Endowment in Honour of Doug Inglis & Jenny Gusse

Dr. Douglas Inglis and Jenny Gusse died tragically in Banff National Park while on a backcountry hiking trip along with their beloved dog Tris on September 29, 2023.

We are fundraising, intending to create an Endowment through the University of Lethbridge to honour Doug and Jenny and their tremendous impact on the scientific community. An endowment is an account that is held in trust by the University. The capital is preserved permanently, while the income earned on the capital is to be used for the specific purpose of creating a student award. Thus, the endowed awards can be given out in perpetuity without adding more money each year. The student award would be endowed with a minimum value of $25,000 for Doug and $25,000 for Jenny. This amount will generate enough interest to sustain two $1,000 student awards annually. The goal is $250,000; the more significant the endowment fund we raise, the larger the annual student award. More information can be found here.

Thank you for any contribution and for an even greater impact please pass this information to all people in your network.

Doug and Jenny's Story

Jenny and Doug loved the environment, enjoying their daily afternoon walks with Tris, week-long backcountry treks, paddling Canada's rivers or gardening.

G. Douglas was born in Westlock, Alberta, and attended elementary, junior high and high school in Edmonton, Alberta. Doug excelled at many sports, including ice hockey, baseball, track and field, and basketball, but was an all-star football running back. Doug graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science degree (Applied Microbiology) in 1985, followed by a Master of Science degree (Microbiology) from the University of Guelph (1989) and a Doctoral degree (Microbiology) from Simon Fraser University (1996). Doug moved to Lethbridge to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (1996-1998). In 1998, Doug left Canada for a position as an Assistant Professor in Microbiology Agriculture at Mississippi State University (1998-2000). In 2001, Doug returned to Lethbridge to work at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada as a Research Scientist, developing a research program that studied the interactions between bacteria, their hosts, and the environment in efforts to improve animal health, food safety, and agricultural sustainability. Doug held positions as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary, and Departments of Neuroscience and Biological Sciences at the University of Lethbridge. Doug was a generous mentor, educator, advocate, and productive scientist, as his research spanned many disciplines, including entomology, bacteriology, mycology, animal stress, and glycobiology. Doug was always striving to be his best; he was an adventurer, a fantastic storyteller, and found humour in daily life. I will forever be grateful for all the lessons you taught me and the memories we cherish sharing with you; you guided us on a path of discovery. How wonderful my life was with Doug in it. I miss my best friend, advocate and mentor every day.

Jenny Gusse was born in 1961 in Wetaskiwin, Alberta. She grew up on a farm and went to Clear Vista School and Wetaskiwin High School, graduating in 1979. She graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. Jenny spent some time in New Zealand working on a kiwi farm and also lived in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, gaining more experience as a research technician. Jenny moved to Mississippi to work alongside Doug in the late 1990s, and they returned to work together at the Lethbridge Research Station for Agriculture Canada, where Jenny was a research technician. Jenny, described by one former student as the best molecular biologist they had ever encountered, was a caring, patient and skilled teacher who provided valuable hands-on training in all aspects of lab technique and equipment operation to many students in various stages of their careers. She had a resourceful, self-reliant and adventurous spirit, which enabled her to teach herself many new skills. Jenny became a tough and resilient outdoors woman, yet lived life with such friendly and gentle kindness. Together with Doug, they lived an ecologically responsible life aligned with their values of protecting and cherishing nature.

University of Lethbridge colleagues shared that "Doug Inglis and Jenny Gusse were consummate professionals, people who loved their work and who you could always count on to get the job done and done well." Jenny and Doug are described as a formidable scientific team who leave a lasting legacy, not only in research but also in the training of new scientists ("many of those students are out now occupying various positions in industry, academia and government"), therefore, their contribution to society, significantly impacting Canadians.

Read more from the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association and from Dr. Wade Abbott here.