Gail was a treasured long-term friend and colleague of mine. We met in 1976, or so, when I visited Tucson en route from Berkeley to my doctoral research with the Hopi. We stayed in touch over these many years and shared time at nutrition conferences and in context of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS).
Gail encouraged the focus of our budding McGill research centre onto Indigenous Peoples as a unique niche in food and nutrition research. Thank you, Gail! The Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment (CINE) has been successful, in part because of its unique perspective on participatory work with Indigenous Peoples in many parts of the world. Osman and Gail fostered the creation of a Task Force within the IUNS, first with attention exclusively to Indigenous Peoples, and currently spreading to “traditional, indigenous and cultural” food and nutrition. With 3 meetings at the Bellagio Conference Center in Italy, our Task Force produced 3 books on Indigenous Peoples’ food systems with the FAO that have been widely circulated and influential. Again, thank you, Gail!
Our IUNS Task Force members and friends have sent many messages by Facebook and on email to remember Gail. These include: Chief Bill Erasmus (Dene Nation Yellowknife), Salome Yesudas (India), Solot Sirisai (Thailand), Grace Egeland (CINE and Norway), Laurie Chan (Canada), Dina Spigelski (CINE, Canada), Mark Plotkin (ACT, USA), Masami Iwasaki-Goodman (Japan), Nancy Turner (Canada), Louise Hilland (Nuxalk Nation, Canada) and Hilary Creed-Kanashiro (Peru).
Gail introduced her student, Nellie Duran, to Chief Bill Erasmus and me. This led to a doctoral program for Nellie. We all met just this past May for Nellie’s successful defense at UCLA.
These are just small examples from one person on how Gail has influenced the nutrition community. Her many friends and colleagues nationally and internationally speak eloquently of her legacy to all of us.
We miss you, Gail. Rest in Peace.