Memorable Manitobans: Robert Bury “Bob” Ferguson (1920-2015)

Geologist.

Born at Galt, Ontario on 5 February 1920, son of Alexander Galt Ferguson and Harriet Henrietta Bury, he graduated from the Galt Collegiate Institute (1938) then received BA (1942), MA (1943), and PhD (1948) degrees from the University of Toronto.

In 1947, he joined the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Manitoba, specializing in mineralogy and crystallography, retiring in 1985 as a Distinguished Professor. He continued to work as a Professor Emeritus and received several distinctions, including a Hawley Award from the Mineralogical Association and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

On 29 December 1948, he married home economist Margaret Irene Warren (c1923-2019) and they lived in the Wildwood Park area of Winnipeg where they had three children. He was an active member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg, serving as board president and a member of many committees. In 1968, the family built a cottage on Big Duck Island in Lake of the Woods where they spent much time. He supported the Manitoba Theatre Centre, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Manitoba Opera, and Winnipeg Art Gallery.

He died at the Victoria Hospital on 18 January 2015. A collection of his research materials is held at the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections.

Sources:

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 31 January 2015.

Obituary [Margaret Irene Ferguson], Winnipeg Free Press, 11 May 2019.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 18 June 2025

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

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