In Memoriam

Remembering Queen's alumni.

Those Who Have Passed

Sharing memories of friends, faculty, and colleagues - In Memoriam helps you honour those who have recently passed.

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  • 1960s

    James Henry Coyle

    鈥 MD'63

    Summer 2022

    James Henry Coyle passed away on March 20, 2022, at his home in North Carolina. Beloved husband of 61 years to Carolyn, father to Robert, David and Alaine, and grandfather to Aileen, Kevin, Emily, Alison and Martin. He received his doctorate in psychiatry from the University of Toronto in 1966 and had a productive and rewarding career in both Canada and the United States.

  • 1950s

    David Ross Conn

    鈥 BASc鈥59, MSc鈥61, PhD鈥70

    Summer 2022

    With much sadness, his family announces the passing of David Conn Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, on March 1, 2022 at the age of 86. David, 鈥淕randpa Dave,鈥 was the beloved husband of Liliana, loving father of Peter (Rama), Kristina (Mathew), and Michael (Sonya) and grandfather of Fred, Monica, Oliver, Julia, and Charlotte. David passed away peacefully in Ottawa surrounded by family. As a teenager, David fell in love with radio and thus began a lifelong passion that started as a hobby, turned into a career, and then returned as a hobby; an activity that David kept at as long as he could. All his extended family and friends have many memories of relaxing at the cottage with Morse code providing the background soundtrack. David graduated in 1959 from Queens University in Electrical & Computer Engineering, receiving a master鈥檚 degree in 1961. After his marriage to his Italian beauty, Liliana, in 1961 and the birth of their three children, he received his PhD in 1969. During his long career as a communications engineer and professor he taught at Queen鈥檚 University, Carleton University, and McMaster University. Along the way, his career took him to Boston, Kingston, Ottawa, Stockholm, Saskatoon, and Dundas.

    Outside of work David loved to sail. He raced International 14s and Finns and passed that love on to his three children. David was a passionate black-and-white photographer for most of his life; his extended family is especially grateful for this as the moments and memories he captured on film have become treasures to keep forever. Throughout his life and retirement, he was an active member of OARC, the Ottawa Amateur Radio Club. Many of his radio antennae designs, HAM Radio equipment and radio engineering notes and are now part of the Diefenbunker museum. A celebration of life will be held this summer, 2022, at the family cottage, a place David loved dearly, and a place he visited annually since 1952.

  • 1960s

    Bevin Clark

    鈥 BPHE'69

    Summer 2022

    Originally from St. Thomas, Ont., Bevin Clark passed away in Brockville on Feb. 25, 2022, at the age of 78. He was a fine natural athlete and, while at Queen's, he played basketball and football as the kicker for the Golden Gaels intercollegiate teams. He also had a guest-coach involvement with the Gaels football team in 1977-78, when the team won the College Bowl championship. From 1968 to 1985, Bevin taught at Thousand Islands Secondary School in Brockville, where he coached football and basketball teams, earning the nickname 'Coach,' used by many in Brockville for the rest of his days. In January 1985, his world changed forever when he was felled by a near-fatal attack of pneumococcal meningitis. That unfortunate event left Bevin with impairments that rendered him no longer competitively employable. In retirement, he remained in Brockville, living independently for as long as possible and, most recently, in a long-term care facility. Bevin was a brother of Bob Clark (Sc'56) and Bill Clark (Sc'60), and an uncle of Paul Tuff (Sc'84), and Peter Tuff (Arts'89).

  • 1940s

    Arland E. Benn

    鈥 BASc鈥48

    Summer 2022

    Arland Benn passed away on March 21, 2022. He was 96. He is survived by his wife, Jean; his children, Alison (Artsci鈥92) and Jeffrey; and his five beloved grandchildren. Arland was born on the family farm in Long Lake, Ont., on Jan. 1, 1926. His father, Ira Leslie Benn, took some courses at Queen鈥檚 around 1905 and prospected with Professor Miller and an Indigenous guide in the Cobalt and Haileybury area of Northern Ontario, discovering a mine or two. While at Queen鈥檚, Arland was a cadet and a member of the varsity wrestling team. When Arland completed his degree in civil engineering, he worked in Toronto, Northern Ontario, and then in Montreal on the St. Lawrence Seaway. He moved to Ottawa to work with the international arm of Declan, where he met his wife and continued to pursue his love of gliding. Arland鈥檚 engineering career took him to Thailand, Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya, and Indonesia. Upon his retirement, Arland continued his active lifestyle, becoming an award-winning hobby winemaker and medaling in cross-country ski marathons, winter triathlons, and in-line skating half-marathons well into his 80s. Arland鈥檚 鈥渄owntime鈥 was spent at his Long Lake cottage with family and friends, designing and constructing mosquito-repelling pagodas and more efficient additions to the lakefront abode.

  • 1940s

    Bernard Fisher Trotter 聽

    鈥 MA'48

    Fall 2021

    Bernard Fisher Trotter, MA'48, died on Nov. 5. He is survived by his wife, Jean, his children, Rex, Arts '73 and daughter-in-law Eliza, Victoria Vaghy, B. Mus '75, B. Ed '77 and son-in-law Tibor (retired assistant professor Queen's Music Department), his brother Hale, Arts '52, MA'53 (Mathematics), seven grandchildren including Marie, MA '19 (English), and four great-grandchildren. Bernard's father, Reginald George Trotter, was head of the Queen's History Department until he died in 1951.  

     Born in 1924 in Palo Alto, California, Bernard grew up in Kingston. He graduated from McMaster University in 1945. In 1946-47, he attended Lorne Greene's Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto before receiving his MA from Queen's in 1948. He joined the CBC as Assistant Talks Producer in Winnipeg in 1948 and then served in New York as CBC representative at the UN in 1950-51. After attending the National Defense College in 1951-52, and subsequently heading the English Language Section of the CBC International Service, in 1954 he moved to London,  England, asCBC European representative. In 1957 he returned to Canada as supervisor of CBC Television Public Affairs in Toronto, becoming General Supervisor of the Public Affairs Television and Radio from 1960 to 1963.  

    In 1963 he left the CBC to join 成人大片 as Executive Assistant to the Principal. While at Queen's, he worked with the Committee of Presidents of Ontario Universities to develop a funding system for Ontario universities. He was Head of Academic Planning from 1968 to 1981, authoring several papers on education. While at Queens he also served on the CBC Board of Directors from 1975 to 1980.  He was special assistant to the Principal from 1981 and was awarded a Queen's Distinguished Service Award by the University Council upon retirement in 1988.

    Bernard was a longtime supporter of Queen鈥檚, a gentleman of kindness and generosity, carrying to the last thanks and smiles for anyone attending to his needs and always expressing concern that others take care of themselves first.

     

  • Image of Keith Kiell

    1980s

    Keith Kiell

    Spring 2022

    Coach of the Queen鈥檚 women鈥檚 Archery Team from 1969 to 1983, passed away on Feb. 4, at 94 years of age. He was a natural teacher who brought his skill, patience, and wonderful sense of humour to the many women who, under his wing, learned to work together as a team, and to individually try their best to hit the target when the challenge arose. He was a kind, generous, and gentle man, a gifted teacher, and a good friend.