If you’ve ever found just the book you needed at Robarts, thank Ernest Sirluck. During his eight years at U of T in the 60s, the then-dean of the School of Graduate Studies spearheaded an ambitious 50-year-plan for the university’s library system that included acquiring five million books – and building the giant concrete structure to shelve them all. He also oversaw a doubling of the number of grad students admitted to the university.
Sirluck grew up in Manitoba and came to U of T during the Second World War for graduate school, where he became the first Jewish person ever appointed to teach English at a Canadian university. (Mid-appointment, he took a break to serve in France with Canadian military intelligence.) His U of T dissertation launched his reputation, later honed at the University of Chicago, as a respected scholar of Milton. After a stint as president of the University of Manitoba, Sirluck returned to Toronto. He died on September 4 at age 95. “Not only a great scholar and gifted administrator, he was a man of remarkable courage and the greatest integrity,” said Paul Stevens, currently acting chair of the English department.
Recent Posts
New Paths to Recovery
Every year, thousands of Canadians seek help for addiction. Which treatments work best?
Can Electric Vehicles Save the Planet?
Eliminating gas-powered cars and trucks may help avert a climate catastrophe. But they are only part of the solution
The Theatre of Tomorrow
A U of T lab is working with actors, writers and directors on how they could harness AI and other emerging technologies to generate new ideas and – just maybe – reinvent theatre