Remembering David Winter

The scientific and clinical communities in posture and gait are mourning the loss of David Arthur Winter at the age of 81. Dave (as we called him) was an icon in the biomechanics of human gait. Those in the community who may not have met Dave certainly know his work and probably had to study his widely used books. For those interested in Dave’s biography, we invite you to consult the recently created Wikipedia entry by Gord Robertson that can be found here.

A good part of Dave’s career was in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo (1974 - 1994) and many of his significant works were produced during this time, in collaboration with his many graduate students. Dave also co-hosted the ISPGR conference held in Waterloo, with Aftab Patla and Jim Frank in 1999.

Even though Dave retired in 1994, he did not stop, giving numerous invited lectures and even continuing to teach within the Kinesiology Department at the University of Waterloo for many years. His legacy carries on through his numerous students, grand-students and great-grand students throughout the world and even if it is as simple as the choice of the sampling frequency you use in your experiment, probably in many of you as well.

Dave, we will miss your laugh, your blue suit, your enthusiasm and your dedication to detail, but you will not be forgotten.

Brad McFadyen and Jim Frank for the ISPGR board