Elizabeth (Betty) Donald, a long-time professor of nutrition at the University of Alberta, died in Red Deer earlier this month. She was 88.
"She was one of our top teachers, and one of the most-loved professors in the department," said Catherine Field, a current professor of nutrition who taught a course with Donald while a grad student. "She was tough with students, but really caring."
Her passion for and understanding of nutrition was evident early, said Jack Donald, her younger brother. During the war years, "she used to try to get me to eat dandelion greens. She said they had a lot of protein."
At the U of A, her research highlights included studies linking nutrition and dentistry, and the interrelationship of vitamin B and oral contraceptives. She also conducted one of Alberta's first nutrition surveys, which focused on the relationship of the nutrient intake of seniors to health and disease, and on the seasonal variation in their nutrient intake.
Donald is also remembered as exceedingly generous. The first in the string of scholarships she supported at the U of A was the Household Economics Class of 1949 Scholarship for students studying human nutrition.
It came about, remembered fellow classmate Sheila McLaggan, when Donald and others wanted to mark the 50th anniversary of their graduation. They met to review what gifts had previously been given to their department and discovered that because they were grads of the School of Household Economics (now the Nutrition and Food Science program in ALES), most gifts were silver flatware and tea sets. And all of those were in storage in the corridors between their faculty's building and another.
That settled it: "We were NOT going to give the kind of gift you could store," said McLaggan. "I wonder if that inspired her to do what she did with other scholarships."
What she did was establish several other scholarships in her name. For undergrads, these included the Dean's Citation in Human Nutrition, the Bar None Scholarship for Integrated Dietetic Internship in Rural Alberta, the Integrated Dietetic Internship Scholarship and the Elizabeth Donald Scholarship in Human Nutrition. For graduate students she set up the Dr. EA Donald MSc Fellowship in Human Nutrition and a PhD Fellowship in Human Nutrition.
"She told me she wanted to see the students getting the money and meet them," said Field, who accompanied Donald to several Bar None alumni dinners to meet the recipients of her scholarships.
It's also notable that she was "the first non-Aggie to give to the Bar None Fund," said Myrna Snart, who met Donald while a member of the faculty's development team.
One of the first professors who set exact objectives in each course for students, according to Field, Donald taught at the U of A from 1969 until her retirement in 1988. She earned her BSc at the U of A, her master's from Washington State University in 1955, and her PhD in 1962 from Cornell University, where she was an associate professor for five years.
"It was the top nutrition school in the world," said Field. "U of A was lucky to get a Cornell grad. She would have been offered a job anywhere in the world."
At her request, no memorial service will be held.
"She was one of our top teachers, and one of the most-loved professors in the department," said Catherine Field, a current professor of nutrition who taught a course with Donald while a grad student. "She was tough with students, but really caring."
Her passion for and understanding of nutrition was evident early, said Jack Donald, her younger brother. During the war years, "she used to try to get me to eat dandelion greens. She said they had a lot of protein."
At the U of A, her research highlights included studies linking nutrition and dentistry, and the interrelationship of vitamin B and oral contraceptives. She also conducted one of Alberta's first nutrition surveys, which focused on the relationship of the nutrient intake of seniors to health and disease, and on the seasonal variation in their nutrient intake.
Donald is also remembered as exceedingly generous. The first in the string of scholarships she supported at the U of A was the Household Economics Class of 1949 Scholarship for students studying human nutrition.
It came about, remembered fellow classmate Sheila McLaggan, when Donald and others wanted to mark the 50th anniversary of their graduation. They met to review what gifts had previously been given to their department and discovered that because they were grads of the School of Household Economics (now the Nutrition and Food Science program in ALES), most gifts were silver flatware and tea sets. And all of those were in storage in the corridors between their faculty's building and another.
That settled it: "We were NOT going to give the kind of gift you could store," said McLaggan. "I wonder if that inspired her to do what she did with other scholarships."
What she did was establish several other scholarships in her name. For undergrads, these included the Dean's Citation in Human Nutrition, the Bar None Scholarship for Integrated Dietetic Internship in Rural Alberta, the Integrated Dietetic Internship Scholarship and the Elizabeth Donald Scholarship in Human Nutrition. For graduate students she set up the Dr. EA Donald MSc Fellowship in Human Nutrition and a PhD Fellowship in Human Nutrition.
"She told me she wanted to see the students getting the money and meet them," said Field, who accompanied Donald to several Bar None alumni dinners to meet the recipients of her scholarships.
It's also notable that she was "the first non-Aggie to give to the Bar None Fund," said Myrna Snart, who met Donald while a member of the faculty's development team.
One of the first professors who set exact objectives in each course for students, according to Field, Donald taught at the U of A from 1969 until her retirement in 1988. She earned her BSc at the U of A, her master's from Washington State University in 1955, and her PhD in 1962 from Cornell University, where she was an associate professor for five years.
"It was the top nutrition school in the world," said Field. "U of A was lucky to get a Cornell grad. She would have been offered a job anywhere in the world."
At her request, no memorial service will be held.