Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Virender Kumar (Vir) Handa was a faculty member in civil engineering at the University of Waterloo from 1964 to 1995 with a focus on construction safety and management. Born in Lahore, India, his father was a lawyer and his mother a social activist. Handa obtained a BSc in physics, chemistry and maths at the University of Calcutta in 1949 and a second BSc in engineering at the University of London in 1954. Coming to Canada on a scholarship, he completed an MSc in civil engineering at Queen's University in 1958 and an MSc in applied mathematics at the University of Waterloo in 1962, followed by a PhD in in civil engineering in 1964.
In addition to substantial contributions to the development of the study of construction management, Handa worked with Waterloo colleagues to created several Expo 67 pavilions including Man the Explorer, Planet ad Space, and Man the Producer. He served as Chairman of the Board of the Canadian National Museums of Science and Technology, consulted for the Cree Housing Authority for more than 20 years, and held the position of Riding Association President for the Liberal Party of Canada. Handa was also active in the recruitment of students to Kitchener-Waterloo serving with involvement and chair roles in groups including the Canadian South Asian Chamber and the India Canada Association.
Handa died May 3, 2005 following complications from an accident two years prior, leaving behind wife Silvana and their two children, Dev and Aruna. A celebration of life was held on May 25, 2005 at Waterloo's University Club.
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
Mandates/sources of authority
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
Access points area
Subject access points
Place access points
Occupations
Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Created January 2024 by DR.
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
- "Handa, Vir". The Record. May 21, 2005, p. 27.
- "Kuman Vir Obituary". The Globe and Mail. May 21, 2005.
- "Retired faculty and staff mourned". The Daily Bulletin. June 30, 2005.