Willard S. Boyle has done all Canadians proud today by winning this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics. Born in Amherst, N.S., Mr. Boyle stands out for his achievement in developing the sensor that is widely used in digital cameras.
Although Mr. Boyle made a name for himself in the United States, he has deep Canadian roots. His physician father set up practice in a Quebec lumber camp and he attended Lower Canada College in Montreal as a boy.
Mr. Boyle flew Spitfires for the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, and then went on to complete a PhD in physics at McGill University. He taught at Royal Military College in Kingston before moving to the U.S. to work for Bell Labs in New Jersey.
His work, and those of his fellow Nobel recipients – George E. Smith and Charles Kao – has helped shape the foundations of today’s networked society by creating many practical innovations for everyday life.
Mr. Boyle returned to Canada upon his retirement in the late 1970s, and has lived in Nova Scotia ever since.
He is a true Canadian success story, who has shown the world the best Canada has to offer.
On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and our Parliamentary caucus, I offer my most heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Boyle on this momentous occasion.
