Harry led efforts to enhance the education of Ryerson architectural science students. He was instrumental in the creation of the David E. Handley Architectural Science Studios, and the Paul H. Cocker Gallery.

Anne Pettypiece
Former faculty member
Anne died Oct. 22. She joined Ryerson in 1969 as a faculty member in the Professional Communication department and retired in 1999. Her passion was politics; she enjoyed discussing the ever-changing scene in Canada and the United States.

Ray Sherk
Professor Emeritus
Ray died Dec. 2, at age 94. An adventurer at heart, Ray joined the Canadian Army in 1939, and the RCAF in 1940. He went overseas to complete his operational training, becoming a sergeant and pilot officer, flying Hurricanes, Spitfires and Squadrons.

Captured after making a forced landing in North Africa in 1942, he was a PoW for a year before fleeing after the capitulation of Italy. Ray was a founding member of the Royal Canadian Escaping Society, an organization dedicated to the recognition of the extreme efforts and risks taken by those who assisted airmen escape or evaded capture by the Germans during the Second World War. He joined Ryerson in 1965 to teach finance. In 2001, at 79, he was the only veteran to complete the Freedom Trail, a three-day hike retracing the historic path taken by escaping Allied prisoners in Italy, during which he wore his army-issued boots.

Richard. B. Wright
RTA ’59
Richard died Feb. 7, at age 70. The distinguished Canadian novelist was best known for his 2001 novel Clara Callan, which won three major literary awards in Canada: the Giller Prize, the Trillium Book Award and the Governor General's Literary Award. His other novels include October, Mr. Shakespeare's Bastard, Nightfall and The Age of Longing. A Member of the Order of Canada, Richard also received the Ryerson Alumni Achievement Award in 2008. —Christine Julien-Sullivan, Journalism '97