HARRISON, Alex G. Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, University of Toronto Alexander George Harrison died on September 7, 2018 at the age of 87.
Loving husband for 63 years of Barbara (nee Smith) and devoted father of Jane (Charlie Trainor) and Ann (Michael Hrycusko). Proud grandfather of outstanding grandchildren, Matthew, Emma, Kathryn and Andrew. Born in Peterborough April 1, 1931, Alex grew up on farms near Lakefield and Watford, Ontario. He studied chemistry at Western, as a member of Beta Theta Pi, receiving his B.Sc. (1952) and M.Sc. (1953) and at McMaster for a Ph.D. (1956) where he met Barbara who had come to Canada to complete a M.Sc. in Zoology. He joined the University of Toronto in 1959 becoming (full) Professor in 1967. Alex had an illustrious career in his field of research: gas-phase ion chemistry and mass spectrometry.
His research contributions were recognized by an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship (1962-64), Noranda Lecture Award of the Chemical Institute of Canada (1971) and a Killam Research Fellowship (1985-87). Alex served on many chemistry societies and was a frequent invited speaker at Universities and Conferences in North America and Europe. Although Alex retired in 1993 and was appointed Emeritus Professor, he remained active in research for more than twenty years.
The family will host a celebration in the common room at 900 Mount Pleasant Road on Friday, September 14th from 3 to 5 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Department of Chemistry, Departmental Trust, University of Toronto. Please contact donate.utoronto.ca.