The University of British Columbia's third president John Barfoot Macdonald was born in Toronto on February 23, 1918. Graduating with a Ph.D. in dental surgery from the University of Toronto in 1942, he served as a captain in the Canadian Dental Corps during World War II. Macdonald studied biology at the University of Illinois and Columbia following the war. He returned to the University of Toronto in 1949, where he accepted a teaching appointment and later became the founding director of the Division of Dental Research. His growing reputation as a researcher and educator led to an invitation from Harvard University in 1956, where he became a professor of microbiology and director of the Forsythe Infirmary.
In 1962 Macdonald accepted the University of British Columbia's offer to become president. In announcing the appointment, Chancellor Phyllis Ross indicated that the Board of Governors felt that the institution had secured an administrator of ability, a scholar of repute, and a leader of distinction. Macdonald provided leadership for the institution during challenging times in the 1960s. During his time at UBC, Macdonald influenced the institution's development and higher education throughout the province with his study and published report, Higher Education in British Columbia and a Plan for the Future (1962). His recommendations lay the foundation for the establishment of Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria. They also allowed UBC to concentrate on the development and expansion of graduate education and research.
Macdonald's career as UBC president lasted from 1962 to 1967. Following his years at UBC, he led a major study of the federal government's role in supporting research at universities. The recommendations in the following report led to the establishment of the National Sciences and Engineering Council, Humanities and Social Sciences Council and the Medical Research Council, all major funding sources for university research activities. During the 1970s, Macdonald served as CEO for the Council of Ontario Universities. For his contributions as a scientist and academic leader, Macdonald received honorary degrees from Harvard University, University of Manitoba, Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, Wilfred Laurier University, Brock University, University of Western Ontario, University of Windsor and the University of Toronto. He was also named to the Order of Canada.