Waterloo Engineering is mourning the loss of Professor Emeritus Bruce Hutchinson, a respected teacher and early builder of the Faculty’s civil engineering program. Hutchinson passed away on December 23, 2025, at the age of 91.
Born in Kogarah, New South Wales, Australia, Prof. Hutchinson grew up in a family that prized work ethic, ambition and adventure. He graduated from Canterbury Boys’ High School and earned his civil engineering degree from the University of Sydney in 1956. Early in his career, he worked as a soils engineer with the New South Wales Department of Public Works, including work connected to the Eucumbene Dam in the Snowy Mountains.
Prof. Hutchinson came to Canada in 1957 to pursue an MSc in civil engineering at Queen’s University, travelling across the country by ship and train before settling in Kingston. During this period, he met his future wife Mary, a medical illustrator, beginning a partnership that would span 66 years.
Canada became the place where Prof. Hutchinson found his vocation as a lecturer and researcher. He completed his PhD at the University of Waterloo in 1965 and became instrumental in the development of Waterloo’s civil engineering school. Over a 32-year career at the University, he held several leadership roles within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, including associate dean and chair. Following his retirement in 1996, he was named Distinguished Professor Emeritus.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus Bruce Hutchinson celebrated alongside his granddaughter, Elizabeth Diederichs, as she received her master’s degree in systems design engineering at the University of Waterloo in 2023. From left: Ben Ecclestone; Jean Hutchinson; Elizabeth Diederichs; Bruce Hutchinson; and Mary Hutchinson.
While his academic and administrative contributions were significant, Prof. Hutchinson’s enduring legacy was his impact on students. In 1990, he received Waterloo’s Distinguished Teacher Award, a recognition he regarded as his most cherished accolade. Former students consistently described a professor who challenged them to meet high expectations while remaining deeply invested in their growth and professionalism.
“Many of Bruce’s former students and colleagues remembered the same qualities year after year: he pushed his students as hard as he pushed himself and his willingness to help and talk with students had no boundaries,” said Dr. Carl Haas, former chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “He led by example and instilled honesty, dedication, responsibility and professionalism. For many of us, that’s what made him an exceptional role model and why his influence at Waterloo stayed with people long after they left campus.”
Prof Hutchinson’s influence at Waterloo ultimately extended beyond the classroom in a particularly personal way. His children and grandchildren went on to become alumni of the department and Faculty he loved, a family legacy shaped by the same commitment to learning and community he brought to campus.
Beyond his work in academia, he and Mary built a rich life in Waterloo, centred on their restored yellow brick home where family, friends and colleagues gathered. In retirement, they devoted their energy to a rural property in Grey County, cultivating gardens, tending forests and continuing creative pursuits in woodworking, painting and illustration.
Prof. Hutchinson is survived by his wife Mary, their three children and five grandchildren.