The University has been informed of the death of Dr Stephen Gill, who had served initially as an Adjunct Professor and subsequently as Honorary Fellow and Reader in English Literature and Peace Studies of the University. He was eighty-nine years of age.

Dr Gill was an Indo-Canadian poet and author of fiction, with his output extending to some thirty books and many more essays, articles, reviews and individual poems. The central theme of his work was his commitment to world peace and the freedom of the individual. Born in Pakistan, he taught in Ethiopia before settling first in England and then in Canada. He was married and had children and grandchildren. Most of his work is in English, but he also published poetry in Urdu, Hindi and Panjabi.

As his work achieved prominence, Dr Gill became closely involved with a number of universities, lecturing and speaking at conferences. He and the University’s Chancellor first came into contact as Cultural Doctorate members of the former World University Roundtable, located on the Desert Sanctuary Campus in Benson, Arizona, USA. Subsequently, both became part of the work of Ansted University (British Virgin Islands), and then met in person when both received honorary doctorates from Ansted in convocation at London Metropolitan University in September 2003.

Dr Gill served as Dean of Peace Studies at St Simon’s College, a predecessor institution of European-American University, and when the University was established and then launched in 2007 became its strong supporter, serving as a mentor and examiner, and donated a collection of his published works to the University.

Dr Gill received many national and academic honours. He was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and in 2012, Indira Kala Sangit University in India officially established the Centre for Stephen Gill Studies. The Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr. Mandvi Singh called this a historical move of  the university to establish this centre for scholars to pursue their higher studies on Stephen Gill. In 2011, Dr Gill was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature with the support of European-American University.

The family funeral notice can be read here while the website giving details of Dr Gill’s works is at www.stephengill.ca