Engineering
      Professor
      to
      Retire
      After
      35
      Years
      of
      Service
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Don
      J.
      Gillis
      will
      be
      retiring
      after
     
     
      this
      academic
      year.
      He
      has
      been
      teaching
     
     
      since
      he
      accepted
      a
      position
      at
      Prince
      of
     
     
      Wales
      College
      in
      1968
      and
      has
      taught
      most
     
     
      of
      the
      engineers
      that
      now
      practice
      on
      PEI.
     
    

    
     
      Don
      was
      born
      in
      Summerside,
     
     
      PEI
      and
      completed
      grade
      one
      in
      a
      convent
     
     
      before
      moving
      on
      to
      "high
      school"
      which
     
     
      was
      grades
      two
      to
      twelve.
      He
      had
      only
     
     
      one
      story
      to
      tell
      which
      took
      place
      during
     
     
      his
      elementary
      schooling.
      "I
      must
      have
     
     
      talked
      a
      lot
      as
      a
      kid,"
      he
      said
      as
      he
      remi-
     
     
      nisced
      about
      the
      time
      a
      nun
      placed
      a
      mop
     
     
      beside
      his
      desk
      and
      threatened
      to
      shove
      it
     
     
      down
      his
      throat.
      "All
      I
      remember
      is
      won-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dering
      which
      end
      was
      going
      to
      go
      first."
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Gillis
      graduated
      from
      St.
     
     
      Dunstan's
      University
      and
      then
      from
      TUNS
     
     
      (now
      called
      Dal
      Tech)
      in
      1963
      with
      his
     
     
      Bachelor
      of
      Engineering.
      Gillis
      went
      on
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      receive
      his
      Master's
      from
      TUNS
      in
      one
     
     
      year.
      "I
      didn't
      sleep
      that
      much."
      he
      said,
     
     
      explaining
      how
      he
      completed
      the
      degree
      so
     
     
      quickly.
     
    

    
     
      Free
      from
      debt
      after
      receiving
      one
     
     
      of
      the
      largest
      graduate
      scholarships
      offered
     
     
      at
      the
      time
      to
      study
      at
      TUNS,
      Don
      thought
     
     
      about
      getting
      his
      PhD
      in
      either
      California
     
     
      or
      Montreal.
      As
      he
      explained
      his
      patriotic
     
     
      decision
      to
      stay
      in
      Canada,
      he
      mused
      that
     
     
      he
      dodged
      the
      Watts
      riots
      only
      to
      be
      in
     
     
      Montreal
      for
      the
      FLQ
      bombings.
      But,
     
     
      after
      a
      year
      into
      his
      doctorate
      at
      McGill,
     
     
      Gillis
      decided
      that
      it
      was
      time
      to
      start
     
     
      working.
      "I
      just
      wanted
      to
      work,
      to
      see
      if
     
     
      the
      stuff
      I
      learned
      was
      any
      good."
     
    

    
     
      When
      visiting
      his
      family
      in
      the
     
     
      summer
      of
      1967
      Gillis
      happened
      to
      be
      on
     
     
      the
      Prince
      of
      Wales
      campus.
      When
      he
      ran
     
     
      into
      the
      registrar
      Frank
      McKinnon,
      he
     
     
      made
      an
      "off
      the
      cuff’
      comment
      as
      to
      why
     
     
      they
      did
      not
      have
      an
      engineering
      depart-
     
     
      ment.
      As
      it
      was
      not
      really
      intended
      to
      be
     
     
      as
      serious
      comment,
      Gillis
      forgot
      about
      the
     
     
      whole
      situation.
      In
      a
      few
      months
      he
      was
     
     
      surprised
      to
      hear
      from
      McKinnon
      and
      was
     
     
      told
      that
      the
      college
      was
      interested
      in
      his
     
     
      "proposition"
      to
      start
      an
      engineering
     
     
      department
      at
      the
      facility.
     
    

    
     
      Taking
      a
      few
      months
      to
      finish
      his
     
     
      current
      projects
      at
      an
      engineering
      firm
      in
     
     
      Montreal,
      Don
      returned
      to
      PEI
      and
      signed
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      Prince
      of
      Wales
      in
      1968.
      The
      buzz
     
     
      that
      the
      amalgamation
      of
      the
      St.
      Dunstan's
     
     
      and
      Prince
      of
      Wales
      would
      cause
      loss
      of
     
     
      jobs
      worried
      Don
      slightly,
      but
      he
      knew
      that
     
     
      he
      could
      return
      to
      practising
      engineering
     
     
      fairly
      easily.
      Evidently,
      that
      was
      not
      the
     
     
      case.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      1969
      and
      Don
      joined
      the
      two
      engineering
     
     
      professors
      at
      St.
      Dunstan's.
      At
      that
      time,
     
     
      the
      Diploma
      of
      Engineering
      could
      be
      done
     
     
      in
      either
      two
      or
      three
      years.
      Some
      have
     
     
      disagreed
      with
      the
      present
      three
      year
      pro-
     
     
      gram
      at
      UPEI,
      but
      even
      when
      there
      was
      a
     
     
      choice,
      seldom
      did
      a
      student
      choose
      the
     
     
      accelerated
      program.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      have
      some
      "ulterior
      motives"
      for
      making
     
     
      the
      program
      longer,
      but
      it
      is
      not
      really
      of
     
     
      any
      benefit
      to
      them.
      They
      would
      still
      have
     
     
      to
      teach
      the
      same
      courses
      every
      year;
      their
     
     
      workload
      not
      decreasing.
      The
      concern
      of
     
     
      the
      professors
      is
      for
      their
      students,
      as
      Don
     
     
      puts
      it,
      "It's
      more
      than
      a
      job."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      be
      a
      valid
      one.
      UPEI
      graduates
      (normally
     
     
      relatively
      few
      compared
      to
      other
      schools)
     
     
      have
      usually
      been
      at
      the
      top
      end
      of
      their
     
     
      class
      when
      they
      receive
      their
      full
      degree.
     
     
      The
      professors
      as
      a
      collective
      came
      to
      the
     
     
      conclusion
      that
      the
      extra
      year
      gives
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      time
      to
      mature
      both
      in
      the
      traditional
     
     
      and
      academic
      sense.
     
    

    
     
      Although
      a
      professor
      of
      Science,
     
     
      Don
      Gillis
      possesses
      philosophical
      wis-
     
     
      dom.
      "No
      matter
      where
      you
      go
      you
      are
     
     
      going
      to
      find
      some
      people
      you
      don't
      like.
     
     
      There
      is
      only
      about
      20
      different
      personali-
     
     
      ties
      in
      the
      whole
      world."
      His
      idea
      is
      that
     
     
      people
      should
      not
      place
      their
      ability
      to
      take
     
     
      pleasure
      in
      their
      life
      in
      the
      hands
      of
      others.
     
     
      Running
      away
      from
      an
      unpleasant
      person
     
     
      or
      situation
      will
      invariably
      lead
      to
      the
     
     
      experiencing
      of
      an
      equally
      unpleasant
      per-
     
     
      son
      or
      situation.
     
    

    
     
      He
      is
      a
      man
      full
      of
      advice:
      "More
     
     
      things
      are
      decided
      by
      chance
      than
      by
      any-
     
     
      thing."
      He
      explained
      if
      you
      work
      hard,
     
     
      then
      the
      things
      that
      should
      happen
      to
      you
     
     
      will
      happen.
      Random
      events
      have
      such
      a
     
     
      great
      effect
      on
      your
      life;
      do
      not
      always
      try
     
     
      to
      make
      things
      happen,
      rather,
      just
      let
      them
     
     
      happen.
     
    

    
     
      And
      so,
      the
      end
      of
      a
      legacy
      draws
     
     
      near.
      But
      all
      the
      Dons
      of
      the
      Engineering
     
     
      Department
      are
      not
      gone,
      for
      there
      is
      one
     
     
      left
      to
      carry
      the
      torch...(and
      a
      Wayne).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Said
      amalgamation
      took
      place
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      may
      seem
      that
      the
      professors
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      professors'
      decision
      seems
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      6
      BURGERS
     
     
      QSMALLFRIES
     
     
      1
      XX
      LARGE
      GRAVY
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      CHEESE
      BURGER
     
     
      3
      MOZZA
      POUTINE