Don Brodie had a strong belief that the energy surrounding the University of Waterloo is contagious.
Waterloo’s environment, enthusiasm and attitude really rub off on you, says the former dean and distinguished professor emeritus of physics.
Don was able to see Waterloo’s energy develop from its humble beginnings. After completing his studies in Physics at McMaster University, Don decided to teach high school and ended up at Humberside Collegiate in Toronto. But his stint as a high school teacher proved to be short-lived.
Don Irish, a friend of Brodie’s from his days as a grad student at McMaster, told him about an exciting opportunity in Waterloo.
Don had been hired as a faculty member at a new university, Brodie says. And he encouraged me to come over too.
Brodie met with Arthur Cowan, chair of Waterloo’s physics department, who offered him a job teaching a second-year electricity and magnetism course to the first class of engineering students.
I finished at Humberside on June 29 and went right into teaching at Waterloo on July 1, 1958, he says.
In
1966,
Don
realized
he
needed
to
spread
the
word
about
Waterloo’s
innovative
co-op
program.
We had to make high school students aware about science at Waterloo and its co-op program, and we needed companies who could participate as co-op employers, he says.
For the next six months, Don and Larry Bricker, the new physics coordinator, travelled to Toronto, Chalk River, and other manufacturing towns to seek out companies that would be willing to participate in the co-op program.
People were very receptive to the idea and the companies were pleasantly surprised with the kind of students they got, he says.
Thanks to the efforts of Don, Larry and their colleagues, the word about science and co-op education at Waterloo spread and the department of physics grew to be the largest in Canada.
Don’s legacy at Waterloo doesn’t just stop there. Shortly after he became Dean of Science in 1982, Don knew that a foundation and endowment fund was needed to provide extra support to students.
There was no extra money in the faculty unless it was needed for something absolutely necessary, he says. We didn’t have the funds to subsidize students who wanted to attend conferences.
In 1984 the Faculty of Science Foundation, developed under Don’s leadership, was created following Senate approval. Science students held a referendum and were asked if they were willing to contribute a small fee to the endowment fund each term. Nearly 90 per cent were in favour of this proposal, with the students agreeing to pay $3.00 per term. Today, the Foundation stands at approximately one million dollars and is used for student scholarships, recognition and the enhancement of student life.
Don also assisted in setting up the Guelph-Waterloo Physics Institute (GWPI) and served as its first director. GWPI was Canada’s first joint graduate program in physics and today, the Institute has more than 80 faculty members and 130 graduate students.
Don’s support of his students also went beyond the classroom. He and his wife Naureen often welcomed students into their home and to this day, they continue to keep in touch with many former students who are spread out all over the world. This past spring, eight former students and their spouses came from across Ontario and Alberta to visit the Brodies, where they were able to reminisce about some of the fun times they had shared together. Don served as Dean of Science until 1990 and retired in 1995.
After spending more than 35 years at Waterloo, he saw many changes on campus.
Everything changed! he says with a laugh. But I believe things began to get more comfortable at Waterloo; people saw this as a viable place and we were able to attract big-time talent.