This notice is from the archives of The Notice Board. Information contained in this notice was accurate at the time of publication but may no longer be so.
The University of Lethbridge extends sincere condolences to the family, friends, former colleagues and former students of Professor Emeritus Ches Skinner, who passed away on Sunday, June 18 at the age of 78.
Skinner joined the University of Lethbridge in 1976 as a professor in the Department of Drama and served as dean from 1999 to 2009. After he retired in 2010, he began teaching at the Akademi Seni Budaya Dan Warisan Kebangsaan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and became professor in the Faculty of Theatre and the School of Post Graduate Studies in 2014.
Born in Newfoundland and Labrador, Skinner attended Memorial University where he completed undergraduate degrees in arts and education. He studied at the Banff School of the Arts and the Royal Shakespeare Institute and received a master’s from Illinois State University. He proved to be a good fit for ULethbridge’s new drama program and his initial one-year appointment became permanent. Skinner completed a PhD at Michigan State, spending summers in Ann Arbor and doing field research to support his dissertation on Newfoundland folk drama.
“As an undergraduate, I took many theatre history courses with Ches,” says Dr. Shelley Scott, interim dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts. “I am grateful to him for being both a mentor and a friend over the years. His informal mentoring of young academics also influenced the study of theatre and performance across Canada.”
Skinner was a critical component of the development and growth of the drama department. He was passionate about performance and education and that helped to build one of the strongest BFA/BEd programs in the country.
In 1978, Skinner directed his first play at ULethbridge — Jack Heifner’s Vanities. Thirty years later, To Kill a Mockingbird was his 20th and final production at the University. Whether he was in the classroom or the rehearsal hall, his love of teaching was ever present and that allowed his students to achieve their fullest potential.
Skinner was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 meeting of the Canadian Association for Theatre Research.
An obituary is available online at Cornerstone Funeral Home. A celebration of life is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 15 in the Community Room at Casa, located at 230 8 St. S. ULethbridge will lower its flags on the day of the celebration in honour of Skinner.
Contact:
caroline.zentner | caroline.zentner@uleth.ca