A graduate scholarship endowment is being established in memory of Colin Spence, a geologist and member of the board of advisers for UBC's Mineral Deposit Research Unit, who was killed last June while surveying a mine site in the Philippines for an Australian mining company.
The Colin D. Spence Memorial Scholarship in Geology is being established by his friends, industry colleagues and with the support of Rio Algom, the mining company for whom he worked for 40 years. The endowment will fund in perpetuity a $6,000 scholarship available annually to a master's student in geological sciences, geological engineering or geophysics. Recipients may be eligible to renew the scholarship for a second year.
While Spence was with Rio Algom he was closely involved in establishing the Rio Algom scholarships at UBC funded by a capital endowment of $200,000 through the World of Opportunity campaign.
Born in Kenya, Spence graduated from London's Royal School of Mines in 1955 before joining Consolidated Zinc Corporation of Canada. He joined Rio Algom in 1964 and was the company's exploration manager in Western Canada until his retirement in early 1996. He is survived by his wife and son.
For further information about the scholarship fund contact Elizabeth Ko in UBC's Development Office at 822-3846.