12/09/2022
We are saddened to hear of the losses of Professor Mark Nagler and Dr. Karen Kobayashi.
Mark Nagler taught in Sociology and Disability Studies at the University of Waterloo for 29 years. He received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for community services and was appointed to serve on the Human Rights Commission.
Born with cerebral palsy, Mark was a notable advocate for disability, speaking and writing extensively on the topic. He published 'Perspectives on Disability: Text and Readings on Disability' in 1990, the first university textbook on disability studies. He also contributed a personal reflection on living and aging with disability to 'Promoting the Health of Older Adults,' which was published in 2021.
Mark had a momentous career, was a devoted father, and created work that touched the lives of many. He will be greatly missed.
Read the full obituary for Mark Nagler here: https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/thespec/name/mark-nagler-obituary?pid=202708017
Dr. Karen Kobayashi was a Professor in the Department of Sociology and the Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Studies) of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Victoria. She was also a research fellow with the Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health. Over the course of her impressive career, Karen was an advocate for the social inequalities faced by older adults, diverse immigrant and Indigenous populations, and Japanese Canadians during and after the internment. As a social gerontologist and researcher, her work reflected her passion, advocacy, and belief in accountable scholarship and collaboration.
In 2021, her co-authored piece, “Health Promotion Practices for Immigrant Older Adults” was published in the edited collection 'Promoting the Health of Older Adults.'
Karen’s friends and family have established the Karen Midori Kobayashi Memorial Scholarship in her memory, which will aim to aid one or more outstanding graduate students in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Victoria working on topics that seek to improve the lives of diverse and vulnerable older adults, and/or reduce the negative impacts of health inequalities on older persons.
Karen's friends and family describe her as a compassionate, intelligent, and charismatic person. She will be greatly missed.
You may donate to the scholarship here: https://extrweb.uvic.ca/donate/kobayashi-scholarship
Read the full obituary for Karen Kobayashi here: https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/timescolonist/name/karen-kobayashi-obituary?pid=202161462
