OKRUHLIK, Kathleen (August 24, 1951 – June 6, 2024)

Kathleen Okruhlik taught in the Philosophy Department for four decades at the University of Western Ontario. She was the founding Director of the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies; she chaired the Department of Philosophy; she served two terms as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.  While Dean, she was instrumental in the initial creation of the Rotman Institute for Philosophy.  Much of her energy went into administration, but she also did important and influential work on the history and philosophy of science (Newton, Leibniz, Kant) and especially feminism and science.   She died peacefully with her family at her side, including her husband of 50 years, Jim Brown (a philosopher at Toronto), and her two children, Elizabeth and Stephen.  She has two young grandchildren.