June 30th marks the retirement of Richard Sullivan from the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia. Richard worked at Zoology for over 14 years as a member of the Zoology Computing Unit team (see photo). He previously worked in the computing industry and has over 50 years experience in total! This wealth of experience helps explain his instincts for where to look for the cause of problems that arise -- he has a deep background as both a system administrator and a programmer.
Richard's minor superpower is his proofreading ability. If there is a typo, he will quickly see it. His major superpower, from the ZCU standpoint, was his confidence in either finding the problem, or finding a workaround. Sometimes he would get "stuck" but his colleagues Andy and Alistair knew that, given a day or two, Richard would always find a solution. Alistair writes, “We would count on it, and joked about it.”
During retirement, Richard looks forward to learning how to play the guitar. As a young guy he was an award-winning pianist.
ZCU team 2019: Richard, Andy and Alistair (left to right).
June 30th marks the retirement of Vincent Grant from the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia. Vince, as everyone knew him, worked in the Department of Botany Shop until mid 80's. He then joined the Department of Zoology for about 4 years and then left to run UBC’s SERF (Surplus Equipment Recycling Facility, see photo) for a number of years before beginning his own event rental company (Horizon Tents). He returned to Zoology for 17 year from 2003 to 2020. Vince graduated from Lord Byng High School, and before joining UBC, lived and worked in both Vancouver and Whistler. Vince’s superpower at work was his ability to adapt on the fly. His innovative thinking allowed him to figure out simple solutions to problems that others made complicated by overanalyzing.
During retirement, Vince looks forward to finding a new homestead, exploring North America with his lovely wife Jane in a shiny, new motorhome, and getting into tip top shape physically.
Vince Grant, Plant Operations SERF, 1989. Source: University of British Columbia Archives, Photo by Martin Dee, [UBC 44.1/2741].