I didn’t really know Colin Gill, but would run into him at meetings and he was always irascible Scottish.

He also devoted his research life to E. coli O157 and other STECs.

Sorry for the delay in notification, but I just got this yesterday.

Doctor Colin Ogilvie Gill died on the 13th of December 2014, at his home in Lacombe following a sudden illness.  Dr. Gill is survived by his wife Carol; his sons Alexander, Edmund and Benjamin; his grandchildren Kate, Beatrice and Matthew.

Dr. Gill was born in Forfar, Scotland in 1943.  He was educated at the Universities of Leicester and Hull.  In 1973 he emigrated with his wife and children to New Zealand where he conducted scientific research for the Meat Research Institute of New Zealand. Dr. Gill’s work on the microbiological safety and shelf life of meats in New Zealand was internationally recognized and he was recruited in 1990 as a Research Scientist by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, where he was employed at the Lacombe Research Station, until his death. 

Over his career Dr. Gill published over 250 scientific publications and 4 patents. The impact of his work was internationally recognized and he was regularly consulted by foreign governments and domestic and international industry. 

Dr. Gill’s work was recognized by the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation (1994), Agcellence Award (1996), the Canadian Meat Council Science and Technology Award (1999) and the Golden Harvest Award for Excellence in Science (2008).