Former AV俱乐部 Industrial Engineering professor Eldon Gunn鈥檚 influence ran deep. So when news of his death from prostate cancer this past February spread, his first-ever master鈥檚 student from more than 30 years ago 鈥� now living in India 鈥� took notice.
Aijith Rai emailed the late professor鈥檚 colleagues in the department immediately to offer up an idea: why not set up an endowment fund in Dr. Gunn鈥檚 memory? He even donated US$100,000 to get it started.
Rai, an entrepreneur who returned to India in the early 1980s to start a company that is now a global leader in the production of automotive cables, was unable to attend a memorial reception for Dr. Gunn held last Thursday, but he shared a statement that was read aloud at the event.
鈥淸Eldon] expected the best and brought the best out of his students,鈥� Rai wrote in the statement, read by Dal professor Corinne MacDonald, another of Dr. Gunn鈥檚 former students and the current head of the Industrial Engineering department.
鈥淭he grounding I got from him as my guide and teacher in those two years have stood the test of time in my entrepreneurial and personal journey for which I will be eternally grateful to him.鈥�
The department has established the Eldon Gunn Memorial Scholarship Fund with Rai鈥檚 donation and will award $5,000 each year to a promising incoming industrial engineering student starting next fall. It鈥檚 just one of the ways Dr. Gunn鈥檚 influence will continue to be felt in the years ahead.
Leaving a legacy
Dr. Gunn arrived in the Industrial Engineering department at the Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS) in 1980, well before the school was amalgamated with Dal in 1997. He was head of the department twice, once during the period that included the Dal-TUNS merger from 1996 to 2004 and again from 2007-2010. Colleagues credit Dr. Gunn for the growth and success of the Industrial Engineering programs after amalgamation, and Dr. MacDonald says he was always trying to find ways to recruit and encourage more women, like herself, to enter into the Engineering academia field.
An award-winning operational research expert, Dr. Gunn was deeply involved in solving engineering problems in the natural resources area with a focus on forestry management, fisheries, tidal power and mine operations. He was the founding chair of Nova Forest Alliance, which is part of the Canadian Model Forest Network set up by Natural Resources Canada as a way to spread sustainable forestry management practices.
鈥淗e was very committed to working on problems, especially where they could help Nova Scotia,鈥� said Dr. MacDonald in an interview.
Sharing memories
A couple dozen of Dr. Gunn鈥檚 former colleagues, graduate students as well as family attended last week鈥檚 memorial, including his wife, Holly, who two months ago made a donation of her own of $30,000 to her late husband鈥檚 former department.
That money will be used to create the Eldon Gunn Industrial Engineering Student-Support Fund that will support student activities, field trips, guest speakers, conference fees, and whatever the department deems appropriate.
鈥淚t was something Eldon would have done,鈥� she said in remarks at the reception. 鈥淗e had a passion for the department, so I鈥檇 like to continue his passion.鈥�
Although he formally retired as a full professor in 2009 鈥� 鈥済iving up his salary so the department could hire a new person,鈥� as Dr. MacDonald explained it 鈥� Dr. Gunn stayed on in a research professor role and continued to supervise graduate students right up until his death at age 66, even though he鈥檇 been battling cancer for the past few years. He was scheduled to attend one of his students鈥� defences two weeks after he died.
A 鈥済ift for gab鈥�
Others in attendance had a chance to share memories of Dr. Gunn, many reflecting on his deep knowledge of engineering and countless other subjects. Many also joked about his gift for gab, with one former student recounting the time he went to Dr. Gunn for some quick help in filling out a bit of paperwork and ended up half-an-hour late for an exam.
Another of Dr. Gunn鈥檚 former students, Jean-Paul Deveau, shared an anecdote about an assignment he got back from the professor when he was his student in the early 1980s.
鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 done my homework for an exam, and I wrote the exam. I got the paper back and on the front cover in red ink it says, 鈥楩or somebody of your supposed intelligence, this is very poor work,鈥欌�� remembered Deveau, who went on to co-found Acadian Seaplants, now a Halifax-based multi-national health sciences company. 鈥淚 still have that paper at home and anytime that I think I might be a little smarter than I think I am, I think of that paper.鈥�
Josh Leon, Dal鈥檚 dean of Engineering, said Dr. Gunn鈥檚 name frequently comes up when he meets with alumni and a recent trip to Toronto was no exception.
鈥淚 met with all sorts of people and they all asked about Eldon and told me what a great time they had here and their fond memories,鈥� said Dr. Leon. 鈥淗e had a huge impact on the province, I think, and on this place for sure.鈥�