David McCurdy Baird (July 28, 1920 – September 10, 2019) was a Canadian geologist, photographer, and academic. He was the older brother of Dr. Kenneth Baird.

Early life and education

Baird was born in

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

in July 1920. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1941 from the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Americ ...

, a Master of Science degree in 1943 from the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

, and a Ph.D. in 1947 from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

.Canadian Who's Who 1997 entry
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Career and later life

Baird held many university teaching positions including the University of Rochester (1941 to 1943), McGill University (1943 to 1946),

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not parti ...

(1946 to 1947), and the

(1947 to 1952). From 1952 to 1958, he was a Provincial Geologist for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. At the same time, he was a Professor of Geology at

Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...

and was head of the department from 1954 to 1958. In 1958, he joined the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...

as a Professor of Geology and Chairman of the Department where he would remain until 1966."A 'make-do' operation: Canada Science and Technology Museum 50th anniversary story from 2007"
Joanne Laucius, ''Ottawa Citizen'', November 18, 2014 From 1966 to 1981, he was the founding Director of the

Canada Science and Technology Museum The Canada Science and Technology Museum (abbreviated as CSTM; french: Musée des sciences et de la technologie du Canada) is a national museum of science and technology in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum has a mandate to preserve and promote ...

in Ottawa. From 1981 to 1986, he was the founding Director of the

Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (RTMP, and often referred to as the Royal Tyrrell Museum) is a palaeontology museum and research facility in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. The museum was named in honour of Joseph Burr Tyrrell, and is situ ...

Drumheller Drumheller is a town on the Red Deer River in the badlands of Central Alberta, east-central Alberta, Canada. It is northeast of Calgary and south of Stettler, Alberta, Stettler. The Drumheller portion of the Red Deer River valley, often ref ...

, Alberta. In 1986, he was appointed Director of the

Rideau Canal The Rideau Canal, also known unofficially as the Rideau Waterway, connects Canada's capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, to Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston. It is 202 kilometres long. The name ''Rideau'', French for "curtain", ...

Museum in

Smiths Falls, Ontario Smiths Falls is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada, southwest of Ottawa. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census it has a population of 9,254. It is in the Census division for Lanark County, but is separated from the county. The Rideau Canal ...

. He was the author of numerous books including ''Beauty in the Rocks: The Photography of David M. Baird'' (2006, ), ''Northern Lights: Lighthouses of Canada'' (1999, ), ''Jasper National Park: Behind the mountains and glaciers'' (1977, ), ''A guide to geology for visitors to Canada's national parks'' (), and ''Our Earth in Continuous Change'' (1973, ). In 1986, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

for his "life-long contribution to science education in Canada". In 1986, he was awarded the

Royal Canadian Geographical Society The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS; French: ''Société géographique royale du Canada'') is a Canadian nonprofit educational organization dedicated to imparting a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada—its people ...

Massey Medal The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) awards the Massey Medal annually to recognize outstanding personal achievement in the exploration, development or description of the geography of Canada. The award was established in 1959, by the Ma ...

. In 1958, he was made a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...

and was awarded the Society's

Bancroft Award The Bancroft Award is an award of the Royal Society of Canada "given for publication, instruction, and research in the earth sciences that have conspicuously contributed to public understanding and appreciation of the subject". The award was endow ...

in 1970. He died in September 2019 at the age of 99.David McCurdy Baird
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, David McCurdy 1920 births 2019 deaths Anglophone Quebec people Artists from New Brunswick Canadian geologists Canadian photographers Canadian science writers Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Massey Medal recipients McGill University alumni McGill University faculty Memorial University of Newfoundland faculty Mount Allison University faculty Officers of the Order of Canada University of New Brunswick alumni University of New Brunswick faculty University of Ottawa faculty University of Rochester alumni University of Rochester faculty Writers from Fredericton Canadian expatriates in the United States