Douglas Wright, the founding dean of Waterloo Engineering and the third president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo, has died at the age of 92.
Wright, who played a major role in the development of both the Faculty and the University, passed away at home Thursday while surrounded by his family.
Douglas Wright was the founding dean of Waterloo Engineering.
“He had a relentless curiosity compounded by a drive for relevance in university life and practice, along with a sense that in Canada we needed to change the university landscape,” said Ken McLaughlin, a Waterloo historian and author. “He pushed, prodded and pulled us with him as he pursued academic excellence and social relevance.”
Wright left a teaching position at Queen’s University to join the upstart University of Waterloo in 1958 as the first chair of civil engineering. He soon became dean, overseeing the Faculty’s growth into the largest undergraduate engineering school in Canada.
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