Robert William Boyle - A Tribute

Abstract

The world has lost a great geologist and geochemist, and a great Canadian who had contributed to his country for over 60 years. On Monday, August 5th, 2003, Robert William Boyle left this world peacefully after a long struggle with illness, and a much longer struggle with failing eyesight. The latter had not curbed his determination to finish his most recent scientific endeavour, his ‘History of Cosmochemistry and Geochemistry’, whichis being considered for publication by the McGill-Queen's University Press. He completed the last editorial work on the Preface the day before his death with assistance from his daughter-in-law Christy Vodden. Bob, born June 3rd 1920, grew up near Wallaceburg in southwestern Ontario. It was there that he developed his interest and love for the natural world. As a teenager he learned to trap, and saved his earnings from muskrat and mink pelts for his future education. Even from those early days Bob was intrigued with chemistry, and had his own laboratory in the atticof the family farm. It was his friendship with James McCrae, a 70-year-old retired prospector, living two farms away thatwas critical. One can imagine the impression that the storiesof prospecting in Northern Ontario had on the teenagerwho loved the outdoors. During his last two summers at Wallaceburg High School he decided to earn the money that would enable him to go to university and study geology. With contacts from McCrae he joined a prospecting syndicate in northern Ontario, where he started at the bottom - cutting line, and as a driller's helper. Europe went to war in September 1939, and Bob enlisted in the Royal Canadian Artillery two days before Canada joined the war. He used to tell the story of how two Military Policemen arrived at the farm later to collect the ‘errant son’ for not …