Remembering Ernie McFarland

Our physics department family has lost a very dear member. Ernie McFarland, retired faculty member and former Associate Chair, passed away suddenly on December 16, 2024. He is survived by his loving wife, Mary, two sons Grant and Steve of whom he was immensely proud, as well as stepson Dan, stepdaughter Lianna, and step-granddaughters Lotte and Margo. He loved his stepfamily deeply and was a doting grandparent.

Ernie first joined the department in the mid-1970s as a lecturer and he soon became an integral member of the team, becoming a tenured faculty member with a focus on physics education in the early 1980s. This was a controversial move at the time for a physics department in Canada, and it paved the way for our department to become recognized nationally for our commitment to excellence in pedagogy – a reputation we maintain to this day.

In the words of a colleague at another institution: “Ernie was a vessel of energy, creativity and compassion, and few could match his captivating ability as a teacher and mentor”. He truly marveled at the wonder of the natural world and the ability of physical theories and models to understand it, and always infused his lectures with a joyful playfulness. He loved to start a session with a demonstration related to the subject matter of the day, asking students to predict what would happen and then collectively observing the result. Sometimes these demonstrations involved nothing more than a coffee mug on a string, but regardless of how simple or elaborate the setup, they were always designed to get students’ attention and cause them to wonder why. You never knew what was in his pockets when he arrived, but you could be sure it would be puzzling and intriguing. His classroom demeanor was one of everyone’s favorite uncle, and he brought to mind the character of Uncle Pockets from an old film starring Danny Kaye (Danny Kaye - Uncle Pockets - High Quality).

Ernie won many awards for his outstanding skills in the lecture hall, locally as well as at the provincial and national levels. Most notably, Ernie was named a 3M National Teaching Fellow in 1987 and received the Canadian Association of Physicists’ Medal for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 1997. He played a key role in the founding of the Ontario Association of Physics Teachers in 1979, with the first OAPT conference held at the University of Guelph that summer. Ernie served as the editor of the Demonstration Corner column for the OAPT newsletter for 25 years (The Demonstration Corner Archives).

Writing textbooks and journal articles, Ernie had a passion for sharing his approach to physics teaching with colleagues in secondary and post-secondary education. He also loved to wow junior scientists in elementary schools around the province, bringing the Physics Road Show to hundreds of students every year with staff member Tom Kehn. They also appeared on the morning show on CTV with these engaging demonstrations – Ernie and Tom were a fabulous team.

Everyone’s favorite uncle was adored by generations of University of Guelph students. When he retired in 2009, he was the subject of what can only be described as a cult following on Facebook, a group called “Ernie Mac is the new Chuck Norris”. E-Mac, as he was called there, was truly idolized, with students sharing ‘facts’ such as: ““Ernie was once challenged to a footrace by a photon and easily won.  Afterwards the photon complained that Ernie must’ve broken the rules of physics to win but Ernie just laughed and replied, “Laws of physics? I AM physics.””

The current generation of faculty and staff in the department who are actively engaged in community outreach have all been mentored and inspired by Ernie. He always felt that his experiences in a folk music band, playing guitar and singing with “The Random Sample” based at Western University, were really important in helping him to develop his approach in large lecture settings. Ernie would share this quote from Marshall McLuhan to reinforce this theory: “Anyone who tries to make a distinction between education and entertainment doesn’t know the first thing about either.”

 Ernie carried his child-like wonder and playful approach to life long into retirement, enjoying his chats with physics colleagues about the current antics of the department’s outreach team until the end. We have lost a generous former colleague, a caring educator, a thoughtful mentor, and a true friend. Our beloved E-Mac is missed.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/guelph-on/ernest-mcfarland-12135147