DR. DAVID FISH

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DR. DAVID FISH It is with great sadness that the family of Dr. David Fish announces his passing in Vancouver, BC on February 3, 2000. David was born in Southsea, Portsmouth, England in 1929. He completed school at an early age and began a career in banking. His love of the mountains began in Britain and led him to Canada when banking jobs were reclaimed by men returning from the Second World War. After a brief stay in Toronto, David settled in McBride, BC. He worked at a bank and later as a bookkeeper and lumber salesman for the Robsons Valleys fledgling forest industry. It was then he first saw Mount Robson. The mountains and Mount Robson in particular became a recurring theme throughout his life. It was during his stint as Alpine Club camp manager that he met and married Dr. Margaret Trotter. With Margarets encouragement he entered university completing a B.A. (Hons) in 1960 and was awarded the Governor Generals Award. In 1961 he completed a M.A. (Sociology) at the University of Alberta and was awarded the Commonwealth Scholarship. With the Commonwealth Scholarship, he returned to England to complete a Ph.D. at the London School of Economics in 1966. David had a long and distinguished academic career, as a world renowned health researcher. He had a vision of creating locally relevant but nationally and internationally connected researchers and policy makers. This vision led to his building Programs in community health and human sciences at the University of Manitoba, University of Northern British Columbia, and the University of Nairobi, Kenya. David was instrumental in his work with the NHRDP and other national and provincial funding agencies in the development of researchers within the areas of population health, health services and nursing research. He conducted research himself around the world and was a consultant to the WHO, Unicef, CIDA on such issues as malnutrition, immunization, AIDS, and primary health care. Following his retirement from a prolific career, he returned to Northern British Columbia to accept the challenge of being the Founding Dean of Health and Human Services at the new University of Northern British Columbia. In 1997, he was named UNBCs only Professor Emeritus. In 1998, he and his wife Elena Abubo took a preparation program as Lay Missionaries with the Scarborough Mission. This was a profound experience because it enabled him to combine his academic expertise with his spirituality. It gave him the opportunity to use this newfound gift together with Elena in his work in Kenya during the last year of his life. David was predeceased by his parents, Herbert Harry and Hilda Gomer Fish. He leaves to mourn his beloved wife Elena Abubo; and her son Robert Abubo; along with his own three children and their spouses, Kathleen and Warren Waxer, Sheila and Francois de la Varende, Ian Fish and Nancy Gustafson; his beloved grandchildren, Hannah, Clara and Benjamin Waxer, Emmanuel de la Varende, and Jackson and Erika Gustafson-Fish; his brother Tony and family, Jean, Susan and Richard. Of special note are also Margaret Trotter, Sandra Smith, and Dr. Wendell Macleod.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 12, 2000