Robert Tivy, Sc'51
Bob Tivy never intended to go to Queen’s University. The son of a janitor and a seamstress -- and a high school dropout -- his future in 1939 was sure to be a blue-collar job on an assembly line at Canadian General Electric in Peterborough, Ontario, where he grew up.
But the Second World War changed his world. Bob enlisted and was quickly promoted to the officer rank. Through the Veterans Rehabilitation Act following the war, he was able to complete his high school education and was accepted into the engineering faculty at Queen’s.
Bob graduated in 1951, and with a young child and expectant wife, took an engineering job with Philips Cables in Brockville. Twenty years later, he was the President of Black and Decker Canada and soon to be Vice-President of Black and Decker for Asia and the South Pacific.
Throughout his career, Bob expressed his gratitude to Queen’s for providing him with the education that led to his professional success. This success, in turn, provided a university education for both his daughters, one of whom became a faculty member at Queen’s University.
At age 88, Bob returned to campus, took courses and participated in conferences and panels at the Smith School of Business. He remained an ardent supporter of Queen’s University until his death in 2017 at age 94.
In appreciation of the life-changing opportunity that Queen’s had given him 70 years before, Bob left a substantial legacy to the university for the revitalization of Mitchell Hall. Thanks to Bob’s generosity, today’s students can enjoy this important gathering place for innovation, curiosity, connection, health, and wellness.
