A memorial celebrating the life and career of Professor David McQueen (1926-2015), former principal of Glendon College, will take place on Sunday, Oct. 18, from 1:30 to 3:30pm in the Senior Common Room, Glendon campus.
McQueen spent 24 years with Glendon College, joining the faculty in 1969 as a professor of economics after a lengthy career with the Bank of Canada.
Soon after his arrival at Glendon, McQueen was appointed chairman of the Department of Economics by Scott Reid, the college’s first principal.
“He quickly became a very established member of the faculty,” says Professor Emeritus Albert Tucker, another former principal of Glendon College. “He was a very competent economist.”
Tucker, who became principal in 1970, recalls McQueen being one of the most “mature and balanced” people traversing a challenging time at the University.
At that time, he said, Glendon faced difficulties being accepted as a bilingual college. Then, in 1975, McQueen confronted those challenges when he became Glendon’s third principal, and the first bilingual principal.
“Every principal after him has been bilingual,” noted Tucker. “There was a very close relationship between the principal and the deans [at the Keele campus], and David was very well respected and accepted.
“He was a very important principal of Glendon. He established the need for the principal to function bilingually.”
McQueen served as principal until 1980, and following that returned to teaching full time.
“David was highly respected by his students,” said Tucker. “He had a good sense of humour, he loved his popular music and he was in touch with the student leadership at Glendon. He made an impact on his students.”
One student in particular, said Tucker, thrived under McQueen’s tutelage and went on to become the head of the Canadian Bankers Association.
After retiring in 1993, McQueen relocated to Uxbridge, Ont., where he took an interest in landscape, photography and preservation efforts related to the Oak Ridges Moraine.
McQueen will be honoured with some words from colleagues and admirers, including former principal Kenneth McRoberts and current Principal Donald Ipperciel.
Those who would like to share some words at the memorial should contact Alison McQueen at amcqueen@stanford.edu.