Contents
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4 Alumni Association 7 Cover Story 10 Profiles 14 Sports Wall of Fame Inductions 16 Campus Watch 24 New & Noteworthy
Connections
The Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations, St. Thomas University, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada E3B 5G3. It is distributed free-of-charge to more than 12,500 St. Thomas University alumni and friends worldwide.
Photo by: Keith Minchin
Connections is a publication of
Publisher Office of Advancement and Alumni, St. Thomas University Editor Jacqueline Cormier, BA’08 Acknowledgements Kelty Apperson, BA’16 Wanda Bearresto, BA’87 Clayton Beaton, BA’06 María José Burgos, BA’17 Jeffrey Carleton Ashlen Henry, BA’09 Dionne Izzard Kathleen Johnson, BA’13 Jodi Misheal Julia Pazzano, BA’20 Photos Kyle Albright, BA’13 Jonathan Bielaski Keith Minchin Design, Layout, Printing Karen Smith Design KarenSmithDesign@eastlink.ca Taylor Printing Group Inc.
Alumni Association Board of Directors 2016-17 Frank McBrearty, BA’06 (Saint John, NB) Margaret (Margie) Tracy, BA’75 (Fredericton, NB) Vanessa Paesani, BEd’10 (Fredericton, NB) Jeanne Smith, BA’76 (Saint John, NB) Don Bossé, BA’82, BEd’83 (Fredericton, NB) Emily Cochrane, BA’11 (Fredericton, NB) Dennis Livingstone, BA’73 (Riverview, NB) Nicola MacLeod, BA’14 (Fredericton, NB) Nora Valentino, BA’87 (Fredericton, NB) Dolores Whalen, BT’70 (Fredericton, NB)
F E AT U R E S
Welcome from St. Thomas University President, Dawn Russell
T
he day before Spring Convocation we hosted our first President’s Reception Honouring Student Academic Excellence. The ceremony celebrated our graduating students who had won academic prizes. A crowning touch to the event was that many of the students were joined by their families and even some of the prize sponsors. Our academic prizes signify something important to our university. Many are named for individuals who made a significant contribution to the development of STU. Others made outstanding contributions in their respective fields. Some prizes recognize high marks and academic performance, while others recognize writing or linguistic skills. Many of these prizes are endowed by supporters of STU — individuals or families who want to recognize and encourage young scholars. The common element of these prizes is excellence. These students are the academic leaders of our student body. Among them are students who have won national awards; students whose research is published or who have participated at international academic events; students who have been awarded national SSHRC Scholarships or other prestigious scholarships at graduate schools. To see celebrated author David Adams Richards, LLD’90, spend time with María José Burgos, BA’17, who won the “David Adams Richards Prize for NonFiction” is to see STU’s past and present; donors and students; alumni and new graduates. María José is also the author of several stories in this issue of Connections. It was a wonderful moment in a great Convocation week.
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10
From Tongue
Twisters to
Book Shops
Sheree Fitch continues to spread her love for words.
11
A Distorted
Revolution
Jason Murray
writes book about indie rock band Eric’s Trip.
12
Small Scale
Projects that are
High Impact
Ashley Rerrie is a Country Director with Casa - Pueblito.
13
Making a
Difference in the
Lives of Children
Wesley Furrow works for UNICEF.
On the Cover: Kimberly Kool, BA’06, uses art to help others. Cover photo by Jonathan Bielaski.
Summer 2017
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