GEORGE NORMAN IRVINE

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GEORGE NORMAN IRVINE, PhD, MCIC Peacefully and unexpectedly, in the Victoria General Hospital on May 7, 2006. Norman is survived by his wife Joyce; his sons Duncan (Sarah) and Donald; and grandchildren Daniel and Karen. Born April 6, 1922 in Calgary to George and Kay Irvine, Norman and his family moved to Winnipeg when he was six years old. He received his early education at several Winnipeg neighborhood schools, graduating from Kelvin High School, the same school his children later attended. He next studied at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Science, graduating with a BSc in physical chemistry. Upon graduation Norman joined to Canadian Navy, training in Britain at HMS Victory in Portsmouth. During the war he served as a radar officer for a Canadian Escort Group, with service in the North Atlantic and on the Murmansk run. His chief memories of the war were of being ferried in small boats through heavy seas between large warships with radar problems. At the end of the war Norman returned to Winnipeg to join the staff of the Canadian Grain Commission's Grain Research Laboratory, which at that time was the sole large federal institution of its kind west of the Great Lakes. At the same time he married Joyce Johnston, the daughter of Winnipeg barrister Arthur Johnston and his wife Mina, and the two set out to attend McGill University. Norman graduated from McGill in 1949 with a PhD in Chemistry and returned to the Grain Research Laboratory. There he rose to become its Director and Chief Chemist. One of the features of this position was the travel to foreign countries involved in the monitoring of Canadian wheat products and their uses by trade customers. When he retired in 1979, Norman estimated that he had been to Japan twenty-five times. Among the awards he received during his career were the American Association of Cereal Chemists' William F. Geddes Memorial Award , and the Arbetisgemeinschaft Getreidforschung's Neumann-Medaile. Norman and Joyce moved to Victoria in 1989, where they have made many friends. People will miss Norman's cheerful disposition, his honesty and integrity, and his irreverent sense of humour. Friends wishing to remember Norman may wish to make a donation to Victoria Hospice, 1952 Bay St., Victoria, V8R 1J8, or to a favorite charity. Norman's family would like to praise the care and dedication of staff at the Victoria General Hospital, especially those serving on Ward B South; and the warmth and professionalism of Dr. Brian Winsby. A reception in Norman's honour is planned for Friday, May 12 between 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at the University Club of Victoria.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 09, 2006