Carl Edmund Atwood: What Happened To Margaret Atwood’s Father?

Carl Edmund Atwood is the late father of Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor Margaret Atwood. Carl’s daughter Margaret is the author of over fifty books of fiction, poetry, critical essays, and graphic novels. Her work has also been published in several countries. She has been honored and awarded for her writing.

Carl Edmund Atwood: Bio Summary

Who Was Margaret Atwood’s Father, Carl Edmund Atwood?

Carl Edmund Atwood was born on 19 June 1906, in Clyde River, Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, Canada. He was the son of Herbert Leslie Atwood and Florence Cornelia Atwood. He was the brother of Elmer Leslie Atwood, Mary Edith Swaine, Myra Clarabelle Harris, and Florence Maude O’Connell. In addition to his siblings, he reportedly has a half-brother.

Carl’s half-brother is Fred Ward Atwood. There isn’t much information about Carl’s early life available. When he was in his youth, he worked on farms and cut pulp logs to be able to finance his education. He became skilled in gardening and axemanship. He earned his B.Sc.A., in 1931 and M.Sc. in 1933 McGill and his Ph.D. 1937 from the University of Toronto.

Carl Edmund Atwood was an entomologist. He worked with the Forest Entomology Division of the Dominion Department of Agriculture. He chose to work to protect the forest environment. During the initial stage of his career, Carl saw a need for the Canadian Forest industry to protect timber from insect damage.

Carl played an instrumental role in helping establish the Sault Sainte Marie Insect Laboratory and became its first head. In the year 1946, he was appointed Professor of Forest Entomology at the University of Toronto however, he retired in the year 1972. Carl taught zoology at the University of Toronto.

Carl was known to be an effective and popular teacher of both undergraduate and graduate students. He could recognize and foster scientific talent. He is said to have responded to the paucity of teaching equipment by soliciting funds to buy 50 teaching microscopes to enable 112 students in his course to do laboratory work.

The Carl E. Atwood Graduate Award in Zoology at the University of Toronto was established in his honor. It is awarded to graduate students in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology who are studying animal biology. Carl was actively involved as a volunteer in several environment-related organizations.

ALSO, READ: Margaret Dorothy Killam: Is Margaret Atwood’s Mother Still Alive?

These organizations include the Toronto Anglers and Hunters Association, Canadian National Sportsmen’s Show, Conservation Council of Ontario, and Sierra Club. He also worked in the development of Quetico Wilderness Park. He was an omnivorous reader with a remarkable knowledge of literature, history, and classical music.

Carl Edmund Atwood Was A Husband And Father

Carl Edmund Atwood was a family man. He started his family some years ago when he got married and eventually had children. He was married to Margaret Dorothy Atwood (née Killam), a former dietitian and nutritionist. His beloved wife Margaret was from Woodville, Nova Scotia. How they met is unknown.

However, Carl made Margaret his wife on 12 September 1935, in Kings, Nova Scotia, Canada. On their honeymoon, they went canoeing down the Saint John River in New Brunswick, then headed for northern Quebec, where Carl ran an insect research station. Initially, they lived in tents, then in a cabin built by Carl.

Carl and Margaret raised two children without the benefit of electricity or running water. In 1945, they moved to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and later moved to Toronto. After moving to Toronto, they had a third child. Carl was frequently away from home on insect-collecting trips. He and his wife Margaret are the parents of Harold Leslie Atwood, Margaret Eleanor Atwood, and Ruth Atwood.

Their daughter Margaret Atwood is a poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. She has won two Booker Prizes, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Governor General’s Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Princess of Asturias Awards, and the National Book Critics and PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Awards.

ALSO, READ: Jim Polk: Where Is Margaret Atwood’s Ex-husband Now?

What Happened To Margaret Atwood’s Father?

Margaret Atwood’s father, Carl Edmund Atwood died on 5 January 1993, at age 86 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The cause of his death is unknown. He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, Toronto Municipality, Ontario, Canada. His wife Margaret Dorothy Killam died on 31 December 2006, at age 97.