Alan Noel Hughes
| Alan Noel Hughes | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1934-12-21 England |
| Died | 2023-02-20 |
| Years in Thunder Bay | from the 1970s until about 1999 |
| Occupation | professor of chemistry |
| Employer | Lakehead University |
| Partner | |
| Children | |
Alan Noel Hughes (21 December 1934 – 20 February 2023 (aged 88)) was an English-born chemist who spent about thirty years as a professor of chemistry at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, where he also served as Dean of Science.[1]
Early life and career
Hughes grew up in England during the Second World War and the lean years after it. He met his future wife, Barbara, while both were science students at the University of Reading, and the couple married and began their working life abroad, teaching first in Malaysia and then in Thailand. When he was offered a professorship in Canada, the family, with their two children, emigrated and became Canadian citizens in the 1970s.[1]
At Lakehead he taught in the chemistry department of the Faculty of Arts and Science for three decades and held the post of Dean of Science. He also taught at Mahidol University in Bangkok, at Duke University in North Carolina and at the University of Massachusetts, and was a visiting lecturer at other institutions, publishing many papers and keeping up research partnerships around the world. His memorial describes a man of formidable intellect and dry British wit who admired the work of scientists of earlier centuries, especially women whose contributions were overlooked.[1]
Retirement and death
About 24 years before his death he retired from Thunder Bay to French Creek on Vancouver Island. He and Barbara travelled often to Thailand and Hawaii. He cared for Barbara for many years until she entered long-term care in 2020, after which he visited her regularly. He died on 20 February 2023, aged 88, and in line with his wishes there was a private cremation, with donations to a diabetes charity suggested in his memory.[1]
Family
He was survived by his wife Barbara; their son John (married to Julia) and daughter Elizabeth; and his grandchildren Patrick, Alison and Carys, along with relatives in England, his birthplace.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Entry for Alan Noel Hughes, "In Memoriam", Retirees' Association of Lakehead University, https://www.lakeheadretirees.ca/in-memoriam/ (accessed 31 October 2026). Archived copy on datum.locker.