(1939-2023)
Jagdish Handa passed away peacefully on November 21, 2023 after battling a long illness. He was born in India in 1939. He experienced the challenges of partition at a young age during which his family lost everything and thus became refugees in India. The family later moved to Kenya, where Jagdish completed his high school studies. Being an excellent student, he was offered a position at the prestigious London School of Economics where he received his BA. He continued his academic pursuits and obtained his PhD in Economics from John Hopkins University. He moved to Canada in 1966 and worked as a Professor of economics for the next 53 years at McGill University, during which time he served as Chairman of the Economics Department and later as Associate Dean of Arts, earning the title of Professor Emeritus upon retirement in 2019. Over the course of his career he authored many books on economics and took on visiting professor and guest teaching roles all over the world, including in London, San Francisco, New York, Sydney and Nairobi among others. He was a very gentle, kind man with a generous spirit and possessed an intellect, curiosity and wisdom that grew over a lifetime of adventure as a true citizen of the world. He never forgot his humble and modest beginnings and believed in the importance of education in overcoming hardship. He was a loving and devoted husband to his wife of 57 years, Sushma, a proud, deeply caring and great father to Sunny (Monica) and Rish (Marie-Lou) and was beloved by his six grandchildren: Riley, Aerin, Devyn, Logan, Jack and Charlie. He is survived by his brother, Subash Handa, and his sister, Kanta Bahl. He was a teacher and mentor to many. He will be missed by all whom he touched. https://montrealgazette.remembering.ca/obituary/jagdish-handa-1089105748