STU Families background in the liberal arts was essential to his career in law. “It’s taught me how to think, identify the problem, break the problem into bite size pieces and approach it methodically and logically, to some sort of rational conclusion.” It was important to Peter to stay connected with his alma mater after graduation. He sat on the board of governors for three terms when Dr. Dan O’Brien was president.
Michael Forestell, BA ’15 with his uncle Peter Forestell, BA ’73 and cousin Harry Forestell, BA ’84
“I benefitted from being there. And you would too.” The Forestell Family Legacy at St. Thomas
By Jacqueline Cormier, BA ’08
No matter where in the world Harry Forestell, BA ’84, was living or working, he said his home was always New Brunswick and STU.
STU was not a new place for Harry. Many of his cousins had studied there before him, and many family members would follow in their footsteps afterwards.
The CBC New Brunswick news anchor has spent more than 20 years reporting on the news from across Europe, the UK and North America.
Peter Forestell, BA ’73, was the first member of the Forestell family to attend STU. He remembers his time on campus as some of the best years of his life. He loved his economics classes with Dr. Tom Good and Dr. Joan MacFarland. He also met his wife Marina Lundy at a dance with The Thomists.
“I really enjoyed knowing that the people that I love and that I’m close to were benefitting to some extent to the work that I was doing by being better connected to the world,” he said. Many of his former professors kept in touch with him during his travels. “They followed my career. It’s almost like an extension of family. I always felt going back to St. Thomas was going home,” he says. “St. Thomas is an important community. People looked after one another, supported one another, cared about one another. The size of the community was crucial. You didn’t get lost at St. Thomas in the numbers as you might at other universities.” 8 SPRING 2015
ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY CONNECTIONS
Peter worked as the director of student affairs on campus for a year after graduating before moving on to law school at UNB. “Law school wasn’t as much fun as my undergrad at STU, but when I articled at the firm I’m still with now, I knew it was what I wanted to do. I deal with great people, interesting clients, wonderful work. Every day was a challenge and still, 38 or 39 years later, I love to come to the office every day. I’m very fortunate.” Peter is now a partner at the Saint John office of Cox & Palmer where he practises corporate and commercial law. He says his
“I am very proud of how it has evolved and I am very proud to have been a part of that evolution. Look at the campus: it’s spectacular! Look at the programs, at its reputation, at the quality of the education and the quality of the profs. Everything has improved tremendously over the years.” Peter began a fourth term on the board of governors in May. Having more than a dozen family members in its alumni family, Michael Forestell, BA ’15, said St. Thomas was always top of mind for him. He is the youngest member of the Forestell family to have graduated from STU. “I had known some of my older cousins had really enjoyed it and made friends at St. Thomas, so I had a fair idea of what to expect. It’s a place that you can run into interesting and engaging people.” He appreciated studying at a small university in a capital city – a dynamic that offers more options to students. “I remember in the span of one or two weeks, we had Stéphane Dion, Paul Martin, Frank McKenna, and Brian Mulroney on campus. That’s not something you would get in a smaller college town.” During his time at STU, Michael travelled to Honduras to live and work with individuals with intellectual disabilities. He also travelled to Boston this year to participate in Model UN. Michael, who graduated in May, received the University Medal for Academic Excellence in Arts. Harry says he’s pleased so many Forestells chose St. Thomas because it is a testament to the great student experience they received. “I think it’s a credit to St. Thomas that it provides such a good education that family members are able to say to those who come behind them, “hey, this is a good school. I benefitted from being there. And you would too.”