R.W. Begg seated in his office smoking his pipe. Picture on the wall in the background.

Bio/historical note: Robert William Begg was born in 1914 at Florenceville, New Brunswick. He received his B.Sc. from Kings College in 1936; M.Sc. and Doctor of Medicine from Dalhousie University in 1938 and 1942; a Ph.D. from Oxford University in 1950. He served with a parachute regiment during the war. Dr. Begg came to the University of Saskatchewan as head of the Saskatchewan and Research Unit of the Cancer Institute of Canada in 1957. In 1962 was appointed Dean of the College of Medicine; in 1967 was appointed Principal of the Saskatoon Campus; and was appointed President of the University, a position which he held from 1974-1980. He was married to Elsie Baker and they had four children, Beverley, Robert, Cathy, and Ronald.