Henry Cecil Gunning, FRSC (September 9, 1901 – 1991) 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 ...

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

and

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. A

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2011): Mi ...

, gunningite, was named in his honour.

Early life

Gunning was born in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. At the age of six his family moved to

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. His father established a hardware business there. Gunning earned a B.A.Sc. in Geological Engineering in 1924-25 from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

. He was one of the first two graduates from the UBC Geological Engineering program, started in 1921 . While at university he played on the rugby and soccer teams. After graduating he worked one summer as a contract miner in

Stewart, British Columbia Stewart is a district municipality at the head of the Portland Canal in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, near the Alaskan panhandle. In 2021, it had a population of 517. History The Nisga'a, who live around the Nass River, called th ...

, before moving to

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

to study at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

. By 1927 Gunning had earned his

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

. In 1928, he married Edith Frances Fitts.

Career

After school, Dr. Gunning started working with the

Geological Survey of Canada The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; , CGC) is a Canadian federal government agency responsible for performing geological surveys of the country developing Canada's natural resources and protecting the environment. A branch of the Earth Science ...

. He concentrated on survey in the geology and mineral deposits of British Columbia, with a focus on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

. He also surveyed part of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. In 1939, he began his academic career with the University of British Columbia. As Head of the Department of Geology and Geography he both taught and performed research. In 1953, Gunning was promoted to the position of Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science. While he was Dean he also served as Director of the Geological Engineering Program. He surrendered that position in 1959 to travel to

Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and conduct research. Dr. Gunning returned to Vancouver to practice private consulting and also to establish an engineering program at the

British Columbia Institute of Technology The British Columbia Institute of Technology (also referred to as BCIT), is a public polytechnic institute in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The technical institute has five campuses located in the Metro Vancouver region, with its main cam ...

Awards and honours

*1937, awarded Barlow Memorial Medal by the

Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) is a not-for-profit technical society of professionals in the Canadian minerals, metals, materials and energy industries. CIM's members are convened from industry, academia and go ...

for his paper, ''Cadillac-Malartic Area, Quebec'' *1956, awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from UBC *1966, awarded Logan Medal from the Geological Association of Canada *made a Fellow 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 ...

*Mineral named in his honour, Gunningite

Often cited papers

*Gunning, H.C. (1930): ''Geology and Mineral Deposits of Quatsino-Nimpkish Area, Vancouver Island, British Columbia''; in Summary Report 1929; Geological Survey of Canada, Part A, pages 94A-143A. *Gunning, H.C. (1932): ''Preliminary Report on the Nimpkish Lake Quadrangle, Vancouver Island, British Columbia''; in Summary Report 1931; Geological Survey of Canada, Part A, pages 22–35.

References

External links

History of UBC Engineering Geology

Barlow Memorial Medal

Gunningite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunning, Henry C. 1901 births 1991 deaths 20th-century Canadian geologists Geological Survey of Canada personnel Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Academic staff of the British Columbia Institute of Technology University of British Columbia alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Logan Medal recipients Irish emigrants to Canada Canadian expatriates in the United States John Oliver Secondary School alumni