To Ian's Family and Friends,

I have only just heard the news of Ian's passing. For me, Ian was a professor in my first year of law school when all those young brains were trying to absorb concepts of property law and he delivered memorable content. I also remember him as a very congenial and likeable person. Ian will be remembered by a great many law students, now lawyers in practice, who benefitted from and enjoyed his teaching. He passed at a very young age and I am sorry for your loss.

I did not know Ian very well although we were colleagues at the law school in the early years (1980s and 90s).I always knew that he was a gifted and dedicated teacher who was greatly appreciated by his students. I extend my condolences to his grieving family. You no doubt feel robbed by his early departure, but rest assured that, over time, your memories of him will bring not only consolation but also joyful appreciation of the part that he played in your lives.

Dear Barb, Rob, and Jennie,

I knew Ian as a generous colleague with a big heart who was committed to the law school and his students. He was also a bit of a rabble-rouser too, but most of the time the rabble he roused needed it.

Ian’s course on Real Property Transactions was legendary. Ian set up a fictitious home sale and purchase that included a mortgage transaction, complete with a land titles office. He divided his students into firms, and he acted as the client to be interviewed and to sign documents for each firm. The transaction always had a hitch in it too, which I am pretty sure was Ian’s favourite part of the exercise. He seemed pretty gleeful when he talked about each year’s new hiccup.

And it wasn’t just the big things like that course that Ian did; it was also the smaller things that made others’ lives easier. When the law school was moving from (literally) cut-and-paste in-house course materials, Ian took it upon himself to use what was then a newly invented precursor to a scanner to digitalize each page of the property law materials. Then he had to proofread and edit so many mistakes on each page because that new technology was pretty glitchy. And he did, and we all had materials that were easily updated and printed every year. Some of the pages that Ian scanned and edited are still in the materials used now.

Ian’s obituary mentions that he was very athletic. I only saw that side of him once but it was memorable. One year – and only one year – a hockey game was arranged at the Oval between the law school's students and its faculty members. I don’t remember if it was Ian’s idea but he was the faculty’s “coach”. Almost all of the faculty members were so bad at simply skating – I think it was the first time on skates for some of us. Ian wasn’t playing for us until the students got 5 or 6 goals ahead (maybe 10). Then Ian got on the ice and single-handedly scored all the goals needed for the faculty to win in just one or two minutes. It was amazing the way he flew around that rink.

On the research and environmental activism side, Ian talked to me a lot about his lawsuit against the federal Minister of the Environment. Ian wanted to force the Minister to do his duty under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and decide if there was an imminent risk to the survival of the Sakinaw Lake sockeye salmon. In 2002, scientists had recommended the salmon be listed as endangered but, two years later in the fall of 2004, the Minister had disagreed. Ian first asked for an emergency assessment of the salmon and, when the scientists’ opinion was the same, Ian asked the Minister if he agreed that there was an imminent threat. In 2006, after the Minister continued to drag things out, Ian sued the Minister. The Minister did finally decide that there was an imminent threat to the survival of the Sakinaw Lake sockeye and recommended it be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk as an endangered species, but in 2007 the federal cabinet declined to list the salmon as endangered. That made the remedy Ian sued for a moot point, which Ian conceded. But Ian argued that the correct interpretation of SARA was still an issue. However, in June 2007 the judge sided with the Minister, and Ian’s application was dismissed as moot. I checked and the decision is reported: Rounthwaite v. Canada (Environment), 2007 FC 921 at https://canlii.ca/t/1sxnk. I also tried to find out what had happened to the Sakinaw since 2007 to see if science had finally triumphed over politics. The Sakinaw seem to be hanging in there these days – but barely -- based on a 2019 Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Research Document titled “Recovery Potential Assessment for the Sakinaw Lake Sockeye Salmon.” I bet Ian knew they were still hanging in there.

Ian also introduced me to Tracy Chapman's music, a fact I recall each time I hear one of her songs. It's a warm memory.

Jonnette

I went to Ridley with Ian and we were part of a dorm in Merritt House. I remember him as an excellent hockey and football player. I seem to recall that he was captain of both the Hockey 1sts and Football 1sts in our Grade 13 year despite not being a particularly big man. His death shocks me as I’m just about the same age.

Colleague, Friend, Neighbour. Ian was all of these to us.

He was the most generous of colleagues at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law. He was willing to do the extra that the curriculum and ethic of the school demanded, long after others had wearied of it. He was a wonderful Associate Dean, enthusiastically taking on a job that others shunned. The Survivors Party was a great example of this. He was helpful and cheerful (most of the time!)

He and Barb lived for a while in the street next to us, and influenced our lives in the most uncommon of ways. We bought their boat. We took on a stray cat that the Rounthwaites were kindly feeding, a cat who became our beloved pet, Elvis. They introduced us to the most wonderful of babysitters, Monique Boiteau, when we began following their lead in children.

We have rather lost touch since he left the faculty and we both moved away from Brentwood. But he remains a memorable colleague, friend and neighbour in our hearts.

Nick (Rafferty) and Anne (Stalker)

We are so sorry for your loss of this very special man.

My deepest condolences on the loss of Ian to Barb, Jenny, Rob and all of the family.

Ian was a wonderful person with a quick smile and wit. In my years of knowing him, I found him to be a gentle soul who brought out the best in everyone he met. Ian has left behind a lovely legacy as his presence can be seen and felt in his children and grandchildren.

My friend, I am saddened that you had to leave us so soon. You are missed.

Yvette

Deepest Condolences on the Loss of H. Ian Rounthwaite

Dear Ian’s Family,

I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of H. Ian Rounthwaite, and I would like to extend my most sincere condolences to your family during this difficult time. Ian's contributions, both professionally and personally, have left an indelible mark on many lives, and his absence will be profoundly felt.

As a Professor of Law Emeritus, Ian's dedication to his field and the students he mentored over the years was truly remarkable. His commitment to shaping the legal minds of the future was evident in the lives he touched and the knowledge he imparted. His work has undoubtedly had a lasting impact on the legal community.

On a personal note, Ian's warmth, humor, and kindness were qualities that endeared him to all who had the privilege of knowing him. His laughter was infectious, and his genuine friendship left an impression that will not fade with time. He was a loving husband, a devoted father, and a good man who was cherished by many.

During this time of mourning, please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you. We share in your grief and are here to offer support in any way that you may need. Ian's memory will be a source of strength for all who were fortunate enough to know him.

In closing, I would like to express my heartfelt sympathy to you and your family. Please take solace in the wonderful memories you shared with Ian and the profound impact he had on so many lives. His legacy will live on, and his spirit will continue to inspire us all.

With deepest condolences,

Dr. Kamaran Noori

As I put pen to paper, my words forsake me. I know who Ian “is,” and am struck each time I now recall who he “was.” And so I ask for your forbearance as I remember the loving husband, son, brother, father and grandfather, generous Professor and Associate Dean, and my dear, dear friend.

I have known Ian since my first day of law school 26 years ago, in September 1997. Since then, I have gotten to know his family well. It comes to no surprise for those who know Ian that he was a caring husband to Barb. For over 50 years, he would never leave her side. This devotion was matched by the always-undervalued quality of bringing laughter into the world. I recall that in 2009, I received an award and Ian was amongst the few people in the legislature with me. The dress code was black tie. Ian was not a black tie man. He stayed overnight in Edmonton and arrived at the event in a tuxedo, exclaiming “I didn’t even have this for my wedding!” But while he was a funny man, he was an unfailingly kind husband. During this trip, I asked him where Barb was, and he let me know she was being looked after back at home. Barb, his children, grandchildren, and everyone in his family know how much he loved them, and how much they loved him. My thoughts remain with them today, and for days to come.

There are few who hold a greater sway upon law students than their professors. And there are fewer still professors who will positively change the course of these students’ lives. How lucky I am that Ian was one such professor. His brilliance and indelible contribution to the profession is demonstrated by his piercing scholarship and countless students who became lawyers around the country, myself amongst them.

But these contributions of Ian’s, exceptional in their own right, elide that which made him so profoundly great: his generosity. Each year, in January, Ian would host what he called the “Survivor’s Party.” This party was for those law students who had, well, survived their first semester at UCalgary. Around fifty individuals would show up in the dead of Calgary winter to this party. Ian welcomed these strangers into his home with open arms so that they may meet his family, meet one-another, and celebrate the life that goes on outside a law student’s studies. In this way, he was not merely a good professor, academic, or mentor. He was that rare figure who cared for more than his students’ academic and professional success, but for who they were as people. His students are luckier for it, as am I.

Ian was also an outgoing, athletic man. I have no interest in hockey, but even he got me into hockey for an evening. His daughter Jennie has seasons’ tickets for the Calgary Flames. One year, there was a big game coming up. Ian convinced Jennie to give him her tickets, and then used his razor-sharp advocacy skills to convince me to go to the game. Now, anyone who knows Ian knows that he is a soft, well-spoken man: an erudite law professor. But when we went to that hockey game together, I found myself thinking: “Maybe this is not the man I know.” He was yelling and screaming at the referee, looking wildly to me: “Did you see that?! That was a penalty!” I had not seen the missed penalty, as I was concentrating on finding the puck. I cherish this time with Ian. His memory—as loving family member, professor, and as a fierce hockey fan—will remain with us.

I feel empty with this loss. Ian started out as my law professor and developed into a friend; but he became a brother to me. Loss cuts us off from the world, draining us of our thoughts and leaving us hollow. But I hope we may find solace in remembering the loving husband, son, brother, father, and grandfather; the generous professor who worked tirelessly in service of his students; and the kind, comedic, and fundamentally good person whom we all knew. He was gone too soon, but this remembrance allows us to take back that time we had with him. And in this way, we still know who Ian is. We will miss you, Ian.

Shirzad