Harry Warren was affiliated with UBC for 75 years. He was an undergraduate at UBC from 1923 to 1927 and received both a B.A. and a B.A.Sc. As a scholar-athlete, he was selected as British Columbia's Rhodes Scholar in 1926, and graduated from Oxford University with the degree of B.Sc. and D.Phil. In 1928, he represented Canada at the Amsterdam Olympics and competed as a sprinter. He joined the UBC faculty in 1932 and was teacher and researcher in Geology. While he officially retired as Professor Emeritus in the 1970's, he continued to regularly come to the campus and do research until the mid-1990's.
He was a pioneer in interdisciplinary studies linking biology, geology and chemistry and used this knowledge to assay cuttings from plants and trees as a prospecting technique for detecting minerals in the soil. He also studied the relationship of trace elements in the soil with the health of people living on that soil. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Geological Society of America and the Geochemical Society.
He was active in the academic and social life of the campus and served as a liaison between students and faculty. He devoted a great deal of time to coaching and supporting the development of young men and women in a variety of sports, particularly field hockey and cricket. He was a champion of the ideals of amateur sport and a role model for young athletes. The Warren Pitch at Thunderbird Park is named after Harry Warren.
Harry Warren served on the UBC Senate from 1939-1960 and again from 1963-1972. In addition to his academic honours, he was a member of the Order of Canada and the BC Sports Hall of Fame and received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from UBC in 1978. He made outstanding contributions as a scholar, a prospector, an athlete and a citizen and he brought honour, respect and character to UBC.
John Bernard Warren, a pioneer in the field of nuclear physics, and a longtime faculty member at this university, passed away on September 7 of this year.
John Warren was born in London, England in 1914. He was an outstanding scholar, earning his B.Sc. with First Class Honours from Imperial College at the age of twenty, and received his Ph.D. two years later. Among other achievements, Dr. Warren was awarded the Governor's Prize in Physics in 1934.
After gaining experience in various research positions in Britain, Dr. Warren was seconded to Atomic Energy Laboratories in Montreal and Chalk River in 1946. In the following year he came to UBC as an Associate Professor of Physics. He spent the next thirty two years as a teacher and researcher in his chosen field, establishing an outstanding reputation in both capacities.
While born in England, John Warren became a deeply committed Canadian. He was a proponent of excellence at all levels of education and devoted much of his energy to the development of the high school curriculum and to the provision of greater educational opportunities for the people of this nation. To this end he took a leading role in the creation of both the Open Learning Institute and the Knowledge Network of B.C.
John Warren placed his stamp upon many graduate students and is widely regarded as the outstanding figure in the nuclear physics community of Canada. He also pioneered many successful research studies, and was a major contributor to the creation of the TRIUMF project, where he served as Director from 1968 to 1971. He was a member of Senate from 1964 to 1965.
In his private life John Warren was a sportsman of renown, a lifelong tennis player, and a lover of music.
In every sense of the term, he was a visionary who saw a better future emerging from a nation's commitment to scientific enquiry. John Warren's contributions to knowledge will be long remembered.
To his surviving family, the Senate of The University of British Columbia extends its deepest sympathy.
On December 25, 1963, in Schenectady, New York, the death occurred of Myron McDonald Weaver, first Dean of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. Many members of Senate will recall his service on this body during the term of his Deanship, from 1949 to 1956, and the honours accorded him by a grateful university. In 1956 he was made Dean Emeritus; in October, 1961. he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science, and presided at the opening of the Medical Science Buildings. He came to us in 1949 after a distinguished career in the United States as teacher and administrator, including five years as Assistant Dean of the Minnesota Medical School. During the seven strenuous years spent in organizing and developing the Medical Faculty at the University of British Columbia., he added to an already impressive list of memberships in learned and professional societies, and served on a large number of medical Boards and Committees, both provincial and national in scope. At the time of his death, he was Dean of Graduate Studies at Union College in Schenectady.
A colleague who worked most closely with him in the early formative years of our medical faculty describes Dean Weaver as a "remarkable man", remarkable in a rare combination of deep convictions, gently persuasive ways, and selfless dedication. He was uniquely equipped to foster a unity of purpose, and to overcome the disparity of interests that has been known at times to hamper the growth of a professional school. The co-operation that was early achieved, and that promises to continue was largely owing to Dean Weaver's ability to attract good men, as well as to those personal qualities summed up in the citation for honorary degree as "courage, integrity, insight and wisdom".
These tributes to his character are matched by admiration for his educational philosophy. Seeing the study of Medicine as part of the whole corpus of the Arts and Sciences, he maintained reciprocal contact between disciplines in all the undergraduate years, and encouraged the writing of graduating essays on topics which related the Humanities and Medicine. This inter-disciplinary breadth, the essential humanism that must bridge the gap between the so-called two cultures, was happily recognized in the scholarship established in his honour by the Medical Board of the Vancouver General Hospital. It was also recognized in the terms of the citation for his honorary degree. Paying tribute to his . vision and leadership, the citation makes special reference to Dr. Weaver's belief "that the science of medicine is a humane one, and that medical students, teachers and practitioners must always strive to be both hmw.nist and scientist." Because he so believed, "he gave this Faculty, at its beginning, aims and principles that have guided its youth and are leading it to a mature greatness."
Bill Webber was a unique and special colleague. He was associated with UBC for 55 years as a student, faculty member, Dean, Associate Vice-President and Professor Emeritus. Bill was an outstanding student in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Medicine. Following his graduation from Medicine in 1958 and an internship at the Vancouver General Hospital, he did a two-year postdoctoral research program in Renal Physiology at Cornell Medical School. In 1961 he returned to UBC as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anatomy. His career focused on teaching, research and administration. He taught Microscopic Anatomy, the study of Histology, for 44 continuous years to medical, dental and graduate students. He was a popular and highly respected teacher and mentor to the first-year students and a great role model as a scholar, friend and compassionate human being.
Bill’s administrative leadership surfaced in 1968 when he became President of the Faculty Association, and expanded in 1971 when he became the Associate Dean of Medicine. Six years later he was appointed Dean of Medicine and served in that capacity for 13 years. The Faculty of Medicine doubled in size in its student enrolment, faculty and physical facilities during his tenure as Dean. His leadership and administrative talents were outstanding, and he guided the Faculty to a prominence of excellence in Canada. In 1990 he was appointed Associate Vice- President for Faculty Relations, and served in that capacity for six years. During this time he also served as the Coordinator for the Health Sciences for three years and continued his full teaching load in the Department of Anatomy. Bill retired in 1999 and became associated with the Association of Professors Emeriti. He served on the Executive Committee and became President in 2003. UBC was a major part of Bill Webber’s life. He was involved with many areas of campus life, including serving on Senate from 1966 to 1975 as both a Faculty and Joint-faculties representative and as an ex-officio member as Dean from 1977 to 1990. He further contributed to the governance of the University by serving as an elected Faculty representative on the Board of Governors for three years from December 1974 to July of 1977 when he resigned upon appointment as Dean of Medicine. He was involved in several areas of student extracurricular activities including athletics, social activities and professional development. Bill was also active in his professional community, in Provincial medical affairs and commissions, and as a national leader in Medical Education and Training Programs. He was a remarkable man and a beloved friend and colleague to numerous faculty, staff and students. He will be sorely missed and long remembered on the Campus and in the community.
Bill is survived by his wife of 48 years, Marilyn, and their three children: Susan, Eric and Geordie and their families, including seven grandchildren.
Martin Wedepohl was born in Pretoria, South Africa in 1933. He matriculated from Grey College, Bloemfontein, South Africa in 1949. In 1953 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Engineering) cum laude from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He joined the British General Electric Company (GEC) in 1954 as a graduate apprentice and from 1954 to 1957 was with A. Reyrolle and Company as a research engineer. During this time he developed the world’s first transmission line protection system based on emerging transistor technology. He was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy for this work by the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) in 1957. In 1964, he was appointed to the Department of Electrical Engineering at UMIST, going on to serve as chair of the department from 1969 to 1974.
In1974 he became Professor and Dean of Engineering at the University of Manitoba. He was appointed to the Board of Manitoba Hydro Electric Corporation in 1975 and became Vice Chairman and pro tem Chairman from December 1978 to October 1979. During his term in Winnipeg he helped establish the Manitoba High Voltage Direct Current Research Laboratory and the Manitoba Micro Electronics Institute. In recognition of his outstanding contribution and service to the Manitoba Hydro Electric Board, Dr. Wedepohl was the recipient of the Award of the Bison by the Government of Manitoba.
In 1979, Dr. Wedepohl was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science at UBC, a post he held until 1985. During this time he was chairman of the task force which prepared a report for the government of British Columbia on major expansion of the University’s School of Engineering. He was also chairman of the planning committees which specified the new mining engineering building and the building for the western division of the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada. After completing his term as dean, he continued on as a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering until 1997.
He was appointed to the board of the British Columbia Hydro Electric Corporation from 1980 to 1984 and chairman of the energy sub-committee of that board. He served as a member of the Science Council of British Columbia from 1981 to 1985 and a member of the Arts, Science and Technology Council of British Columbia from 1982 to 1985. He was faculty advisor and sponsor to a team of UBC students who won first prize in the Innovative Vehicle Design Competition at Expo’86.
Dr. Wedepohl authored more than 30 papers in the Proceedings of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) in London and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (IEEE) in New York. He was a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers in London and of the Engineering Institute of Canada.
The Senate expresses its condolences to Dr. Wedepohl’s family and friends.
Larry Weiler was an undergraduate of the University of Toronto and received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1968. Upon graduation from Harvard he began his academic career at UBC as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry. Larry enjoyed a balanced academic career at UBC involving research, teaching, administration, and university service. He was promoted to Professor in 1980 and was well respected by his colleagues and students. He was the Principal Supervisor for 24 Ph.D. students, 10 M.Sc. students and also supervised 31 Post-doctoral students. The latter came from Canada, USA, India, Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, Israel, Brazil, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, and Australia. He also taught first year students general chemistry, and organic chemistry to undergraduates and graduate students at every level of the curriculum. His research was recognized internationally. He received recognition for his research as a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada and he was the 1984 recipient of their Merck Sharpe & Dohme Award. He was also an invited speaker at numerous universities and international conferences. His outstanding teaching skills were also recognized by a Master Teaching Award from the students in the Department of Chemistry in 1971 and a UBC Faculty of Science Teaching Award in 1993.
Larry served on the Senate from 1984-1990 and was a member of the Senate Library Committee, the Senate Academic Building Needs Committee, the Senate Budget Committee and the Senate Awards Committee. He also served as Head of the Department of Chemistry from 1982-1990. He was active in the Faculty Association, Graduate Studies, and many Presidential Committees involving searches, reviews, awards and advisory matters. In addition to his UBC commitment, Larry also found time to actively participate in international committees for the Canadian Society of Chemistry and the American Chemical Society. He also served the communities of West Vancouver and Vancouver on school and hospital boards.
Larry Weiler was a superb university citizen and UBC was honored to have him as a member of the Faculty and its community for 31 years. He was dedicated to UBC and strove to improve its academic and social environment throughout his career. He was always thoughtful, friendly, supportive and constructive in his interactions with his colleagues.
He will be missed and remembered by his family, friends, colleagues and students.
A traffic accident on July 8, 1982, brought an abrupt and tragic end to the distinguished career of Robert William (Bob) Wellwood. His loss will be felt by his many friends at the University and in the forest industry of the Province.
Dr. Wellwood was born in Victoria on March 11, 1912. After a year at Victoria College, he came to The University of British Columbia where he completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Forest Engineering. After several years with the B.C. Forest Service, he took graduate work at Duke University where he was awarded a Master of Forestry degree in 1939 and a Ph.D. in 1943. He began his career in wood science and utilization at Duke, where he taught a wood technology course.
Following three years as wood technologist for the Commonwealth Plywood Co. Ltd. of Ste. Therese, P.Q., he joined the Faculty of Forestry at UBC as Associate Professor in 1946, and became a Professor in 1950.
In addition to his teaching and research Dr. Wellwood was active in several administrative capacities. He was a member of Senate continuously from 1954 to 1966, chairman of the Forestry Graduate Program Committee, and on two occasions served a year as Acting Dean of the Faculty. Following thirty years of exemplary service to the University, he retired in 1977 and was named Professor Emeritus. After retirement he was active as a consultant both nationally and internationally. Shortly before his death he had returned. from a teaching assignment in Bangor, Wash.
Dr. Wellwood was an active member of many professional societies in which he served in many capacities, including the presidencies of the Canadian Institute of Forestry, the Commonwealth Forestry Association, and the Canadian Forestry Association. His particular expertise on tropical woods and forestry made him much in demand as a consultant, and he was known for his work throughout the world.
Dr. Wellwood leaves a host of friends, colleagues and former students who remember him with respect and affection. His courtesy, kindness and good humour were combined with a dedication to teaching and thoroughness in research.
He is survived by his wife Barbara, son Robert, daughters Barbara, Eleanore and Moira, and two grandchildren. Dr.Wellwood was predeceased by his first wife, Hazel, and his second wife, Mary, whose memory is perpetuated by the Mary V. Wellwood Scholarship Fund at this University, which will now be renamed as the Robert and Mary Wellwood Scholarship Fund.
To his family and many friends, Senate expresses its deepest sympathy.
Mrs. Anne Taylor Wesbrook, widow of Frank Fairchild Wesbrook, died in Vancouver on September 17, 1957, at the age of 90. Her husband, first President of the University of British Columbia, predeceased her in October, 1918.
She was born one month after Confederation, August 7, 1867, in Toronto, where her father was Master-in-Chancery at Osgoode Hall. The family moved to Winnipeg in 1883, Here her father eventually became Chief Justice of Manitoba and was given the honour of Knighthood by Queen Victoria. Anne Taylor attended Manitoba College and subsequently studied abroad in Scotland and Germany.
In 1896 she married Dr. Wesbrook, a Manitoba College graduate, Professor of Pathology, Bacteriology and Public Health in the University of Minnesota. Seventeen years later in 1913, when her husband, then Dean of the Medical Faculty in Minnesota, accepted the Presidency of this University, Mrs. Wesbrook came to Vancouver where she resided until her death three months ago.
Mrs. Wesbrook's interest in the University was deep and continuous. During the President's five brief years of office, their home gave welcoming hospitality and extended warm-hearted friendship to the Faculty and students of our infant University. The first privately contributed gift to the University's Scholarship list came from Mrs. Wesbrook in 1916-17 in the form of two $25.00 prizes, named for her father, the late Sir Thomas Taylor. For several years she also personally contributed, annually, two $50.00 prizes. Mrs. Wesbrook founded the Faculty Women's Club, whose members, in 1920-21, established The Anne Wesbrook Scholarship in her honour. In all the intervening period, she has taken part in the meetings of the Faculty Women's Club of which she was Honorary President; she has been present also at many University functions. The memory of her concern for the welfare of Undergraduates will be perpetuated in the Women's Residence, Anne Wesbrook Hall.
We pause to reflect that a great and noble soul has passed from among us; with gratitude, we pay our tribute to the inestimable value of her influence for good in the life of our University.
M.Y. Williams, Professor Emeritus of Geology, died February 3, 1974, in his ninety-first year. Born in Ontario, he was educated at Queen's and Yale; he taught in the public schools of Ontario and at both his universities before joining the Faculty of The University of British Columbia in 1921.
He helped to build the Department of Geology and Geography, of which he served as Head from 1936 to 1950, and he was among the pioneers in the development of the resources of British Columbia.
He spent twelve years as a member of Senate. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, he was honoured by election to the presidency of this body for the year 1960-61.
Although he retired from his professorship in 1950, he maintained his contributions to geological scholarship and to the life of his department. A familiar and spritely figure on the campus until very recently, he was regarded with deep affection by all who knew him, colleagues, friends, and students.
Few have equalled his devotion to scholarship and education at The University of British Columbia, which recognised its debt by the award of an honorary degree in May, 1972. His was an enviable career.
Samuel John Willis, late Deputy minister and Superintendent of Education, was a member of the University's first staff and for many years an ex-officio member of this Senate. Few men have ever been more self effacing or more cheerfully effective in performing the duties of public office, whether they be high or humble.
Charles Bruce Wood, Registrar and Secretary of Senate from 1941 to 1957, died on July 24, 1978, in his eighty-sixth year. His death came after many active years in retirement and, except for his last three months, exceptionally good health.
Mr. Wood came to British Columbia as a young man and taught in Penticton and in Cumberland. He held a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Toronto and a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University. His teaching career included several years of instruction at the Victoria Normal School followed by six years in the then Department of Education at U.B.C., which he joined as lecturer in 1934. In 1940 he became Assistant Registrar and a year later was appointed Registrar and Secretory of Senate.
As Registrar, Mr. Wood saw the enrolment of the University climb from 2,600 to well over 9,000 in a three-year period as veterans of World War II returned to their studies. He was an efficient, taciturn and reserved man, at least in exterior image. Yet he was very much concerned with students both as a teacher and in his role of registrar. He was especially helpful to foreign students in an era when the University was less well organized to attend their needs. Many grateful students remembered him with respect and affection and continued to correspond with him for years after he left the University.
The Senate would like to record in this memorial minute its appreciation of the sixteen years of service that "C.B." gave as its Secretary.
Dr. William W. Wood, a Professor of Clinical Dental Sciences and an outstanding teacher and practitioner in his profession, died on May 12, 1990.
Bill Wood was born in 1940 in Melbourne, Australia, and earned his Bachelor of Dental Sciences Degree from the University of Melbourne in 1965, where he headed his class in his final year. After a period spent in private practice, Dr. Wood moved to Canada and was awarded a Doctorate in Dental Surgery Degree from the University of Toronto in 1970. He later completed a Master of Arts in Higher Education at UBC in 1978.
In 1972, he accepted his initial appointment at this university as an instructor, later to be promoted to Assistant Professor in 1973, and Associate Professor in 1982. Dr. Wood would have received his full professorship in July of this year.
Bill Wood played many roles in his life, each one characterized by excellence and commitment. His skill in the practice of restorative dentistry was widely known and highly acclaimed. But above all, he was dedicated to the improvement of dental education and he spent endless hours seeking ways to better the quality of student learning in his faculty. Students were always his first concern and he provided them with a role model par excellence. A short time before his death he learned that he had received the Teaching Award in the Faculty of Dentistry. This honour was of particular significance to him.
In the field of research his record was no less impressive. He received numerous competitive grants and earned national and international recognition for his studies on the functional behaviour of the jaw.
Dr. Wood also served this university in many ways. In his faculty he served on both the Executive and Admissions Committees, the latter as Chair. As a member of Senate he was a dedicated and compassionate participant in the Committee for Appeals on Academic Standing and the Admissions Committee. At all times he displayed his deep respect for the values of the university. Above all else, he believed that those in authority should always act in an ethical and principled manner. It was this deep sense of responsibility which guided hint throughout his personal, academic, and professional life.
Bill Wood lived a full and active life outside the university. In spite of physical difficulties, he was a keen and competitive yachtsman, an often unsuccessful but eternally optimistic fisherman, and an enthusiastic outdoorsman.
Bill Wood was a warm and generous man. He was also a valued colleague, a loving husband and father, and a loyal, genuine and always dependable friend.
To his wife, Sue, his daughter Stephanie, and to his surviving family, the Senate of The University of British Columbia extends its deepest sympathy.
The untimely death of Esli Longworth Woods, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, is for this Senate an occasion of deep sorrow. His association with the formal study of his chosen subject began in the University of Saskatchewan where he became Dean of the College of Pharmacy at the age of thirty-one. Under his guidance the college proved itself a model for the development of such institutions in Canada. As a result, he was asked to specify a course and to plan equipment for the Department of Pharmacy in this University; his striking success led to his appointment as Dean when the Faculty of Pharmacy was established. He was largely responsible for the formation of the Canadian Conference of Pharmaceutical Faculties and was the first chairman of that body. National recognition came to him also in his appointment to the Canadian Committee on Pharmacopoeial Standards.
His unique quality lay in his capacity to mediate between the theoretical problems of pharmaceutical education and the professional and business duties of pharmacists. He sought to bring into every corner drug store absolute personal integrity, exalted professional standards and a vision of public service.
His personality was shy and sensitive, his manner retiring and humble. But his largeness of spirit could not be concealed and his death is the occasion of spontaneous tributes of deep grief and high regard from all parts of the country. By the members of this Senate his memory will ever be cherished with affectionate regard.
Members of Senate record with sorrow their sense of loss in the death of their colleague, Dr. Charles Wright., a regular attendant and active participant in the business of Senate since his first election by Convocation in 1939.
Recipient in 1917 of the first degree in Applied Science awarded by U.B.C., and in 1919, of the first Master of Science degree, he was and remained through all the years a loyal and devoted graduate. Further studies in Physical Chemistry won him McGill's Ph.D. degree in 1921 and the Ramsay Memorial Fellowship. After two years' study in London University and tours of industrial plants in Western'wurope and the eastern United States, he returned to Vancouver, where he spent a year at the University of British Columbia as Lecturer in Chemistry.
All this undergraduate and postgraduate experience laid a firm foundation for his outstanding career as a Chemical Engineer with the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company whose Research Staff he joined at Trail in 1925.
His professional ability was widely recognized. He was elected to the office of President, Chemical Institute of Canada, was a member of several technical societies, and contributed numerous articles to technical publications.
Dr. Wright's varied interests outside the immediate area of his profession were kept in easy balance. He held administrative posts in many organizations, including the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, of which he was President, The Trail District Recreational Projects Society, of which he was organizer and President, Trail and District Arts and Crafts Association., the Boy Scouts Association, The British Columbia Cancer Foundation, and many others. The U.B.C. Alumni Association owes much to his energetic leadership among the graduates in Trail and West Kootenay.
Dr. Henry Gunning, lately Dean of Applied Science and a close friend from undergraduate days, wrote of him in 1956: "The first engineer to graduate from U.B.C. has set an example of industry, professional skill and public service that has been of incalculable assistance to all later graduates and will be a beacon to guide those in the years ahead."
Dr. Wyman graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from UBC in 1956 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1987. He went on to serve as Chairman of Finning International and Suncore Inc. and as Chairman and CEO of B.C. Hydro.
Dr. Wyman was a prominent advocate for corporate social responsibility and was widely respected throughout the investment community for the leadership of Pemberton Securities and RBC Dominion Securities Inc. During his tenure as Chair of Suncore Energy's Board of Directors, he encouraged the company to establish a foundation that has since donated millions of dollars to Canadian charities.
Dr. Wyman played a vital role in fostering the relationship between the university and the broader community. As Chancellor of UBC, he spent close to two decades working to ensure the future of post-secondary education and research as a trustee of the Killam Estate Trust. In 2002, he was presented with the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal and in 2004, was appointed to the Order of Canada. Both awards were made in recognition of the significant contributions he made to his community and Canada.