William S. Hoar
Encyclopedia
Dr. William S. Hoar was an eminent professor and head of department of zoology
at the University of British Columbia
. He received an Order of Canada award on June 26, 1974. He also had several other degrees and diplomas, some of which were honourary (LLD from SFU in 1998), and others of which were earned the old-fashioned hard-work way (DSc). He was, first and foremost, a grandfather, husband, father. A patient man who was very involved with his family, he was also very well known in the zoology world, and has a series of lectures named after him, that are given every year at UBC.
Bill, as he was known, is survived by 3 children, 7 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren (7 of whom were already born at the time of his passing). His 4th biological child died before he died. His surviving children are Stewart George, David Innes, and Melanie Frances.
Dr. Hoar married on August 13, 1931. His wife was Margaret (Myra) MacRae MacKenzie from Scotland. Bill and Myra jointly wrote "A Hebridean Heritage" on Myra's family ancestry. Prior to that, Bill had already written other books on his family history, including "By Way of New England" and "Steeves and Colpitts: Pioneers of the Upper Petitcodiac". His passion was for genealogy when he retired, but having had prior success as a well published zoology professor, he knew his way around book writing and editing. His "baby" from the zoology years was General and Comparative Physiology. His later family history books were written on his own company's press, called "Tangled Roots Press".
Long before having children, Bill worked with Charles Best, co-discoverer of Insulin
. Bill met his wife Myra in an elevator one day, carrying rabbits in his hand for animal testing
. It was not love at first sight; they became friends first, and when he eventually proposed to her, she answered that she "would have to think about it" rather than an absolute yes or no. However, evidently she ultimately agreed and they settled down to married life. They were married 50+ years when Myra died, a long and happy marriage.
Bill suffered from Poliomyelitis
as a boy, which left him with a smaller withered leg. He was a proud man and never fussed over his minor handicap. Ultimately he also was affected by Post Polio Syndrome much later in life.
In the later years of his life Dr. Hoar enjoyed sushi lunches, and lunches out with his old boys' club from his university faculty days. He was a very well read and well educated man who continued to read long non-fiction books into his 90's. His ultimate demise was mostly age-related.
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
. He received an Order of Canada award on June 26, 1974. He also had several other degrees and diplomas, some of which were honourary (LLD from SFU in 1998), and others of which were earned the old-fashioned hard-work way (DSc). He was, first and foremost, a grandfather, husband, father. A patient man who was very involved with his family, he was also very well known in the zoology world, and has a series of lectures named after him, that are given every year at UBC.
Bill, as he was known, is survived by 3 children, 7 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren (7 of whom were already born at the time of his passing). His 4th biological child died before he died. His surviving children are Stewart George, David Innes, and Melanie Frances.
Dr. Hoar married on August 13, 1931. His wife was Margaret (Myra) MacRae MacKenzie from Scotland. Bill and Myra jointly wrote "A Hebridean Heritage" on Myra's family ancestry. Prior to that, Bill had already written other books on his family history, including "By Way of New England" and "Steeves and Colpitts: Pioneers of the Upper Petitcodiac". His passion was for genealogy when he retired, but having had prior success as a well published zoology professor, he knew his way around book writing and editing. His "baby" from the zoology years was General and Comparative Physiology. His later family history books were written on his own company's press, called "Tangled Roots Press".
Long before having children, Bill worked with Charles Best, co-discoverer of Insulin
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
. Bill met his wife Myra in an elevator one day, carrying rabbits in his hand for animal testing
Animal testing
Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
. It was not love at first sight; they became friends first, and when he eventually proposed to her, she answered that she "would have to think about it" rather than an absolute yes or no. However, evidently she ultimately agreed and they settled down to married life. They were married 50+ years when Myra died, a long and happy marriage.
Bill suffered from Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...
as a boy, which left him with a smaller withered leg. He was a proud man and never fussed over his minor handicap. Ultimately he also was affected by Post Polio Syndrome much later in life.
In the later years of his life Dr. Hoar enjoyed sushi lunches, and lunches out with his old boys' club from his university faculty days. He was a very well read and well educated man who continued to read long non-fiction books into his 90's. His ultimate demise was mostly age-related.