Canadian astronomy lost its most senior member with the death of Malcolm Thomson on March 21, 2002 in Ottawa at the age of 94 after a very brief illness. Born in Nelson, B.C., Malcolm graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1929, then joined the staff of the Dominion Observatory in Ottawa. For more than four decades he devoted his career to the continuous improvement of the Canadian Time Service, except for wartime service in the Royal Canadian Air Force and an educational leave to earn an MSc at Yale University in 1954. In his early years at the Observatory, Malcolm was much involved in the development of radio time signals and the implementation of the Canadian broadcasts on CHU. As head of the Positional Astronomy and, later the Astronomy Division of the Dominion Observatory, he was responsible for these time signals, for the photographic zenith telescopes in Ottawa and Alberta, and for keeping the Dominion Observatory up-to-date as the technology of timekeeping advanced from pendulums to crystals to atomic clocks. When optical astronomy was moved to the National Research Council in 1970, Malcolm became head of the Time and Frequency Section, retiring in 1972. His definitive history of timekeeping in Canada, "The Beginning of the Long Dash", was published in 1978.
Malcolm Thomson served on numerous scientific committees and with several societies. A charter member of CASCA, he had served as National President of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada from 1966-68. But few people had a more extensive list of activities outside their professional life than Malcolm Thomson. He earned a pilot’s license prior to World War II, and was a long-standing member of service clubs and discussion groups. An active church member, he sang in its choir, coached its sports teams and was always willing to volunteer. Malcolm enjoyed outdoor activities such as canoeing and participated in cross-country ski marathons until the age of 85!
Malcolm Thomson is survived by his wife of 61 years, by two sons and four grandchildren. His many friends will miss his trademark bow tie and his perennial cheerful smile.
Ian Halliday
Ottawa, Ontario