Dr. Bonnie Burstow, Professor

OISE is extremely sorry to inform our community that Professor Bonnie Burstow passed away on January 4. She was 74.

Bonnie was an exceptional scholar, author and activist. She completed her Ph.D. in Adult Education at OISE in 1982, and was a director of My Brother’s Place, a half-way house, from 1984-1987. She taught at a number of other universities before returning to OISE in 1995. While she was renowned for her work on anti-psychiatry, her scholarship pushed boundaries in a range of fields.

She was a wonderful colleague, teacher and mentor to many members of the OISE community. She obtained the David E. Hunt Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching in 2011.  Bonnie was caring, devoted to her students and colleagues, spirited and highly original. Bonnie was also extremely devoted to OISE – she played a range of leadership roles in our Adult Education and Community Development program and recently created a series of new scholarships to provide financial support to graduate students.

Bonnie was a very special member of our community. She will be missed.