 In the Festschrift published in his honor in 1997, the editors hailed Schurman as the "founder of the serious study of naval history in Canada".The son of Bertrand Lloyd Schurman, a civil servant, and his wife, Mabel P. Mackenzie, Schurman joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and became a flying officer in 1945.After demobilisation, he attended Acadia University, where he earned his bachelor of arts degree in 1949.