Cade, William (Bill) Henry
William (Bill) Henry Cade (LLD '12) was born on July 5, 1946 in San Antonio, Texas. He died December 29, 2025.
Cade completed his BA (1968), MA (1972) and PhD (1976) in Zoology at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1977, he immigrated to Canada. He was Professor of Biology and served as the Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science at Brock University in St. Catherines, Ontario. In collaboration with his wife, Elsa Salazar Cade, his research dealt mainly with entomology and animal behavior, particularly with field crickets.
While in Ontario, he was involved in developing partnerships between Brock University and external groups focussed on local food production. In 1998, he was named Niagara-Royal Bank Citizen of the Year for his promotion of the Ontario grape and wine industry.
In 2000, he came to the University of Lethbridge, where he was Professor of Biology and served as President and Vice-Chancellor until 2010. As President of the UofL, Bill was known for his personal approach while working with ULethbridge students, faculty and staff. During his presidency, Bill guided the University of Lethbridge through a period of significant growth, strengthening the institution’s academic reputation and reinforcing its commitment to teaching, research and community engagement. He led the development of major campus infrastructure, including the Centre for Sport & Wellness, Markin Hall, the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building, the Community Sports Stadium and the campus daycare.
Bill was also instrumental in the University’s transition from a primarily undergraduate institution to a comprehensive university by strengthening research capacity and expanding graduate programming.
Above all, Bill will be remembered for his unwavering support of students and the genuine interest he took in people across campus and throughout the broader community. He was widely known for the personal time he devoted to others through his day-to-day interactions.
In 2006, Bill was inducted into the Kainai chieftainship, an honour limited to 40 living individuals and bestowed by members of the Blood Tribe in recognition of service to the community. In 2012, following his presidency, he received an honorary degree from the University of Lethbridge in recognition of his tremendous contributions.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Cade
https://web.archive.org/web/20070805213650/http://www.uleth.ca/prs/about.html