‘Kindly gentleman’ third engineering dean
The third dean of Western Engineering, Gordon Chess, died in London Oct. 9 at the age of 83.
Gordon Chess
Chess, who had 33 years of service at Western when he retired in 1991, led the Faculty of Engineering from 1978 – 1987. His direction included the launch of the Industry Internship Program and the opening of the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory.
Chess served with the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during the Second World War. He earned degrees from University of Toronto (B.Sc.), McGill (M.Eng) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (PhD Engineering).
Former student, colleague and friend, Peter Castle, Emeritus and Adjunct Research Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, remembers Chess:
“I remember Gordon fondly. He, along with Stuart Lauchland, were the only two faculty members in the Electrical Group when I was here as an undergraduate student from 1957 to 1961,” says Castle.
“Although his military background gave him the reputation of being a strict disciplinarian, in fact he was a kindly gentleman who treated his students with affection and respect. On many occasions he opened his home to entertain student groups. He always encouraged them to gain broad life experience and for that reason the scholarship in his name is specifically targeted for students who participate in university and community affairs.”
Memorial contributions to The University of Western Ontario for the Gordon Chess Scholarship held at Foundation Western or the Brain Tumor Foundation would be gratefully acknowledged by the family.
The Gordon Chess Scholarship is awarded to a student entering the third year in the Faculty of Engineering who exhibits broad interests and leadership qualities by participation in university or community activities. This award was established in 1993, in honour of Chess.
Chess was an active member and Rector’s Warden at St. John the Divine Anglican Church in Arva.