Reverend Eugene Carlisle LeBel, C.S.B., C.D., LL.D,''University of Windsor: Handbook Regarding Research Associates and Postdoctoral Fellows''. University of Windsor, 1971, iii. (July 27, 1899''The Canadian Who’s Who- A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women'', vol. IX. (Trans Canada Press, Toronto: 1963) s.v. "Lebel, Rev. Eugene Carlisle". - August 11, 1986) was a Canadian academic and religious leader, who spent much of his life in Catholic schools, both studying and teaching. He is best known for his efforts to introduce academic changes to Assumption College, leading it to become

Assumption University of Windsor Assumption University is a Roman Catholic university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada federated with the University of Windsor. It was founded in 1857 as Assumption College by the Society of Jesus and incorporated by an Act of the Parliament of Upper ...

and later the non-denominational

University of Windsor , mottoeng = Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge , established = , academic_affiliations = CARL, COU, Universities Canada , former_names = Assumption College (1857-1956)Assumption University of Windsor (1956-1963) , type = Public universit ...

Life

LeBel was born in

Sarnia Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes where Lake Huron fl ...

, Ontario in 1899 to Eugene Albert LeBel and Catherine Mahoney.Michael Power. ''A Guide to the Papers of Rev. E. Carlisle Lebel, CSB and Dr. J. Francis Leddy''. University of Windsor, Windsor: 1989, introduction. In 1917 he entered St. Basil's Novitiate in Toronto, Ontario, thus beginning a life of academic involvement. A religious man, LeBel took his first vows on August 10, 1918, and a year later attended the Catholic-run Assumption College (1919–20) in Windsor, Ontario. He then moved back to Toronto where he studied at St. Michael's College for four years (1920–24) and 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 ...

(1924) where he received his B.A. While at St. Michael's, LeBel was a skilled athlete, named "Captain and Star" of his championship winning football team. LeBel was Chaplain of the Essex Scottish Regiment in Windsor for fourteen years, including all of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1925, LeBel was ordained a priest and in 1931 he received his M.A. from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. He became a professor of English at the University of Saskatoon (1931–39), and later held the same post at both the

(1939–41) and Assumption College (1941–47). Following six years of teaching at Assumption College, LeBel was appointed dean (1947–52), a title he held until Assumption College became Assumption University. During his tenure as Dean of the College, LeBel and his administration pushed for a more open community school of higher learning. After winning affiliation with Essex College and Canterbury College, the Ontario legislature renamed Assumption College to

, making it an official school of the community, though it was still Catholic-oriented. LeBel was named the first President of Assumption University (1952–63). The new university grew rapidly and became dependent on government funding for its survival, becoming the

in 1963, which marked the switch from a Catholic university to a public university.''The University of Windsor- A Special Study''. LeBel was again named the first President, this time of the

. He held the post for one year before retiring in 1964. He was succeeded as President by John Francis Leddy. LeBel died on August 11, 1986.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebel, Eugene Carlisle University of Saskatchewan faculty 1986 deaths 1899 births People from Sarnia University of Toronto faculty Presidents of the University of Windsor Congregation of St. Basil