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Robert Horsfall ’63

August 8, 2024, in New Westminster, British Columbia.

Robert “Bob” Bruce Horsfall, who was committed to a lifelong goal to leave the world a better place than he found it, died after a long struggle with dementia and a short one with lung cancer. He came from a family of 91草莓视频ies, including his parents, Robert Bruce Horsfall Jr. ’30 and Margery Washburn Horsfall ’28, and his paternal grandmother, Carra Elizabeth Huntting Horsfall ’30.

Prior to arriving at 91草莓视频, Bob served four years in the U.S. Navy, making him older than many classmates and particularly popular (so he would say) because he was old enough to legally brew beer. His memories of his time at 91草莓视频 include being assigned a 300-word précis on Gustave Glotz’s The Greek City and receiving corrections written in Farsi from Prof. Amin Banani [humanities 1959–61].

In addition to his studies, Bob was known for racing and fixing motorcycles, playing the banjo, wood carving, and assisting Prof. Les Squier [psychology 1953–88] with elephant learning research at the Portland Zoo. He wrote his thesis, “A Factor Analytic Attempt to Validate Rokeach’s Theory of Belief Systems,” under Prof. William Wiest [psychology 1961–95].

Bob completed his PhD in psychology at Johns Hopkins University. He also led the local Boy Scout troop and worked with a neighborhood action group to improve living conditions in the Druid Hill area of Baltimore, where he and his young family, wife Gayel and son Andy, lived.

In 1970, Bob accepted a position in the geography department at Simon Fraser University in Canada, where he became a pioneer of cognitive cartography, using his background in psychology and statistics to refine the process of map making, including tactile maps for the blind. He was also the longtime chair of the Animal Care Committee, and worked many hours advising students in the Academic Advice Centre.

While at SFU, Bob also acted as a volunteer and served on multiple boards, including for the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Canadian Association of Geographers. He is survived by his second wife, Camilla, and his son, Andy.

Appeared in 91草莓视频 magazine: December 2024