William Preston Eames
| William Preston Eames | |
|---|---|
| Bill Eames | |
| Born | 1929-09-21 Minnedosa, Manitoba |
| Died | 2017-03-07 Salmon Arm, British Columbia |
| Occupation | professor of mathematics and potter |
| Employer | Lakehead University |
| Father | |
| Mother | |
| Partner | |
| Children | |
William Preston Eames (21 September 1929 – 7 March 2017 (aged 87)) was a Manitoba-born mathematician who chaired the mathematics department at Lakehead University and, with his wife Jane, ran Aardvark Pottery in Thunder Bay. He was known as Bill.[1]
Early life and education
Eames was born on 21 September 1929 in Minnedosa, Manitoba, the only child to survive of George and Ada (née Croley). Ada was a piano teacher, church organist and president of the Manitoba Music Teachers Association, and George worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway. During the Depression his parents fed many hungry and jobless men, which taught him that hardship is rarely a choice. He was the first in his family to go to university, funding himself with scholarships, and studied chemistry and mathematics at Brandon College, where he was class valedictorian and won gold medals. He went on to the University of Manitoba and to Queen's University, where he earned a PhD in calculus at 24, then did postdoctoral work at King's College London.[1]
Thunder Bay
In London he married his pottery teacher, Jane Coles, and they lived in Blackheath with their daughters Gillian and Madeleine. In 1966 the family moved to Port Arthur, Thunder Bay, where Tamsin and David were born. Eames chaired the mathematics department at Lakehead University for many years and was known for inspiring students with creative teaching. In 1977 he and Jane opened Aardvark Pottery, a studio for functional earthenware. After his retirement in 1993 they travelled to pottery workshops and to Mexico, and he spent six months teaching in Gifu, Japan, where he is remembered for appearing in a red curly wig as Anne of Green Gables.[1]
Later life and death
After Jane died in 2010 he lost interest in their shared pursuits and moved to Salmon Arm, British Columbia. He died peacefully on 7 March 2017, aged 87, and was remembered for his humour, generosity and quiet determination. His children and many grandchildren and relatives in England survived him.[1]
Other records
An obituary-index entry dated 8 April 2017 lists this person.[2]
Newspaper record
- Biographical notice in The Chronicle-Journal, 1983-02-05.[3]
- Index note: Students lacking basics.
- Photo notice in The Chronicle-Journal, 1981-02-17.[4]
- Index note: One half of Aardvark Pots.
Notes
The page 'Bill Eames (fl. 1983)' was merged here: its newspaper notices (a 1981 photo caption about one half of Aardvark Pots, and a 1983 item about mathematics students) match the name, the pottery studio and his post at Lakehead University.
Membership in the retirees' association
The "Who are we?" list of members printed in the June 2009 issue of RALU News includes this person, which shows membership in the Retirees' Association of Lakehead University by then.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Entry for Dr. Bill Eames, "In Memoriam", Retirees' Association of Lakehead University, https://www.lakeheadretirees.ca/in-memoriam/ (accessed 31 October 2026). Archived copy on datum.locker.
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 8 April 2017, p. 1(B)
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 5 February 1983, p. 15
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 17 February 1981, p. 17
- ↑ "Who are we? A listing of members", PDF pp. 7–8, RALU News, vol. 1, no. 3 (June 2009), Retirees' Association of Lakehead University. Archived copy on datum.locker (original PDF listed at the association's archived newsletters page).