Henry Edmison Duckworth, (November 1, 1915 – December 18, 2008) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

physicist and university administrator. The Duckworth Centre at the

University of Winnipeg The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg, UW, or U of W) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It offers undergraduate programs in art, business, economics, education, science and applied health as well as graduate progra ...

is named in his honour.

Biography

Born in

Brandon, Manitoba Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...

, and raised in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, Duckworth received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesley College in 1935, followed by a Bachelor of Science degree in 1936 and a teaching certificate in 1937 from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

. From 1938 to 1940, he taught math and physics at secondary and junior colleges in Manitoba. In 1940, he continued his education, receiving a Ph.D. in Physics from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1942. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was a junior scientist with the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals assigned to the

National Research Council of Canada The National Research Council Canada (NRC; ) is the primary national agency of the Government of Canada dedicated to science and technology research and development. It is the largest federal research and development organization in Canada. Th ...

. After the war, he an Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Manitoba from 1945 to 1946. He then was a Professor of Physics at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

from 1946 to 1951. From 1951 to 1965, he was a Professor of Physics at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

. From 1961 to 1965, he was the Dean of Graduate Studies at McMaster University. Among his academic works is ''Mass Spectroscopy'', the first definitive English-language book on the subject. In 1965, he was appointed Vice-President (Academic) at the University of Manitoba. From 1971 to 1981, he was the second president of the

. From 1986 to 1992, he was the tenth chancellor of the University of Manitoba. From 1971 to 1972, he was the president of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; , SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguishe ...

. In 2000, he released his memoirs ''One Version of the Facts: My Life in the Ivory Tower'' (). In 1976, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

for "his contributions to physics at university education and his service on numerous scientific and educational bodies". On December 18, 2008, he died after having suffered a series of strokes that started shortly after his birthday.

Legacy

The Duckworth Centre at the University of Winnipeg is named in Henry Duckworth's honour. Duckworth was posthumously made Professor Emeritus of the university in 2013. Duckworth’s name and support also belongs to several annual student scholarships at the University of Winnipeg.

References

External links

Obituary
from the Canadian Association of Physicists. {{DEFAULTSORT:Duckworth, Henry 1915 births 2008 deaths Canadian physicists Chancellors by university and college in Canada Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Academic staff of McMaster University Members of the United Church of Canada Officers of the Order of Canada People from Brandon, Manitoba Politicians from Brandon, Manitoba Presidents of the University of Winnipeg University of Chicago alumni University of Manitoba alumni University of Winnipeg alumni Academic staff of the University of Manitoba Wesleyan University faculty 20th-century Canadian memoirists Presidents of the Canadian Association of Physicists Royal Canadian Corps of Signals soldiers Canadian Army personnel of World War II Canadian military personnel from Manitoba Scientists from Manitoba Scientists from Winnipeg