In the death of Walter Noble Sage on September 11, 1963, at the age of seventy-five, the Senate of the University of British Columbia lost a familiar figure and one of its most devoted members. Serving his first term in 1939-1942, Dr. Sage was re-elected in 1945, and thereafter was regularly returned by Convocation, completing eighteen years of continuous service in May of the present year. As we look back on his long career of teaching in this university, from 1918 to 1953 and for two further years after reaching retirement age, we sense a passing of the old order, a dramatic moment of completeness. His death hits come in the year of transition, between the period of vigorous pioneering grosith and an era of institutional expansion and change in higher education.
Born in London, Ontario, in 1888, Walter Sage was educated in both Canadian and English schools, and received his degrees from Oxford University and the University of Toronto. He lectured at Calgary College and at Queen's University, and, at the age of thirty started his long association with the University of British Columbia, where for the last twenty years of his teaching career he was Head of the Department of History. His interest in the history of his adopted province began early, with an article in 1921 on "The Gold Colony of British Columbia". The interest became a scholar's passion, reflected in his fostering of regional studies and creation of new courses, in his active in the numerous historical associations he assisted or presided over, and in the steady output of books and that contributed to the historical knowledge of the Pacific Northwest.
A strikng feature of Walter Sage's writing was the predominance of the biographical element, half of his twenty-six articles being devoted to such figures as Simon Fraser, Sir James Douglas, and the Spanish explorers. To him history, whether of the British Empire or of British Columbia, was a living study, absorbing for its revelation of human personality in action. It was this obvious enjoyment that made him a popular teacher, communicating his own pleasure in incident and anecdote, and delighted to discover and encourage a similar passion for history in the young. Generations of students at this university share the classroom memory of a burly figure shaking with infectious laughter while recalling the foibles of the great, or revealing an eager interest in the inter-relationships of character and event.
That such memories persisted long after the days of undergraduate lectures, strengthened by the image of a man kindly and helpful in both student and community life, is evident in the unswerving loyalty shown him by Convocation. This respect and this affection, happily accorded the living man as professor and as Professor emeritus, are in themselves the finest memorial to Walter Sage.
Dr. William L. Sauder was an honorable and generous individual whose immense contributions have had a profound impact on higher education in British Columbia, benefitting students for generations to come. Dr. Sauder graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He returned to UBC as a member of the Board of Governors, and was later appointed Chair of the Board. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from UBC in 1990 and served as Chancellor of the University from 1996 to 2002.
Dr. Sauder's contributions to education and health research at UBC are almost immeasurable. He served the university in several capacities, including two terms as Chancellor. Thanks to his and his family's generosity, UBC has two Chairs and two Professorships in infectious and viral disease research, cardiology and stroke research. In 2003, he endowed the Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration with the largest single private donation ever made to a Canadian business school with a gift of $20 million. From 2003 onward, he continued to be involved in the growth of the business school and served on its faculty advisory board.
Among his other contributions, Dr. Sauder served as a director of the Toronto Dominion Bank, the British Columbia Development Corporation, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C. and the Yukon, and on the executive committee of the board of directors of BC Hydro. He was also a director of the World Presidents' Organization. In 2004, he was a recipient of the Order of British Columbia and, in 2005, was awarded the Order of Canada for his services and contributions.
Dr. William Sauder was an exemplary citizen. He was one of the builders of modern British Columbia in business, in education and in community life and a strong advocate for creating opportunities which will benefit students for generations to come.
Barnett Savery, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, died July 8, 1975, at the age of 69. Born in Seattle, he took his first degree at the University of Washington in 1927 before moving to Harvard, where he earned the M.A. and Ph.D. in 1933 and 1934.
He taught at his Alma Mater from 1934 to 1938 and at the University of Idaho from 1938 to 1942. As a clinical psychologist in the United States Army for the next four years he become known as a pioneer in group psychotherapy. He joined the Faculty of the University of British Columbia in 1946 and three years later he was appointed Professor and Chairman of the Department of Philosophy and Psychology. He participated in the amicable divorce of the two disciplines and in 1958 was named Head of the Department of Philosophy, which he guided with humane wisdom until 1969, when he resigned in the conviction that younger men should assume the responsibilities of leadership. He retired in 1971 and was granted the title Professor Emeritus.
Throughout his long career here, Savery won a reputation as a gifted teacher, of his colleagues no less than of his students. He sought the truth through questions and, somewhat in the manner of Socrates, he liked to think of himself as a gadfly. His influence extended beyond his Department. He was active in the University's affairs and served two terms on Senate (1957-1960, 1963-1966).
His special interest in aesthetics was associated with his firm encouragement of the Fine Arts and he was among those chiefly responsible for the creation of the Departments of Fine Arts, Music and Theatre. As a kindly and observant critic, he commanded respect and affection throughout the University. Those of us who were his colleagues will not forget him. We learned much from him.
He is survived by his widow. To her we convey our sympathy and our own feeling of satisfaction that the major part of his career was devoted to us.
Neville Vincent Scarfe, the founding Dean of the Faculty of Education at this University, died on October the eighth, 1985.
Rarely has a member of the academic community played such a significant role in the development of public education in this province. Through his ideas, his words and his actions, Neville Scarfe stimulated a wave of reform in both pedagogical theory and practice.
Dean Scarfe was born in 1908, in rural England. After completing his schooling at the King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford, Essex, he earned the only scholarship then available to continue his education at the University of London, where, at age 19, he graduated at the top of his year, with First Class honours in Geography.
During the pre-war years his reputation as a student and teacher of his discipline grew rapidly. Among his most significant achievements during this period was the preparation of a curriculum which was adopted in all British schools.
After a distinguished record with the Ministry of Information during the war years, Neville Scarfe accepted the Deanship in Education at the University of Manitoba in 1951.
In 1956, Dean Scarfe undertook the responsibility of integrating all professional preparation of public school teachers at The University of British Columbia. It was a time when the need for creative and authoritative leadership was critical - and Neville Scarfe filled the role with distinction. He served as a member of Senate from 1956 to 1973.
As a geographer and an educator, Neville Scarfe was truly an internationalist. He represented his adopted country as a keynote speaker at conferences on four continents. His name featured prominently during the creation of UNESCO as a force in the development of international understanding and humanitarianism. At the same time, Neville Scarfe possessed a sensitive artistic nature which was expressed through his unfailing support for the advancement of fine arts on the campus of this University.
In his outstanding contribution to public education, Neville Scarfe's commitment was unparalleled. His ideas were creative, provocative and widely respected. He challenged his profession, stimulated his contemporaries and articulated his philosophy in a passionate yet always dignified manner. As is so often the case with those who challenge the status quo, Neville Scarfe was not free of criticism, but his determination never weakened, nor did his ideals waver.
Neville Scarfe was a scholar, an administrator, a teacher and a public figure - but over all, he was a compassionate and tolerant human being. His commitment to a life of learning will continue to flourish through the lives of an entire generation of British Columbians.
To his wife Paddy, and to his sons and their families, the Senate of The University of British Columbia extends its deepest sympathy.
The Senate records its sense of loss and of sorrow occasioned by the death of Dr. A. B. Schinbein, long numbered among its members and at one time its representative on the Board of Governors. As senior surgeon of the Vancouver General Hospital, he for many years governed the progress of surgical science in the community, influencing his colleagues by the conscientious and devoted practice of his skill and inspiriting his patients by his professional pride and personal courage. His genuine modesty could not conceal a great spirit. The Medical School of the University and the medical services of the city will henceforth build on foundations which owe much of their extent and firmness to his untiring labours as a pioneer.
The Senate regrets to record the death of Stuart J. Schofield, professor emeritus of Geology. Dr. Schofield was already well-known as scientist when he was appointed to the staff in 1915; and during his many years of service he brought honour to his Departnent and to the University by achieving international distinction. His fellows will remember, even more gratefully, his personal charm and his unfailing good-will.
The Honourable Alfred Scow was considered a trailblazer by many. A member of the Kwicksutaineuk-ah-kwa-mish First Nation on Vancouver Island, Scow was the first person of aboriginal descent to graduate from a BC law school and to be called to the British Columbia bar. He completed his Bachelor of Laws from UBC in 1961 and was called to the bar the following year. In 1971, he became a Provincial Court Justice, serving in this capacity until 1992. After leaving the Provincial Court, Mr. Scow worked on behalf of the Musqueam, Fraser Valley, and Penticton Indian bands.
He was a tireless supporter of UBC and was instrumental in establishing the University’s First Nations Studies program. His commitment and dedication to the University was evident in his service in many capacities, including service to the Senate as a Convocation senator (1990-1993), membership on the President’s Advisory Committee, the Faculty of Law First Nations Advisory Committee and the Alumni Association Board. He was a founding member of the Elders Committee for the First Nations House of Learning, served on the management council for First Nations House of Learning and was the founder and lifetime member of the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Society. Mr. Scow received the University’s Great Trekker Award in 1995 and was further recognized with an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1997.
Outside of the University, Mr. Scow’s community service included work for the John Howard Society, the United Good Neighbour Fund and Credit Union, the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities, the Aboriginal Justice Centre, the Pacific Salmon Foundation, the YVR Art Foundation, and the Institute of Indigenous Government.
Alfred Scow was an inspiring figure, both within and outside the Aboriginal community. In 2001, he founded the Scow Institute, which works to promote greater understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.
In addition to his many professional accomplishments and community service, Mr. Scow co-authored a children’s book entitled Secret of the Dance. Published in 2006, Secret of the Dance tells the true story of then nine-year-old Scow, who unbeknownst to his parents, sneaked in to watch his father dance at a potlatch, an activity then prohibited under the Indian Act.
His professional and community efforts have been recognized with many awards, including the Canada 125 Medal, the Centennial Medal of Canada, and the Canadian Indian Arts Foundation Aboriginal Achievement Award. Mr. Scow was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2000 and the Order of British Columbia in 2004.
Throughout his career, Alfred Scow demonstrated vision, integrity and a dedication to social justice. He was an inspirational figure and will be missed by many. The Senate offers its deepest condolences to his family and friends.
The Senate is profoundly sensible of its loss in the death of Garnett Gladwin Sedgewick, head of the Department of English and long a member of this body. His frequent contributions to Senate debate and discussion were marked by a humane wisdom and breadth of culture, enlivened by a keen critical faculty and an ironic wit. His utterances were the overflow of a unique and memoriable personality: we "shall not look upon his like again."
Michael Shaw was born in the West Indies and came to Canada in 1943. He received a Bachelor of Science (Honours Botany) from McGill University in 1946 and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Botany and Plant Pathology from Macdonald College of McGill in 1947 and 1949, respectively. Following a period as a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow in Cambridge, England, Dr. Shaw joined the Department of Biology at the University of Saskatchewan as an Assistant Professor in 1950 and became Professor and Head of the Department in 1961. An active scientist, Dr. Shaw conducted research on the physiology and biochemistry of the host-parasite relations of rust fungi on wheat and flax. The severe epidemic of wheat rust in the prairies in the 1950’s had prompted Dr Shaw to undertake research on this important disease.
In 1967 Dr. Shaw came to UBC as Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and served as Dean until his appointment as Vice-President, Academic in 1975. During his deanship the Faculty name was changed to the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and the Faculty experienced considerable growth and development. His philosophy was that faculties of agriculture should continue to expand because of the vital importance the discipline in the area of food production. His early concern about agriculture as an ecosystem led to the agro-ecosystem approach forming a frame-work for the curricula in the Faculty. In addition to his UBC activities he was active in national scientific and academic associations. He initiated the formation of the Association of Faculties of Agriculture in Canada and was President of this group in from 1974 to 1975.
During his career, he achieved international recognition as a plant pathologist, making pioneering contributions to research on the physiology and biochemistry of host-parasite relationships. As both dean and vice-president, Dr. Shaw brought vision and commitment to his years of academic service. He encouraged the creation of many new programs and he supported funds for university programs in the interior and the north of BC that enhanced access for students from the entire province. His leadership and administration were grounded in the highest academic standards and what was best for UBC students and for the province. Dr Shaw retired in 1989 after a distinguished association of 22 years with UBC and was named University Professor and Dean Emeritus. In recognition of his service to the University and to agricultural science a scholarship fund was established in his name. In retirement he maintained an active interest in agricultural research and in academic affairs.
Dr Shaw received several prestigious honours and distinctions. Particularly noteworthy were his election to the Royal Society of Canada in 1962, the honorary Doctor of Science from his alma mater, McGill University (1975) and the Royal Society of Canada's Flavelle Medal, their highest award for research achievements in the biological sciences (1976). For his substantial international impact in the world of plant sciences and his contribution to the University, Dr. Shaw was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science by UBC in 2003. The Senate sends its condolences to Dr. Shaw’s family and friends.
With the death last summer of Gordon Merritt Shrum, The University of British Columbia lost yet another of its outstanding pioneers. Rarely has one individual given so much of his life, his energy ard his amazing talents to the university which he loved so deeply.
Gordon Shrum accepted an appointment as Assistant Professor of Physics in 1925. For the next thirty-six years he served in every capacity in which the University called him. He headed the Department of Physics from 1937 to 1961; played a major role during World War II as officer in charge of the COTC; served as Director of Extension from 1937 to 1953, during which the University expanded its services throughout the Province; he was Director of Housing in the most critical period of growth in the University's history; and his academic career culminated with his responsibilities as Dean of Graduate Studies from 1957 to 1961.
Dr. Shrum also served, with distinction, on the Senate of the University from 1957 to 1961. He was awarded an Honorary D.Sc. degree from U.B.C. in 1961.
It is quite impossible to adequately summarize Gordon Shrum's second great career, which began after his official retirement from the University. His triumphs as a builder, a planner, an administrator and as a remarkable servant of this Province are all well known. Simon Fraser University and the Peace River Dam stand as just two consequences of his determination and his will to accomplish.
This University has given much to society through its pursuit of excellence in those three major commitments, teaching, research and public service. In all three activities there is no finer example than the legacy of Gordon Shrum.
To the members of his family, the Senate of The University of British Columbia extends its deepest sympathy.
Michael Smith was born in Blackpool, England. He received his undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Manchester and immigrated to Canada as a research fellow in 1956. He joined the Department of Biochemistry at UBC in 1966 as a Career Investigator of the Medical Research Council of Canada. His research in Nucleic Acids and Genetics led to the development of a research technique - site directed mutagenesis. This technique is used in understanding the functions of genes and proteins in medical and biological research and in modifying genes and proteins to create new products in the biotechnology industry. For this innovative work, Michael Smith was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1993.
Dr. Smith's academic career entailed excellence in research, graduate education, leadership in innovation, and a commitment to human welfare and scientific education. He founded the UBC Biotechnology Laboratory in 1987 and was its Director until 1996. He was also a founding Scientific Leader of the Protein Engineering Network of Centres of Excellence and the Director of the Genome Sequence Centre at the BC Cancer Agency. His scientific leadership and collegial nature attracted many outstanding scientists to UBC and established this University as one of the leading centres for genomic research in North America.
Michael Smith was also an ardent supporter of other causes in science and society. He was committed to the support of the Schizophrenia Society of Canada, the Canadian Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia, the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology, and a program for elementary school teachers provided by Science World BC. He also served UBC in many capacities beyond his research activities including a three-year term in the UBC Senate from 1981-84.
In addition to his Nobel Prize, he received many awards and honours, including: Companion of the Order of Canada, Order of British Columbia, Gairdner Foundation International Award, University Killam Professor, Peter Wall Professorship, Royal Bank Award, Fellowships in the Royal Societies of Canada and London, and a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. His international recognition and prestige honour his contributions to science, academia and human welfare. UBC's reputation as a research university was markedly enhanced by Michael Smith's contributions to our academic community. We shall be eternally grateful for his life and work at UBC.
Helen Sonthoff was born in Rochester, NY, on September 11, 1916. She was educated at Smith College (AB 1937), and Radcliffe College. She taught for some years in Massachusetts and Washington DC before coming to UBC in 1957 as a Teaching Assistant. The high quality of her teaching gained her a tenured appointment as an Assistant Professor of English in 1968.
Ms. Sonthoff was an enthusiastic teacher and scholar of Canadian literature, back in the days when Canadian literature was still struggling to establish itself as a field worthy of study. Her own writing was on the fiction and poetry of such contemporary figures as Phyllis Webb, Milton Acorn, Eli Mandel, and Leonard Cohen, and from time to time she promoted their work on the CBC as a reader and critic.
She served on numerous departmental and faculty committees, and in 1972 she was elected to a three-year term on the University Senate as a representative of the Faculty of Arts. As a member of the fledgling Women's Action Group she contributed to the first Report on the Status of Women at UBC in 1973.
Ms. Sonthoff was an early supporter of aboriginal education at the post-secondary level, and worked with colleagues in Arts and Education to give special help to aboriginal students. Herself a good teacher, she worked tirelessly to persuade others of the importance of good teaching at the undergraduate level.
The long-time companion of writer Jane Rule, Helen Sonthoff was a gracious, warm and witty person, much liked by her students and colleagues, and much respected for her unflinching adherence to principle. She retired from the English Department in 1976, and died in Victoria, BC on January 3, 2000.
Few names feature as prominently in the history of this University as Frederic Soward. Dean Soward's life was intertwined with the growth of The University of British Columbia. He loved the academy and brought credit and honour to every aspect of the relationship.
Frederic Soward embodied all of the qualities which distinguish the role of a professor in a democratic society. He shared with his students his love of this nation and its historic traditions. He was the author of three books and many articles which dealt with Canada and its evolving role on the international stage.
Dean Soward's lifelong commitment to the University was vividly expressed in his innumerable speaking engagements throughout the province and through his annual reviews of international affairs at the Vancouver Institute.
Born in Minden, Ontario and educated at the Universities of Toronto and 0xford, Frederic Soward joined the faculty in 1922, during its early years in the "Fairview Shacks." Apart from a three year appointment to the Department of External Affairs, at the request of the Prime Minister, Dean Soward devoted 42 years to U.B.C. He was the Head of the Department of History from 1953 to 1963, and also served as Associate Dean and later Dean of Graduate Studies. He received an honorary degree from Carleton University in 1962 and from his own university in 1964. His contribution to the Senate covered 16 years.
With the passing of Frederic Soward, on January 1, 1985, The University of British Columbia has lost one of the last links with its own exciting past. His is a loss which cannot be measured in conventional terms.
To his surviving family, the Senate of this University extends its deepest sympathy.
The members of the Senate of the University of British Columbia desire to pay tribute to the memory of the late Mr. Christopher Spencer, CBE, former member of the Board of Governors and benefactor of the University. Born in Victoria, B.C., in 1868, Mr. Spencer was the son of Mr. and Mrs. David Spencer. Educated in the Victoria High School he entered the firm of David Spencer Ltd. in 1882. In 1907 Mr. Spencer established the Vancouver Branch. He later became the President of David Spencer Ltd., a position which he held until the sale of the Spencer stores to the T. Eaton Company of Canada.
"Mr. Chris", as he was popularly termed, was well knowm for his public spirit and generosity. From its inception he was interested in the University and in 1921 he was appointed a member of the Board of Governors. He held office until the reorganization of the Board in 1936. In May, 1952 he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws as a recognition of his valued services to the University. He established the Chris Spencer Foundation for the assistance of worthy students. The first awards under the Foundation were made in October, 1950.
The Senate wishes to express its appreciation of the public service of the late Mr. Spencer and especially its heartfelt thanks for the valuable part which he played in the early days of the University.
Kay Aronstam Stockholder was raised in Brooklyn and educated at Hunter College. It was there where she fell in love with literature. After completing her BA, she worked as an editor of a trade magazine and taught for a brief period in a private school for girls. She was determined to return to university and completed her MA at Columbia and her Ph.D. at the University of Washington. She developed a strong 'sense of self' and an intellectual compassion for the work of Freud and Shakespeare during her Ph.D. studies. She also met Fred Stockholder, married and gave birth to the first of her three children in Seattle.
In 1962, she began her academic career in UBC's Faculty of Arts where she taught in the Department of English and the Arts One Program. She had a passion for probing the meaning of life. Her 1987 book, Dream Works, described Shakespeare's plays as a dream of its central character, and 'was Kay Stockholder's way of probing life's meaning.'
She was devoted to the work of the BC Civil Liberties Association in recent years and served as its president during the last three years of her life. She was an effective and articulate spokesperson in issues related to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
She was a respected academic, literary critic, teacher and civil libertarian. Kay Stockholder served on the UBC Senate from 1972-75, and was also active in affairs of the Faculty Association. She was a vibrant colleague at UBC and intensely involved in issues of the University and the lives of her close friends.
She contributed a great deal to this University's community during her life. She will be missed by her colleagues, students, family and friends.
Mr. Basil Frederick Stuart-Stubbs was born in Moncton, New Brunswick, and moved to Vancouver with his parents at the age of 16. He received his B.A. (Honours in Philosophy) from UBC in 1952, and his Bachelor of Library Science from McGill University in 1954. Between 1954 and 1956, Basil worked as a reference librarian at McGill. He returned to UBC in 1956 to join the Library staff, specializing in collections and rare books. In 1964, Basil was appointed University Librarian. During his time as University Librarian, he dedicated many years of service to the UBC Senate.
Basil moved to a faculty position in 1981, when he was appointed Professor and Director of the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies. While at the School, Basil implemented the first post-graduate degree program in North America in the field of archival studies. For a dozen years, he taught the only course available on publishing in British Columbia.
Basil received many awards and honours, including the Gray Campbell Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding contributions to the book industry in British Columbia in 2004, the Order of Canada in 2005, and the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
Privately, Basil spent decades researching his family’s genealogy, and enjoyed many travels abroad. As an amateur pianist and avid concert-attendee, he had a lifelong passion for collecting sheet music, recordings, and books by and about pianists. Professor emeritus and University Librarian emeritus at UBC, Basil will be remembered as a bibliophile, scholar, and librarian.
Oscar Sziklai was a respected member of the UBC academic community. He was a student, an alumnus, a faculty member and a Professor Emeritus at UBC. Born in Repashuta, Hungary and educated in nearby Eger, he enrolled in the Sopron Forestry School and completed his undergraduate degree in 1946. Sopron remained a focal point for him throughout his life. It was there that he began his academic career as a faculty member in 1951. When the Hungarian Revolution began in the fall of 1956, he fled to Austria with his family, a large component of the student body of the Sopron Forestry School and twenty other members of the faculty. They immigrated, en masse, to Canada in 1957 and settled in British Columbia. The Sopron School of Forestry became affiliated with UBC and its student body completed their academic studies at UBC. Oscar Sziklai remained as a Sopron faculty member until 1961 and concurrent with his teaching of the Sopron students, he enrolled in postgraduate studies in the UBC Faculty of Forestry in 1959. He completed his Ph.D. in Forest Genetics and began his academic career at UBC in 1964.
He was a dynamic and popular instructor at UBC and he soon became recognized internationally for his research. He was active in forestry research in British Columbia and also maintained ongoing projects in Europe, Egypt and China. Oscar was also involved in the University community and took part in Open Houses, Congregations and special events. He served on the Senate on two different occasions from 1978-81 and 1983-84.
Following his retirement in 1990, he remained active as a Professor Emeritus and served as the President of the Professor Emeriti Association for two years. He was also involved in the UBC Alumni Association and recognized by them for his leadership and contributions as a faculty member. He supported the development and the growth of the Sopron School of Forestry in Hungary and returned to Hungary on several occasions as a visiting professor. It was on one of these visits in September of this year that Oscar became ill and died in Sopron. He is survived by his wife, his four children and seven grandchildren, all of whom live in Vancouver. He will be missed by his family, colleagues and friends.
One of Oscar's major projects was to grow and give away seedlings of a variety of trees at UBC's Open Houses from 1972-1990. The landscapes of the UBC campus and the province of British Columbia are enriched by the work of Oscar Sziklai. His memory will live on in his work and in the lives of his students and colleagues.