Peter Struk, who served as York University's assistant vice-president facilities, planning and construction for 18 years, died Aug. 7 at age 87.
Struk once shared that when he arrived at York in the 1980s, he wasn’t sure how long he would last, feeling outmatched by the vision of those around him.
He went on to serve as York’s assistant vice-president facilities, planning and construction from 1986 to 2004.
During his tenure, Struk oversaw more than 600 acres of grounds across York’s Keele and Glendon campuses, as well as the management and maintenance of more than 80 buildings. He played a central role in the University’s infrastructure growth at the end of the 20th century, which saw 20 projects started or completed. His leadership supported the development of several landmark facilities on the Keele Campus, including Vari Hall, the Technology-Enhanced Learning Building (now the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building), York Lanes and the Accolade East and West buildings. The projects he oversaw accounted for 3.4 million square feet of space.
Struk was also an early supporter of sustainability measures at York, overseeing the creation of an on-campus greenhouse and introducing co-generation in the energy management operation in 1998 to reduce the University’s energy costs.
His impact on the University’s infrastructure was significant, reshaping the campuses in ways that continue to serve generations of students, faculty and staff. Yet for Struk, the measure of his career was not the scale of the buildings or the number of projects completed, but the people those spaces were meant to support. As he reflected at his retirement celebration: “My years at York have been exciting and fun. The best part of the job for me was motivating, helping and representing people who had a sincere interest in helping students at York.”
Struk is survived by his family, friends and former colleagues.