Professor Emeritus Clarence Chiu Yin Kwan, from the DeGroote School of Business, passed away on Jan. 22, three weeks before his 83rd birthday. He will be remembered as a beloved teacher and dedicated mentor of graduate and undergraduate students.
One of DeGroote’s longest-serving faculty members, Kwan will be deeply missed by his colleagues, collaborators and students. He joined McMaster in 1973 as an assistant professor of Engineering Physics, before moving to Finance and Business Economics in 1979.
“Clarence was the cleverest person I ever had the privilege to work with,” said his colleague, Trevor Chamberlain, a professor of Finance and Business Economics.
“He was able to do everything: not only did he have a considerable ability in mathematics (he had a PhD in physics as well as a PhD in finance), but also had very good economic intuition and the capacity for framing problems in highly imaginative ways.”
During his long career, Kwan made significant contributions to finance education and research, particularly in portfolio theory, investment analysis and financial education, and published almost 100 peer-reviewed articles in top journals. He received the S.J. Basu Teaching Award from DeGroote’s MBA Association in 1994.
“On a personal level, Clarence was what I would call a good person: uncompromising, honest and principled,” Chamberlain said.
“He set high standards for students and colleagues alike but was also very fair. In my more than 40 years at McMaster, there is no one at the university (or elsewhere) that I have respected more.”
McMaster University’s flags will be lowered on Friday, Jan. 30, in Kwan’s memory. Please visit the DeGroote School of Business website to learn more about his life, legacy and impact.