In Memoriam

Dr. Herbert Hancock passed away on October 9, 2024 at the age of 96. He was a Professor of metallurgical engineering starting at the Nova Scotia Technical College in the late 1960s, which then became the Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS). TUNS merged with Dalhousie University in 1977. Herbert was professor for many years at Dalhousie, and continued as a Professor Emeritus into his 80s.

While at TUNS, Herbert was president of the Faculty Association for several years and led the Association through a successful labour dispute with the TUNS Administration.

The only son of working-class parents who left school after grade six, Herbert earned a PhD from the University of Toronto, won a prestigious post-doctoral fellowship to Imperial College in London, had numerous patents to his name, and was a sought-after expert witness into his 90s.

(adapted from Dr. Hancock’s obituary, provided by his son, Bruce Hancock) 

In Memoriam

Dr. Peter Schotch passed away at home in Brookside, NS at the age of 76.

Peter was an active member of the DFA, serving one term as president, and also sitting on the DFA Bargaining Team in four rounds of collective bargaining, once as the Chief Negotiator.

Born in Montreal, Peter joined Dalhousie in 1972, as a faculty member in the Philosophy Department. At his retirement in 2019, he was the Munro Chair of Metaphysics. Along with his long-time collaborator Ray Jennings of Simon Fraser University, Peter made many contributions to the field of logic and in 2018, the national logic prize for Canada was introduced and named the “Schotch-Jennings Logic Prize.” 

Peter was not only known at Dalhousie for teaching existentialism and logic, but also for his unique sense of fashion - ascots, hats, kilts, and Austrian formal wear. 

In Memoriam

DFA Member Dr. Anne Marie Ryan, faculty member and University Teaching Fellow in Dalhousie’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, passed away on January 20, 2022. Born in Ireland in 1955, she attended Dalhousie University (PhD), Mount Saint Vincent University (MEd), Acadia University (MSc and BEd), and University College of Dublin (BSc).

Anne Marie was a geologist, teacher, leader, and advocate for women in science. Understanding the unique challenges, perspectives, and considerations of teaching science, she worked tirelessly to ensure these perspectives were included at all levels of Dalhousie.

Anne Marie volunteered many hours of her time delivering workshops to her DFA colleagues who were considering promotion.

Ten years ago, Anne Marie created Dal’s first Faculty of Science Community of Practice (CoPSci) to foster community for new hires in that Faculty. Today, several CoPSci groups bring together dozens of faculty members from across all Science departments.  

A member of various Earth and Environmental Science (EES) departmental committees, Anne Marie acted as a first-year EES student advisor for many years, and mentored new faculty in the department.

More recently, she provided support for her colleagues in transitioning to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also recently began co-leading Dalhousie Leading in Teaching Excellence bringing together faculty from across campus to encourage leadership in teaching and learning.

Anne Marie received many awards throughout her career, including Dalhousie’s Alumni Association Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, The Association of Atlantic Universities’ Anne Marie Mackinnon Educational Leadership Award, and the 3M National Teaching Fellowship, Canada’s most prestigious recognition of excellence in leadership and teach

In Memoriam

Dr. Julio Militzer passed away in Brazil on January 4, 2022 at the age of 77. During his time at Dalhousie, he was an active contributing Member of the DFA, serving on our Strike Committee in 2002.

Julio retired from Dalhousie’s Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2020, having taught Engineering since 1983, first at the Technical University of Nova Scotia and then with Dalhousie. During his career, he served as the Director of the Centre of Marine Vessel Development and Research (1998 - 2007). He also held the position as the Director of the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Society of Canada, Editor of the CFD Society of Canada Bulletin and was acting Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering (1998 – 1999).

He had over 50 years of consulting and research experience in thermo-fluids engineering. Working in collaboration with Brazilian colleagues and medical doctors, his research also included a focus on the simulation of blood flow in brain aneurysms.

He was a motorsports enthusiast and a high-performance driving instructor. He supervised many student design projects on competition vehicles and tore up the race track with his M3.  

Julio’s true love in life was his family and friends, and he was able to spend this past year in the company of those he loved most.

In Memoriam

Ronald Hoffman passed away on November 13, 2021. Born in Corsicana, Texas in 1946, Ron grew up in Colorado and earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology at The Colorado College in Colorado Springs.

The DFA would like to express gratitude to Ron for helping negotiate the collective agreement for Instructors at Dalhousie.  He was also heavily involved in working on Y-values to determine salary for Instructors and was also active in the area of health and dental benefits for our Members.

In 1968, he came to Nova Scotia to pursue his Master’s in Psychology at Dalhousie University and was a Senior Instructor in Psychology at Dalhousie University from 1980 - 2008. Ron required the highest standards of his students, as he always did of himself, and while this meant crossing swords with them from time to time, he was widely respected and admired.

Ron retired from academia to pursue his interests in sailing, music, travel, fine food and wine. He devoted considerable time to teaching, writing, and editing manuals on boating safety with the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron, of which he was a lifetime member.

Ron was a gifted singer and guitar player in several groups over the years, most recently heading up the Tuesday Night Band, which, since the pandemic began, meets online every Thursday afternoon thanks to Ron’s computer expertise.

In Memoriam

The DFA would like to recognize Dr. Paul Huber, who passed away in Halifax on June 24, 2021 at the age of 86.  Paul was a strong supporter of the DFA over several decades. Our team strongly relied upon his vast knowledge and wisdom regarding the pension plan.  He represented the DFA on many pension plan committees while at Dalhousie as a faculty member and after he retired.

A graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and Yale University, Paul first came to Dalhousie in 1965 to teach international trade and international finance. In the 60s and 70s, he could often be seen with Susan, his Bassett hound, in his office and even his lectures.

Paul had a passion for music and was a member of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society in Halifax, performing on stage in many of their productions.  He was also known to burst into song in the middle of class from time to time, or while strolling through the halls of the Economics Department.  In fact, it was in a choir that he met his second wife Eva, with whom he travelled to Nepal, China, Egypt, West Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and Antarctica.  Paul also wrote a history of the German settlement of Lunenburg, based on original research in Germany.

Paul was a loyal friend who maintained life-long relationships. He is fondly remembered by many and will be truly missed.

In Memoriam

The DFA would like to recognize the dedication of Dr. Bruce Earhard, who passed away on April 23, 2021.

Bruce was a tireless advocate for the DFA Membership, with a particular interest in the areas of pensions and benefits.  He was involved at the time the pension plan was incorporated to the DFA Collective Agreement, and our association is stronger because of his commitment.

Originally from Toronto, Bruce received his PhD in Psychology from the University of Toronto in 1965, and the day after graduation, moved to Halifax. He immediately became a faculty member at Dalhousie University and spent his academic career at Dalhousie in Psychology and Neuroscience.

A long-standing Chair of the Psychology and Neuroscience Undergraduate Program, Bruce received the Rosemary Gill Award for Outstanding Service to Students in 1988.  In the early 1990s, Bruce co-authored the first Canadian Introductory Psychology textbook.  

Bruce had a special dry wit and a love of words that were enjoyed by all. His concern for fairness was paramount in his work on behalf of students and colleagues.  An avid reader and walker, Bruce could be seen striding along a regular route from the Life Sciences Building, along Spring Garden Road and back – no matter the weather.

Bruce is survived by his wife of 55 years, Dr. Marcia Ozier, who was also a professor in Psychology at Dalhousie and a past president of DFA. Photo of Bruce taken by his son Mark Daniel Earhard.

In Memoriam

The DFA offers its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Robert S. Rodger who passed away on Friday, January 8, 2021 at the age of 94. We have lost a good friend, colleague, founding figure and past president of the Dalhousie Faculty Association.

In 1978, Bob spear-headed the certification of the DFA as the bargaining agent for professors, instructors, librarians and counselors at Dalhousie. His extraordinary efforts resulted in the successful certification drive and his exceptional vision helped conclude a model collective agreement that has protected the rights of academic staff for over 40 years. The first year after certification (1978-79), Bob served as the DFA President, leading the organization through what would have been a challenging period of transition. In recognition of his contribution to the DFA, we introduced the Dr. Robert S. Rodger Lecture Series in 2018 during our 40th anniversary to mark outstanding achievements in the promotion of collective bargaining and academic rights.

Bob was born in 1926 in Scotland. As a teenager, he enlisted in the military during WWII and joined the Black Watch (The Royal Highland Regiment), serving in Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, Africa, and Germany. After the war, he spent several years as an elementary and high school teacher in Scotland. These years helped Bob discover his passion for education, and he began his university studies, earning his Masters degree from the University of Edinburgh and his Ph.D. at Queens University of Belfast.

He first came to Dalhousie University in January 1969 as a Killam Senior Fellow. Early in his academic career, Bob was the 1966 recipient of the John Smyth Memorial Medal from Melbourne University, recognizing his contribution to education. His contribution to academia continued for almost five decades. As a few examples of his many achievements, Bob founded in the early years the now-defunct Dalhousie University Computer Users Group and Chaired the Department of Psychology during the 1980s.

The DFA continued to benefit from Bob’s mind and exceptional memory. As recently as fall 2020, during a grievance preparation, we relied on his recollection of the intent behind a few clauses in the original collective agreement of 1978.  Bob will be missed.