Jim Parr

Who was Jim Parr?

James Gordon Parr was an academic, broadcaster and provincial civil servant in the province of Ontario, Canada.

Parr was an engineer by training specializing in metallurgy and he once hosted a programme on CBC Radio called The Mad Metallurgist aimed at popularizing the discipline. He also wrote several books on the subject including The Engineer's Guide to Steel; Man, Metals and Modern Magic and An Introduction to Stainless Steel.

He earned his B.Sc. degree in metallurgy from the University of Leeds and worked as a mining engineer before enrolling at the University of Liverpool to study his doctorate. He lectured there before coming to Canada to work for Inco in Sudbury. He returned to Canada in 1953 to work for the British Columbia Research Council and also lectured at the University of British Columbia.

In 1955, he went to the University of Alberta to accept an appointment as an associate professor and then full professor. He moved to Windsor, Ontario in 1964 to become dean of the faculty of applied science at the University of Windsor.

After serving as chairman of the Commission on Post-Secondary Education in Ontario and as president of the Ontario Committee on University Affairs, Parr was appointed deputy minister of Colleges and Universities - a civil service position for the provincial government.