Val O'Donovan
Val O'Donovan David Johnston (1999-2003) | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Valentine O'Donovan February 14, 1936 Cork, Ireland |
| Died | February 5, 2005 (aged 68) Bermuda |
Michael Valentine (Val) O'Donovan, CM (February 14, 1936 – February 5, 2005) was a Canadian businessman and Chancellor of the University of Waterloo.
Born on Valentine's Day in 1936 in Cork, Ireland, to parents Patrick Joseph and Mary Imelda (née O'Donnell).[1] He started working at Pye Telecommunications in 1959 after graduating as an electrical engineer from the Cambridge College of Technology.[1] He invented a new type of microwave multiplexe in 1962 and the paper he wrote about his work won the best paper award in the Journal of the Institution of Electronic and Radio Engineers.[2] O'Donovan met his future wife Sheila (1937-2019 shortly after graduating from college.[1] The couple were married in 1960.[3] Together they had four children: Simon, Christopher, Stephen and Caroline.[3]
In 1963, O'Donovan, immigrated to
In 1992, O'Donovan was awarded the
From 1997 to 2003, O'Donovan was Chancellor at the University of Waterloo, where he relished giving degrees to many thousands of students, to each of whom he had something special to say.
In 1998, O'Donovan and Sheila started a charitable foundation to establish a residential hospice in Waterloo Region for terminally ill cancer patients. In July 2000, Lisaard House (lisaardandinnisfree.com) was open for its first residents.
O'Donovan's special interests included his rose garden, his bookshelves and his wine cellar.
On February 5, 2005, O'Donovan died at his home in Bermuda.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Michael O'Donovan". Glove and Mail. 12 February 2005. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Tribute to former UW chancellor". bulletin.uwaterloo.ca. University of Waterloo. 11 February 2005. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^ a b Hill, Valerie (23 June 2019). "Lifetimes: Sheila O'Donovan, nurse and advocate for the dying left her mark in a unique and lasting way". TheRecord.com. Retrieved 26 July 2019.