Irving Fox
Founding Director
Born and raised in Michigan, Irving received a BA from the University of Michigan in Political Science, and MA in Public Administration. After several years in the US Department of the Interior working on water basin management, he joined Resources for the Future in Washington, D.C., where he was a researcher and Vice-President from 1955-66. He was professor of Urban and Regional Planning and associate director of Water Resources Research at the University of Wisconsin from 1966-71; and Director of the Westwater Research Centre and Professor of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia from 1971 until his retirement in 1982. In 1983 he and his wife Rosemary moved to the Bulkley Valley and built their house outside Smithers.
After retirement, Irving retained an active interest in natural resources management. Under contract with the University of BC, he undertook an assessment of forest economic and policy studies. For several years he was president of the Spatsizi Association for Biological Research, sponsoring wildlife research in northern British Columbia. He also helped establish the Bulkley Valley Community Resources Board, and participated in the Fort St. James Land and Resources Management Plan. His recreational interests included his dogs, carpentry, canoeing and hiking.