BASc, MASc, MA, PhD, PEng
2T2 Chemical
Inducted: 1979
Ronald Rusk McLaughlin was Dean of the Faculty of applied Science and Engineering at U of T from 1954 until his retirement in 1966. He entered the chemical industry in 1923, after completing his Masters Thesis, and assisted in the establishment of the Canada Dry plant in New York.
In 1924, he returned to the University of Toronto and pursued a research career which included study in England through a fellowship at the Lister Institute. In 1931, he joined the Department of Chemical Engineering, and became Professor in 1943.
He was renowned as a teacher among his students and fellow Faculty members, while his skill as an administrator caused him to be widely sought after in that field. He was fervent in his defense of the Canadian point of view, and had unshakable confidence in the future of the profession in Canada.
His honours and awards included Montreal Medal of the Chemical Institute of Canada, 1956, Honourary Doctor of Science, University of Windsor, 1961, and Society of Chemical Industry Medal, 1964.
Achievements
• A prominent figure in engineering education at the University of Toronto
• Leader in the professional societies of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry in Canada
• One of the founders of the Chemical Institute of Canada, President in 1945