In memoriam: Dr. Lloyd George Stephens-Newsham

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Dr. Lloyd George Stephens-Newsham.

In his twenty years at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Stephens- Newsham was part of an active research group that focused on bionucleonics and radiopharmacy. He was also a guiding force in the medical uses of radionuclides at the University of Alberta until he retired in 1986.

"Dr. Stephens-Newsham was certainly a major contributor to the growth and success of the Faculty and the University," said Dr. James Kehrer, Professor and Dean.

Dr. Stephens-Newsham was one of the individuals in the Faculty's Bionucleonics and Radiopharmacy Division who successfully backed the University's multidisciplinary efforts to secure funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and others to purchase and operate the SLOWPOKE (Safe LOW-POwer Kritical Experiment) nuclear reactor. Dr. Stephens-Newsham oversaw the preparation of the reactor site within the Dentistry-Pharmacy Building.

The reactor was commissioned at the University of Alberta in 1977. It remains the only nuclear reactor in a pharmacy Faculty in the world. With the nuclear reactor on campus, the Faculty became the first in Canada to offer a graduate program in radiopharmacy at a Ph.D. level.

Dr. Stephens-Newsham's impressive body of work speaks for itself but his colleagues are able to speak to what kind of man he was.

We remember him as an accomplished scientist and a true gentleman, said Dr. John Mercer, Professor Emeritus.

Dr. John Duke, Director, SLOWPOKE Facility, fondly remembers Dr. Stephens-Newsham for his support for him as a student and for his guidance throughout his career. "Lloyd was one of those rare individuals who selflessly encouraged young scientists in the field, being motivated only by a desire to see them succeed."

The University of Alberta flag flies at the half mast position as a sign of mourning of the death Dr. Stephens-Newsham