Head and shoulders image of Dr. Alister Vallance Jones, professor of Physics, 1953-1968.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Alister Vallance Jones was born in 1924 in Christchurch, New Zealand. He attended the University of Canterbury (NZ) and earned his PhD in physics at Cambridge. Jones was a professor of Physics from 1953-1968 at the University of Saskatchewan, specializing in upper atmospheric physics. Alister Vallance Jones died in 2015 in Ottawa at age 91 (2024).

Group of adults sitting around a small tea table, presumably chaperoning a dance. Back of photograph reads "'38 Greystone E.W. Griffiths at left"

A person on horseback rides under a banner held by several men.

Two rows of women, most wearing sashes, stand in a street as a marching band passes between them.

Lucy Murray, second from right in front row, seated on ground. Men and women sitting and standing in front of unidentified stone building.

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Althea N. Burton, professor of Veterinary Medicine.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Althea N. Burton was born in 1914 in Viscount, Saskatchewan, and at an early age moved with her family to Saskatoon. Although her early formal education ended in grade eight, she was determined to become a research microbiologist. Dr. Burton worked during the day, attended night courses and completed high school. She then enrolled in the University of Toronto, where she was the only female veterinary student. By working and earning scholarships Dr. Burton supported herself through her university years. In 1947 she graduated near the top of her class, earning her DVM with a major in Microbiology. In 1950 Dr. Burton received a Research Fellowship from the Canadian National Research Council to carry out postgraduate studies. Some of these studies were carried out at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory, U.S. Public Health Service in Hamilton, Montana. After which, she went to the Virus and Rickettsial Laboratory, Berkeley, California. Later, she was invited to be a guest at the Communicable Disease Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Burton’s studies with the U.S. Public Health Service earned her a specialization in Virology. She used this specialization in her research in the 1950s and 1960s at the University of Saskatchewan, working in the Department of Microbiology at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. She was involved in the study of Diseases in Nature Communicable to Man (principally Encephalitis). Dr. Burton married Dr. Ian Murdoch Dryden (1921-1977) in 1972. He was a 1950 graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College. After her retirement and the death of her husband in 1977, Dr. Burton moved to Calgary where she made many friends, enjoyed her hobbies of painting and bowling, and found fellowship at Bethel Baptist Church. Althea Burton died in 2008 and is buried in Calgary with “Althea Dryden” on the headstone.

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Andrzej (Andre) T. Palasz (1942-2021), Department of Herd Medicine and Theriogenology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

Bio/Historical note: Dr. Andrzej T. Palasz was born 16 September 1942, and died 17 February 2021 in Edmonton.

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Arthur Charlesby, English scientist and "the father of radiation chemistry."

Bio/Historical Note: In 1962, Dr. Robert J. Woods, professor of Chemistry at the University of Saskatchewan, took up an appointment as Senior Research Fellow at the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham, UK, where he worked on polymer irradiation and other radiation-chemical problems with Dr. Arthur Charlesby (1915-1996).

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Andy Potter, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO).

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Andrew A. Potter earned a BSc (Biology) in 1977 from Carleton University; and a PhD (Microbiology) in 1981 from the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Dr. Potter is internationally recognized for his work in the area of vaccine development. He has worked at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) for the past 22 years, serving as a research scientist, Associate Director (Research), and Director. Dr. Potter held an NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair in the area of vaccine development. Dr. Potter is Professor Emeritus of Veterinary Microbiology (2024).

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Arlene B. Hilger, Soil Science.

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Audrey Zbitnew, Microbiology.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Audrey Zbitnew was born in 1933 and raised on a farm near Buchanan, Saskatchewan. At an early age she became an avid reader with a quest for knowledge. This drive to learn resulted in Zbitnew getting her first job at the local pharmacy; it was here that her love of science grew. Her post-secondary education began at Regina College with a laboratory technician course. In 1957 Dr. Zbitnew entered the University of Toronto. She completed a BA (1964) and an MSc in Virology (1967) at the School of Hygiene, University of Toronto. Dr. Andrew Rhodes (one of Canada's pioneers in Virology) is quoted as crediting Dr. Zbitnew with playing an important role in developing teaching and research in the field of medical virology. She left Toronto for Saskatoon in 1969 to assume the position of Virologist at University Hospital. She taught in the Department of Microbiology in the College of Medicine until her retirement in 1995 after a dedicated career in the field of medical science. Audrey Zbitnew died in 6 June 2013 in Saskatoon .

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Barry R. Blakley, Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

Bio/Historical Note: Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Barry Blakely was born 3 July 1949 in Saskatoon. He completed his BSc in Chemistry in 1971, his DVM in 1975, and his MSc in Veterinary Physiological Sciences in 1977 at the University of Saskatchewan, followed by a PhD in Toxicology in 1980 at the University of Cincinnati. As a veterinary toxicologist, Dr. Blakely played an integral role in helping to develop the U of S’s Toxicology Centre. In recognition of his efforts, Dr. Blakely received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the centre during its 40th anniversary celebrations in June 2023. The Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association (SVMA) also honoured Dr. Blakely for his service to the SVMA, the profession and the public by presenting him with the J.J. Murison Distinguished Veterinarian Award in 2019 - the highest level of recognition that the SVMA can bestow on a member. Dr. Blakely established a scholarship: the Barry Blakley Graduate Student Award. At the time of his death on 10 March 2024, he was a professor in the Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences in the WCVM and member of the Toxicology Centre. Dr. Blakley has been posthumously awarded the honourary title of distinguished professor by the U of S (2024).

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Bernard Laarveld, Crop Science.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Bernard Laarveld earned his BSc at HAS University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands (1973), and his MSc and PhD in Animal Nutrition and Physiology (1978) from the University of Saskatchewan. He worked in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources from 1980-2019. Dr. Laarveld is Professor Emeritus of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources (2024).

Head and shoulders image of Dr. Bill Howell, professor, Department of Animal and Poultry Science.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. William Edwin (Bill) Howell was born 23 March 1923 in Toronto. Dr. Howell served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II, first in the North Atlantic and later in the Mediterranean and Pacific. He earned his DVM from Ontario Agricultural College. After obtaining his PhD at the University of Minnesota in 1952, he joined the Department of Animal Husbandry (later Animal Science), retiring in 1993. Bill Howell died 30 May 2009 in Qualicum Beach, British Columbia.

Dr. Bill Orban, director, School of Physical Education, reads the 5BX plan he created.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. William Robert Orban was born in 1922 in Regina, Saskatchewan. His parents were immigrants from Hungary. Dr. Orban played many sports at the Jesuit high school he attended. In 1941 he was offered a hockey scholarship to attend the University of California, Berkeley, where he initially studied engineering. Dr. Orban then attended the School of Physical Education at McGill University and graduated in 1949. He went on to complete a PhD in 1953 at the University of Illinois. Dr. Orban took a position at the Department of National Defence and created a fitness programme for Royal Canadian Air Force pilots, a third of whom were not considered fit to fly. In response to this brief he created the 5BX (5 Basic Exercises) plan for men and the XBX (10 Basic Exercise) plan for women. The plans were innovative in two respects. Firstly, they did not require access to specialized equipment. Many Air Force pilots were located in remote bases in northern Canada, with no access to these facilities, so it was important to offer a means of keeping fit without their use. Secondly, the plans only required 11 minutes (for men) or 12 minutes (for women) per day to be spent on the exercises. While studying the effect of exercise at the University of Illinois in the 1950s, Dr. Orban noticed when testing oxygen intake that long periods of exercise did not necessarily lead to significant improvement. This led him to the conclusion that the intensity of exercise was more important, than the amount of time spent on it. This aspect of the plan drew a negative reaction from others in the field but the 5BX programme proved its worth. 23 million copies of the booklets were sold and translated into 13 languages. The popularity of the programs in many countries around the world helped to launch modern fitness culture. Dr. Orban, as a public servant, received no additional income from the success of the plan.
Dr. Orban was himself a superb athlete, active in many sports of which football and hockey were his favourites. He played professional football with the Regina (now Saskatchewan) Roughriders (1941) and later with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1945), and was an excellent basketball player and boxer. Dr. Orban was a Junior A hockey player and continued to play hockey right up to age 60 and ran 14 kilometers every day until age 73.
In 1958 Dr. Orban became dean at its new Physical Education program at the University of Saskatchewan. While there he initiated the Saskatchewan Growth Study - a pioneering study of physical development in boys aged 7 to 17. In 1966 Dr. Orban returned to Ottawa to become a professor of the University of Ottawa's Human Kinetics department and became dean of that department in 1968, a position he occupied until 1976. He continued as a professor in Kinanthropology until his retirement in 1987. Bill Orban died 18 October 2003 in Ottawa.