Office of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor

Queen's mourns the passing of Dr. Alfred Bader

December 24, 2018

Queen’s University mourns a distinguished alumnus and lifelong friend and benefactor, Dr. Alfred Bader, BSc’45, BA’46, MSc’47, LLD’86.

Dr. Bader’s relationship with Queen’s has spanned two continents, three generations, and more than 70 years. The extended Queen’s family will feel his loss deeply. Personally, over the past several years, since my earliest phone conversation with Dr. Bader, I have valued very highly, and shall greatly miss, his friendship, his passion, and his counsel.

In his two autobiographies (1995 and 2008), Dr. Bader – Alfred – described himself simply as a “chemist collector.” He was indeed a gifted chemist, as well as scholar, innovator, entrepreneur, connoisseur, and philanthropist. Alfred believed passionately in the ennobling influence of education and the arts. He never forgot the opportunities that a university education opened up for him. Alfred loved Queen’s for accepting him as a student. He gave back in countless ways, transforming the campus, enriching the student experience, enabling faculty excellence, creating scholarships and fellowships, ensuring that others would benefit as he had.

During his visits to campus with his beloved wife, Isabel, Alfred delighted in meeting scholars, students, and other friends, to exchange ideas and to encourage them in their fields of study. Alfred’s gifts to Queen’s, including the Bader International Study Centre at Herstmonceux, the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, and an unparalleled collection of Old Master paintings stand as a testament to the splendid breadth of his vision and generosity.

Alfred Bader’s legacy at Queen’s University will endure in the many people whose lives he touched. It will live on in future generations who will be enriched by his profound love for his university.

On behalf of all of us at Queen's, I extend my deepest condolences to Alfred’s wife, Isabel, his sons, David and Daniel, and their families.

Daniel Woolf
Principal and Vice-Chancellor