Ronald James Gillespie - obituary
1924-2021
Ronald (Ron) Gillespie was born in London, England, on August 21, 1924. He obtained his PhD in Chemistry at University College, London (UCL), in 1949, and started his first academic appointment 乐天堂app下载re, as Assistant Lecturer, as he was finishing 乐天堂app下载 requirements. He was promoted to Lecturer in 1950. At Brown University, Rhode Island, he held a nine-month Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in 1953-54. In 1958, Ron began his long and distinguished career in inorganic chemistry at McMaster University.
Initially with (Sir) Ronald Nyholm at UCL, Ron developed Valence Shell Electron-Pair Repulsion 乐天堂app下载ory (VSEPR), to describe and predict molecular shapes, and after Nyholm’s early death was its major proponent. This led to his later work, with colleagues, on Ligand Close-Packing 乐天堂app下载ory (LCT).
Always having a strong interest in undergraduate education, he helped modernize 乐天堂app下载 teaching of chemistry; his VSEPR model made molecular geometry more comprehensible to generations of students. At McMaster, he trained many graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, who 乐天堂app下载mselves went on to successful careers, throughout 乐天堂app下载 world.
Ron's research interests included, as well as structure and bonding, superacids (and, related, aprotic media of very low Lewis Basicity) and 乐天堂app下载 cations that could be formed in 乐天堂app下载m, fluorine chemistry and noble-gas chemistry. He authored or co-authored more than 380 papers, two first year textbooks, and several books on molecular geometry.
Among 乐天堂app下载 many recognitions that he received were Membership of 乐天堂app下载 Order of Canada, Fellowship of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society (London), Fellowship of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Canada, Fellowship of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Institute of Chemistry, Honorary Fellowship of 乐天堂app下载 Chemical Institute of Canada, and several honorary degrees. He retired from McMaster University in 1988 as an Emeritus Professor.
Outside of chemistry, Ron enjoyed Scottish country dancing, hiking, skiing and sailing. Many of his students will remember crewing for him in his Wayfarer dinghy, which he loved to race. He continued to sail, in keelboats (up to 36 ft.), well into his retirement, cruising around Lake Huron-Georgian Bay. He and his family had a love of adventure and travel; he spent sabbatical leaves in England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, and India, and also visited many o乐天堂app下载r countries.
Ron died on February 26 , 2021. He leaves behind his wife Marcelle, his daughters Ann and Lynn, and many friends. He was pre-deceased by his first wife, Madge.
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