The Department of Physics at SFU was founded in 1964 as a charter department in the Faculty of Science. The Department was responsible, through its Chair, for the promotion of research and the development and delivery of programs in the field of Physics. From the outset, the Department has offered programs leading to B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees. In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of studies at SFU, the Department was involved in co-operative programs within the Faculty of Science, including joint degree programs with Mathematics and Statistics and Chemistry. Since the early 1970s, the Department has been involved in the TRIUMF (Tri-University Meson Facility) project at UBC, and it has also been involved in two faculty research bodies: the Theoretical Science Institute and the Energy Research Institute. The Department was organized administratively into a Chair, Department Assistant, Lab Co-ordinator, and a number of standing committees. The Chair was the chief administrative officer, whose responsibilities included the management of the operational budget; faculty tenure, promotion and salary recommendations; teaching assignments; and representation of the Department to external bodies, including the Faculty, Senate and Board of Governors. The Chair reported directly to the Dean of Science. The Departmental Assistant was responsible for much of the day-to-day administration and the management of the departmental budget, the scheduling of courses, the provision of liaison with administrative offices, and advising students. The Lab Co-ordinator acted as liaison between faculty and graduate students and departmental technicians. The number and composition of departmental committees varied greatly over time. Long-standing committees included Departmental Tenure, Graduate Admissions, Graduate Studies, High School Liaison, Student Qualifying, and Undergraduate Curriculum. There was also departmental representation on faculty and university committees, including the faculty curriculum committees and the University Radiological Safety and University Review committees. The Department also struck ad hoc committees when required. The Department had a number of Chairs in its history: Dr. R.R. Haering, 1965-1969; Dr. J.F. Cochran (Acting), 1969-1971; Dr. R.R. Haering (Acting), 1971-1972; Dr. J.F. Cochran, 1972-1975; Dr. A.E. Curzon, 1975-1978; Dr. A.S. Arrott, 1978-1981; and, Dr. J.C. Irwin, 1981-1986.