Staff

1964

Harry Laird was appointed as Assistant to the Director of Science (John Hart). In 1965, he was assigned by Eugene Cherniak, Chair of the Chemistry Department, to provide technical help to Frans Koffyberg in setting up the early laboratories of the physics department. Subsequently, he looked after the purchasing of equipment and stores and assisted in the laboratories. Harry contributed greatly, and in many ways, to the Physics department until he retired in 1988.

1966

The secretary of the Physics Department, and of the Chemistry Department, was Rose Losinski. She left in 1969, and was replaced by Carol Dingwall. That same year, Martin Gibson became chair of Chemistry following Eugene Cherniak.

1966

Jim Dell was hired to set up and demonstrate the Physical Science 110 Laboratory and prepare a Laboratory Manual. He demonstrated the lab until 1968 when Gordon Finlay was hired. Dave Moule (Chemistry) reports that before Jim left Brock he was advised to get a PhD if he wanted full time employment. He did get a PhD, but when he returned in the winter of 1973 there were no full time positions available. He was involved in the design, set-up and supervision of the lab course PHYS.230(b) that winter.

1967

Flora Speth was the first secretary for the Physics Department.

1967

George Zibens was hired as an electronics technician. From that date until about 1975, the Physics Department had its own electronics shop. George Zibens manned this. In about 1976, the Physics shop was merged with the Electronics Shop of Technical Services. George continued at Brock until 1977 when he left the University. He later worked at the Physics Department at McMaster University until his retirement in 1999. In 1977: Chris Heron replaced George Zibens as the Physics electronics technician. He left Brock in 1979.

1968

Gordon Finlay was appointed as a senior demonstrator in the Department of Chemistry. One of his duties was the coordination of the laboratories for Physical Science 191. He obtained his PhD in the early 1940's at Cornell. During the Second World War he was involved in top-level research on elemental boron as a part of the Manhattan Project. He retired from Brock University in 1978. (Gail Neff, Department of Chemistry, was the senior demonstrator for the chemistry component of the course)

1968

Donna Skochyla became the Department secretary.

1970

Joyce Cowan became departmental secretary and remained with us until 1990. In those early days, manuscripts had to be typed and one of Joyce's strengths was her ability to cope with the extremely complicated Anharmonic Lattice Dynamics manuscripts of Ramesh Shukla.

1978

G. Bernard W. Harrison was hired as a sessional lecturer (part-time) to teach the PHSC 191. He came to Brock after he retired from teaching Physics at Sir Winston Churchill High School in St. Catharines. He held demonstrating positions in PHSC 191, PHYS 120 and PHYS 231. He last taught in the Physics Department in 1986. From Grant Dobson, External Relations, we have the following: "Bernard served on the Dean of Mathematics and Science's Niagara Council starting in 1991. In 1994, Bernard endowed annual scholarships in each of five Faculties at Brock (The Bertha and Bernard Harrison Scholarships). Bernard is one of Brock's leading individual donors. Harrison Hall was dedicated to Bernard in 1999."

1981

Fred Allen was hired to look after the physics stores and also to help out with the laboratory demonstration and marking. He left Brock in 1988.

1988

Frank Benko, a graduate of the Brock Physics Program who had worked as a Research Assistant for Frans Koffyberg from 1981 to 1988, was appointed as Senior Lab Demonstrator. In 1991, Ronald Snelgrove (also a graduate of the Brock University Physics program) was hired to assist Frank Benko. He left in 1999 to join JDS Uniphase in Ottawa. Phil Boseglav (also a graduate of the Brock University Physics program) replaced him.

1991

Joyce Cowan's replacement was Alice Witvoet (1991-) who mastered the intricacies of modern technology as they became available. On June 1, 1999, the University changed the title of Secretary to that of Administrative Assistant, partly in recognition of the more technical nature of the position.