Gordon Shrum | |
|---|---|
| Chancellor ofSimon Fraser University | |
| In office 1963–1968 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gordon Merritt Shrum (1896-01-14)January 14, 1896 |
| Died | June 20, 1985(1985-06-20) (aged 89) |
| Alma mater | Victoria College |
Gordon Merritt ShrumOC OBE MM (January 14, 1896 – June 20, 1985) was a Canadian scientist, teacher, administrator, and the first Chancellor ofSimon Fraser University.
Shrum was born inSmithville, Ontario, the son of Emma Jane (née Merritt) and William Burton Shrum. His education atVictoria College at theUniversity of Toronto, where he started in 1913, was interrupted by World War I.[1] A friend ofLester (Mike) Pearson, he was in his Canadian Officers Training Corps (C.O.T.C.) unit starting in 1914. Their company commander wasVincent Massey.
On April 1, 1916, he enlisted in the army. He was a gunner and fought at theBattle of Vimy Ridge. He received theMilitary Medal during the war.[2]
After the war, he continued his education and received a Bachelor of Arts in 1919, aMaster of Arts in 1921. As a doctoral student in February 1923 he was the first to replicateKamerlingh Onnes's 1908 Nobel Prize–winning feat of liquefying helium.[3] Later that year he was awarded his Doctorate in physics for studies of the hydrogen spectrum. As a post-doctoral fellow he was the first to identify the prominent green line in theAurora Borealis as due to oxygen.
In 1925, he joined the faculty at theUniversity of British Columbia (UBC) where he taught physics. In 1935 he was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Canada.[4] From 1938 to 1961, he was the head of the Physics Department. Circa 1945-1950, he was also Director of Emergency Housing, allocating former WWII Army huts for faculty and staff housing on campus in Acadia Camp and Fort Camp.[5] From 1957 to 1961, he was the Dean of Graduate Studies and served on the Senate of the University. However, he was forced to retire at the age of 65 due to their rules.[6]
In 1958, he was chairman of a royal commission investigating theBC Power Commission. He was also named a member of theOrder of the British Empire.[1] After retiring from UBC, he was appointed head ofBC Electric by PremierW.A.C. Bennett and was involved with thePeace River hydro project.[6] This project comprised the construction of theW.A.C. Bennett Dam, which impoundsWilliston Lake Reservoir, and the construction of a 2730 MW powerhouse (at that time the largest in the world) named after him: the G.M. Shrum Generating Station. In 1969, he was the recipient of Electrical Man of the Year.[7] He stayed atBC Hydro until 1972.[8]
During this time, Shrum was also involved in establishingSimon Fraser University and served as its first chancellor from 1963 to 1968. During this time, he was appointed an Officer of theOrder of Canada.[9] A few years later, in 1975, he was appointed Director of the Vancouver Museum and Planetarium Association. In 1986, he wrote his autobiography with Peter Stursberg, calledGordon Shrum: An Autobiography.[3]
Shrum died in Vancouver, British Columbia, at age 89.
| Academic offices | ||
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| Preceded by New position | Chancellor ofSimon Fraser University January 1, 1964 – May 31, 1968 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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