January 26th 1999. ROOD, Joseph Lloyd.
Joe was raised in Chicago. He attended the University of California at Berkeley. He worked at the University of San Francisco. He and Elizabeth met and were married in California and began raising their children. The family moved to Rochester, N.Y., where Joe headed a Bausch & Lomb research team that developed glass with novel physical properties. Rood also participated in the development of individual stable ceramics, a type of clay or glass which can tolerate heat, and which has evolved into the tiles used to coat space shuttles to protect them as they re-enter earth’s atmosphere. The family moved to Lethbridge in 1967 when Joe was hired as a founding member of the University of Lethbridge. He served the U of L for two decades, generally as Chair of Physics. As well as a devoted husband and father, Joe was a committed teacher, assisting students in understanding the principles and practice of physics and the roles of science in society. Joe and Beth moved to Fort Macleod in 1976 where they enjoyed the town and their subsequent retirement. After retiring from the university, Joe continued to watch and admire the growth of the institution, and was particularly helpful in giving advice to his son Stewart Rood Ph. D, who was acting Chair of Biology, and worked alongside his father for five years at the University.