Trent University Mourns the Passing of Professor Emeritus Daniel Powell
Dr. Powell was first faculty member appointed to International Development Studies program
The Trent community is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Daniel Powell.
After migrating to Canada from his native Argentina in the 1970s, Professor Powell earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology from McGill University. He was the first faculty member specifically appointed to Trent's then program of Comparative Development Studies (CDS), and held a joint appointment in Comparative (later International) Development Studies and Anthropology from 1984 until his retirement in 2006.
A fellow of Traill College, Prof. Powell and his wife Norma were resident dons at Traill for six years. They spent the 1990-91 academic year in Ecuador, where Prof. Powell served as director for the first full year of the Trent-in-Ecuador Program. He was chair of CDS for two terms, and organized student field trips to Mexico, Cuba and Nicaragua. He also supervised several students who undertook community-based research in Peterborough. His own scholarly research was focused on Indigenous communities in north-west Argentina. David Morrison, a colleague for many years, recalled that Prof. Powell was "a wonderful teacher – enthusiastic, stimulating and very accessible to students."
He is survived by Norma and their son Adrian.
The University extends heartfelt sympathies to Prof. Powell’s family and friends, and to all that knew him at Trent University.
A Celebration of Life for Prof. Powell will take place on Thursday, November 7, 2019 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Ernest & Florence Benedict Gathering Space in Trent University's Enwayaang Building.