Donn Jean Kushner (March 29, 1927 – September 15, 2001) was an American-born Canadian

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...

and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

. He taught

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

at the University of Ottawa and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

from 1965 to 1992 and authored both adult and children's books, some of which won awards.

Biography

Early life and education

Donn Jean Kushner was born on March 29, 1927, in Lake Charles,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. In 1948, Kushner moved to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and became a

Canadian citizen Canadian nationality law details the conditions in which a person is a national of Canada. With few exceptions, almost all individuals born in the country are automatically citizens at birth. Foreign nationals may naturalize after living in Ca ...

. He studied at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and McGill Universities, and earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

from Harvard in 1948, a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

from McGill in 1950, and a PhD also from McGill in 1952.

Career

Scientist

Before his work in universities, Kushner was a Research Scientist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in

Sault Ste. Marie Sault Ste. Marie is a cross-border region of Canada and the United States located on St. Marys River, which drains Lake Superior into Lake Huron. Founded as a single settlement in 1668, Sault Ste. Marie was divided in 1817 by the establishment of ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, from 1954 to 1961 and was also a research scientist for the National Research Council in Ottawa from 1961 to 1965. From 1965 to 1967, Kushner was an

Associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

at the University of Ottawa and was Professor of Biology from 1967 to 1988. He then left Ottawa and became a Professor of Biology at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

from 1988 until his retirement in 1992 and was also a Fellow of Victoria College from 1988 to 1992. In 1988, Kushner joined the Departments of Microbiology and Botany, and the Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Toronto. In 1992, he became

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

in the Department of Botany. During his time at these universities, Kushner authored several scientific articles and was the editor of ''Microbial Life in Extreme Environments'', published in 1978. From 1977 to 1983, he co-edited the ''Canadian Journal of Microbiology''. In 1986, Kushner received the Ottawa Biological and Biochemical Society Award and, in 1992, he received the Canadian Society of Microbiologists Award. Kushner was also President of the Canadian Society for Microbiology and edited ''Archives of Microbiology''. Two bacteria are named after Kushner: '' Halanaerobium kushneri'' and ''Salinivibrio kushnerii''.

Writer

In 1981, Kushner published a collection of

short fiction A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

for adults called ''The Witness and Other Stories''. Also in 1981, his book ''The Violin-Maker's Gift'', after being published on March 30, 1981, won the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award. The book has been translated into Dutch,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

. Kushner's other children's books have also won awards. Kushner published several more children's books, including ''Uncle Jacob's Ghost Story'' (1986), ''A Book Dragon'' (1987), which won the National Chapter of Canada IODE Violet Downey Book Award in 1988, ''The House of the Good Spirits'' (1990), ''The Dinosaur Duster'' (1992), ''A Thief Among Statues'' (1993), ''The Night Voyagers'' (1995), and ''Peter's Pixie'' (2003), the latter of which was published posthumously. Kushner's blend of fiction and fantasy in his books gave him a distinctive voice and won him critical acclaim as a modern fabulist, with parallels being drawn between him and French writer

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry, simply known as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ; 29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), was a French writer, poet, aristocrat, journalist and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of s ...

Death

Kushner died in

after struggling against two illnesses, on September 15, 2001. His funeral took place from September 21 to 22 at Humphrey Funeral Home in Toronto.

Personal life

In 1949, Donn Kushner married Eva Dubska. They had three sons, Daniel, Roland and Paul. Aside from writing, Kushner's passion was playing the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

and

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

in chamber music groups.

Bibliography

* ''The Violin-Maker's Gift'' (March 30, 1981) * ''Uncle Jacob's Ghost Story'' (March 24, 1986) * ''A Book Dragon'' (January 19, 1987) * ''The House of the Good Spirits'' (November 6, 1990) * ''The Dinosaur Duster'' (March 1, 1992) * ''A Thief Among Statues'' (June 24, 1993) * ''The Night Voyagers'' (September 15, 1995) * ''Peter's Pixie'' (September 30, 2003; published posthumously) All books credited as Donn Kushner unless otherwise stated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kushner, Donn 1927 births 2001 deaths McGill University alumni Harvard University alumni People from Lake Charles, Louisiana American emigrants to Canada Naturalized citizens of Canada University of Ottawa faculty University of Toronto faculty 21st-century American male writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian male writers American male short story writers Canadian male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century Canadian short story writers American children's writers Canadian children's writers