The Trent community is saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Emeritus Peter Barrett, who in his 30 years as a professor at Trent University served as don of Trail College, Chemistry department chair and dean of Science.

Prof. Barrett joined Trent University as an assistant professor of Chemistry in 1967. In 1972, he was promoted to associate professor and appointed chairman of the department of Chemistry for a three-year term, from 1983 to 1986. During his time as chairman, Prof. Barrett was promoted to full professor in 1984. From 1988 to 1993, Prof. Barrett served as associate dean of Science. Prof. Barrett celebrated his 30 year work anniversary in 1997 and retired from Trent University in 1999.

Before becoming a professor at Trent University, Prof. Barrett earned his bachelor and masters of Science at Queen’s University and was a junior fellow of Massey College during his Ph. D at the University of Toronto. In the 1960s, he then moved to London for 2 years for a postdoctoral fellowship at Imperial College. 

Below is an excerpt from his obituary notice:

“As a professor at Trent University for 30 years, Peter’s gifted teaching touched the lives of many students in his first-year Chemistry and Environmental Sciences classes.   As a talented researcher and patented inventor he was elected fellow of the Chemistry Institute of Canada, and served the University community as don of Trail College, department chair for a decade, and then another decade as Trent’s dean of Science.  Family will always cherish memories of sabbatical years living in Yorkshire in the ‘70s, and in Colorado in the ‘80s.  Peter and Karen returned to their hometown of Port Dover in 1999, building a retirement home on Lake Erie where the old family cottage stood, with his vegetable garden, sailboat, piano, and basement laboratory for his continued experiments in home wine and beer making, pickles and preserves.” 

The University extends heartfelt sympathies to Prof. Barrett’s family and friends, and to all that knew him at Trent University.