William Schrank

William E. Schrank (82) of Digby, Nova Scotia passed away peacefully on April 13, 2023 surrounded by his family. He had succumbed to the complications of late-stage Parkinson’s. Bill was born in Brooklyn, New York to Ann and Charles Schrank. He attended Brooklyn Technical High School and then Cooper Union, where he earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Bill went on to pursue graduate work at New York University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he earned a PhD in Economics. He taught at the University of Essex before moving to St. John’s, Newfoundland with his wife, Bernice. Together they taught at Memorial University for over 35 years. He authored a pioneering study of the relationship between sex and salaries in Canadian universities and became deeply involved in organizing the faculty union at Memorial, ultimately negotiating a ground-breaking collective bargaining agreement. Bill’s expertise in fisheries management led to international acclaim, particularly in Canada and Scandinavia. After retiring to Digby in 2002, Bill opened Crooked Timber Books and lent his spare time to the Admiral Digby Museum. Bill is survived by Bernice, his wife of 58 years; his three children, Sarah, Joe, and Rachel; in-laws Gus, Amaya, and Andrew; grandchildren Bibi and Kate; sister Margaret; niece Victoria; and grand-nephew Roman. Bill, legendary for his intellect and wry sense of humor, had a deep love of books, engaged conversation, stamps, baseball—especially the Brooklyn Dodgers and #42, Jackie Robinson—movies, Neil Diamond, and egg rolls. He will be deeply missed.