In Memoriam

DAVID WILSON
November 6, 1938 – December 8, 2006

Dr. David Wilson, who was President of the CIES in 1993-1994, died in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on December 8, 2006 with his family at his side. After leading a healthy and vigorous life, he was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer in early September 2006, and doctors estimated that he had about three months. As usual, he beat the predictions and lived just slightly longer than the three months they had given him. He was 68 years old. His wife Susan and his children, Sharyn, Michael, James and Dianne, have received tributes to his memory from around the world, from his many friends, colleagues and students. He had six grandchildren, the latest born in November.

                He was born in the United States and grew up in Syracuse, New York, graduating with his Ph.D. from the University of Syracuse. He took his family to Malawi for his fieldwork, starting a family tradition of travelling. In 1968, he took a position at the newly-founded Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto as a young assistant professor in the Department of Educational Planning and was a faculty member there until his unwilling retirement in 2003. He taught numerous courses in educational planning, research methodology, Third World Education, and comparative and international education.

He listed his research interests over his long career as follows: comparative, international, and development education; planning and evaluation of occupational training systems; technological education; post-secondary, non-degree technical colleges; human resource and education system planning; workforce education; the impact of globalisation and ICTs upon education; education in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; Inuit and Indian education in Canada; formal and non-formal education; and the role of international agencies in development.

                David Wilson was an energetic and enthusiastic supporter of several academic organizations. He attended the First World Congress of Comparative Education in Ottawa in 1970. He eagerly supported the CIESC bid to host the World Congress in Montreal in 1989 and was President of the CIESC when it hosted that very successful event. He served as President of the CIESC for two terms: from 1987-1989 and 1989-1991. He also put in a lot of effort on the World Council of Comparative Education Societies as the CIESC representative and as Chair of the Finance Standing Committee of the World Council, particularly in ensuring that the financial contracts for World Congresses were properly drawn up and executed. During that period, he was also elected to serve the CIES (US) as President-Elect, Vice President and President, organizing their annual meeting in Kingston, Jamaica in 1993.  He took great satisfaction from the facts that he succeeded in getting the election procedures for the CIES completely revamped and that he compiled a handbook on how to organise CIES conferences. Then he became President of the World Council in 1996 in Sydney, Australia, a post he also held for two terms until 2001. He remained active in CIESC, CIES and WCCES affairs until his death. He was working on a chapter for his latest book on December 6 when he became ill. Rest in peace, David.

                                                          Vandra L. Masemann

Past President CIES