Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Aruja, Dr. Endel
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1911-2008
History
Endel Aruja was born in Estonia in 1911 and completed his early schooling there graduating from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science at the University of Tartu in 1935. From 1936 until 1938 he worked as an assistant at the University's Institute of Physics, receiving his Master's Degree in 1938. From 1938 until 1939 Endel worked as an assistant in Physics at Estonia's Tallinn Technical University. From 1939 until 1941 he was a British Council Scholarship holder at Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory moving to the Physics' Lab at King's College. He received his Ph.D from Cambridge in 1943. Endel continued to work in England until 1962 when he moved to Canada and worked as a researcher in Toronto for the Ontario Research Foundation. In September of 1965 Endel joined the staff at Ryerson as a professor of Physics. In 1974 he was a visiting Professor in Lebanon at the American University in Beirut, and in 1975 at Nairobi University in Kenya. He retired from Ryerson in 1976. He was involved with the Tartu Institute (1972-2004), acting as Director, management secretary and archivist, setting up the library and archives of the Institute. He was involved in the sending of Estonian books to libraries across Estonia through the Institute. He was also a Professor Emeritus at Ryerson University from 2002 - 2007. Throughout his working career Endel was also involved in many different publications in Estonia, England and Canada. In the 1950's and 60's he edited and distributed periodicals for the Estonian National Council and helped to establish "Eesti Haal" or "Estonian Voice" newspaper. He was also the London editor of the "Baltic Review" and wrote Estonian articles for the Encyclopedia Britannica. He was also involved with many different organizations including the Royal Institution of Great Britain, the American Crystallographic Association, the Canadian Oral History Association, and the Ontario Association of Archivists. Endel Aruja was awarded an honourary degree in 1990 from Tartu University and a University of Tartu Library Medal of Service in 2002. In 1998 he was awarded the Republic of Estonia White Star V medal by the President of Estonia. Endel Aruja died in February of 2008 at the age of 97.