The Queen’s community is mourning the passing of Dorine Chernoff, a supporter of the university whose family is the namesake of Chernoff Hall. She passed away at the age of 92 in West Vancouver, B.C.
Chernoff, a University of Manitoba grad, developed a love for Queen’s through her family. Her husband of more than 60 years, Michael, graduated from Queen’s with a geology degree in 1959. They had two children (Catherine and Bruce, Sc’87), and eight grandchildren and step-grandchildren (including Jaclyn Galbraith, Sc’10, Reid Foose, Com’16, Brooke Foose, Sc’18, and Stella Chernoff, Artsci’26).
“Dorine and the Chernoff family have shown an extraordinary commitment to Queen's,” says Vice-Principal (Advancement) Karen Bertrand, Artsci'94. “On behalf of the many students, researchers, and professors who have benefited from their generosity, I offer my sincere condolences to the Chernoff family. Together with her family, Dorine created a beautiful legacy at Queen’s, and she will not be forgotten.”
Chernoff Hall, which cost $59 million and was completed in 2002, was built with the help of a gift from the Chernoff family and is the home of the Department of Chemistry.
The family also established the Chernoff Family Awards, a student-assistance program designed to support qualified students who otherwise would be unable to study at Queen's.
Award recipients such as Health Sciences student Rebecca Wylde are grateful for the Chernoff family and say their generosity has significantly impacted their time at Queen's.
“I would not have been able to attend Queen's without their support,” Wylde said. “I was offered admission to the Bachelor of Health Sciences program abroad at Bader College, and because of the Chernoff family, I am now able to pursue not one but two of my lifelong passions; a career in health care and being able to travel.”
The Chernoff Family Foundation's impact goes beyond Queen’s. It also provides financial help to high-school students in Kamsack, Sask., Notre Dame College in Wilcox, Sask., students from 4-H B.C. clubs, and Indigenous students in the Yukon. It has also established scholarships for students at the University of British Columbia, University of Saskatchewan, Brandon University, and Cumberland Regional College in Nipawin, Sask.
