EDWARD FARRAR Adventurer, Storyteller, Scientist, Teacher, Iconoclast Born London, England, September 7, 1937; Died Kingston, Ontario, November 8, 2020 At the age of 83 When someone dies, eulogies are often spoken in hyperbole. For Dad hyperbole would be almost impossible - an intrepid explorer and adventurer, an indominable force of nature who dragged hundreds of friends and family, sometimes kicking and screaming, along with him on adventures we would otherwise never have gone on. Inspired early on by the polar adventurers Ross, Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen, as well as by his famous ancestor Lord Nelson (via Nelson's mistress), and actually possessing a skull reminiscent of Cro-Magnon Man, he reveled in the rough seas and fierce winds of the February Atlantic when he immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of 12. Edward lived for adventure. His life became an inspiration for others to do the same. Sabbatical years away from teaching Geophysics at Queen's University inevitably included backpacking around the world on the cheap with kids in tow. These amazing adventures provided fodder for the countless tales he told so well. So many 'Ed stories'... One time on the Big Island in Hawaii with a live volcano thrashing its way to the sea, Edward decided it was time to bake potatoes in one of the fissures. Crossing the obvious barrier and standing on fragile newly formed rock, we were all watching the potatoes baking above the flowing red lava below when a startled park ranger walked by. 'You shouldn't be here'. 'It's OK. I'm a geologist' - to which the ranger replied 'You should know better!' Camping was rough - typically involving taking a side road off the main highway, then another and another until we would come to the entrance to a farmer's field. Driving in and throwing down a sheet of plastic and sleeping bags for the night, we would wake at dawn, and after a quick coffee, be up and away before sunrise. There was never a lot of money for those sabbatical round-the-world trips - on his half salary. We slept on beaches and under bushes in city parks or in graveyards or Skikh temples when hotel accommodation in cities cost too much. Brothels were great. Funny memories of welcoming Canadian sailors at a brothel in Fiji. Ever the iconoclast, in his early twenties, as a weather forecaster in Goose Bay, Labrador, he refused to brief American planes headed for the Bay of Pigs in Cuba - causing the Canadian government to quietly remove him to Montreal. Shortly afterwards, he enrolled for a Ph.D. in Geophysics at the University of Toronto, where he met Mary Thomas, his future wife, at an annual banquet for the Fair Play for Cuba committee. Together in Inverary, north of Kingston, they raised four children, Ross (Gina), Scott, Jean (Andy Paquin) and Andrew John Shackleton (Karolina Krzys). All the boys were named after polar explorers. His home in Inverary became famous for the Grad Student welcoming parties that always included BBQing a hind quarter of beef or one of Ed's pigs. He loved gardening - planting trees, clearing land, and raising a huge organic vegetable garden along with pigs, chickens, sheep, and ducks - in his spare time. Summers at the cottage on Otter Lake were for puttering, windsurfing, sailing, bonfires, saunas, and endless wood cutting to heat the house for the winter. His exploits against the beaver became legendary. A lover of his British heritage and heritage buildings in general, he always felt that he never really 'owned' the old stone house in Inverary, but rather was living in it in stewardship for future generations. His PhD thesis from the University of Toronto demonstrated that the A.E.I. MS-10 mass spectrometer - an inexpensive, simple leak detector - could be repurposed to do accurate and precise quantitative Ar Isotope analyses. It was revolutionary. Following publication in Nature in 1964, A.E.I. sold hundreds of these instruments and K-Ar labs proliferated worldwide. At Queens University he established his own Geochronology lab and served as Head of Department from 1981 - 1986. Particularly interested in the tectonic, magmatic and metallogenetic evolution of the Andes, and on plate tectonic problems along the Pacific coast of North America he, with J.M. Dixon, introduced the novel concept of plate eduction into the geotectonics literature to describe a mechanism that could lead to the exhumation of subducted/accreted rocks at an ocean-continent margin. A first-rate scientist with a keen analytical mind, he was also a great teacher. He especially enjoyed helping students analyze a problem, get to the heart of the matter, develop a plan of attack and ultimately, get it on paper. Many grad students learned the intricacies of scientific writing for the first time under his tutelage. Altogether he authored and co-authored more than 60 papers in refereed scientific journals and supervised more than 30 graduate students. Renowned in the Queen's community for stretching the boundaries of propriety, he was often seen shirtless, wearing shorts in the middle of winter, or rushing to the gym for midday paddleball games. Other favourite sports included soccer, windsurfing, sailing, white water canoeing, downhill skiing, winter broomball, kayaking, and most recently cycling. Latterly, Edward and Mary moved into Kingston where he was instrumental in creating a visionary Inner Harbour Heritage Trail for hikers and cyclists. Two comments from former colleagues: '...brilliant scientist, great teacher, all around kind person'; and 'He was a natural, organic leader - no airs, no judgements, no orders, no rank-pulling. He walked the talk and led by example, The world may remember him for his scientific achievements; but, those of us who were fortunate to know and interact with Ed will also remember his enthusiasm, honesty, good nature and resourcefulness, and most of all his adventurous unstoppable spirit. Life around Ed was never dull.' As son Ross states 'Though he rarely showed it, he was all heart. Thus, it was all the more touching on various occasions when he showed it. Always looking for the next conquest, I guess he's finished with earth and it's time to explore the rest of the universe. Good night sweet prince... I love you.' Much loved and hugely appreciated by all who shared his life, he leaves behind his wife of 54 years, his four children and four grandchildren: Sarah Elizabeth Paquin, Julia Maria Paquin, Nadia Sophia Farrar and Aidan John Amundsen Farrar. A Celebration of his Life was held in January 2017, while he could still appreciate the love of family, colleagues, and friends, before dementia finally took over. Daughter Jean put together this wonderful video tribute for that event.
https://vimeo.com/170454446?fbclid=IwAR08hMMDNDAWLXoWHqNSkHf8ZkpaFvngBmMbWWPSeNNihYdeG_pcmv4CCgI An intimate green burial took place at the Cobourg Union Cemetery on a beautiful warm sunny day in mid-November. In appreciation of his deep belief in the importance of simple pleasures and his love of Nature, take a moment - take a deep breath or two - and contemplate for a while the wonder of the sunshine, the wind, the air, the water, the waves, the earth, and the rocks that gave him so much pleasure. Donations gratefully accepted in his memory: Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour (
www.friendsofinnerharbour.com or cheques to 83-1 Place d'Armes, Kingston, ON, K7K6S6), or the Frontenac Heritage Foundation (
www.heritagekingston.com) or a Land Trust or Conservation Authority of your choice. Memories also gratefully accepted to add to the collection -
[email protected].
Published by The Globe and Mail from Nov. 21 to Nov. 25, 2020.