Roger Gaudry, (December 15, 1913 – October 7, 2001) was a Canadian chemist, businessman, corporate director, and rector of the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...

Early life and education

Born in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, he received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

(B.Sc.) in chemistry in 1937 and a

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

(D.Sc.) in chemistry in 1940 from

Université Laval Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Montm ...

. A

Rhodes scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

, he attended the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

from 1937 to 1939.

Career

From 1940 to 1945, he was assistant professor of chemistry in the Faculty of Medicine at Université Laval. He was appointed associate professor in 1945 and professor in 1950. In 1954, he became assistant director of research at Ayerst, McKenna & Harrison Ltd. in

Montréal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

From 1957 to 1965, he was director and vice-president from 1963 to 1965. From 1965 to 1975, he served as the rector of the

. He was a member of the board of directors of the following companies: Connaught Laboratories Ltd., CDC Life Sciences Inc.,

Bank of Montreal The Bank of Montreal (BMO; french: Banque de Montréal, link=no) is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank; while its head office remains in ...

Alcan Alcan was a Canadian mining company and aluminum manufacturer. It was founded in 1902 as the Northern Aluminum Company, renamed Aluminum Company of Canada in 1925, and Alcan Aluminum in 1966. It took the name Alcan Incorporated in 2001. During t ...

, Hoechst Canada, S.K.W. Canada Ltd., Bio-Recherche Ltée, Corby Distilleries Ltd, and St. Lawrence Starch Co. Ltd. From 1983 to 1995, he was president of the Fondation Jules et Paul-Emile Léger, a Canadian charity which supports groups that help restore human dignity to those who have been rejected by society. After his death in 2001, he was entombed at the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery in Montreal.

Honours

* In 1954, he was made a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, 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, bil ...

. * In 1968, he was made a Companion of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

. * In 1980, he received an honorary doctorate from

Concordia University Concordia University (French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

. * In 1992, he was made a Grand Officer of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Govern ...

. * In 1996, he became the recipient of the

José Vasconcelos World Award of Education The José Vasconcelos World Award of Education is granted by the World Cultural Council as a recognition to renowned educators, to experts in the field of teaching, and to legislators of education policies who have significant influence in enrich ...

* In 2003, the main pavilion at

, Roger-Gaudry Building, was renamed in his honor.Le site officiel du Mont-Royal / Université de Montréal / Pavillon Roger-Gaudry
Ville de Montréal. Accessed 22 January 2019

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaudry, Roger 1913 births 2001 deaths Canadian chemists Canadian Rhodes Scholars Canadian university and college chief executives Companions of the Order of Canada Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada French Quebecers Grand Officers of the National Order of Quebec People from Quebec City Université Laval alumni Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery