In Memoriam

In the honour of those who loved the museum, we dedicate this page. 

Robert Carroll

Portrait of Robert Carroll
Image by Hans C.E. Larsson.
It is with a heavy heart, that we announce to the community that Robert Lynn Carroll passed away on April 7th, 2020 at the age of 81. He is survived by his wife Anna Di Turi, son David Carroll and granddaughter Juliette.

Dr Carroll’s dedication to the Redpath Museum and McGill University commenced when he completed his postdoctoral studies in 1962-1963 as a NRC Postdoctoral Fellow. In the 1970s, he kept the Museum from being sacrificed during an economic crisis and sired most of the Canadian Vertebrate Palaeontology community. Carroll’s immeasurable contribution to the palaeontology community has resulted in a critical mass of support and the discipline’s own society and journal.

To know more about Dr Carroll’s life and work, please see the following academic obituary written by Michael W. Caldwell (Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta) and Hans C.E Larsson (Redpath Museum, McGill University) which can also be found in the Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology 8:1-6.

PDF icon Robert Carroll Obituary, 2020

Additionally, visit the CTV News website for a video tribute.


Bronwyn Chester (1957-2012)

Portrait of Bronwyn ChesterJoin us to remember Bronwyn Chester (1957-2012), who cherished McGill’s leafy legacy with heart, mind and soul. This event (held on 17 Nov. 2012) will pay tribute to her chosen tree, the hardy Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis), which has been planted behind the Museum. Martin Lechowicz will give a tribute to her astounding public engagement with trees and McGill’s planted landscape.

 To contribute to a special fund set up for McGill’s planted landscape please send a cheque made out to Bronwyn Chester Fund, McGill University or Allocation # 05187. Mail to: Donation and Record Services, McGill University, Martlet House, 1430 Peel Street, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 3T3.

INFO about Bronwyn’s tree: Amelanchier laevis, commonly known as the Shadbush, Smooth Serviceberry, or Indian Pear, likes to grow in slightly shaded areas. Bronwyn liked it because it is one of the earliest native trees to produce fruit.  As she said in her article about this species:  “one of the advantages of the serviceberry is that is a small tree, making the fruit easy to pick. A sweet city is a city, which in my books, has fruit for the picking!"

Land Acknowledgement

McGill University is on land which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. We acknowledge and thank the diverse Indigenous peoples whose presence marks this territory on which peoples of the world now gather.

The Redpath Museum's director EDI statement.

Back to top