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Douglas C. Webb, an innovator in oceanographic research technology, and pioneer in the development of transistorized computers, died peacefully on Nov. 11, 2024.

Doug was born in Hamilton, Ont., on Nov. 25, 1929, to Bess (Gilpin) and William Webb. As a child, he spent summers on his grandparent’s farm in Hagersville, where he gained a lifelong appreciation for pragmatism, hard work, and love of family. During summers in high school, he worked as a waiter and engine room oiler on coal-fired steam ships plying Lake Huron.

He received his degree in electrical engineering from Queen’s in 1952. 

To pursue his interest in the nascent field of computer science, Doug moved to Manchester, U.K., to work for Ferranti Ltd. and to pursue graduate study at the University of Manchester, where he obtained his MSEE in 1954. There, Doug and doctoral student Dick Grimsdale, built and demonstrated the world’s first transistorized digital computer in November 1953. This experimental machine went on to become the Metrovick 950, the first commercial, transistorized computer built from 1959 onwards by Metropolitan Vickers. (Doug would occasionally chat with Professor Alan Turing, who had a nearby office.)

While in England, Doug and his roommate pooled their money to purchase a 1924, Type 23 Brescia Bugatti, which he raced with other vintage car aficionados. In the summer of 1956, Doug drove another vintage car (a primitive 1926 British Trojan, with a top speed of 35 mph) from England to Greece and back, with many roadside repairs and adventures along the way.

Doug was married in 1957 to Shirley (Lyons) Webb, an artist and kindergarten teacher, who shared his love of adventure. They had been high school classmates in Owen Sound, Ont. The couple moved to Ivrea, Italy, where Doug was employed by Olivetti in the early development of computers for business applications. They became fluent in Italian and fell in love with Italian culture and food, a far cry from small-town Canadian life. They traveled around Europe on a single-cylinder motorcycle and sailed the Mediterranean on their wooden sailboat Meg. 

In 1962, they returned to North America, crossing the Atlantic on a cargo ship (during the Cuban missile crisis) with their baby daughter, Becca, their Siamese cat, Mimo, the Bugatti, the sailboat, and seven trunks of Shirley’s paintings. They moved to Woods Hole, where Doug was employed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Their son, Dan, was born in Falmouth.  

During four decades at WHOI, Doug created and developed numerous technologies used in oceanographic research and participated in dozens of long research cruises. His work involved inventing and building instruments to remotely measure the properties and motion of water in the deep ocean. Webb’s expertise in the technology of long-range, undersea, acoustic signaling contributed to the development of Ocean Acoustic Tomography, a technique used for large-scale, remote sensing of the interior of the ocean.

In 1966, Doug and Shirley purchased a century-old farmhouse on Old Palmer Avenue from his friend and colleague Dr. Henry Stommel, who moved across the street. This transaction was covered in the Falmouth Enterprise on Nov. 18, 1966. They raised their young family there, and it was their home for decades.

In 1971, Doug and Dr. Roger Payne published a seminal paper postulating that the songs of fin whales could be heard across vast distances and suggested that noise from commercial shipping might interfere with whale communication. The idea seemed far-fetched at the time, but is now widely accepted. 

In 1982, Doug left WHOI to form his own company, Webb Research Corporation (WRC), which invented and manufactured instruments for physical oceanography and naval research. The company developed a family of products, which used neutral and variable buoyancy to control the depth of instruments in the ocean, as well as long-range, low-frequency, acoustic sources.   Their products were used by laboratories in 20 nations and are central to the international ARGO program, a global array of thousands of autonomous ocean sensor platforms.         

Doug conceived and developed the undersea glider, a long-endurance, winged, undersea autonomous vehicle, propelled by buoyancy changes rather than a propeller. In 1994, he was granted a patent for a unique, thermal engine, which used energy harvested from oceanic temperature differences to propel the glider. 

In 2009, Rutgers University deployed a battery-powered version of the glider for the first-ever trans-Atlantic crossing of an autonomous underwater vehicle, which arrived in Baiona, Spain, where, 516 years earlier, the first of Christopher Columbus’ ships returned from the New World. The glider was subsequently displayed in the Smithsonian Museum. Another glider, owned by the U.S. Navy, gained international notoriety when it was briefly seized by China in 2016. This technology is now a staple of ocean research and monitoring.

Webb Research Corporation was sold to Teledyne in 2008 and became Teledyne Webb Research, for which Doug continued to consult until recently.

The author of over 60 publications, and with 15 U.S. patents to his name, Doug, along with Dr. Thomas Rossby of the University of Rhode Island, received the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Bigelow Medal in 1988, and he received the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society's 2005 Distinguished Technical Achievement Award. He was also the recipient of the American Geophysical Union's Ocean Science Award in 2017. In 2021, he was appointed Oceanographer Emeritus at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for work that “crossed and merged the boundaries of science and technology in elegant fashion.”

Oceanographic technologies pioneered by Webb are in use today all over the world, and have contributed to an exponential increase in the amount of data extracted from the oceans, for oceanography, meteorology, climate change research, and naval applications. His work was characterized by a tenacious and painstaking pursuit of optimization in design.

Doug was an avid reader, a sailor, a lover of family, cats, travel, mystery novels, puns, and Italian food. Adept with a sextant, slide rule, or oscilloscope, his dress code was as informal as his engineering was meticulous. 

He was proud of his Canadian heritage and drove his family 12 hours to Canada each Christmas, to keep close ties with their relatives. As an octogenarian, Doug fully restored and drove his beloved Bugatti that he had raced 60 years earlier in England.

He was predeceased by his wife of 58 years, Shirley, in 2015, and is survived by his daughter, Rebecca Webb, of Rochester, NY, and his son, Daniel Webb, and wife, Mary of Falmouth, MA, and their children, Harrison and Avery.

William Robert McKenzie passed away peacefully on Nov. 8, 2024, in his 99th year.

Bill is survived by children, Susan Silver (Richard Silver) and Kimberlee McKenzie (MBA’85) (Stephen Landry). Beloved grandfather to Andrew Silver (Meg Gemmill), Jennifer Silver (Shawn Lague), Michael Landry, and Alison Morrison (BCom’16) (Matthew Morrison). Proud great-grandfather to William, Anna, and Cameron Silver, James Lague, and Thomas Morrison.

Predeceased by his parents, Robert Malcom McKenzie (BSc’1912) and Ruth (Terry) McKenzie; his wife, Elizabeth (Betty) Jane McKenzie; and son, Robert Malcolm McKenzie; his sister, Frances Booth (BA’46) and brother Ian McKenzie; as well as childhood and lifelong best friend, Douglas Hartry.

Bill was born in Toronto on April 14, 1926. In his youth, Bill loved to play hockey and was part of the city’s championship team for many years. He attended Runnymede Public School and Humberside Collegiate. He was a proud alumnus and supporter of Queen’s, where he graduated in civil engineering in 1948 and rarely missed an opportunity to cheer on the Golden Gaels.

Bill started his engineering career with New York Central Railroad, moved to Ontario Hydro, then joined Dufferin Construction, where he progressed to the position of president and director until he retired. Bill was an accomplished business leader and was listed among the “Who’s Who” of Canada. He was active in the community and with many professional associations, including the Hospice of Peel, Queen’s and the University of Waterloo. Bill had 50 years of loyal service to Rotary International, and he served as president of the Hamilton Construction Association.

Bill was an avid golfer, curler, and longtime member of the Mississaugua Golf & Country Club, where he and Betty made many great friends and where he also served as a director and president. Bill was proud of his Scottish heritage and will be remembered for his kindness, generosity, and love of family – always putting family first.

Quick with a smile and a story is how Al will be remembered by many.

Married 62 years to Liz, together they weaved a life of meaning and adventure. Al grew up in Sharbot Lake, Ont., with his siblings Gord, Marg, and John. Their father worked as a school superintendent, and Al was an excellent student, destined for continued education. Moving to Kingston, Al received a BSc and MSc at Queen’s and a PhD in chemistry from the University of Alberta.

Liz and Al then made homes in London and Winnipeg, where they raised Kelly, Robert, and Graham, before moving to Westbank, B.C., where Al retired in the year 2000.

A chemist by education, Al spent his career in leadership positions in the food industry with Labatt’s, the Manitoba Research Council, the Canola Council of Canada, and BC Tree Fruits. Lake Country, B.C., was their home for the last 15 years, where Al worked on perfecting his grandfathering skills to Kyle, Emily, Isaac, Joshua, Abigail, and great-granddaughter, Vivian.

Always curious about the world, Liz and Al shared an appreciation of travelling, spending time in Europe and Asia, and for many years driving across North America with their 5th wheel to the seaside community of Lo de Marcos in Mexico. Summertime travel included trips back east, where they reunited with family, including nieces Margo, Heather, Cathy, and Sarah, as well as Liz’s extended family in the Maritimes.

A philosopher at heart, Al took immense pleasure in reading and sharing time with friends to chat about the world. Whether in the boardroom, grocery store, or coffee shop, Al appreciated connecting with all those around him, and listening to their stories. 

Al passed away at 85 years of age with his family and friends by his side. Al will be missed as a husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend.

We mourned the passing of our beloved Joe, ‘JoJo’ to his four grandchildren. Joe was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He was known for his unconditional love for his family, his kind words for everyone, his unwavering loyalty and work ethic.

Joe grew up in Hampton, NB, where he learned the value of hard work and helping others at his family's grocery store. He chose the Royal Military College in Kingston, where he graduated with high honours in Engineering, an experience that would create life-long friends. He then pursued law at Queen's and a master’s degree at Osgoode Hall Law School. He remained deeply involved with the Royal Military College and many local, provincial, and national boards throughout his life.

Joe met the love of his life, Georgie Fraser, during his final year at Military College. Their relationship blossomed despite the distance, with Georgie completing her nursing studies and Joe continuing his education. Joe was a devoted husband and father, always ensuring his family came first and providing unwavering support and love throughout their marriage. His dedication to Georgie and their children was a testament to his deep commitment to family values.

Joe's political aspirations led him to run as a Liberal in Fundy Royal in the late '70s, to no avail, and to come to within a whisker of winning the leadership of the NB Liberal Party in 1982. Ultimately, he focused on his legal career, which included roles as an in-house lawyer at JDI, Chair of the NB Forest Products Commission and Intellectual Property practice of law.

In 2001, Joe was able to fulfil his calling for public service when he was appointed to the Senate of Canada, serving for 19 years until his retirement in January 2020. His Senate work allowed him to pursue national change, and drawing on his diverse background and amiable personality, he was able to do just that, working with all sides of the Senate.

Despite his extensive travels and marathon runs in nine different locations, Joe's favourite place was always Belleisle Bay. His family cottage was a hub of hospitality and joy, hosting numerous gatherings, including the annual ‘Belleisle Bay Invitational’ golf game and many dinners featuring his famous caesar salad at a long table. Always welcoming friends and family, this is where Joe’s hospitality truly shone.

Joe is survived by his wife of 52 years, Georgie (Fraser); his children, Emilie (Matt) and Fraser (Jessica); and his four grandchildren, Oakley, Audrey, Jasper, and Juniper. He is also survived by his sisters, Elaine and Wanda, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and half siblings.

Joe will be remembered for his positive outlook on life, his kindness, and his dedication to his family, his community and his country.