Brian Gordon PRONGER

BRIAN GORDON PRONGER July 23, 1953 - October 17, 2018 Scholar, author, teacher, mentor, friend, life-partner, son, brother, activist, ritual believer, rational atheist, singer, violinist, swimmer, sailor, martini guru, sparkling ironist, perpetual seizer of the day, our beloved Brian left us too soon, yet peacefully and on his own terms on October 17, in the arms of his partner, Jim Bartley, following a stroke. Raised with his sister, Brenda, in Brantford, Ontario, by devoted parents, Gord and Muriel, Brian from early on was one who could effortlessly charm a stranger or galvanize a room. By his early 20s, Toronto beckoned. An undergrad at University of Toronto, he soon was singing in the choir at St. James Cathedral and bartending at the U of T Faculty Club. In 1977, he met Jim in a gay bar. Within a month they were cohabiting. They went on to share their lives for 41 years. In 1979, Brian and Jim joined a group called Gays at U of T. There they met like-minded activists, some of whom became life-long friends. Through the shock of the 1981 Toronto Police bathhouse raids, the losses of the AIDS crisis, and beyond, Brian and Jim remained active in the LGBTQ struggle. Brian served on the Board of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives and on the Steering Committee of the Sexual Diversity Studies program at University College. A violinist and private music teacher through his twenties, in his thirties Brian shifted gears dramatically. He began studies at U of T that culminated in a PhD in Exercise Sciences, becoming an Associate Professor at the (then) Faculty of Physical Education and Health. His specialty (to no one's surprise) became cultural criticism. In the words of his former dean, Bruce Kidd, 'He was a brilliant scholar, eloquent speaker, mesmerizing debater, accomplished swimmer and determined activist for social justice. Brian challenged colleagues and students to question traditional thinking about science and received wisdom, about sport, physical fitness and the body, about sexuality.' The present dean of the Faculty, Ira Jacobs, writes, 'Dr. Pronger's accomplishments during his all-too-short decade at the Faculty were meteoric.' Brian's devoted graduate student (now Associate Professor) Caroline Fusco writes, 'He was an incredible mentor and teacher, among the top scholars in queer and social justice studies of the body, sexuality, desire, and science and technology. His fourth year ethics course provoked students to consider the implications of the scientific knowledge they were learning. His standards were high, but he was the first to celebrate when students had small breakthroughs in their thinking.' Though Brian fell ill in 2003 and was not able to teach thereafter, he never gave up his connection to the University and the academic life. That Professor Fusco was able to take up teaching his ethics course was a great comfort to him. He continued to spend time at his office and with colleagues, and enjoyed frequent meals at the Faculty Club right up until the weeks just preceding his passing. His ground-breaking books, The Arena of Masculinity, and Body Fascism, still powerfully influence cultural and ethical studies on athletics and the body, both in Canada and internationally. To be around Brian was always to feel his spark, his deep pleasure in life, his keen mind, his ever surprising sense of irony, and wicked sense of humour. He made life more fun and more rich for so, so many. Friends, family and colleagues will sorely miss him, while always cherishing memories of his smile, his vibrant presence, and his unique and joyful approach to the rituals of gin, vermouth, and a twist of lemon. Brian leaves his partner, Jim Bartley; his tight and beloved circle of longtime friends; his sister, Brenda Coxe; nephew, Wesley Coxe; his sister-in-law, Mary Bartley; his cousins, Carol Ann Clouston, Nancy Corcoran, and Angus Sibbald; and countless others whose lives he enriched. Brian did not want a funeral. His wish to be cremated has been fulfilled. Plans have begun for a memorial celebration of his life and work, to occur at the University of Toronto at a date to be announced. All who knew him are welcome to attend.