Stuart Ogden Pierson was born at Port Angeles in 1934. When he graduated from high school in 1952, he joined the US Army. He served there for three years and trained as an interpreter and translator in Chinese Mandarin. Once back in civilian life, he attended Reed College in Oregon and, later, the University of Washington. Together with his future wife, he went on to Yale to complete his doctorate. In 1970, Stuart and his wife, Ruth, were hired by the history department of Memorial University of Newfoundland. Stuart’s critiques on art, music, science, poetry, and literature gave him instant fame as one of Canada’s best literary critics.