Memorable Manitobans: Robert Dickson “Robin” Connor (1922-2017)

Physicist, administrator.

Born at Edinburgh, Scotland on 15 May 1922, eldest child of Robert and Jane Connor, his father died when he was ten years old. He studied physics at Edinburgh University but interrupted his studies in June 1942 to enlist in the Royal Air Force, working in radar in Britain and the Far East. Following his military discharge, he returned to Edinburgh and completed a doctoral degree in Physics in 1949. After teaching physics for several years, he came to the University of Manitoba in 1957, teaching physics, rising to the position of Associate Dean of Arts and Science in 1961. When the faculty split in separate Arts and Science faculties in 1970, he became the first Dean of Science, serving until 1981. An authority on the history of weights and measures, he produced two books on the subject. He was a member of the Scientific Club of Winnipeg. He retired in 1988 and died at Winnipeg on 31 January 2017.

Sources:

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 2 February 2017.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 14 May 2020

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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