John Robert Evans
9th President of the University of Toronto
In office
1972–1978
Preceded byClaude Bissell
Succeeded byJames Milton Ham
Personal details
Born(1929-10-01)1 October 1929
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died13 February 2015(2015-02-13) (aged 85)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
SpouseGay Glassco
Alma materUniversity of Toronto
University of Oxford

John Robert Evans CC OOnt (1 October 1929 – 13 February 2015) was a Canadian cardiologist, academic, businessperson, and civic leader.

He was the founding dean of the McMaster University Medical School and then vice-president of Health Services at McMaster University from 1965 to 1972. From 1972 to 1978 he was President of the University of Toronto. From 1979 to 1983, he served as founding Director of the Population, Health and Nutrition Department of the World Bank in Washington, DC.

Evans was a key player in the sale of the Canadian Connaught Laboratories to the French Sanofi-Aventis.

He was elected as the ninth Chairman of the Rockefeller Foundation, a position that he held from 1987 to 1995. Evans was the first Canadian to hold the position.[1]

He was chairman of Allelix Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Torstar Corporation, Alcan Aluminum Ltd. (1995–2002), the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Walter and Duncan Gordon Charitable Foundation. He was the chairman of and helped create the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto. He died at the age of 85 from Parkinson's disease in 2015.[2]

Early life and education

Evans was born in Toronto, and was the youngest of seven children. His parents were Mary and William Watson Evans. Evans was orphaned at the age of nine and was subsequently raised by his older siblings.[3] He went to the University of Toronto Schools for high school, and after graduating from UTS, studied medicine at the University of Toronto (U of T). He was a varsity football player at U of T and would later become a member of U of T's Sports Hall of Fame.[4] He received his medical degree from the University of Toronto in 1952 and was a Rhodes Scholar at University College, Oxford. He received his Doctoral degree specializing in internal medicine and cardiology at Oxford University in 1955.

Academic career

Evans was a research fellow at Harvard Medical School from 1960 to 1961, he then returned to Toronto as an associate professor at U of T's faculty of medicine. He also worked as a cardiologist at Toronto General Hospital during this period, apparently the only time that he practised medicine.[5]

At the relatively young age of 35, Evans was selected as the founding Dean of McMaster University's new Medical School.

Politics

In a 1978 federal by-election, Evans ran for a seat in the House of Commons as a Liberal in the Toronto riding of Rosedale, but was defeated by former Toronto Mayor David Crombie.[6]

Honours and awards

Honorary degrees

Evans received 15 Honorary Doctorates, including:

References

  1. ^ "Chairman and Trustees Elected at Rockefeller". New York Times. 20 June 1987. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  2. ^ "John Evans co-founded Mac school of medicine". The Hamilton Spectator. 17 February 2015.
  3. ^ McMahon, Tamsin (13 February 2015). "MaRS Discovery District founder Dr. John Evans dies at 85". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  4. ^ Oved, Marco Chown (13 February 2015). "John Evans, founder of MaRS, dead at 85". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  5. ^ Stoffman, Judy (6 March 2015). "A humble man of many talents, John Evans reinvented medical education". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  6. ^ "History of Federal Ridings since 1867". Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  7. ^ "Laureates - Dr. John R. Evans". Friends of Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  8. ^ "John R. Evans". Gairdner Foundation. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  9. ^ "In Memoriam: Dr John Evans (1953), Honorary Fellow". University College, Oxford. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  10. ^ "U of T's Evans, retired Forces chief head list of Order of Canada names". Ottawa: The Globe and Mail. 14 January 1978. p. 12.
  11. ^ "McMaster University Honorary Degree Recipients (Chronological)" (PDF). p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  12. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients". York University. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  13. ^ "Honorary Graduates" (PDF). Memorial University of Newfoundland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  14. ^ "Honorary Degrees" (PDF). Queen's University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  15. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients". Wilfrid Laurier University. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  16. ^ "Yale Honorary Degree Recipients". Yale University. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  17. ^ "JHU Honorary Degrees Awarded". Johns Hopkins University. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  18. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients 1850 - 2014" (PDF). University of Toronto. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  19. ^ "Honorary Degrees". Maastricht University. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  20. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients by Last Name" (PDF). University of Calgary. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  21. ^ "Honorary degree recipients for President's Install". University of Alberta. Archived from the original on 30 September 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  22. ^ Harding, Frances. "Convocation 2009". Archived from the original on 27 August 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2016.

External links

Academic offices Preceded byNone Dean and vice-president of the McMaster University Medical School, McMaster University 1965-1972 Succeeded byFraser Mustard Non-profit organization positions Preceded byClifton R. Wharton Jr. Chairman of the Rockefeller Foundation 1987 — 1995 Succeeded byAlice Stone Ilchman
Presidents of the University of Toronto
Inductees into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
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