Tim Lawson's first album The Quiet Canadian is dedicated to Canada's wartime intelligence expert Sir William Stephenson, the "Man Called Intrepid". Tim met Sir William in 1985 at his home in Bermuda "he showed me how an individual could make a difference. Even then, at the age of 89, he was brilliant. At any given moment he could tell you how many troops the Cubans had sent the previous week to Angola or how many tanks the Soviets had sent to Nicaragua, because his global intelligence system was still fully operational. Congressmen and senators were constantly calling for advice."

Sir William was a friend of Tim's father. Tim had the honour of visiting with him a number of times. "We talked about the future of world peace and what was needed to ensure it". Tim continued to correspond with him from 1985 until his death in 1989. "He has been a real inspiration to me."

William Stephenson was born January 11, 1896 near Winnipeg, Canada. He enlisted in 1914 in the Royal Canadian Engineers, and was commissioned before his 19th birthday. Fighting as a foot soldier in France, he was gassed and had to recuperate in England. He then earned his wings in the Royal Flying Corps and shot down 26 enemy aircraft. For his service he received the Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, the Croix de Guerre avec Palmes, and the Legion d'Honneur.