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alumni news | 2017 A M AG A Z I N E F O R A LU M N I A N D F R I E N D S O F H U R O N U N I V E R S I T Y C O L L EG E
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HURON’S
LEADER with
Dr. Barry Craig marvels at the past year and plots the course of Huron’s future. PM41608559
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I P R I N C I P A L’ S C O R N E R
A message from Dr. Barry Craig, Principal
A YEAR in PRINCIPAL OF HURON. THE LAST YEAR HAS BEEN A WHIRLWIND, HE SAYS, BUT IT’S ALSO BEEN A YEAR FULL OF MARVELLOUS SURPRISES, MEETINGS AND GREETINGS AND PLENTY OF TIME TO PLAN FOR HURON’S FUTURE.
One year ago, I introduced myself to you as I began my term as the 17th Principal of Huron University College. I cannot remember a year in my life going by as quickly as this one! More than that, however, I have never experienced a more exciting or rewarding period. Last year I wrote: “In the coming year I hope to meet many of you.” While I have many more of you to meet, this has been a tremendously successful year of making connections with all members of the Huron family: students, staff, faculty, alumni, and other friends of our University. I would like to share some of the highlights with you. Beyond the hundreds of meetings and events over the past year within HUC (averaging about 20 per week), I have had over 300 meetings with people outside of Huron. I have met alumni, student applicants, and supporters in Chatham, Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Fredericton, Halifax, Calgary, Vancouver, Boston, New York, Beijing, Dalian, and Qingdao. Supported by a tremendous team in the alumni and advancement offices, I have been able to connect with a very wide swath of Huron folks. When I began my role, I had planned to do just this: meet as many people as possible, communicating my vision for Huron and learning about the experiences you have had in connection to this wonderful institution. What I didn’t know was what I would learn from this exercise. Well, the results are in, and they are fabulous! Huron possesses assets that I had not even begun to understand when I accepted this job.
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REVIEW
IT’S BEEN ONE YEAR SINCE DR. BARRY CRAIG BECAME
You may have heard that our new vision is centred on
We believe that society is crying out at this exact point in history for students who are prepared to lead – but to lead with a heart and conscience.
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A YEAR in REVIEW
Well, the results are in, and they are fabulous! Huron possesses assets that I had not even begun to understand when I accepted this job.
Barry signing The Golden Book, as The Rt. Rev. Linda Nicholls, Bishop of the Diocese of Huron looks on, officially becoming the 17th Principal of Huron University College.
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Let me begin with our faculty and staff. I have been around a lot of universities as a student, a professor, an administrator or in various visiting roles. I can state, without hesitation, that we have a truly remarkable group here. Our faculty are tremendous teachers and researchers. That is not always the case elsewhere – often universities see a division in those skills. At Huron, our faculty are active researchers in their various fields, regularly producing books, scholarly journal articles, conference papers and so on. At the same time, these are exactly the kinds of gifted teachers that small liberal arts schools, such as Huron, recognize as giving our students a distinct advantage. Beyond these things what has really made an impression on me is the genuine concern for our institution and for students that I see exhibited by our faculty on a regular basis. Whether it is travelling on their own time on weekends to the Ontario Universities Fair in Toronto, or a latenight bus ride from an applicant event two hours away, or countless hours advising, writing reference letters and attending student events, Huron faculty go above and beyond in service to this University and to its students. Our non-academic staff are similarly exemplary. A common thread seems to be a commitment to Huron that goes beyond what is expected. Every day I see people putting in long hours and coming to me with ideas of how to make this an even better place for our students. This is right across the institution, from Anne Turvey in my own office, to the people that support our academic units, those who work behind the scenes in
At the Victory Square headquarters in Vancouver. Victory Square Technologies is co-owned by Shafin Tejani, Class of 2001. (Please see story on page 8)
finance, student services, residence life, food services and maintenance. Former leaders and members of our staff such as David Bevan, Ramona Lumpkin, and Ken Andrews have offered their own support and encouragement to me, for which I am very grateful. Perhaps the biggest and most pleasant discovery of the past year however, is the tremendous asset that is constituted by you - our alumni and friends. As I said above, I have met many of you, but I have many more to meet. I am simply astounded by the breadth and depth of our alumni network. There are not many days in my week when I do not walk across the hall to Meaghan Blight’s
With Paul Beeston, Class of 1967, at this year’s Huron Talk. (Please see story on page 17) With Peter Theophilos, Class of 1994, (left) President of the Alumni Association presenting Rick Lucas, Class of 1969, President Emeritus of Huron University College Foundation (centre) with the Alumni Award of Distinction. An Installation surprise from Huron’s student Leaders with Heart.
In China with prospective students.
office to express my astonishment at another encounter with a Huron alumnus or alumna. What you have accomplished in the world – whether in business, law, education, the arts or the Church, to name only a few fields, is both awe inspiring and a testament to the foundation that you acquired at Huron. The education you received in our classrooms, the experiences you had both in and outside of those classrooms, the friends you made here, all contributed to bringing you to where you are today. Like Bob Dylan sings, but for “a simple twist of fate,” things could have been completely different. As Huron moves forward on a very ambitious path – to become the leading liberal arts University in Canada – we will need your support. You may have heard that our new vision is centred on Leadership with Heart. We believe that
society is crying out at this exact point in history for students who are prepared to lead – but to lead with a heart and conscience. That is, we know that our students are successful. We know our students are equipped to lead in all of those fields I just mentioned. But, we also believe our students can be equipped and encouraged to make a positive difference in the world. Society is in desperate need of leaders who care about other people, who are committed to serving and thinking beyond their own self-interest. Huron has a heritage that points to this kind of leadership. In the coming months and years we will be announcing new academic programs, new co-op and experiential learning opportunities, new volunteer programs, and new physical spaces, all designed to help support the development of leaders with hearts.
I warn you in advance: we cannot succeed in this without your help. We need the resources that you possess: creativity, imagination, connections to opportunities in the workplace, and certainly money. I am a plain speaker. This great enterprise will cost money, but I know, because I have been hearing it from you, that those who have benefitted from Huron in the past are prepared to help the students who are here now and who are yet to come. I am also investing my own money in this project, because I believe that it is important. I hope that you will take a chance on investing in future leaders with heart.
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Huron University College University Advancement 1349 Western Rd, London ON N6G 1H3 Fax: 519.438.5226 huronuc.ca Meaghan Blight Vice Principal, University Growth Executive Director, Huron University College Foundation mblight4@huron.uwo.ca 519.438.7224 ext. 271 Jon Munn Director, Marketing and Communications jmunn4@huron.uwo.ca 519.438.7224 ext. 285 Kristina Stankevich Director of Development kstankev@huron.uwo.ca 519.438.7224 ext. 214
Lisa Kamenar Senior Development Officer, Annual Giving lisa.kamenar@huron.uwo.ca 519.438.7224 ext. 310 Rachel Macaulay Communications Associate rmacaul@uwo.ca 519.438.7224 ext. 388 Laura Millar Coordinator, Prospect Management and Research lmillar6@huron.uwo.ca 519.438.7224 ext. 698 Karen Otto Development Assistant kotto2@huron.uwo.ca 519.438.7224 ext. 368 No. 63 / ISSN 1199-9594 Published for Huron alumni and friends by Huron’s University Advancement Office Respecting your privacy We hope that you enjoy receiving Huron’s alumni and friends magazine. If you do not wish to receive the magazine or any additional information from Huron, such as news on upcoming events, please let us know by contacting kotto2@huron. uwo.ca or 519.438.7224 ext. 368. This magazine is also available on the Huron website at huronuc.ca/newsletter Publications Mail Agreement No. 41608559 Return undeliverable mail to: Huron University College, 1349 Western Rd, London ON N6G 1H3 Canada
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CONTENTS
Deanna Bond Coordinator, Alumni Relations dbond4@huron.uwo.ca 519.438.7224 ext. 296
THIS YEAR’S ALUMNI MAGAZINE IS ALL ABOUT
Huron’s leaders with heart; the physical heart of Huron – our campus; our faculty and students who are leading and learning with heart every day; our transformative learning experiences which are changing hearts and minds and broadening horizons; and, of course, you, our true leaders with heart. What better example of Huron’s new vision of producing leaders with heart than our alumni and friends who are already leading with heart and are changing the world right now. Enjoy this edition of Huron Distinctions as we go into a new academic year where many more students are learning firsthand how to be leaders with heart.
LEADERS WITH HEART
OUR CAMPUS, THE HEART OF HURON
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22 24
There’s no ‘I’ in team, but there is in family How being a leader with heart has made Huron’s Shafin Tejani ’01 successful in business while never forgetting to give back on his journey to the top.
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Who needs a science degree? Dr. Don Melady ’81 shares how a liberal arts degree is perfect for becoming a successful doctor.
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Never give up Words of wisdom from Paul Beeston ’67. The President Emeritus of the Toronto Blue Jays shares how his Huron education allowed him to succeed in life – and in sports.
Welcome, Dr. Donna Kotsopoulos Huron’s first Provost and new Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Science introduces herself to the Huron community.
Huron’s renovation Renaissance Conference services at Huron
RESEARCH WITH HEART
26 29
Phantoms of the past Textbooks can only teach so much
OUR PEOPLE – FILLED WITH HEART
32 34 36 38 40 45 44
Dr. Cole to the rescue It all started with an idea – internships for every student All it takes is $15 to change lives Meet Dylan: the 2017/18 HUCSC’s leader with heart Class Notes In Memoriam Remembering The Most Rev. Terry Finlay ’59, ’62 and DD ’87
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!
46 54
Huron’s Donors, 2016 Q&A with Grant Beggs, Class of 1996
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P h oto by : A R T O F H E A D S H O T S
8
LE ADERS WITH HE ART
THERE’S NO in
‘i’ TEAM
,
BUT THERE iS IN
FAMiLY By: K AREN OT TO
HOW HURON’S SHAFIN TEJANI, CLASS OF 2001, WENT FROM A CHILD WHO WAS NOT IMPRESSED THAT A PORTION OF HIS ALLOWANCE HAD TO BE GIVEN TO CHARITY, TO A STUDENT AT HURON CREATING HIS FIRST BUSINESS; TO A MAN WHOSE VARIOUS BUSINESS VENTURES HAVE GIVEN MILLIONS TO CHARITY.
“I feel like I am part of a team that makes all this happen. It’s not just me.”
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YOU CAN LEARN A LOT ABOUT A PERSON BY THE
t
H of
ea
ds
ABOUT A PERSON BY THE THINGS THEY DON’T SAY. SHAFIN TEJANI, FOR INSTANCE, DOESN’T
y:
Ar
THINGS THEY SAY. YOU CAN ALSO LEARN A LOT ts ho
ot
ob
USE THE WORD ‘I’ A LOT. IT JUST DOESN’T
Ph
APPEAR TO BE PART OF HIS VOCABULARY. HE ALSO DOESN’T USE THE WORDS ‘MY’ OR, ‘MINE’.
For example, ‘the secret to my success is’ or, ‘I worked really hard to achieve all this’ aren’t phrases that pass his lips. Sentences such as, “we invest in entrepreneurs”, and “our ability to do this consistently” pepper his speech. The reason for this modesty is simple, explains Shafin during a telephone interview from his business-base in Vancouver, “I feel like I’m indebted to so many good people. My community, my parents. Huron. Western,” he says. “I feel like I am part of a team that makes all this happen. It’s not just me.”
M LY THE STATS: NAME:
Shafin Diamond Tejani AGE: 40
HURON GRAD YEAR: 2001
SUBJECT:
Political Science FAMILY:
Married to Minu for 6 years and the couple have two
children – a son, Kayden, aged 5 and a daughter,
THE ACCOLADES
(JUST SOME OF)
Aria, aged 2 ½
• Person of the Year, BC Tech Association’s Impact Awards, 2017 • Prime Minister Volunteer of the Year Award, 2015 • Canadian Angel Investor of the Year, 2015 • EY Technology Entrepreneur of the Year, 2015 • Startup Canada Awards, National Winner, Victory Square, 2015
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The “all this” Shafin refers to, is two-fold: the success of Victory Square Technologies, one of his businesses, and the giving back component that goes hand-in-hand with his multi-million dollar success. Founded in 2007, Victory Square is a venturebuilding company. What that means, is that it supports start-up ventures, helps get them off the ground while attempting to ensure their success, and makes a profit doing so. Shafin chooses to focus on companies that are in the online, mobile and video gaming and entertainment industries.
LE ADERS WITH HE ART
He also prefers companies that are sociallyresponsible, have female founders at the helm and are international. By following this formula, Victory Square has launched over 40 start-ups from 24 different countries which have generated over $100 million in sales. What’s most important to Shafin, though, is the giving back component to his business. The Victory Square website states that philanthropy is “at the heart of what we do” and “social responsibility permeates everything we do.” And that isn’t an overstatement. The figures look like this:
• $88 million+ donated to community organizations
• $1 million+ in scholarships awarded
• 10,000+ the number of volunteer hours put in by Shafin and his colleagues “From a young age, I’ve been surrounded by giving back,” says Shafin. He credits his parents and his Isamili faith community for instilling this in him. Shafin says he was raised to give back 12.5% of his income – a fact that did not impress him and his siblings when they were little especially when they were expected to donate that amount from their allowance. “And I remember when we pushed back, they (our parents) explained that they were building our values and morals for later on,” he says. Shafin’s parents also impressed upon him that if one wasn’t able to give funds, than the giving of one’s expertise, knowledge or time was just as valuable as well. Shafin himself volunteers 40 hours per month and encourages his colleagues to do so as well. The causes closest to Shafin’s heart are those that involve vulnerable and at-risk children. Growing up, he shares, his parents ensured that he had the necessities that all children
I feel like (Leadership with Heart has) always been there. I’m inspired by it. I’m impressed by Dr. Craig and I will get involved any way I can. SAYS SHAFIN WHO WELCOMED DR. CRAIG TO THE VICTORY SQUARE HEADQUARTERS IN VANCOUVER IN FEBRUARY.
need – food, clothes, a home and, of course, love, but they also ensured he and his siblings received an education. “I’m giving them a chance and a shot,” says the father of two of his generosity towards children and the charities that support children. In the past 12 months alone, the Victory Square team has helped raise over $10 million for community organizations, sponsored the tuition costs of 1,000 underprivileged children in India and gave 800 disadvantaged children access to organized amateur sports. This past June, Shafin committed a $500,000 matching donation to Variety – the Children’s Charity Variety Kids Can Campaign of British Columbia.
Hard work and opportunities, says Shafin, are the keys to success and his family, he says, are prime examples. His parents immigrated to Canada as refugees in the 1970s after a military coup forced them to leave their home in Uganda. His parents “left with the clothes on their backs,” he says, and were accepted into the country by Pierre Elliott Trudeau. It was a generosity that made the family eternally grateful. “I feel we won the lottery. We landed in Canada and we landed in Vancouver,” shares Shafin as sounds of the busy Vancouver streets float across the phone line from an apparently open window. “We have free health care. We have access to amazing education,” he continues. “We (Shafin’s family) didn’t have a lot of money but I had love and we were embraced right away.”
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T H E R E ’ S N O ‘ I ’ I N T E A M B U T T H E R E I S I N FA M I LY C O N T I N U E D
Where Shafin was also embraced, was Huron. After spending his first year at Western University on a scholarship, and embracing the first-year experience a little too much which resulted in him losing that scholarship, Shafin transferred to Huron in his second year and didn’t look back. “The small classrooms, the global perspective and the quality teachers were the best things for me,” he says. Shafin credits his Huron world religions class for truly showing him the bigger picture. “I remember when I took the world religions course and I learned about Judaism, Hinduism and Christianity. I saw all these parallels. All these basic principles,” he says. “It gave me such a big perspective. We’re all connected.” It’s a lesson he took to heart. He considers everyone as relations. On the Victory Square contact page, it doesn’t refer to employee directory but rather as, ‘meet the family.’ The Victory Square facility is referred to as an ecosystem. Everything is living and connected. A very real facet of Huron’s new mandate of Leadership with Heart. A mandate, says Shafin that in his opinion, really isn’t anything new. “I feel like it’s always been there. I’m inspired by it. I’m impressed by Dr. Craig and I will get involved any way I can.”
business marketed towards high school students. Students paid $2 to participate and see their matches and Shafin kept $1 from every participant. The lessons learned from the made-at-Huron business became the foundation for all of Shafin’s business ventures since. With over 20 years of business experience, along with much financial success, Shafin still doesn’t take personal credit for any of it. He speaks of his long-ago iFluRtz co-founder and how it was a collaborative process. “The person who coded the first piece of software was a Huron student and the person who did our printing and faxing for us was a Huron student,” he says of his Huron friendships and experiences. “Those are the things I don’t feel like I could get anywhere else.”
Receiving a liberal arts education from Huron prepared Shafin for the business world, says this political science grad. “The liberal arts allowed me to not just be focused on business but to be able to take courses on business and on any other topic as well,” he says. “(Huron) gave me the opportunity to take a lot of different courses on anything I wanted and then when I decided what to focus on, I could do that.”
Never one to remain stagnant, two years ago Shafin partnered with Ray Walia to create Victory Square. Ray is also the CEO of Launch Academy which is the not-for-profit arm of Victory Square. Entrepreneurs who successfully apply to Launch Academy attend classes for such things as how to prepare a business plan, and have access to mentors, lawyers and accountants, and government agencies and are provided with a multitude of networking opportunities. All the experts who provide their time and expertise do so of their own goodwill. Characteristically, Shafin takes no credit for this venture but heaps praise on his colleague. “(Ray) was the champion,” he says. “He and his colleagues have really gone above and beyond.”
Shafin’s first business, in fact, was started while right here at Huron. iFluRtz was an online match-making
Ray isn’t surprised that Shafin takes no personal credit for the success. “This just speaks to his humble
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Shafin receiving the Prime Minister’s Volunteer of the Year Award in 2015 from former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
“Fatherhood and marriage? It’s very irrational and emotional and I have to work at it!” says Shafin, while laughing. The selfproclaimed workaholic says he works hard to maintain a work/life balance with his wife, Minu, and son Kayden and daughter Aria. Shafin says being married to him is difficult and he needed to have a partner “that really understands and is accommodating.” He and Minu have been married for over 6 years and he is careful to devote as much time to his wife and children as he does to his business ventures.
LE ADERS WITH HE ART
The ecosystem that is the Victory Square headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Photo by Art of Headshots)
Wondering how to SUCCEED in business? THIS IS THE BEST ADVICE ACCORDING TO SHAFIN: Entrepreneurs need to have a mission, a vision and core values which are all the key for sustainability, he says. A self-confessed sports junky, Shafin says entrepreneurs also need to realize they are part of a team in which there can’t be one superstar but instead have great lines in all aspects of the business. Also, contingency plans are essential. “You have a well-thought out Plan A, and you don’t want to necessarily go to Plan D, but you’re nimble enough to do so.”
nature,” he says while Shafin says he’s just passionate for helping the underdogs as he felt like an underdog when just starting out. And for Shafin, it’s more than just helping with dollars and cents. “The charitable components are key to what Shafin has built. Whenever we are pitched by entrepreneurs or presented with new business ideas, I can see the wheels churning in Shafin’s head as he looks for ways to give back or connect a charitable component into the business model,” says Ray. “Behind
the scenes Shafin does a lot to help the charities with operations and explore ways to stabilize operations and introduce new and sustainable business models for the charities.” Ray describes Shafin as a “very smart, creative, yet humble individual. His love and dedication to his family and desire to help others is evident the moment you meet him.” For his part, Shafin says giving back is just second nature. A true leader with heart – not that he would ever admit
to that – Shafin praises Huron for giving him the tools to equip him for where he is today. “The years I spent at Huron were some of the best years of my life,” he shares. “The knowledge, skills, experience, values and lifelong friendships I gained there played such an important role in shaping who I am today. The combination of the supportive and nurturing community, and excellent professors make me so proud to be an alumnus.”
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A SCIENCE DEGREE,
WHO NEEDS IT? THERE’S MORE THAN ONE WAY TO GET INTO
MEDI
Since graduating from Huron, Dr. Don Melady has spent more than 25 years as an emergency physician.
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LE ADERS WITH HE ART
JUST ASK DR. DON MELADY, A PROUD HURON ALUMNUS, CLASS OF 1981. DON IS AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY MEDICINE AT THE SCHWARTZ/REISMAN EMERGENCY MEDICINE INSTITUTE, HAS BEEN A STAFF PHYSICIAN IN EMERGENCY ROOMS FOR OVER 25 YEARS, AND IS CURRENTLY WORKING IN THE ER AT MT. SINAI HOSPITAL IN TORONTO WHERE HE SPECIALIZES IN GERIATRIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE.
THE KEY TO HIS LONGSTANDING SUCCESS WITH PATIENTS? HIS LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION FROM HURON.
S HOOL
Dr. Don Melady firmly believes the best undergrad education for practising physicians is a degree in the liberal arts. He’s not unique in this notion, though most people assume the only way to get into medical school is by studying science.
ICAL
“There is nothing that says you have to pursue science,” says Don. “Most med schools are actually quite open about this and encourage people to study broadly and pursue academic fields that are of interest to them.” Growing up in Seaforth, Ont., many of Don’s high school teachers were Huron graduates and many of his classmates were on their way here. Thanks to Huron’s strong academic reputation, those close to Don urged him to attend. “I liked the fact that it was a smaller university. The idea of having small classes and actually being in contact with my professors was appealing,” says Don. More than just a school recommended by his friends and family, Don knew it was the right fit for him. As a first-year university student, Don wasn’t thinking about a career in medicine. His main focus was on his passion for literature. An avid reader, Don spent his undergraduate years immersed in fiction, poetry and studying playwrights. “I had always been a great reader and learned a lot about the world from reading,” says Don. “I just wanted to focus on literature for the next few years.” Don initially thought the next step for him was to attend law school. “It seemed like it would be a smart choice,” says Don. “I knew I wanted to work with people and do interesting things. Law seemed like a good option.” While at Huron, Don successfully completed the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and was offered admission to both Western University and the University of Toronto. Though law school seemed like a good fit, his heart wasn’t in it, and he decided to defer.
Don teaching with the Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration at Black Lion Specialized Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Upon graduation, Don travelled to Nigeria where he taught high school students from 1981 to 1983. He soon became friends with other Canadians who were working as physicians and physiotherapists in the area. That’s when Don first became interested in the medical community. “I really didn’t have any exposure to what doctors do,” says Don. “I thought it was very interesting and thought I could do that too.” Upon returning to Canada, he got a job teaching at Western University and started to develop a plan for his future. He enrolled in prerequisite
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A S C I E N C E D E G R E E , W H O N E E D S I T ? T H E R E ’ S M O R E T H A N O N E WAY T O G E T I N T O M E D I C A L S C H O O L C O N T I N U E D
The practice of medicine is not about cells, it’s about human beings. Studying the humanities makes you more knowledgeable about society and the ways people function and think and feel,” says Don. “It only makes sense that being knowledgeable in that field would make you more aware and intuitive, and perhaps a more sensitive physician.
of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, his primary interest became geriatric emergency medicine. Dr. Don Melady, Class of 1981. “We really had a lot of support, encouragement and mentorship from the faculty. It’s one of the things that makes Huron so special.”
Don has always been passionate for social justice initiatives. While a firstyear medical student he co-founded the London chapter of Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.
classes for med school and wrote the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). In 1984, Don received admission to medical school at both Western University and the University of Toronto. Without a science background, Don found himself struggling in the beginning of his medical studies. “My first and second years were really hard work getting caught up,” he says. “I didn’t know what a mitochondria was, I didn’t know about action potentials in cells and all that kind of stuff that everybody else knew.” While his liberal arts background may have made med school slightly more difficult, Don strongly feels that it has helped him become a better doctor. “The practice of medicine is not about cells, it’s about human beings. Studying the humanities makes you more knowledgeable about society and the ways people function and think and feel,” says Don. “It only makes sense that being knowledgeable in that field would make you more aware and intuitive, and perhaps a more sensitive physician.” Upon completing medical school, Don moved to Toronto to work in family and emergency medicine. While working at Mount Sinai Hospital and the University
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four Toronto-based physicians each spend a month in Ethiopia. Don had the opportunity to travel to Ethiopia to provide medical knowledge in 2015 and 2017 and plans to go again next year. Upon arrival, he spends the month developing the residency program by teaching emergency physicians to provide better clinical
Don specializes in geriatric medicine and his teaching specializes on the care of geriatric patients in emergency situations.
In 1986, the international arm of Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War received a Nobel Peace Prize. Also that year, while still a medical student at Western, he was a founding member of MedOutreach, a group that promotes primary health care principles in developing nations. Medical, dental and nursing students spend their summers providing assistance in Nigeria, Haiti or Tanzania. He later got involved in a similar program called Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration (TAAAC), a partnership formed between the University of Toronto and the University of Addis Ababa. Don assists in developing an emergency medical residency program in Ethiopia. With TAAAC,
care for patients. “I was interested in growing a strong foundation, something more than providing clinical care and then leaving,” says Don. “I wanted to collaborate and help develop programs that would make a lasting impression for the local community.” Don says he remembers Huron as the place that gave him a solid foundation. “I really value being part of a community with people who are excited to be studying and learning,” says Don. “We really had a lot of support, encouragement and mentorship from the faculty. It’s one of the things that makes Huron so special.”
LE ADERS WITH HE ART
I took political science, economics and psychology. Huron had the whole thing. When we graduated from here, we graduated with something that was quite special. We graduated with a degree that lets you think.
HOW HURON’S PAUL BEESTON, CLASS OF 1967, TOOK THAT CAN-DO ATTITUDE ALL THE WAY TO THE PINNACLE OF THE PROFESSIONAL SPORTS WORLD.
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FOR TORONTO BLUE JAYS’ FANS, PAUL BEESTON IS A MAN WHO NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION. HE HELPED BUILD ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SPORTS FRANCHISES IN CANADIAN HISTORY AND BROUGHT THE EXCITEMENT OF WINNING BACK-TO-BACK WORLD SERIES TITLES TO JAYS’ FANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
In 1998, Paul was awarded the Order of Canada, for going beyond his professional commitments and personal support to the wider community. From humble beginnings, he credits his success to the strong foundation he built while a student at Huron. He recently spoke of his time as an undergrad student at the annual Huron Talk event held in March. Paul was the first employee of the Toronto Blue Jays. “I was asked if I wanted to join the Blue Jays and so I took the chance and moved to Toronto,” says Paul. “I turned down a partnership with the accounting firm I was working for to join a fledgling baseball team. And who knew how it would turn out? But let me tell you, it was spectacular.” Since then he’s held numerous executive titles with the Jays, including vice president of business operations, executive vice president, chief operating officer, chief executive officer and president. His impressive sports resume also includes being the president of the Toronto Argonauts and the president of Major League Baseball. In 2002, Paul was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and last September, he was honoured with the title of president emeritus of the Toronto Blue Jays. For a man who has experienced such immense business success, he recalls his youth with a jovial good nature. “No university would take me, except Huron,” Paul shares, a fact that makes him exceptionally happy today as he credits Huron with his success.
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Paul with the holy grail of professional baseball: The Commissioner’s Trophy. The Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series in back-to-back years in 1992 and 1993 when Paul was at the helm of the organization as President and Chief Executive Officer. (photo courtesy of the Toronto Blue Jays.)
“A good liberal arts degree is critically important to establishing you for the future,” says Paul. “I was very fortunate,” he continues. “I took political science, economics and psychology. Huron had the whole thing. When we graduated from here, we graduated with something that was quite special. We graduated with a degree that lets you think. The most important thing that Huron did for us was let us meet people and be ourselves. You talk about heart, that’s what Huron has. And if you look at the success stories that came out of that group of reprobates,” Paul says of his former classmates, “they are judges, they are CEOs and they are heads of Bay Street.” After graduating in 1967, Paul thought about becoming a lawyer. “I tried to go from Huron and parlay that into law school. I applied and they said, ‘Your marks are too low, go back and get them up.’ So I went back. They said, ‘Your marks are still too low.’ So I said, ‘Well, I’ll become an accountant.’ The reality of the story is that I went into accounting and it was one of the great decisions of my life.
Because it taught me what a balance sheet was all about and it taught me responsibility,” he shares. Paul remembers that the Blue Jays organization of 1976, was a far cry from the powerhouse company it is today. “We were a small group of 28 people, that’s all that was in the organization at the time. Now they’ve got 28 analytics people for baseball, forget the business side,” says Paul. “We were on our way to being the success of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club. We had a philosophy and a philosophy that stayed with us. I learned it at Huron and that was how to get along with people. How to work together. How the team on the field has got to be the same as the team off the field. How everybody’s got to work together, stay together, be together, make decisions together, laugh together, fail together and succeed together. But it’s got to be a ‘we’. We were building a team to win the World Series.”
Paul spoke to a packed house at this year’s Huron Talk. The Great Hall was filled with those eager to hear him speak about his career, achievements and love of Huron.
(from left): Showing off his Huron pride to all, Paul is seen here with Dr. Barry Craig, Huron’s Principal, (left) and Curtis Jenken, the 2016/17 Huron University College Students’ Council (HUCSC) President (right). The HUCSC sponsors the Huron Talk each year and chooses the evening’s keynote speaker.
And the rest, as they say, is history. A history that includes a continuation of the family’s Huron-baseball connection. David Beeston, Paul’s son, is a proud Huron graduate, Class of 2001, and is now a senior vice president with the Boston Red Sox. “Without Huron, I’m not sure where I’d be. I was very fortunate someone took a chance on me. I’m also grateful that I used that opportunity to see what I could do. I got put down a couple times: not getting into university, not getting into law school, but it all worked out in the end. You take a chance and you never know how it’s going to work out,” says Paul. “Consider yourselves fortunate that you’re part of the Huron community and consider that you will have friends for life that you’ve made, that you’ll never be able to replace. Just like the Blue Jays, the best days are yet to come.” Whether you dream of a career in professional sports or in the humanities, Paul’s advice to future Huron grads remains the same. “You have to have aspirations,” says Paul. “You can’t just be competitive. You can’t reach to be mediocre. You have to reach for the top.”
Paul (right) being presented with a picture from former Blue Jays’ second baseman, Roberto Alomar, at Opening Day ceremonies in 2008. (Photo courtesy of the Toronto Blue Jays.)
Young fans flock to have a photo-op with Paul after hearing him speak at this year’s Huron Talk.
Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 19
INTRODUCING
DR. DONNA KOTSOPOULOS, HURON’S FIRST PROVOST AND NEW DEAN OF FASS
D R . D O N N A KOTS O P O U LO S O N H E R E XC I T E M E N T O F WO R K I N G AT H U R O N , H OW S H E K N E W H U R O N WAS T H E R I G H T F I T F O R H E R , A N D H OW H E R L I B E R A L A RTS E D U CAT I O N T R A N S F O R M E D H E R L I F E .
I AM REALLY HONOURED TO JOIN HURON AS DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCE (FASS) AND AS HURON’S FIRST PROVOST. TO SAY I AM THRILLED TO BE CHOSEN FOR THIS ROLE WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT!
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I completed my undergraduate degree in mathematics at a small liberal arts college that was part of York University at that time. Similar to the experiences students have at Huron, my class sizes were small and this meant, among many other things, that my professors knew my name. Many of these professors have played and/or continue to play very important roles in my career as mentors, collaborators, advisors, and advocates. My degree is in mathematics. For many people there is a “but wait” reaction about studying mathematics at a liberal arts institution. It often surprises people to learn that geometry and arithmetic were one of the seven founding liberal arts! My experiences studying mathematics in this setting included great opportunities to also study history, communications, and French. My liberal arts education developed my worldview through a lens of connections – between people, cultures, ideas, religions, governments,
LE ADERS WITH HE ART
histories, and beliefs. It is this worldview of connectedness that has served me best and in the most sustained ways in my career and in my life. My education evoked a deep and enduring commitment to a liberal arts education. Consequently, when the opportunity to join Huron presented itself to me, the draw first and foremost was Huron’s incredible reputation as a unique and leading liberal arts institution in Canada and beyond. There was an
Ontario immediately after. While studying and living in London, I taught secondary school mathematics for the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board. I already loved London and its people and I had some knowledge of Huron’s remarkable and notable history as Western University’s founding institution. Admittedly, I did not have a deep understanding of Huron that only comes from interacting with the community.
my own potential fit at Huron. I was inspired by the obvious enthusiasm expressed by the students about their classes, their professors, and their general student life experiences. I heard directly from the community that Huron was truly a remarkable and a very special place, indeed. Over the last few months, I have met with many faculty, staff, and students. I am very, very grateful for the warm welcome and the extensive support I have received from the staff,
My liberal arts education developed my worldview through a lens of connections – between people, cultures, ideas, religions, governments, histories, and beliefs. It is this worldview of connectedness that has served me best and in the most sustained ways in my career and in my life.
immediate sense of fit for me in terms of my own views of what it means to educate and to support students in becoming leaders with heart. At Huron, students can pursue their disciplinary passions, develop transferable career and life skills, foster lasting relationships, and become individuals who make a significant contribution to their communities and beyond. This deeply resonates with me. Returning to London was also a draw. I completed my graduate education at Western University in 2007 and then joined Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo,
Prior to my job interview, I reached out to alumni and I came to Huron on several occasions and explored the campus in anonymity! I stopped at the visitor’s desk. I asked for directions from staff, faculty, and students. I struck up many conversations. I visited the Chapel and I checked out some classrooms and the bulletin boards. I had coffee in the Dining Hall with a wonderful group of students. While reputation and working knowledge of an institution is important, knowing the people and hearing about their experiences was most important for me determining
students, and faculty. I am also deeply grateful to acting Dean of FASS, Dr. Paul Nesbitt-Larking, who has thoughtfully and in the most welcoming way facilitated a smooth transition for me. It’s with great pride that I joined Huron on July 1. I am excited and eager to work at Huron and to work hard for the Huron community. I very much look forward to knowing you and to discovering the connections between us. Never hesitate to stop in to say “hello” or to chat. I’ll always make time. I am looking forward to the new academic year and a very exciting future.
Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 21
HURON’S By: K AREN OT TO
Images courtesy of John MacDonald Architect
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O U R C A M P U S, T H E H E A R T O F H U R O N
Renaissance: noun, a revival of or renewed interest in something (Oxford Dictionary)
HURON IS ABOUT TO UNDERGO A TRANSFORMATION. A $25 MILLION RENOVATION INITIATIVE ENTITLED THE RENAISSANCE PROJECT. HURON’S RENAISSANCE WILL COMPLETELY REJUVENATE THE LOOK OF CAMPUS, PROVIDE AN UPDATED HURON PRESENCE ON WESTERN ROAD, AND BETTER ACCOMMODATE HURON’S LEADERS WITH HEART.
The current Dining Hall, which faces Western Road, will become unrecognizable. Its façade will see a complete two-storey addition and an interior makeover. The building will be known as ‘The Agora’, which is Greek for ‘gathering place’ or ‘assembly’. In ancient Greece, the agora was the centre of athletic, artistic, spiritual and political life of the city. To that end, Huron’s Agora will feature a gym, a Welcome Centre, a First Nations Centre, student commons’ areas, seminar rooms, classrooms as well as also encapsulating the existing Huron Room, mailroom and cafeteria. The space will incorporate an abundance of natural light, access to outside views, be fully equipped with the most up-to-date technology, and will feature an emphasis on using natural materials by incorporating a biophilic, or naturebased, design. Huron students, faculty and staff should feel at one with nature when in the Agora. The second facet of Huron’s Renaissance is completely renewing not only the Kingsmill Room but also the space surrounding it. The Civic Engagement Complex will have a new addition along the front of the current Kingsmill Room and West Wing with design elements connecting it to Huron’s beautiful nature-connected landscape.
The current Kingsmill Room will become a 300-seat raked auditorium which will be used for public events such as convocations, drama productions from Huron’s Underground Dramatic Society and will also feature technology suitable for hosting such events. The Civic Engagement Complex will also house a new classroom and boardroom, an enlarged students services area and administrative office space. An exterior balcony terrace to the Quad and forest will be reached from the new auditorium. Other exciting renovations include a makeover of the Information Commons in the Silcox Memorial Library and a connecting hallway to the West Wing so the Huron community can easily access the classroom wing and the Civic Engagement Complex without being exposed to the elements. The Huron Renaissance Project is a muchneeded update to Huron’s facilities in which Leadership with Heart won’t just be taught, but also practised. With your generosity, Huron students will enjoy these upgrades for years to come.
RENAISSANCE
RENOVATION
(Top) The Civic Engagement Complex as viewed from the Quad. (Middle) The view from Western Road of the Student Centre which will completely encompass the current Dining Hall. (Bottom) The newly-imaged interior of the corridor along O’Neil Ridley.
Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 23
SERVICES
CONFERENCE @ HURON ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A VENUE THAT WILL SATISFY ALL OF YOUR CONFERENCE AND ACCOMMODATION NEEDS? YOU NEED TO LOOK NO FURTHER THAN YOUR ALMA MATER WHERE ALUMNI ARE ALWAYS TREATED AS PREFERRED GUESTS.
The Kingsmill Room can seat up to 300 people.
Huron has hosted conference groups that range in size from 20 to 300 for bookings of oneto five-days. The Kingsmill Room is ideal for plenary sessions and our classroom facilities provide excellent space for breakout rooms for concurrent sessions.
Brown’s Dining Solutions is Huron’s on-site catering specialist and will work with guests to ensure all their needs are met.
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If you require meeting space for just one day, we have the room sizes that will fit your needs. In addition to meeting room space, Brown’s Dining Solutions provides full service catering for breakfast, lunch, dinner, receptions and nutrition breaks. Conference delegates requiring overnight accommodation can be housed in our residences (summer months only) or at Brough Hall. Travelling to London and staying overnight? Why not stay in Huron’s guest house, Brough Hall. Brough is nestled at the back of Huron’s property and offers privacy in a tranquil setting. As a guest you have access to free Wi-Fi, a full kitchen, cable television in the living room, and complimentary parking. Rooms vary in size with some guest rooms featuring ensuite baths. Brough is also an ideal location for retreats, board meetings, receptions or family gatherings.
O U R C A M P U S, T H E H E A R T O F H U R O N
Nestled in a tranquil setting, relaxation is guaranteed at Brough Hall. Huron’s Great Hall is newly-renovated and perfect for your next meeting.
One of the many meeting room facilities available at Huron.
With complimentary Wi-Fi, a full kitchen and cable television in the living room, Brough is truly a home-away-from-home.
Alumni receive a 20% discount on accommodation bookings and a 25% discount on classroom/meeting space. For more information or to book a tour, please contact: Sharon McKillop Director, Student Engagement sharon.mckillop@huron.uwo.ca, 519.438 7224 ext. 202 Ashley Shantz Conference Coordinator ashant@huron.uwo.ca 519.438.7224 ext. 200.
The Great Hall is able to meet any conference need required.
Some of the bedrooms in Brough feature ensuite washrooms.
Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 25
phantoms of the PAST By: K AREN OT TO
THIRD AND FOURTH-YEAR STUDENTS TAKING HISTORY AND THOSE TAKING ENGLISH, RARELY IF EVER COLLABORATE IN THEIR CLASSES AT HURON. THEY’RE IN DIFFERENT COURSES AND HAVE DIFFERENT PROFS. IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT HURON STUDENTS ALSO RARELY, IF EVER, COLLABORATE WITH STUDENTS FROM ENGLAND AS PART OF THEIR CURRICULUM.
UNTIL THIS PAST YEAR, THAT IS.
26
RESEARCH WITH HEART
W
E WERE BOTH TEACHING AND RESEARCHING A TRANSATLANTIC SUBJECT SO WE THOUGHT, WHY NOT MAKE IT A TRANSATLANTIC CLASS?”
explains Dr. Nina-Reid Maroney, Associate Professor and Chair of Huron’s Department of History. The ‘we’ Nina refers to is Dr. Olivette Otele, Reader and Senior Lecturer in History at Bath Spa University. Nina had worked with Olivette previously and knew the collaboration would be a great one. Thus, the Phantoms of the Past: Slavery, Resistance, and Memory in the Atlantic World collaborative research experience was created.
the canon. Through the Phantoms of the Past project we were able to focus on elements of those experiences that are often omitted in the grand narrative,” she says.
From left: Dr. Amy Bell, Dr. Nina ReidMaroney and Dr. Neil Brooks.
The research topic, explains Nina, was “how slavery has been remembered, how resistance to slavery has been remembered and how it has been forgotten.” The experience would see English and History students apply to the Phantoms project and take on work and a final project in addition to their full course load. Emily Sandor was one of Dr. Neil Brooks’ English students who successfully applied and says she jumped at the chance to do so. “As an English student, there are often few chances to deviate from
In order to apply, interested students had to propose what they would like to do in terms of a final research project. In total, 10 Huron students – five from the Department of History and five from the Department of English were accepted into the extra-curricular experience where they had to read many different texts on their own time and commit to the final project. Along with Nina and Neil, Dr. Amy Bell also supervised students in their respective classes. All three were pleased by the creativity and the depth of the students’ research projects. “They’re amazing and I think that was probably the most satisfying part of this – seeing how the students took the opportunity and ran with it,” says Nina. “The concept of a ‘single research outcome’ doesn’t begin to cover it.”
Neil says this project was truly experiential learning at its finest. “The chance to do research in areas that truly fascinated them, or areas that were underexamined or in some cases the chance to find new ways to express their research results,” he explains. One of his students, he says, did a photojournalistic piece and another wrote poems; Emily focussed on genealogical work. Hannah Maitland opted to become the curator of the group. She mounted a website and archived the entire process, supported by a research fellowship from Huron’s Centre for Undergraduate Research and Learning (CURL). “I liked that I was building a website. Taking ideas and thinking about it and then articulating them in a certain way.” Working with the Bath Spa students was exceptional as well, Hannah says. “It was great to go and interact with them. When you’re a tourist it’s nice to get the locals’ perspective on a particular monument.”
27
P H A N T O M S O F T H E PA S T C O N T I N U E D
W
HERE ELSE COULD YOU DO THIS EXCEPT AT HURON?”
Emily says the Phantoms of the Past project opened her eyes in many ways. “We cannot learn from what we do not know. We cannot expand our minds, knowledge, and perspectives without being exposed to those either contrary or divergent from them.”
Hannah enjoyed critically analyzing the local sites just as much as she did those in England. “You start critically thinking about it and your own ideas in order to show it to other people.”
(Left) Students toured through the The Saltford Brass Mill, which was a participant in the Triangular Trade of slaves. (Middle) Students participating in a talk at The National Portrait Gallery. (Right) The students on a tour of London, England.
28 22
Elise Beeley was a Bath Spa student who travelled to Huron in March. She says she wanted to see how Canada represented the history versus how the United Kingdom did, and says the experience changed the way she saw the world. “I feel like I not only got what I was hoping to, but much more. I came away feeling that I had not only expanded my world view but also gained a new way of thinking about history and the way it is presented to the viewer.” Initially, students on both sides of the Atlantic communicated via Skype and through a Facebook page. In February Huron students travelled to England to visit sites of memory, with the Bath Spa students travelling to Huron in March to also visit sites of memory and participate in the Phantoms of the Past conference. The conference was attended by not only the Phantoms participants but also by 75 high school students with 9 schools from the local Thames Valley District School Board and two schools from the Lambton Kent District School Board. Amy says each Phantoms of the Past student paid only $300 with the majority of funds obtained from a Huron Pilot Research grant, and The W. Galen Weston Fund for British History. This fund paid for the travel of both the Huron and Bath Spa students and the English collaborator. Bath Spa University funded travel in the U.K. and accommodation for Huron students in Bath, England. The Phantoms project is evolving, Nina says, with an undergraduate research conference planned for 2018 and another research collaboration the following year. “Where else could you do this except at Huron?”
RESEARCH WITH HEART
Textbooks CAN ONLY TEACH SO MUCH
By: K AREN OT TO
HURON STUDENTS TRAVEL TO RWANDA TO LEARN FIRST-HAND THE HORROR OF GENOCIDE, THE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL, THE STRUGGLE FOR RECONCILIATION AND TO GIVE BACK TO THOSE IN NEED.
Dr. Lindsay Scorgie-Porter, an Assistant Professor in Huron’s Political Science Department knew the students in her Rwanda: An Exploration into PostGenocide Recovery and Renewal class were eager to see for themselves the new Rwandan society that is reemerging in the wake of the 1994 genocide. The original itinerary for the trip included meeting with stakeholders and groups aiding in rebuilding, visiting genocide memorials and museums, meeting with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), visiting refugee camps, and meeting with survivors in local communities as well as meeting with perpetrators.
When the students in Lindsay’s class saw the itinerary they were eager to begin their learning experience but they requested one thing: to somehow give back to the local Rwandan community. It was a request that came as a surprise, says Lindsay, but one that made complete sense knowing the hearts of her students. “I maybe should have thought of that, but I didn’t,” she admits. After polling her students to see if they were all interested, the response was a unanimous yes. “They felt really on board with the idea they should be giving back,” she says.
Huron student Ruth Lebelo-Almaw celebrating an inspiring and thought-provoking trip to Rwanda with children in a Congolese refugee camp. (Photo by Annika Lui)
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T E X T B O O KS C A N O N LY T E AC H S O M U C H C O N T I N U E D
Cuddles included. While painting the home, the homeowner’s baby needed some TLC and Huron students were only too happy to oblige. (Photo by Annika Lui)
Each pillar at The Belgian Memorial represents a fallen Belgian solider and the lines carved into the rock represent each year of the peacekeeper’s life. (Photo by Annika Lui)
(Top) The students visited The Belgian Memorial in Kigali where 10 Belgian United Nations peacekeepers were murdered on the first day of the genocide. (Photo by Annika Lui) (Left) Huron’s leaders with heart being leaders with heart. The students demanded a way to give back while they were in Rwanda and had a day earmarked on the trip where they could help paint a genocide survivor’s home.
TWO OF THE STUDENTS WHO TRAVELLED TO RWANDA SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES.
Brandon Dickson
The trip to Rwanda covered a lot of material, and while meeting with genocide survivors and NGOs was certainly an important part of the research process, the informal experiences that you can’t get from a literature review were just as valuable. For example, while on the bus one day, I noticed signs hanging all over the city that said “Remember the genocide against the Tutsi, fight genocide ideology, build on our progress” which seemed to promote an eagerness to work towards
30 Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017
reconciliation and proper remembrance. Later that day at a restaurant, a local asked me what I was doing in Rwanda and when I responded that we were from Canada studying post-conflict reconciliation, he quickly changed the subject, showing a disconnect between how the government and individuals chose to interact with remembrance. I had a friend who recognized the importance of this trip and refused to ask, “So, did you have a good time?” Instead he
asked me what about this trip was still challenging and where I thought that was going to lead me next. I think he raised an important point about the significance of these experiential learning trips in university; they challenge you more than you would ever be challenged in a classroom. Responding to his question that I was going to go read more books didn’t feel adequate anymore. This trip made me feel the desire to do something tangible that can help spread awareness and get
people past associating Rwanda with danger. I hate being cliché, so I won’t say this trip was life changing, but I genuinely feel like this experience for me, as a student in my first year of political science, helped me recognize why I am in political science. Getting to see my research interests live and in person reminded me that I study political science because of the immediate, everyday impact that politics has on everyday people. I knew that before, but I don’t think reading a book would have made me remember.
Molly Graydon
RESEARCH WITH HEART
As consequence, a visit to a genocide survivor was arranged so the students could paint her home. Each student was also allowed two suitcases on the flight and “more often than not,” Lindsay says, the second suitcase was filled with nothing but donations. Twenty students signed-up for the political science half course which began meeting in January every couple weeks for a few hours for a course that officially didn’t begin until May 4. Students prepared for their two-week trip by completing readings where they learned about the history of the country and the genocide, Rwanda’s economic development, and education in a post-conflict country. Each student had to complete an essay once they returned and prior to leaving, had to prepare a proposal of what they wanted to learn while abroad. “(The trip) will be very helpful in opening their eyes to the world,” Lindsay explains in an interview prior to the May departure. “I think the students will probably realize that we have more in common with these societies than originally thought.” The politics, the gender imbalances, the peace-keeping efforts, the reconciliation would all be made clear, she says. “I hope the experience sparks not only the travel bug but also (highlights) the different ways of the world, the poverty, the totally different lifestyles and modes of living.” Lindsay had travelled to Rwanda several times previously and knew the country is quite safe but that it was also a good case study for the students because of its history. She wanted the students to have a full experiential learning experience other than just their readings. “Textbooks are great but they can only teach so much,” she says. During the 100-day Rwandan genocide, an estimated 500,000-1 million Rwandans were killed and an estimated 2 million Rwandans were displaced and became refugees.
My “moment” of understanding and greatest appreciation in Rwanda was on the eighth day of our excursion when we visited the village of Nyamirambo, which is located in the southwest corner in the city of Kigali and is characterized by its diverse cultural makeup. In Nyamirambo, our class was led on a “responsible community based” walking tour of the heart of the village. The purpose of this tour was to give visitors an introduction to the commerce and history on which this community was built. Despite the unquestionable value of learning about the individual businesses of the Nyamirambo residents and visiting Mosques once used as places of refuge for Tutsi during the genocide, the intrinsic value of this visit for me was the pure generosity and hospitality displayed by the people in this community. Growing up in a small community my entire life, the immense pride and appreciation that not only our tour guide, but also the strangers that we met and talked to in the village was something that hit very close to home for me. In spite of the cultural parallels that this community has to the Western lifestyle and community in which I grew up, spending the day with the people of this village made me realize how abruptly a ‘normal’ community can be shaken by tragedy. To me, Nyamirambo was a place of light in the depths of a country torn apart by the massacre and chaos of the genocide. It would be unfair to say that the community appears
unscathed by the tragedy as many of the residents have been very directly impacted by its destruction. However, what makes this community so special is the high regard to which it holds its faith. The tour guide of the walking tour showed us a handmade scarf made by one of the women in the village with a Swahili proverb sewn into it which translated to “All Good Words Come from God”. The guide went on to explain how faith in a higher power was something that most Rwandans, in one practice of religion or another, believed strongly in, and, more importantly, was something which the people clung tightly to during and after the genocide when all hope seemed lost. The contrast between the very dark parts of this country’s history, revisited through memorialization and testimonies and the hopeful and bright future brought to life by many people and places in the country, is a paradox which fascinates me. Prior to going to Rwanda, I had only studied the tragedy associated with Rwanda’s history, it wasn’t until I was able to put a face to the victims I had been learning about that I could appreciate these individuals as so much more than victims. My experience in Rwanda showed me how incomplete my picture of the country truly was and more importantly, showed me just how much I could learn from the people who found light and resilience through such a dark time.
Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 31
B y : S A N D R A C R OZ I E R- M C K E E , C L A S S O F 1 97 7
DOCTOR
COLE
TO THE RESCUE APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING, AS SANDRA CROZIER-MCKEE SHARES, AND HOW HELP CAME FROM AN UNEXPECTED SOURCE WHEN SHE
Dr. Mark Cole
NEEDED IT THE MOST.
Dr. Cole had a bit of a reputation for being “difficult” and many students, including me, avoided him. Inevitably I ended up in Psych 208 and met my adorable little rat Tyler and the dreaded Dr. Cole. Many of the rats were mean and snappish and literally had to be handled with gloves. Some people might have said the same about our Professor, though not within his earshot. Obviously that was not the case with Tyler who even took up “nesting” in my long hair when I was working in the lab. My family did their best to help me financially but money was tight so I was really on my own and far from home. When my student loan got snagged up somewhere I had no choice but to work weekends, evenings and sometimes all night shifts to pay for food, rent, books and other such “luxuries”. Needless to say I began falling behind and my studies suffered.
32 Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017
One day Dr. Cole called me into his office. You can imagine how thrilled I was about that. Even in the small Huron community I thought I was rather anonymous so I was shocked to discover that Dr. Cole knew a lot about me. He knew I had two majors, that I was working ridiculously long hours and my marks were in a bad way. I was exhausted, probably malnourished and cranky so when he told me I had to decide if I was going to work full time; or, go to school, but that I could not do both, I reacted rather badly I am afraid. I quickly set him straight about my financial woes and the fact that I had little choice in the matter. Once I stopped talking I stood trembling wondering why on earth I had talked that way to any professor let alone him. He stood up from his desk, helped me gather my books that had slid to the floor (or had I pushed them? I am not sure) and told me that he would look into my situation personally. In the interim he said I had an automatic extension on all my courses in Psychology and he would talk to the History Department on my behalf to get them to extend me the same courtesy. He then saw me out as he had work to do and off I went fighting back tears of gratitude.
OUR PEOPLE, FILLED WITH HE ART
Sandra with her “adorable little rat, Tyler” who was also very clever about pressing levers and excelled at all his activities.
AND WHAT DOES DR. COLE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT SUCH A GLOWING REMEMBRANCE?
It was weeks later when the long-awaited call from the Bursars’ office came. My loan was through! I quickly called Dr. Cole and he told me abruptly that he knew already because he called them first thing every morning to see what was going on. He barely gave me time to say thanks before he said goodbye and rushed off. Again, I was both stunned and teary.
WHEN I READ SANDRA’S KIND COMMENTS, I THOUGHT SURELY SHE MUST BE CONFUSING ME WITH SOMEONE ELSE. She remembers my helpfulness better than I do. I do recall the cake vividly though, and, as a result, thought that I must have a photo of it. I looked through all my memorabilia for hours, but no joy. I now think it was just that the cake made such impression on me that I believed my mental image included
When the end of the year was approaching I got my 208 class together and suggested that we have a little surprise party during our last class. My contribution was a homemade cake that I did my best to fashion into something resembling a rat with Psych 208 written in icing. It was just a small token of my gratitude. Everyone brought something to eat or drink and we yelled surprise as he walked into the classroom. This time it was his turn to be shocked and, we were all convinced, he was the one fighting back tears.
a photographic record. But then, as it was a big surprise, what would I have been doing arriving in class that day with a camera? I do, however, still have the wonderful book by Nick Mackintosh, signed by the whole class, including Sandra.”
I learned a lot of things at Huron not the least of which was that we should remain open minded and refrain from labelling and avoiding people. We just might miss out on getting to know someone pretty terrific like Dr. Mark Cole.
Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 33
IT ALL STARTED WITH AN
IDEA By: K AREN OT TO
HURON’S PRINCIPAL HAS AN IDEA – THAT EVERY HURON STUDENT SHOULD HAVE A PAID INTERNSHIP WHILE AT HURON. AFTER HEARING DR. BARRY CRAIG SPEAK, A LIGHTBULB WENT OFF AND SCOTIA WEALTH MANAGEMENT NOW HAS A HURON INTERN SITTING AT ONE OF ITS DESKS.
Kelly Hansen, Class of 1985 says hiring interns, while helping his day-to-day business, also is his way of giving back. “Somebody helped me once and gave me experience,” he says.
34 Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017
“I thought, hey, let’s give it a whirl!” explains Kelly Hansen, Class of 1985, after hearing Dr. Barry Craig speak at a board meeting of his desire to secure paid internships for every student. “These young people need opportunities,” says Kelly.
arts student is a key factor in who they decide to hire. “Liberal arts creates this ability to think critically as opposed to (the individual having the mindset) that there’s a right and a wrong,” Kelly explains. “There’s usually more than one way around things.”
Kelly, who volunteers as President of the Huron University College Foundation, is by day a Portfolio Manager and Director, Wealth Management at Scotia Wealth Management in London, Ontario. He says his team has had an internship program for the past five years and that having a liberal
Persistence, the mentality to approach things outside the box coupled with the ability to work both individually as well as collaboratively, all while having a high rate of productivity, make liberal arts students preferred interns, says Kelly.
OUR PEOPLE, FILLED WITH HE ART
After going through a few rounds of interviews, and having a background and credit check, the successful candidate for the internship was Nawaz Sani, a Huron student who will be entering his final year this September. Nawaz says he couldn’t believe his luck when he was offered the chance to apply. “I was very excited. I’m only going into my fourth year. From my perspective, all the people who work in the financial sector go into the big four firms and if I can do that before my fourth year, that’s amazing.”
Huron wants the internships that connect the classroom to the community.
IT’S THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. Offering internships to Huron students just makes sense, says Kelly, and it also helps the interns decide for themselves if going into that field is right for them. “This career could potentially be for life and it’s better to learn now than later if I like the field,” says Nawaz. “Having the opportunity now prepares you for what’s coming after. Having this safe environment, it’s helpful to train you and to prepare you for what’s to come after you graduate,” he says. In Nawaz’s case, what’s coming after his internship ends could very well be a full-time job. Kelly says he’s hired interns as full-time employees before and will likely do so again. Paying interns also just makes sense. “It’s just the right thing to do. It costs money just to get into work,” declares Kelly. “Scotia Wealth does not believe in unpaid internships.” For his part, Nawaz is thrilled his summer internship is helping pay his bills and credits Huron for helping him achieve a summer job that’s in his hoped-for career of investment and wealth management. “Huron wants the internships that connect the classroom to the community. It’s the best of both worlds.”
Nawaz says Huron securing paid-internships is as crucial to students as obtaining the on-the-job experience.
INTERESTED IN OFFERING A PAID INTERNSHIP TO A HURON STUDENT? Please contact Meg Pirie, Coordinator, Careers and Internships at mpirie2@huron.uwo.ca or 519.438.7224 ext. 196.
Meg Pirie
Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 35
HURON STUDENTS TAKE
EVERY YEAR, HURON STUDENTS AUTOMATICALLY DONATE $15 FROM THEIR STUDENT FEES TO SUPPORT THE HURON CHAPTER OF THE WORLD UNIVERSITY SERVICE OF CANADA (WUSC) STUDENT REFUGEE PROGRAM (SRP). THIS CONTRIBUTION IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST IN THE COUNTRY AND COMPLETELY TRANSFORMS LIVES.
RESPONSIBILITY IN CHANGING
LIVES By: K AREN OT TO
As any young refugee in Malawi, we all finish high school with hopes of applying to the WUSC-SRP program because WUSC is the only institution that enables young refugees to continue with their studies as refugees are not accepted in Malawian Universities, explains Gabriel Ndayishimiye. Says Gabriel, “my admission into the WUSC-SRP gave me the hope that I can achieve my goals and dreams if I work hard enough.”
Having left his home country of Rwanda at just two months of age, Gabriel became a refugee until the day he landed in Canada on August 24, 2016. Gaby was the Huron WUSCsponsored student for the 2016/17 year. “When you consider the thousands a student pays out over the years, it is a little bit crazy to think that the $15 they pay will change four people’s lives drastically. There is something to be said for a peer-to-peer sponsorship program like WUSC being (partially) funded directly by the students themselves: I think it reflects the responsibility we have taken on as a community,” says Travis Moore, the SRP Chairperson.
36 Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017
Students on the committee ensure all the WUSC-sponsored student’s needs are met. From ensuring they have access to community agencies enabling them to apply for such things as a health card, to taking them to buy winter coats, to showing them around Huron and preparing their residence room, to letting them know how to access resources, students on the committee were part of every facet of Gabriel’s journey to Huron.
OUR PEOPLE, FILLED WITH HE ART
What the $15 from each student helps pay for, explains Dr. Lucas Savino, the WUSC faculty advisor, is the entire tuition of the WUSC-sponsored student for a total of five years and during their first year in Canada, also provides for their residence, living expenses and a stipend. This is remarkable considering the size of Huron’s student population.
Dr. Savino says the students who sit on the WUSC chapter at Huron learn important lessons not only about the world, but also about themselves. “This program connects the students, the institution and issues of the world in a way that makes it a very responsible program,” he says. “It allows them to take responsibility for living in this world.”
Once arriving in Canada, the WUSCsponsored student is no longer a refugee but a Canadian permanent resident, says Dr. Savino. “And that’s really, I think, one of the reasons for its success.” For his part, Gaby couldn’t agree more. “WUSC has changed my life in the sense that the sponsorship allows young refugees to live in Canada as
(Being a refugee) is a helpless and hopeless situation where you are forced to give all your life information to the elites who eventually come to decide what is best for your life with less or no consideration of your opinions.
Dr. Lucas Savino has been the faculty advisor to the local community of WUSC at Huron since 2013.
permanent residents and thereafter can apply to become Canadian citizens. Having an identity, a place to call home as a citizen of Canada, is an extraordinary opportunity that changed my status from a refugee, a title that is wrongly associated with all the negatives you may name, to a normal human being, a citizen of Canada.”
“Being called a refugee is something I don’t wish for anyone based on my personal 22 years of experience in refugee camps,” he continues. “It is a helpless and hopeless situation where you are forced to give all your life information to the elites who eventually come to decide what is best for your life, with little or no consideration of your opinions.”
We’re not doing this for charity, but because it’s the right thing to do.
Huron has changed that sense of hopelessness for Gabriel. He says his first year at Huron was wonderful; he’s met good people and can’t thank everyone enough who has been so supportive and helpful to him. The fact that students brought him here from their own money has not gone unappreciated. “Knowing that students contribute a lot in sponsorship, I am very respectful of that and I am always thankful for the kindness and willingness to support a refugee student.” “My admission into the WUSC-SRP gave me the hope that I can achieve my goals and dreams if I work hard enough,” states Gabriel.
The WUSC program at Huron has been a staple since 1998 and Dr. Savino attributes that to the willingness of the Huron student body to take an ethical stance and engaging in the world in significant ways. “It gives students a concrete opportunity to make a difference with someone who is here, who is their classmate, who will be a Huron alumni, just like them,” he says. “We’re not doing this for charity, but because it’s the right thing to do.”
Travis Moore says his involvement as Chairperson of the Huron chapter of WUSC just comes naturally. “I have a firm belief in the culture of hospitality,” he says.
Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 37
HUCSC PRESIDENT
DYLAN MATTHEWS:
THE HUCSC’S LEADER WITH By: K AREN OT TO
38 Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017
FOR 2017/18
LEADING WITH HEART ISN’T JUST HURON’S NEW MANDATE, IT’S A WAY OF LIFE. ONE THE 2017/18 HURON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE STUDENTS’ COUNCIL (HUCSC) PRESIDENT, DYLAN MATTHEWS, WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORTS.
“Dr. Barry Craig has a vision – one that is quite poetic and powerful – for Huron students to be leaders with heart,” Dylan says. “I share this vision and believe that it is the role of the HUCSC to be leaders with heart every day. To lead by example on this front. That is our mandate.”
cash donations; it is about engagement and commitment. It is about orienting oneself in a particular endeavour – in the case of WUSC, the plight of the refugee – and asking: what can I do to help? It makes me proud to be part of an institution which is a world leader on this front.”
Dylan formally took over the position on May 1 and was elected in January. “Being elected HUCSC President was a truly humbling experience for me,” he says.
This year’s HUCSC will use all the resources available to them to complement the outstanding academic education that Huron offers, he states.
Dylan says he is looking forward to tackling his new role and says he knows that not every decision he and his council make may necessarily be the right one, but that those decisions were made with the best of intentions for Huron. “From this point forth, being HUCSC President, to me, means making decisions that I believe are in the best interests of Huron for today and tomorrow, but it also means having the humility to admit when I am wrong,” he says.
Dylan, a third year student, is thrilled to be part of Principal Dr. Barry Craig’s new mandate for Huron. A mandate that will involve paid internships for all students, a revitalization of Huron’s physical spaces, the encouragement of philanthropic endeavors, and to further produce leaders with heart, as Huron has always done.
Something that Dylan finds very right is Huron’s participation in the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Student Refugee Program. “The (SRP) breaks down traditional ideas of the refugee, as these individuals, to us, are better defined as our friends, classmates and peers,” he says. “Our students understand that charity is not just about
“If we all start to live this vision every day, it will become second nature as we leave Huron and become citizens of the world. And in return, Huron will quickly gain this reputation in the marketplace and with future employers. I look forward to working hard every day to make this vision a reality.”
HURON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
HOMECOMING
20 17 S AV E T H E D AT E
OCTOBER 21, 2017
www.huronuc.ca/homecoming
CLASS NOTES
1950-1969
1990-1999
Congratulations to Don Henderson, Q.C. ’60
Dr. Shannon Stettner ’96 has published
who was recognized by The Law Society of Upper
two books recently, of which she was an
Canada as a member in good standing for more
editor. Without Apology: Writings on Abortion in
than 50 years and granted membership for life.
Canada and Transcending Borders Abortion in the Past and Present are both available to order
Congratulations to Stan Taylor ’68 who
online. Shannon teaches in the Department of
received the following accolades in 2016: a
Women’s Studies at the University of Waterloo.
Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding
She is the co-founder of the Reproductive
membership support and contributions for 5
Activism and Abortion Research Network.
years to The Writers Community of Durham Region; The Lawrence Jackson Memorial Award of Achievement from the Professional Writers Association of Canada; and a STEM Award for igniting the next generation of STEM students from the Developing Innovations Organization. Stan is currently working on a series of 12 books under the title, “Career Options.’ 1970-1979 Congratulations to Mary Lu Roffey-Redden ’76 who received an honorary doctorate from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia for her work as the director of the Halifax Humanities Society. The Halifax Humanities Society is a registered charity that provides university-level education classes in the
Dr. Chris McCreery ‘98 has published two new books marking the 50th anniversary of the Order of Canada. Fifty Years Honouring Canadians; The Order of Canada 1967-2017 (Dundurn Press) and The Order of Canada: Genesis of an Honours System (UofT Press).
humanities to those with low incomes. Mary Lu received her Doctor of Civil Law (honoris causa) this past May. The Rev. Guy Snell ’78 writes that he married Sharon in 2012 and is now retired, but still provides services to All Saints, Medicine Hat.
THE ORDER OF CANADA
Genesis of an Honours System SECOND EDITION
He is also retired from his day job as a Respiratory Therapist but is still working “casual-part time”. He writes that he enjoys spending time on woodworking and crafts when he is able.
40 Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017
Christopher McCreery Prefatory message by Her Majesty the Queen Foreword by His Excellency the Governor General
OUR PEOPLE, FILLED WITH HE ART
Jim Bunting ’99 received a 2016 Lexpert Zenith Award. The Lexpert awards winners are recognized for the excellence in their careers and service to their practice areas, community, profession, law firms and businesses in the field of Diversity and Inclusion. Jon Erlichman ’99 writes that he recently returned to Canada, following 10 years in the United States working for media outlets including ABC News, Fortune and Bloomberg Television. He recently launched a new morning show on BNN called Business Day AM. He writes he also works as a correspondent with CTV National News. Jon lives in Toronto with his wife, actress Caroline Lesley (‘Fruitvale Station’) and their two daughters.
In Memoriam (As of June 30, 2017) Gary Sim ’68, June 30, 2017
Erin Dance ’04, December 2, 2016
David Pettingill ’60, June 24, 2017
Fiona Mary Cassells ’81, November 29, 2016
The Rev. Ray Stokes ‘60, June 11, 2017
C. Robert ‘Bob’ Shaver ’66, November 21, 2016
The Ven. Lyman Harding ’60, June 10, 2017
The Rev’d Grace Coleman Anthony ’66 and ’97, November 8, 2016
Lynne (Knight) Henderson ’78, May 29, 2017
Joan (Talbot) Nicholas ’70, October 31, 2016 Andrew Britnell ’87, October 24, 2016
Robert Cope ’90, May 2, 2017
David Ellis ’52, September 25, 2016
Robert Horte ’78, March 28, 2017 The Most Rev. Terry Finlay ’59, ’62 and DD ’87, March 20, 2017 (Please see remembrance on page 44)
Bonnie (Huctwith) Burnard ’67, March 4, 2017
I have been the Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity & St Barnabas Scottish Episcopal Church in Paisley, Scotland. Effective October 1, I have been appointed the Chaplain of St John the Evangelist Anglican Church in St Raphael, France on the French Riviera. St John’s is a congregation of the Diocese in Europe of the Church of England.”
Ferne Sinkins ’60, January 17, 2017 Dr. John Sass ’59, January 16, 2017
Canon Lindsey Elwood, a friend of Huron, July 22, 2016
The Rev. Yvonne Summerfield ’04, January 13, 2017
Tom Irwin ’61, March 11, 2016
Dr. Cheryl (Allen) Gibson ’68, January 11, 2017 W. Andrew Wilson ’69, December 23, 2016
Congratulations to Yola (Hamzo) Ventresca ’02 who was named
Dr. Reginald Stackhouse, Honorary Degree recipient, December 14, 2016
Business London. Yola is a Partner at Lerners LLP in London and serves Huron as a Director on the Huron University College Alumni Association Board of Directors.
John D. Duthie ’87, August 16, 2016
The Ven. Bruce Crockett ’63, August 8, 2016
2000+
one of London, Ontario’s Top 20 Under 40 young professionals by
The Ven. Jack Doidge ’39, August 17, 2016
The Ven. Gary Paterson ’60 and ’63, August 16, 2016
Gord McIntyre ’54, March 1, 2017
The Rev. Dr. Tom Wilson ’99 writes: “For the past 5 years
Dennis Brown, Q.C. ’61, September 1, 2016
The Rev. Canon Don Beatty ’60 and ’63, December 3, 2016 Herbert (Herb) Benford ’73, December 2, 2016
Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 41
CLASS NOTES
S. Mairi Anderson ’04 recently returned from a
Lauren Giffen ’11 graduated with a Huron degree
successful deployment as a Public Affairs Officer
in International and Comparative Studies and
with the Royal Canadian Navy on Operation
has been working in Tanzania, East Africa. She is
CARIBBE. Sub-Lieutenant Anderson sailed on Her
currently the Head of Education and Research for
Majesty’s Canadian Ship Saskatoon in the eastern
Ubongo, a non-profit social enterprise that creates
Pacific, contributing to the seizure of 1124 kgs of
interactive entertainment for kids in Africa. The
cocaine and the disruption of another 1500 kgs.
company creates interactive cartoons for children that teach them math and science skills by participating via basic mobile phones to interact live with the show that is airing. Shaun Ashley ’12 is pleased to announce that he has received a new role at BMO Financial Group as a Support Specialist for Workforce Strategy and Change Management in Toronto, Ontario. Matteo Maciel ’15 is proud to announce that he
Joseph Heller ’06 and Dr. Dalia Rotstein are the proud parents of Lev Nathaniel Heller, born June 22, 2016. Lev is a sibling for big sister, Orly, aged 3. Jennifer (Oswald) Miller ’06 is proud to announce the birth of her children: Ava Eowyn Miller on March 6, 2014 and Brody Morris Miller on May 13, 2015. Jennifer and Josh Miller were married in June 2012. The Rev. Grayhame Bowcott ‘08 and ‘10 and Jacqueline Marr ‘11 are proud to announce the
is beginning his LLM (Master of Laws) degree this fall and was accepted to both The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. He was also recently featured in Trusts & Trustees, a leading journal on trusts, for a case note on Akers v Samba. Ross Bliss ’17, proudly shows off his Huron ink prior to his graduation with his MDiv degree this past May.
birth of their second child, Laelynn Elyssa Bowcott on October 21, 2016. Laelynn is a sibling for big sister, Alyvia, aged 4.
NEWS TO SHARE? Let Huron know about your family and/or professional news. huronuc.ca/update
42 Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017
OUR PEOPLE, FILLED WITH HE ART
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LET HURON KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROFESSIONAL AND/OR FAMILY NEWS AND WE’LL BE PLEASED TO INCLUDE IT IN OUR NEXT NEWSLETTER. New job? Wedding pictures? Baby photos? Grandbaby photos? Feel free to send them along.
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Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 43
T H E M O ST R E V. T E R RY F I N L AY ’59, ’62 and DD ’8 7 :
a Remembrance By: DR. DOUGL AS LEIGHTON
The Reverend Canon Douglas Leighton, PhD, is Professor
Emeritus of History at Huron University College and Canon Historian of the Diocese of Huron.
CANADIAN ANGLICANS HAVE BEEN MUCH SADDENED BY THE RECENT DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP TERRY FINLAY. THERE HAVE RIGHTLY BEEN EXTENSIVE ARTICLES ABOUT HIS DISTINGUISHED CAREER AND HIS LASTING IMPACT ON THOSE WHO WORKED AND WORSHIPPED WITH HIM, INCLUDING AN AFFECTIONATE FULL-PAGE ESSAY BY MICHAEL VALPY IN THE GLOBE AND MAIL. MOST OF THESE PIECES FOCUS ALMOST ENTIRELY ON HIS TIME IN TORONTO, GIVING ONLY A SENTENCE OR TWO TO HIS FAMILIAL ROOTS AND HIS FORMATIVE YEARS IN THE DIOCESE OF HURON.
Terry Finlay was “a child of the manse”, a “preacher’s kid”, the elder son of the Reverend Terence John Finlay, a 1932 Huron College graduate whose family lived in Thedford, Ontario. Terence Finlay Sr. served in three London churches: the Church of the Resurrection on Oxford Street East, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Church of St. John the Evangelist as Assistant Curate and locum tenens for just over a year while the rector, Clarence Foreman, was away on military service at the beginning of World War II. When Terry became rector of St. John’s years later, there were parishioners who remembered him as a toddler in short pants! A man of great charm and presence, Terence Finlay Sr. went on to serve churches in Winnipeg and Ottawa, concluding his career as the long-time rector of St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City. Like his father, Terry attended Huron College, graduating with degrees in Arts (1959) and in Theology (1962). After two years of study at the University of Cambridge, in 1964 he became the incumbent of All Saints Church, Waterloo and Dean of Residence at Renison College. Moving to London in 1966, he played a key role in the building of St. Aidan’s Church on Oxford Street West and became the rector of the Church of St. John the Evangelist in April 1968. Here he remained for ten years, becoming the rector of Grace Church, Brantford and Archdeacon of Brant in 1978, before moving to the Diocese of Toronto as the rector of St. Clement’s, Eglinton, in 1982.
44 Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017
(Above) Terry in his 1962 Huron graduation picture. (Above, right) Terry along with A.J. and fellow Huron alum, Peter Kedwell, Class of 1969, at Huron’s sesquicentennial celebration dinner in 2013.
OUR PEOPLE, FILLED WITH HE ART
Terry’s appointment to St. John’s was not without controversy. At the beginning of its mandate in 1967, the parish selection committee asked the redoubtable Bishop George Luxton if “young Finlay” were available and was
told he was not. Bishop Luxton was aware of the important work Terry was doing at St. Aidan’s and was also under some pressure from senior clerics in the diocese who expected one of their number to obtain such a desirable appointment. After a year of frustratingly hard work with no resolution in sight, the bishop told the committee he had decided “to make young Finlay available“. The selection was duly made, but not before the overworked committee chair, in the words of one of his members, “tore a strip off” Bishop Luxton. A witness to the confrontation said it was the only time he ever saw George Luxton speechless.
The Finlay years at St. John’s are still remembered with great affection in that parish. Terry Finlay’s pastoral gifts, coupled with the theological and liturgical changes of the decade, made for a powerful combination which
enabled the congregation to flourish. Just thirty years of age when he arrived, Terry and his wife Alice Jean (“A.J.” to everyone) and their daughters attracted young families to the parish. The Sunday School and young peoples’ programs flourished, as did efforts at community outreach. Adult discussion groups provided a forum for questioners and others who were not “churchy”. Outside speakers frequently challenged St. John’s people to think critically about what it meant to be “church”. Weekly attendance regularly reached 300 people at the peak of Terry’s ministry.
A St. John’s member since the autumn of 1966, I approached Terry about studying theology in the spring of 1972. He immediately called Dr. Geoffrey Parke-Taylor, Huron’s Dean of Theology, and arranged an appointment that same afternoon. Terry never wasted a moment! Newly ordained to the diaconate in May 1975, I was left in charge of the parish while the Finlay family went on a month-long overseas holiday that summer. Always organized, the rector left a list of people who should be visited, most of whom were not regular Sunday worshippers. Hospital visits were also a part of that summer’s work. Terrifying and challenging as all this was, Terry’s organized trust provided an unmatchable pastoral apprenticeship. Asked to form a weekly bible study group that fall, I anticipated that this might last a month or two. Terry’s warmth and openness attracted so many participants that two groups were created. We initially contracted to meet for four weeks, assess the experience, and then decide whether to disband or carry on. Carry on we did – one of the groups met for the next five years (summers excepted!). Terry’s sunny personality made him naturally able to connect with others. He was genuinely interested in people, but more importantly, respected them. They in turn responded to him. This real, respectful care for others was the foundation of his pastoral and professional success. It was a true privilege to know Terry Finlay for 49 years. I hope this brief remembrance honours his memory and adds to the portraits which have been made of him.
45
2016
HURON’S
DONORS
HURON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE THANKS THE FOLLOWING ALUMNI, STUDENTS, PARENTS, FRIENDS, RELIGIOUS
Our cumulative donor listings are available online at
ORGANIZATIONS, FACULTY
huronuc.ca/1863Society for donors who have generously
AND STAFF, CORPORATIONS
contributed $500 or more over their lifetime.
AND FOUNDATIONS FOR THEIR
THANK YOU for helping to make this another outstanding year
COMMITMENT TO HURON.
for Huron as we prepare leaders with heart. Your generosity helps
THE LIST BELOW APPLIES TO
ensure that Huron can offer an engaging and challenging educational experience that gives our students a distinct advantage throughout their entire lives. You have made a difference. Thank you.
DONATIONS RECEIVED IN THE 2016 CALENDAR YEAR.
ALUMNI CLASS LISTINGS Thank you to the following alumni and associates who supported Huron in 2016. FACULTY OF THEOLOGY Classes before 1950 The Ven. Harvey F. Southcott ‘48
The Most Rev. John R. Clarke ‘64 Rev. Noel Paterson ‘65 Canon David Long ‘68 The Rev. Canon Paul A. Carr ‘69 Classes of 1970-1979
Classes of 1950-1959 The Rt. Rev. Clarence M. Mitchell ‘54 The Ven. Cyril E. Ladds ‘55 The Rt. Rev. Jack Peck ‘57 The Ven. Peter Millen ‘58 Canon William Rainey ‘58 The Venerable Dr. A. H. Skirving ‘58 Archdeacon Peter B. Moore ‘59 Canon Peter J. Smith ‘59 Classes of 1960-1969 The Rev. Canon Raymond G. Bray ‘60 The Most Rev. Terence E. Finlay ‘62 * The Rev. John F. Flindall ‘62 The Rev. Herb Horsey ‘62 Rev. Canon Don Beatty ‘63 * The Ven. Dr. William V. Graham ‘63 The Rev. Clifford P. Tremills ‘63
46 Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017
The Rev. Canon Brian E. Shoesmith ‘71 The Rev. Canon Jim W. Brown ‘72 The Rt. Rev. Robert F. Bennett ‘74 The Ven. Dr. Gordon J. Simmons ‘75 The Rev. Canon Pastor Donald G. Axford ‘77 Major The Rev. George W. Scharf ‘77 The Rev. Canon Robert Schroeder ‘77 The Rev. Canon Gregory W. Smith ‘78 The Ven. Dr. James Sutton ‘78 Classes of 1980-1989 Chris Ambidge ‘80 The Revd Dr. Peter C. Baldwin, CD ‘80 The Ven. Dr. John E. Course, Jr. ‘80 The Rev. Canon William Thomas ‘80 The Ven. Peter T. Townshend ‘80
*Remembered fondly
The Rev. Gary T. Boyes ‘82 Rev. Mary McDowell Wood ‘86 The Rev. Ruth (Mahady) Ferrier ‘87 Rev. Canon Sharon McCormick ‘88 The Rev. Canon H. Stuart Pike ‘88 The Rev. Canon Mark Kinghan ‘89 The Rev. Canon Gordon Redden ‘89 The Very Rev. Peter Wall ‘89 Classes of 1990-1999 The Rev. Di Pratt ‘90 The Ven. Jennifer M. Sisson ‘90 The Ven. Geoffrey Woodcroft ‘90 The Ven. Jane Humphreys ‘91 The Rt Revd William G. Cliff ‘92 The Revd Canon Dr. Todd Townshend ‘92 The Rev. Joyce Blackburn ‘93 Rev. Judy Castle ‘93 Bernice Santor ‘93 The Rev. Canon Gaye F. Whippey ‘93 Dr. Reinhild C. Jurgensen ‘96 The Rev’d Canon Dr. Kevin George ‘97 Marion Orser ‘97 The Rev. Canon Brian E. Shoesmith ‘97
T H A N K YO U FO R YO U R G E N E R O S I T Y
The Revd Canon Kim (Heckendorn) Van Allen ‘97 Rev. Daniel Brereton ‘98 Anonymous (2) Classes of 2000-2009 The Rev. Bryan Robertson ‘00 The Rev. Joan Stiles ‘02 The Ven. Nancy Adams ‘03 The Rev. Wayne H. Larson ‘03 Joyce L. De Vecchi ‘04 The Rev. Dave Hewett ‘04 The Rev. Greg Little ‘04 The Rev. Canon Catherine M. Ascah ‘05 The Rev. Daniel Bowyer ‘05 Jane Morgan ‘05 Ida Burley ‘06 The Rev. Valerie Kelly ‘06 Miriam Overton ‘06 Barbara Graham ‘07 The Rev. Christopher Kelly ‘07 The Rev. Karine Snowdon ‘07 The Rev. Grayhame Bowcott ‘08 Dr. Helen Heller ‘08 Rev. Bill White ‘08 Rev’d Val Kenyon ‘09 Anonymous (3) Classes of 2010 + The Rev. Grayhame Bowcott ‘10 Donna Gingras ‘10 Rev’d Andreas Thiel ‘10 The Rev. Jo-Ann Todd ‘10 The Rev. Jonathan Askwith ‘11 Ernest H. Buffett ‘11 The Rev. Laura Lightfoot ‘11 Jacqueline K. Marr ‘11 The Rev. Dr. John M. Thompson ‘11 The Rev’d Andrew Wilson ‘12 Ida Burley ‘13 Ronald A. Burns ‘13 Christopher A. Evetts ’13, ‘17 Elizabeth Efthymiadis ‘16 George Efthymiadis ‘16
FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCE Classes 1958 and Prior W. H. N. Hull ’51 A. E. (Klein) Stares ’56 Archdeacon Peter B. Moore ’57 Chris (Dora Christoff) Cassidy ’58 Merv Courtney ’58 Class of 1959 Ron Billings D A Bonis H. Carter The Most Rev. Terence E. Finlay * Robert Hart William W. Plunkett Andrew Pressburger John Sass * Class of 1960 Rev. Canon Don Beatty * The Rev. John F. Flindall The Ven. Lyman N. Harding * D.M. Henderson, Q.C. A. Benson Lorriman Clare Pace Mary (Griffith) Pace David Pettingill * Mary Jane (McEachern) Pettingill George R. Powell J. Robb Reynolds The Honourable David Steinberg Patricia (Joselyn) Thompson The Rev. Clifford P. Tremills Ken Turnbull Paul Waring Anonymous Class of 1961 The Most Rev. John R. Clarke Peter F. Hancock Doug Moulton Michael Prior Damaris (Hansman) Robinson
Paul Smith Sara (Willis) Smith John Snelgrove Mary (Kennedy) Thomson John Whaley Class of 1962 Gary S. Bannister John Black Don Cox Hon. Paul W. Dick Q.C. The Rev. Thomas Granger Michael Hamilton Heather MacNaughton Howitt Douglas Love Lynn (Harris) McLeod Denny Miller Helen (Klassen) Moore Leonard Owen Lynne (Stevens) Owen Nancy Hungerford Titley Mary Lou (Barnes) Tremills The Hon. Mr. Justice John deP. Wright Class of 1963 Bruce Anthony Christopher Brian Barnes Sharon Downey Bowman Bob Canham Lawrence S. Cumming Elaine C. (Bramham) Duncanson Joe Essaye Mary Pratt Harlan Glen H. Heximer Caroline E. (White) Lentz Prof. John D. McCamus Donald G. McFarlane Linda J. McMullen Malcolm Nourse Ted Petter Nestor Prisco W. Gerald Strongman Anonymous (3) Class of 1964 William G. Bickle Marianne (Bainard) Buchanan Lee Buffin
Captain (Ret.) James A. Burton Margaret (Rae) Carver J. Brian Colburn William B. Connor Shirley (Walker) Geigen-Miller Gavin Hall Gail (Hodge) Harrison David G. Leeson Barry Mitchelson Sheila (Walmark) O’Connor J. (Armstrong) Scott Beverley Paterson Wood Nancy (Dey) Wright Class of 1965 David Adam Jodi (Conners) Shain Robert Coulter Joy (Curtis) Croke Ron Hahn Sally (Mockridge) Hahn Barry Hall Charles Jago Jim Kendell Canon David Long John McIntyre Graham Smyth Class of 1966 Gillian (Rodwell) Adams Chancellor Canon Stephen N. Adams Q.C. Dave Beatty Rose (Sadowey) Beatty Robert F. Bothwell Ida Burley Susan Clarke Virginia M. Cobley Ross Desjardine Jim Gilbert Wayne Jamieson Arlene (Cary) Long Pamela Randall MacIntyre Don Partington Carole Reid Reilly Lydia (Ivanischenko) Reinhard Jack Wood Ross Wright
Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 47
2016
HURON’S
DONORS Class of 1967 George Abolins Callie Archer Aubrey W. Baillie Paul Beeston James E. Carr Dr. Earlby S. Coulter Ken Fong Robert Glass Cairn (Gibson) Huff Eleanor Jones Ron K. Lewis Paul Macklin Lillian Newbery Linda (McCreery) Nourse Peter D. Omnet Kitty (Plaxton) Retter Bill Robinson Pamela (Stein) Robinson James Simpson Barry W. Weir Martha Fiedler Wilson Peter F. Woolnough Allan Wright Anonymous Class of 1968
*Remembered fondly
Rose J. (Henkenhaf) Dotten Peter R. Kedwell Richard Lucas Steven Officer Ian Skaith Gail (Hubbard) Varey Denise (Kendall) Weir Glenn Weir Nanci White Steve Wilson Class of 1970 David Balfour Col (Retd) Patrick D. R. Crandell Dale W. Green Jim Hartley Beth (Roder) Hazlitt Gregory Hazlitt Dr. Shirley A. Huchcroft James W. Knight Dr. Joanne (Shaw) MacPherson The Rev. Canon Kate Merriman Remy L. Rousseau Gail (Pidgeon) Thompson Joy (Tanner) Walker Leslie (MacEachern) Worden Anonymous
Collin Craig Douglas Derry Delia (Calvert) Dobson Mary Louise (Truss) Doig Rea Godbold Rick Greene Mary (Crump) Kilner Jill (Tremaine) Lawford JSA MacDonald Stuart Macrae Mary Lynn (Turner) Mansell Prof. Richard H. McLaren Norman McMullen, KStG Ann (Hossack) Robertson-Seigel Brian A. Shaw Elizabeth (Nicholls) Walden Elaine (Pearce) Wright
Class of 1971
Class of 1969
Sally Bennett Maribeth Ditchfield Douglas G. Fraser
David Banwell Susan (Dunster) Borden
48 Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017
The Rt. Rev. Robert F. Bennett Linda (McClure) Carroll James A. Drummond Joan (MacDonald) Duckloe Peter Fullerton Alan Inkster Dr. Timothy J. King Trish (Burn) Loat Michael C. McMillan Mary E. Mundle Carol (Lavis) Officer Richard Packowski George Pappas G. Stephenson Wheatley Jean (Wallis) Wilson Class of 1972
Brooke Nelles * Don Park D’Arcy Robert The Ven. Dr. Gordon J. Simmons Dr. Louis E. Weatherhead Class of 1973 Janice (Durrant) Andreae Marsha DeFore Lynne Gibbons Michael W. Good Manfred Jakob Marion (Murchie) Michinsky Terry Peach A. Louise (Rutishauser) Stafford Anonymous (2) Class of 1974 Dan Amadori Doug Forbes Richard Levick Nancy S. Martin Elspeth L. McFadden Susan (Roemmele) Peach Ross Reid Gay (Stewart) Slinger Class of 1975 Barbara (Gibbs) Amadori Donna (Powers) Bristow Mary Anne (Almost) Dowding Bill Haust Judy (Betteridge) Haust Cheryl (Leggat) Hamilton Greg Smith Mark TarBush Mark Trinnear Class of 1976 The Revd Dr. Peter C. Baldwin, CD Janet Clark Barry Keefe W. Allan MacEwen Ruth MacLeod Mary Lu Roffey Redden Professor Wilfrid Waluchow
T H A N K YO U FO R YO U R G E N E R O S I T Y
Class of 1977
Class of 1979
John D. Blackwell Debra (Lehman) Casperd Gordon Casperd Carol (Vandewater) Cluff Stephen M. Dopp Heather L. (Martin) Greenfield Bruce Hynds Robert Lee John Leitch Terry (Geddes) MacDonald Mark Riley The Ven. Peter T. Townshend
W. Alfred Apps Tisha Beaton The Rev. Dr. Steven J. Chambers Jane (Boeve) Chovaz Connie (Thomson) DeForest R. Terry DeForest Randy Dietrich Keith McEachern John Thorpe Dale A. Van Allen David G. White Karen (Firth) Wilkinson Paul L. Williams Brenda Wylie
Class of 1978 Jean-Guy Brunelle Bob Duncanson Cindy Fisher Warren Garrett Carolyn Gray Townsend Haines Andy Hynes Jim Stevens
25
Class of 1980 Jeff Aarssen Ken Andrews James P. Armstrong Donald G. Lang Ann MacLeod Patrick McQueen Douglas Richmond Jeffrey W. Singer
Maureen C. Vandenberghe Sandra (Wilde) Wark Class of 1981 Karen M. Dabbs Lynn J. Hunt Dr. Donald Melady Cheryl L. (Knott) Porter Ron Sleeth Kevin Wark Anonymous (2)
Dr. Bill Acres Tony Duffield Dan Fraleigh Brenda (Young) McLoughlin Anonymous
Andrew W. Aziz Brent Barootes Prof. J. L. Manore Katherine McCracken David McLennan Gay Reynolds
Kevin Bateman Margaret Capes Michael Ewald George M. Johnson Rev. Canon Sharon McCormick Britton R. Osler Anonymous Class of 1985
Class of 1982
Class of 1983
Class of 1984
Anne Clements Mary (Morden) Fernandes Vernon Fernandes Christopher Francis Sherry A. Freund Lawrence K. Greaves James Grundy Kelly Hansen Heather Jack Beth (Hyatt) Kinghan Valerie (Thomas) Kristoff Michele Mannering Hynes Gregory G. Pickios Doug Raymond Laura (McGregor) Ross
TOP DONORS BY CLASS
20
15
10
5
0
19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 67 63 62 66 68 92 60 64 71 77 80 85 65 69 70 79 87 11 59 61
19 19 19 75 89 95
Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 49
2016
HURON’S
DONORS Class of 1986 Susan Harrison Carter Sandi Cox John Hempstead Dr. Gloria McPherson David Rae Class of 1987 Sandra Datars Bere Gail (Stitt) Fox Kathryn Fryer Kevin Higgins The Ven. Vicars E. Hodge Bill Jack Brent H. Shackleton Andrew Tremayne Peter M. White The Ven. Geoffrey Woodcroft Class of 1988 Stephanie A. Innes Colan Lancaster Lori McDonald Michael Pope Joan (Bonner) Wettlaufer Class of 1989 Rosemary C. (Van Bommel) Baughman Diane (Edwards) Bell John Black Dr. Patrick Carter John T. S. Duke Kathryn Schade Robert J. Tolmie Michael C. Ward Class of 1990 Antony Barton Michael Burns Timothy A. R. Duncanson Ian Frew Bruno Solby Class of 1991 The Rev. Canon Catherine M. Ascah
50 Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017
*Remembered fondly
John Howitt Marion Orser Anonymous
Eric Santor Anonymous
Class of 1992
Grant E. Beggs David Dervish Tasha (Wasyliniuk) Varpio Chris Yelle
David W. Anderson Dr. James Blustein Rob Broley Amy (Bonthron) Bryson Andrew Carragher Carolyn (Comish) Carragher Craig Ellis Jill (Moroz) Ellis David Hughes Riccardo Leofanti Keitha (Mackay) McClocklin Robyn Kyle Molyneau Lt. Col. Thomas W. Moore Tara (Donaldson) Neate Claudette Pennesi Adam Turner Michael Whiteside Class of 1993 Ian Jeffreys Barbara J. Lubell Allyson Mitchell Neufeld Marcus Perron Class of 1994 Tiffany (Godfree) Atcheson Richard Gannon Janet M. Mowat Peter Theophilos Michael Varpio Deidre (Lipton) Yelle Anonymous Class of 1995 Aaron Atcheson Jennifer (Gibson) Gannon Laurie A. Goldbach Neil C. Hetherington C. Leigh (Hamilton) MacDonald James E. Morgan Sabrina Pennesi Leslie Phillmore C. Scott Rattee
Class of 1996
Class of 1997 Mel Brown Helen Horgan Servick Matt Picken Class of 1998 Catherine J. Lummack Dr. Christopher McCreery, MVO Class of 1999 Sandi Burgess Matthew M. Curry Stephanie Donaldson Stacey Flowers Waite Stephanie (McIntosh) Miller Jason Pantalone Richard Shapero William A. G. Simpson Class of 2000 Jeremy Brasseur Mary Elizabeth (Simmons) Carroll Bryan J. Rose Class of 2001 James Brooks Jennifer Dilworth Michael J. Greb Jessica (Mitges) Hinchliffe Christine Hughes Dr. Lisa H. Szainwald Class of 2002 Jeff Baryshnik The Rev. Daniel Bowyer
T H A N K YO U FO R YO U R G E N E R O S I T Y
Class of 2003
Class of 2012
Amanda N. de Vogel Mark Feldman Tracy Lutz Zachary Peterson
Edna Blomqvist Anonymous Class of 2013
Class of 2004
Christina Redmond Brett Wiepjes
Adam Deif Roxanna M. R. Thompson
Class of 2014
Class of 2005 Amy (Katchen) Baryshnik Jordan Nahmias Class of 2006 David Allan Brad Armeland Sarah A. Franklin Derek Luksun Class of 2007 David Bertolin Daniel John Aaron Lawrence Meg Pirie Class of 2008 Alyssa Genitti Mak Chui Ki Angel Samir Nurmohamed Brent Wiancko Class of 2010 Andrew Beach Nicole Dorssers Bradley Libin Victoria Salvas Class of 2011 Sean Kallir Shelby Morrison Chelsea Smith Marc Strongman Selma Tobah Yasmeen Tonnos
Ryan Maloney Class of 2015 Justin Pilon FRIENDS
Aaron Family John O. Adeyemi Gary Akenhead Mark Ambrogio Bob * and Kay Bailey Joan Baker William L. Barnett Lyon & Joan Barnum Dr. Douglas Beaton Benedict Joseph Labre Community Robert Black & Judy Adams Mark Blagrave Gary & Maxie Bluestein Nancy Bol Paul & Jennifer Brouwer His Honour Judge John S. Brownlee Doug Bryant Jean Capes Wendy & René Carrière S. Edwin Carroll James & Janet Caskey Stephen G. Caudwell Winston & Diana Cherry Deridor Collier Joan Conyard Dr. Barry Craig and Dr. Sara MacDonald Charles Crow Don & Sandi Cunliffe
Ruth Ann Demitroff Jan Devereux Marisa DiGregorio Norma Dixon Rhonda L. Doxtator Bill & Betty Duffield Peggy Dykes-Page Dawn Easton-Merritt Mary Ellis Robert W. English David Farough Bruce & Barb Fearnall The Rev. David E. Ferguson * Canon A.J. Finlay Cathy Fox Meg Fox, PhD Estate of Margaret Frances Fraleigh * Keith & Cathy Gibbons Brian & Mary Gillard Peter C. Godsoe, O.C. & Shelagh Godsoe Nicole, Owen & Mike Goode Ted Gorsline Kathy & Cliff Grasdahl Dr. Paul Greenhow Judy Hamilton Hanny Hassan Robert Hayman The Rev. Pat Henderson James Hodgson John & Mary Holding Marion J. Holley The Rt. Rev. Bruce H. W. & E. Jane Howe Pamela Humber Peter & Theresa Hyland Irish Benevolent Society Helen Jackson Raj K. Jain Constance M. Jefferess Debra Jefferson & Carmen Aiello Donald & Pat Jeffreys Faisal Joseph Lucia Kayode Stuart Kedwell
T. Fred Kingsmill Peggy Klementowicz Ray & Rosalind Knight Gary & Mary Margaret Koreen John & Lynne Leitch Prof. & Mrs. J. Clark Leith Don & Sandra Letton Mary Lupton Dr. A. Craig MacDonald * Kathy & Mark Magee William C. McConnell Joyce & Darcy McKeough Del & Jackie McLennan Ellen & John McLeod Jim McNaughton Dr. & Mrs. G. E. Meads Heather Mills Ada C. Moore * Dr. Kevin & Laura Moran Sandy Munro Peter & Judith Murray Mary F. Murty The Most Rev. Percival & Sue O’Driscoll Andra & Patrick O’Neill H. Elizabeth Parmeters Lana Phair-Sutherland & Jim Sutherland Lisa R. Philpott John & Jackie Porter Nancy Pratt Gerry & Monique Prendergast Hugh Rawling Ronald O.B. Richardson Annele & Michael Robertson Jennifer & David Robinson & Family Dr. & Mrs. John A. Roe Dr. David J. Ross & Colleen Clark Robert A. Rubinoff Pamela & Tony Rudd Scott A. Saunders Dr. & Mrs. John Scarrow David M. Sellick
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2016 2016
HURON’S
DONORS G. Stephen Shantz Ian & Sophie Skaith Arlene Sleno Carl Sloane Dr. Robert Smyth The Ven. John Stephens Janet E. Stewart Q.C. William R. (Bill) Stewart Jamie & Julie Stiles Nancy & Keith Sumner Mr. & Mrs. F. David Thamer Mohan Thomas Gail & Neville Thompson James & Beverly Thompson Wayne & Carolyn Townsend Betty Townshend Mary Townshend Patricia Townshend Fred Tufnell Marius & Alexa Veresezan Mary (Morden) Vickers Helen M. Videan * Mitchell & Deborah Vine Roland Vishnu Dr. John & Ann (Morden) Walker Ken & Shirley Willoughby Sue Winder Craig Albert & Vivian Wood Joseph & Linda Wooden Estate of J. G. Clark Wright * Anonymous CHURCHES
Diocese of Huron (Anglican) Church of the Holy Saviour, Waterloo St. George’s Anglican Church, London St. John’s Anglican Church, Eastwood St. John’s-by-the-Lake Anglican Church, Grand Bend St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, Leamington St. Mark’s by-the-Lake Anglican Church, Tecumseh
52 Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017
*Remembered fondly
Anglican Church Women
CORPORATIONS
Deanery of Huron Diocese of Huron
Bluewater II Guardian Capital LP LeMar Dentistry Professional Corporation Mobilease Rentals Inc. RBC Financial Group TD Insurance Meloche Monnex
Brotherhood of Anglican Churchmen Diocese of Huron St. James the Apostle Anglican Church, Wallaceburg Other
MATCHING GIFTS
Chapel of the Resurrection Catholic Church, London Diocese of Huron St. James Episcopal Church, Albion, MI, USA The Synod of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada
Gift Matching is an arrangement through which, when an employee makes a financial gift to Huron University College, the gift is matched by the employer.
FOUNDATIONS
Andra and Patrick O’Neill Family Fund, a Fund within London Community Foundation The Annual Foundation The Aubrey and Marsha Baillie Family Fund (a fund held within the Oakville Community Foundation) Gary Bluestein Charitable Foundation Glenn and Denise Weir Family Foundation at Toronto Foundation Episcopal Preaching Foundation Pirie Foundation RBC Foundation
Ernst and Young LLP Investors Group KPMG FACULTY & STAFF
Barry Craig, Principal Bill Acres Sawako Akai Gary D. Badcock David Blair Meaghan Blight Neil Bradford Neil Brooks Colleen Burgess Alfred Chan David Conter Jim Crimmins Jun Fang Clare Gordon Lifang He Mariana Ionescu Bill Irwin Lisa Kamenar Michiya Kawai Christopher Kelly Jan Klakurka Sharon McKillop Bradley Morrison Brendan Murphy
T H A N K YO U FO R YO U R G E N E R O S I T Y
PLANNED GIFTS Paul Nesbitt-Larking Meg Pirie Wendy Russell Kathryn Schade Scott Schofield Daniel Smith Greg Smith Kristina Stankevich Vicki Sweeney Todd Townshend Anne Turvey Hua Laura Wu Thank you very much to all the donors who wish to remain anonymous. MEMORIAL GIFTS
Gifts in 2016 were given in memory of the following people: Roy Bennett ’65 Richard Clarke ’62 Kevin Cunliffe Rev. Stephen Demitroff ’81, ’84 David N. Ellis ’52 Barbara Elwood Elizabeth Kostuik Elizabeth (Betty) Grace Morden Jamie Morden The Ven. Dr. John G. Morden The Rt. Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Parke-Taylor Ven. Gary Paterson ’60, ’63 Shawn Prendergast The Rev. Harry Rose ’64 Kevin Ross Stuart F. Smith Alex Veresezan Every effort has been made to ensure complete accuracy of this publication. If any errors are noticed, please contact Lisa at 519-438-7224 ext. 310.
HURON
HERITAGE SOCIETY Thank you to the following members of the Huron Heritage Society who have made a planned gift to Huron, such as remembering Huron in their will or arranging for a life insurance policy with Huron as the beneficiary: The Ven. Nancy Adams Chris Ambidge Ken Andrews Callie Archer The Rev. Canon Catherine M. Ascah The Rev. Canon Pastor Donald G. Axford Grant E. Beggs Gary Boyes Christine Longman Burns James E. Carr Wendy Carrière Fred Chenoweth Archdeacon A. E. (Mickey) Chovaz Virginia M. Cobley Ronald Crawford The Very Rev. Don Davidson Marsha DeFore Ian Henderson Charles Jago Ann Kennedy Kedwell
T. F. Kingsmill J. D. MacKay W. Darcy McKeough O.C. The Rev. Edward T. Mercer Grant R. Monck Mary E. A. Mundle Heather Park Jay Parr Rev. Noel Paterson Michael B. Prior, PhD William A. G. Simpson Ian & Sophie Skaith Janet E. Stewart Q.C. William R. (Bill) Stewart The Rev. Canon William C. Thomas The Rev. Canon Logan & Gail (Hubbard) Varey Roland Vishnu Dr. Alexander R. Waugh Mary Jayne Webb-Piszel Paul Williams Beverley Paterson Wood
DID YOU KNOW? That Huron accepts gifts of securities? It’s true! The Huron University College Foundation gratefully accepts all different types of donations including matching gifts, planned gifts, electronic fund transfers, and stock contributions as well as, of course, cheques and credit cards. Please contact Kristina Stankevich, Director of Development at kstankev@huron.uwo.ca or 519.438.7224 ext. 214 for more information. Thank you for your generosity.
Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 53
HURON HERITAGE SOCIETY
Q&A ON HURON , EDUCATION , AND LIFE
with GRANT BEGGS, CL AS S OF 19 9 6 ,
GRANT BEGGS has Huron embedded in his DNA. Grant’s parents, Jane ’66 (Cameron) and Don ’67 Beggs met at Huron, and 10 of his other family members have also proudly walked the Huron hallways. Grant kept up the family tradition and graduated from Huron in 1996. Fast forward a few years, and Grant now volunteers his time as a Director of the Huron University College Foundation U.S.A. and has also established The Beggs Family Scholarship and included Huron in his will. GRANT REFLECTS ON HIS TIME AT HURON AND THE REASON BEHIND HIS PLANNED GIFT, BELOW.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE HURON? I chose Huron not only because of the family connection but because of the small class sizes, strong sense of community, and commitment to a liberal arts education. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THE DAY YOU ARRIVED? I remember thinking that my room was small, and I had to share it with someone else. This was a completely new experience for me. I also remember thinking that my parents met on their first day at Huron, so I knew great things were possible here. My most memorable moment goes back to the Orientation Week in my second year when I was a Soph helping the Frosh get settled and get excited about being at Huron. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE SUBJECT? Grant (left) with his family, Georgina and David.
54 Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017
My favorite classes were in Japanese – both the language classes, as well as the Japanese history; they helped me expand my view of the world.
LOOKING
FORWARD, GIVING
BACK As part of our estate plan, my husband and I have included Huron in our wills,” says Grant. “Hopefully, this will not happen for a long time to come, but we wanted to plan ahead and ensure that we could continue to support the institutions we believe in. Education should be for everyone – and all of us can do our part to help ensure it is possible.
DO YOU KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR HURON CLASSMATES? I’ve lived in the U.S. for almost 20 years, so I wish I did a better job of staying connected. That being said, I literally got a phone call from my friend Stephanie – who I met at Huron – a few minutes ago. WHAT ARE YOU UP TO NOW? After 20 years in corporate America, I have decided to start a new career chapter. Gone are the days of writing decks in PowerPoint at midnight and flying 100,000+ miles a year. Now I am my own boss working in real estate. My husband of 15 years, David, and I are excited as our 6-year-old daughter, Georgina, is heading off to 1st Grade this fall. WHY DO YOU SUPPORT HURON FINANCIALLY AND AS A VOLUNTEER? My family has always believed in the importance of access to education. As a result, we decided
to fund a scholarship to allow a student who would otherwise not be able to attend university do so. In my volunteer role as a Director of the Huron University College Foundation U.S.A., I am focused on ensuring we are keeping our U.S.-based alumni engaged with the school. WHY AND HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO NAME HURON IN YOUR WILL? As part of our estate plan, my husband and I have included Huron in our wills. We believe it is important to continue the tradition of giving back. Hopefully, this will not happen for a long time to come – but we wanted to plan ahead and ensure that we could continue to support the institutions we believe in. Education should be for everyone - and all of us can do our part to help ensure it is possible. Each and every contribution helps to make that dream of higher education possible for another student.
Everyone can leave a legacy, it is a gift for any ages and life stages. You don’t have to be wealthy to think about this, and a gift through your estate plans doesn’t require any payment until many years from now! It is a great way to protect what is important to you today so it stays meaningful for future Huron students. Huron Heritage Society members are people just like you who have chosen to support their alma mater and Huron students by making a gift in their will or through their life insurance policy to Huron University College. If you have already named Huron in your will, please advise Huron of how you wish your gift to be recognized and where to direct your gift to the area of support that is meaningful to you. For more information, please visit
huronuc.ca/plan Or contact Kristina Stankevich, Director of Development kstankev@huron.uwo.ca 519.438.7224 ext. 214.
Huron Distinctions – Alumni News | 2017 55
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