John Arthur McNulty

MCNULTY, Dr. John A. – 81 of Halifax, died December 5, 2015 at Victoria General Hospital. A Professor of Psychology (from 1963-1994) and Associate Professor of Medicine (from 1984-1994) at Dalhousie University, he was born in Moncton, NB, the son of the late Frederick Aubrey McNulty and the late Doris Belle (Brenton) McNulty.

Following graduation from Moncton High School, he attended the University of Toronto, where he received a BA in 1956, a Master’s degree in 1960, and his doctorate in 1963. He taught at the University of British Columbia in 1962-1963, before joining the faculty of Dalhousie University in 1963. During his time at Dalhousie, he served as Secretary Senate in 1971-1972 and again from 1980-1983, and as Chair of the Department of Psychology from 1972-1974. He also served on many committees and boards of the university. Throughout his university career he remained active in teaching and all aspects of instructional development, and he took pride in the accomplishments of his students. He was also active in his field, being the author of a number of scientific publications, and throughout his career he served on boards and panels concerned with professional, scientific, and academic issues. He had been a member of the National Research Council Canadian National Committee on Psychology, the Scientific Advisory Council for the XXVI International Congress of Psychology, the Task Force on University Diving and Hyperbaric facilities and Programs for Memorial University of Newfoundland, the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology, and he was President of the Association of Psychologists of Nova Scotia in 1971-1972. In 1968-69 he was invited to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan as a Visiting Scientist, and he spent 1978-79 in Sydney, Australia as a visiting Professor at the invitation of the University of New South Wales. He was an Honorary Life Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association and at various times he had been a member of various organizations, including the American Psychological Association, the New York Academy of Science, The Underwater Association for Scientific Research Limited (UK), the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society Inc., and the Dalhousie Society for the History of Medicine. Following retirement from Dalhousie University in 1995, he maintained a pro bono appointment as an Affiliate Scientist in the Department of Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre until 1999, where he continued to do research on aspects of hyperbaric medicine. He coped with the effects of multiple sclerosis since first being diagnosed in 1981, and in later years he could not have managed without the support and help of his wife, Georgina, and grandson, Tristan. Also appreciated are the care, advice, and friendship of Dr. Robert L. Brown, his physician for over 40 years.

Surviving are his wife, Georgina Thorpe; daughters, Jan McNulty of Blenheim, ON and Jill Craven of London, ON; step-daughters, Gillian Thorpe of Halifax and Shona Dolson (Dana) of Virginia; granddaughters, Kathleen Vince, Heather Vince, Rebecca Craven, Laura Craven and step-grandchildren, Tristan Thorpe and Dena and Carmen Dolson; great granddaughter, Kaylei and his brother, Edward of Victoria, BC.

He was predeceased by his brothers, Harold and Richard McNulty and William Davis, and by his sister, Doris Sprague.

Memorial service will be held on Thursday, December 10 at 11:00 am from Saint George’s Church, 2222 Brunswick Street, Halifax officiating Rt. Rev. Susan Moxley, Rev. Christopher Snook and Canon James Purchase. A reception will follow the service. Burial at sea will take place in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, John’s wish was that memorial donations be made to Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders (720 Spadina Ave, Suite 402, Toronto, ON M5S 2T9; Tel. 1-800-982-7903. Burial at sea will take place in the spring.