Ian Wallace: Hello. My name is Ian Wallace. My ancient Scottish surname, Wallace, as in the infamous patriot and warrior, William Wallace, is easy to pronounce, but my given name is a tough one for some people to get their tongues around. When I was a kid growing up in Canada in the 1950's, my American relatives couldn't get the sound of the hang of my name so they would call me I-N, Eye-an, as in the wonky eye in your head and the name of a young Prince Edward island farm girl run together. Or worse still, Ee-on, which when they said it sounded to me like the bray of a donkey. Ee-on, ee-on. My two brothers had a field day with that one. They would tease me mercilessly when they wanted to get my goat. Eye-an and Ee-on it is not. My name is Ian. Nothing more and nothing less.

My name can't be shortened like most names to just plain old E or lengthened from John to Johnny to become Ianny. It is simply I-A-N, Ian. My parents gave me the name when I was born because of it's simple strength and as much for the fact that the name wasn't as common as Henry and Bill, James and David, in 1950, the year I was born.