William S. Hoar Memorial Lecture

This lecture series honours Professor William S. Hoar, among whose many outstanding contributions to science in Canada was the growth and development of Comparative Physiology in the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia.

Professor William Stewart Hoar was born in Moncton, New Brunswick on August 31, 1913, and passed away in Vancouver on June 13, 2006.

In 1934 he received a B.A. in Biology and Geology from the University of New Brunswick. After obtaining a Master's degree in Zoology from the University of Western Ontario and a Doctorate in Medical Sciences from Boston University, Professor Hoar held academic positions at the University of New Brunswick (1939-42 and 1943-46) and the University of Toronto (1942-43). During this time he also worked for several summers for the Fisheries Research Board of Canada. In 1945 Professor hoar was appointed Professor of Zoology and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia. Here he became well known as an excellent teacher and scientist, and played a major role in shaping the Department of Zoology, particularly from 1964-71 when he was Head of Department.

In addition to well over 100 scientific publications, Professor Hoar was the editor of the Canadian Journal of Zoology and continues as co-editor of the multi-volume series on Fish Physiology. In 1966 he wrote a textbook of General and Comparative Physiology which is currently in its third edition and has been translated into a number of foreign languages.

Professor Hoar has received no less than seven Honourary Degrees from Canadian Universities. In 1955 he was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and ten years later was awarded the Flavelle Medal. From 1971 to 1973 he was the president of Academy III of the Royal Society. In 1974 he received the Fry Medal from the Canadian Society of Zoologists and, in the same year, became an Officer of the Order of Canada.