George MacBeath received the Order of Canada in recognition of his dedication to the preservation and presentation of Canada's heritage. A graduate of the University of New Brunswick and the Sorbonne, Université de Paris, he was the first director of the Ontario Science Centre, a director of the New Brunswick Museum, and the deputy minister of Heritage for the New Brunswick government, where he was instrumental in the "construction" of the province's two major living heritage museums, Kings Landing and le Village Historique Acadien. His other books include New Brunswick: The Story of Our Province and Steamboat Days on the St. John: 1816-1946.