Obituary

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Bill Waters on November 25, 2010. After enjoying a snowy morning out in his yard, he passed away suddenly during a nap in his chair. 

Originally from Kansas City, MO, Bill moved to Vancouver in 1969 with his wife, Joanne having just completed his PhD at the University of Wisconsin. He joined the Faculty of Economics at the University of British Columbia and spent 34 productive years in both the Economics and Commerce Faculties with a specialization in Transport Economics. In the field of Transportation studies, Bill was widely published and regularly consulted for his expertise by government and private industry alike.  

Outside of professional life, Bill lived life to the fullest. He was a loving and wise father to Wendy and Eric and more recently an enthusiastic Grandpa to Ella, Alex, Megan and Zadie.  

 He was also a man of many hobbies that came and went through different phases of life. As a youngster, he enjoyed activities such as hunting, camping and drag racing which morphed into a lifelong love for tinkering with his dream car, a ’63 Austin Healey.  Bill was an avid outdoorsman and loved fishing, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, as well as both cross country and downhill skiing. He also devoted considerable passion toward target shooting and ice hockey with the UBC Old Birds.

Bill was an avid traveler. This was evident through sabbaticals to England, as well as several to Australia during his professional life. Upon retirement, he and Joanne tried to fit in as many adventures as possible throughout North America in their motor home.

Bill was much loved by his family and was fortunate to have forged many strong friendships that he valued deeply. He will be sorely missed by all.

As per Bill’s wishes, there will be no funeral but true to his Irish roots, a wake is to be held soon. 

In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation: http://www.heartandstroke.bc.ca

Academic Obituary

WATERS, William Glennon II  (Bill) – April 7, 1941 – November 25, 2010

It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Bill Waters, a former editor of the Review. Dr. Waters was a member of the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia (UBC) from 1969-2002. He was Editor-in-Chief of Transportation Research, E (the Logistics and Transportation Review) (formerly the Logistics and Transportation Review) from 1985-2000, and guided the Review during a critical development period.

He was a PhD graduate of University of Wisconsin. Bill served as President of the Canadian Transportation Research Forum and Director of the Centre for Transportation Research at UBC. He was selected to be a member of the Canada Transportation Act Review Panel and was a major author of its highly cited report. Dr. Waters received the Distinguished Member Award of the Transportation and Public Utilities Group of the American Economic Association, was named a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport and was given a lifetime achievement award of the Canadian Transportation Research Forum.

In addition to teaching at the University of British Columbia, Bill held fellow or visiting professor positions at Oxford University (U.K.), the Australian Bureau of Transport Economics, the University of Sydney and the University of Tasmania.

Dr. Waters' early research career focused on the role of transportation costs in the international terms of trade. He was best known for his substantial contributions in the field of railway economics, especially for studies of railway costing, pricing and productivity. In the field of logistics, he undertook a major study of export coal economics, and his study for the World Bank on transportation supply and demand elasticities continues to be widely cited. 

He inspired two generations of students in transportation economics and helped shape government policies in several countries.