.

Arnold Edinborough built The Council for Business and the Arts in Canada into a highly-respected national organization and created a solid foundation for its on-going achievements. In his retirement he continued to be a passionate supporter of its work. We are deeply indebted to him.

Thoughout his career, Arnold Edinborough also contributed time and energy as a volunteer, both in the arts, most notably serving on the board that built Roy Thomson Hall and on the board of the Stratford Festival, and with such organizations as the John Howard Society, the Elliot Lake Centre and Abbeyfield Houses Society of Canada. His contributions as a great Canadian were recognized in 1983 when he became an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Sarah Iley (who served as CBAC's President from 1995-2005) is Arnold's daughter. We offer Sarah, and his whole family, our deepest sympathy.

For more information, please contact:
Eileen Love, 416-869-3016/223; e_love@businessforarts.org