HUNDERT, Edward

May 28, 1940 - Jun. 18, 2020

Edward Hundert, beloved husband and father, died suddenly on June 18, 2020. He was 80. Ed was born in New York City, May 28, 1940, the only child of Lillian and Gershon Hundert who had emigrated to America from, respectively, England and Galicia (then Poland). They were part of the last great wave of Yiddish-speaking Jews immigrating from diaspora communities all over Eastern Europe. Ed is survived by his wife Carol Gibson, his daughter Martha Hundert (Jeremy Fraiberg), his step-daughter Shawn Bayes (Margaret Perry) and his grandchildren, Sam and Ben Fraiberg. Ed grew up a poor, muchloved only child in the Bronx, attended Stuyvesant High School, an elite public high schools of New York City, and attended the City University of New York. He went to graduate school at NYU and the University of Rochester. Ed began his career as an academic at the University of Calgary and moved to the UBC in 1966. Ed inspired generations of undergraduates, including many who were not history majors, with his passion for the life of the mind. Just a short time before his death, he received letters from two former students who, decades after they had taken his unusually popular and memorable course in intellectual history, wrote to say how inspiring he had been. Ed was an unusually gifted lecturer---forceful, learned, and lucid--and he received a teaching award for his superb work. Ed was a devoted and attentive father and step-father. Ahead of his time, he was in charge of the household logistics and cooked dinner every night. Bonding over food came naturally to him. He and Martha spent countless mornings breakfasting at McDonalds, and searching out the best dim sum and Szechuan restaurants. He was also a dedicated chauffeur, driving Martha to school almost every morning for 13 years. He was Shawn's editor, organizer and proud cheerleader. Ed will be deeply missed. A memorial will be held at a later date.