Gordon Shrum

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Gordon Merritt Shrum (January 14, 1896 – June 20, 1985) was a Canadian scientist, teacher, administrator, and the first Chancellor of Simon Fraser University.

Born in Smithville, Ontario, his education at Victoria College at the University of Toronto, where he started in 1913, was interrupted by World War I. A friend of Mike Pearson, he was in his Canadian Officers Training Corps (C.O.T.C.) unit starting in 1914. Their company commander was Vincent Massey.

On April 1, 1916, he enlisted in the army. He was a gunner and fought at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He received the Military Medal during the war. After the war, he continued his education and received a Bachelor of Arts in 1919, a Master of Arts in 1921, and a Doctorate in physics in 1923.

In 1925, he joined the faculty at the University of British Columbia (UBC) where he taught physics. From 1938 to 1961, he was the head of the physics department. From 1957 to 1961, he was the Dean of Graduate Studies and served on the Senate of the University. He retired at the compulsory age of 65.

During World War II, he was the head and Colonel of the COTC at UBC and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. In 1944, he was appointed a director of the BC Research Council. In 1952, he offered Har Gobind Khorana, who won the 1968 Nobel Prize in Medicine, a job in Vancouver, where he stayed until 1960.

In 1958, he was chairman of a royal commission investigating the BC Power Commission. After retiring from UBC, he was appointed head of BC Electric by Premier W.A.C. Bennett and was involved with the Peace River hydro project. He stayed at BC Hydro until 1972. He was also involved in establishing Simon Fraser University and was its first chancellor from 1964 to 1968.

In 1975, he was appointed director of the Vancouver Museum and Planetarium association. In 1986, he wrote his autobiography with Peter Stursberg, called Gordon Shrum: An Autobiography.

In 1967, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was awarded an Honorary D.Sc. degree from U.B.C. in 1961.

He died in Vancouver, British Columbia, just six months before his 90^th birthday.

Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia – sometimes considered to be cross-town rivals, as they are the two major universities based in Vancouver - hold a popular annual football match between the SFU Clan and the UBC Thunderbirds, affectionately named "Shrum Bowl."

Academic offices
Preceded by New position	Chancellor of Simon Fraser University 1 January 1964–31 May 1968	Succeeded by Kenneth P. Caple