Obituary of Trevor A. Thorpe

Dr. Trevor Alleyne Thorpe passed away on Monday, May 18, 2020 at the age of 83 years. Trevor was born on October 18th, 1936 in St. Michaels Parish, Barbados. He was the son of Mitchell and Violet (nee Alleyne) Thorpe. He graduated from Harrison College in 1953 with a desire to extend his learning beyond the island. He began his studies abroad in 1956. He received a full scholarship to attend Allahabad Agricultural Institute (AAI) in Allahabad, India. He returned to Barbados after completing his Bachelor’s degree and married in 1963. At that time, he applied for and received a Fulbright Scholarship which allowed him to attend the University of California at Riverside. He received his Master’s and Doctorate degrees and then completed his educational path with post-doctoral studies at the US Department of Agriculture research facility in Pasadena, California. He began his work career by accepting an assistant professor position at the University of Calgary in 1969. His two children were born during this time in 1969 and 1970 respectively. He remained at the university in a teaching capacity until 2000. During that time, he established a world-class lab that attracted graduate students from all over the globe. In his 30 years of service at the University of Calgary, he taught and mentored hundreds of students. His other passion was travel. During his work-life, he visited the four corners of the world. His travels allowed him to extend his research activities which he accomplished through sabbaticals, attending conferences and giving lectures. He also enjoyed family trips throughout western Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. While he was not driven by hobbies, he was known to enjoy scotch, listening to music and the news, dancing and watching baseball. He also enjoyed taking photographs particularly during his many travels. He had a great smile, a hearty laugh, enjoyed sharing his unsolicited opinions and was known to play a mean game of foosball. Trevor is survived by his wife, Yvonne (nee Cumberbatch); son, Anthony (wife, Alicia); daughter, Jennifer (husband, Tony); sister, Maurelle; nephews, Paul, Charles and Michael; and grandchildren, Alexis and Vanessa. He is also survived by a number of graduate and post-graduate students -collectively known as Team Thorpe- who worked and flourished in his lab. In lieu of flowers, we are asking that people send donations to the following charities: Save the Children, Canadian Red Cross, Alberta Cancer Foundation, or Oxfam.