New Trail Autumn 2011 by University of Alberta Alumni

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A U T U M N 2 0 11

trail UNIVERSIT Y OF ALBERTA A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E

Dan Riskin “BAT-MAN” TAKES ON SCIENCE TV ON DAILY PLANET

REELING IN THE YEARS Memories of a Lifetime

“U OF A CALLING…”

Student Calling Program

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NEW TRAIL.UALBERTA.CA

Alumni Association Honourees

Networking Benefit — Grow your professional network by connecting with other alumni. Tour the newest building on campus — CCIS. Visit the new observatory, see the laser labs and enjoy the beautiful mosaic floors. It’s never too early to show your kids or grandkids around campus. Check out our kid-friendly events! Be inspired by the outstanding accomplishments of fellow grads at the Alumni Recognition Awards. Feel the energy at ... Get glammed up and join the fun at CCIS for this late-night cocktail party, featuring a DJ and fantastic visual art. Launch yourself into Alumni Weekend! Savour a taste of nostalgia with a Tuck Shop cinnamon bun. Available in the TD Big Top Tuck Shop Tent in Quad.

See what new generations of students are up to during your faculty open house — share the Green & Gold tradition with them. If it’s been awhile since you were in class, exercise your mind by attending the Empey Lecture or a “Coffee Talk” with distinguished alumni. Celebrate and groove with other U of A alumni at the Alumni Dinner & Dance — there’ll be themed desserts, elegant food, photo booths and rockin’ music.

And the Number reason to attend Alumni Weekend...

There are great friends waiting to see you again — reconnect & have fun!

Details available at 780-492-3224 or

www.ualberta.ca/alumni/weekend Thanks to our sponsors

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Thanks to our sponsors

Hole’s Greenhouses and Gardens Coca-Cola • Sharp's Audio Visual Invert 720 • Quad Graphics

A U T U M N 2 0 11 VOLUME 67 NUMBER 2

contents

On the cover: Dan Riskin on-set at Discovery Channel’s Toronto studio. Photo by Jay Kemp.

features 10. On The Map The U of A’s Multi-Faceted Affiliations With Germany

10.

12. U of A Calling Student Callers Make a Pitch on Behalf of Their University

12.

16. From Art To Zoology An A to Z Guide to 17 Million Objects in the U of A Museums

16.

20. 2011 Alumni Recognition Awards The Alumni Association Honours 38 Outstanding Award-Winners

25. Agenda Alchemy A Calgary Agency Creates Golden Matches Between Sport and Business

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28. Reeling In The Years Going Back a Half Century to Mine the Memories of a Lifetime

25.

34. Dan Riskin Meet Talk Show Host Craig Ferguson’s Favourite Scientist

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departments 34.

Your Letters Our Readers Write

Bear Country The U of A Community

Whatsoever Things Are True Column by Aritha van Herk

36.

Trails Art From an Alumnus

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Class Notes Keeping Classmates Up-to-Date

48.

In Memoriam Bidding Farewell to Friends

50.

Photo Finish The Picture-Perfect Finale

NE W TR AIL .UALBERTA .C A

Executive Director Sean Price, ‘95 BCom, MBA Supervising Editor Cynthia Strawson-Fawcett, ‘05 BA Editor Kim Green Associate Editors Christie Moncrief, Sarah Ligon Contributing Editors Jodeen Litwin, ‘90 BSc(HEc) Kelly Neal Art Director Rory Lee Associate Art Director Lisa Hall, ‘89 BA Advisory Board Anne Bailey, ‘84 BA; Susan Colberg, ’83 BFA, ’91 MVA; Tom Keating; Deb Hammacher; Lawrence Kwok, ‘04 BSc(Eng); John Mahon, ‘76 BMus, ‘83 MBA; Julie Naylor; David Newman; Jane Potentier CONTACT US E-mail (Comments/Class Notes) alumni@ualberta.ca Address Updates 780-492-3471; toll free 1-866-492-7516 or alumrec@ualberta.ca Call 780-492-3224; toll free 1-800-661-2593 Mail

Office of Alumni Affairs, University of Alberta, Main Floor, Enterprise Square, 10230 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5J 4P6

Facebook U of A Alumni Association Twitter @UofA_Alumni TO ADVERTISE CALL 780-417-3464 or bI5@ualberta.ca This University of Alberta Alumni Association magazine is published three times a year and mailed free to over 135,000 alumni. The views and opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the University or the Alumni Association. All material copyright ©. New Trail cannot be held responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. ISSN: 0824-8125 Copyright 2011 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40112326 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Office of Alumni Affairs University of Alberta, Main Floor, Enterprise Square 10230 Jasper Avenue Edmonton, AB T5J 4P6

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OFFICE OF ALUMNI AFFAIRS

ALUMNI COUNCIL

Sean Price, ’95 BCom, MBA Associate Vice-President

President Jane Halford, ’94 BCom Vice-President: Reputation & Messaging Mary Pat Barry, ’04 MA Vice-President: Educational Engagement Rob Parks, ’87 BEd, ’99 MBA Past-President, Vice-President: Nominating & Bylaws Jim Hole, ’79 BSc(Ag) Vice-President: Alumni Giving Glenn Stowkowy, ’76 BSc(ElecE) Board of Governors Representatives: Jim Hole ’79 BSc(Ag) Don Fleming, ’76 BEd Vice-President: Recruitment & Mentorship Kirstin Kotelko, ’06 BSc Senate Representatives Stephen Leppard, ’86 BEd, ’92 MEd, ’03 EdD Anne Lopushinsky, ’79 BSc Vice-President: Traditions & Spaces Cindie LeBlanc, ’01 BA

Cynthia Strawson-Fawcett, ’05 BA Director, Marketing, Communications & Affinity Relationships Gina Wheatcroft, ’94 BEd Director, Alumni Programs Kyla Amrhein, ’09 BA Assistant, Alumni Branches Janice Annett, ’11 BCom Assistant, Alumni Recognition Chloe Chalmers, ’00 BA Coordinator, Students & Young Alumni Colleen Elliott, ’94 BEd Coordinator, Alumni Special Events Coleen Graham, ’88 BSc(HEc), ’93 Med Executive Project Manager Kim Green Editor, New Trail Lisa Hall, ’89 BA Coordinator, Graphic Communications Jennifer Jenkins, ’95 BEd Assistant, Alumni Special Events Jodeen Litwin, ’90 BSc(HEc) Coordinator, Alumni Recognition Ann Miles Assistant, Marketing and Communications Christie Moncrief Sarah Ligon Communications Coordinator Cristine Myhre Coordinator, Alumni Chapters Kelly Neal Assistant, Alumni Affairs John Perrino, ’93 BA(RecAdmin) Coordinator, Alumni Branches Andrea Porter, ’03 BCom Finance and HR Administrator Tracy Salmon, ’91 BA, ’96 MSc Manager, Marketing & Special Events Angela Tom, ’03 BA Assistant, Alumni Education Diane Tougas Assistant to the Associate Vice-President Vi Warkentin Assistant, Alumni Chapters Debbie Yee, ’92 BA Coordinator, Electronic Communication

FACULTY REPRESENTATIVES Academic Representative Randy Wimmer, ’87 BEd, ’96 MEd, ’03 EdD Agriculture, Life & Environmental Science Kirstin Kotelko, ’06 BSc Arts Michael Janz, ’08 BA Augustana Jason Collins, ’97 BA Business Rob Parks ’87 BEd, ’99 MBA Campus Saint-Jean Cindie LeBlanc, ’01 BA Engineering Glenn Stowkowy, ’76 BSc Extension Mary Pat Barry, ’04 MA Graduate Studies Mark Ramsankar, ’87 BEd, ’04 MEd Law William Ostapek, ’83 LLB Medicine Richard Fedorak, ’78 MD Native Studies Darlene Bouvier, ’91 BA, ’09 BA(NS) Nursing Janis Sasaki, ’83 BScN, ’87 LLB Pharmacy Adam Gordon, ’08 BSc (Pharm) Science Luca Vanzella, ’81 BSc, ’88 MSc EX OFFICIO Honorary President Indira Samarasekera Vice-President (University Relations) Debra Pozega Osburn Chief Advancement Officer O’Neil Outar Executive Director Alumni Association Sean Price, ’95 BCom, MBA Dean of Students Frank Robinson Graduate Students’ Association Roy Coulthard Students’ Union Rory Tighe

up front Alumni Weekend is coming to campus September 22-25 and we hope you’ll join us for all the festivities we have planned. If it’s been a long time since you’ve been on campus, you’ll notice that a lot has changed since you were here. Quad, in particular, has undergone a renaissance with the removal of V Wing and the construction of the Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies. It’s a beautiful new building with lots of open space, enormous windows looking out onto Quad and an artist-designed terrazzo floor on the main level that features all sorts of interesting quirks and details. And if you venture along 114th Street, you’ll see a complete transformation with the construction of the colourful Edmonton Clinic Health Academy. There’s something else you’ll find has undergone a transformation if you haven’t been around for a while—the friends you made while you were here. Dr. Verna Yiu, a class organizer for the class of ’86 who’s featured in this issue’s “Reeling in the Years” story (pg 28) says, “I haven’t seen many of my classmates for 25 years.” A lot can change in that time. This year the Class of 1961 will celebrate the 50th anniversary since graduating from the U of A. If a lot can change in 25 years, try doubling that length of time. That was the year the Beatles made their first appearance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. Computers, cellphones, DVDs, memory sticks—they were the stuff of science fiction. Another change you may notice before coming to Alumni Weekend is the look of New Trail magazine. We’ve completely redesigned it to give it a fresher, cleaner look we hope you’ll like. And we hope to see you during Alumni Weekend. Visit www.ualberta.ca/alumni/weekend for more information.

Jane Halford, ‘94 BCom, President, Alumni Association 4

newtrail.ualberta.ca

Sean Price, ‘95 BCom, MBA, Associate Vice-President, Alumni Affairs; Executive Director, Alumni Association

We would like to hear your comments about the magazine. Send us your letters via postal mail or e-mail to the addresses on page 3. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.

News Flash

Brand Name

I enjoyed your article about Athabasca Hall in the spring edition of New Trail [pg. 16] and I have an answer to your query about what a flashlight machine is. A flashlight machine is a piece of photographic equipment filled with explosive flash powder used to produce a bright light, which is needed to produce short exposures. Before the development of the electric strobe light in 1931, a flashlight machine would have been used to take what we now call high-speed photographs. It was used to investigate events that happen very fast, such as the brief moment when a galloping horse has all four legs off the ground.

The following is in response to the “Home & Native Land” article [Winter 2011, pg. 6] regarding the 5,000-hectare ranch in southern Alberta generously donated to the University by Edwin [’57 BSc(Eng)] and Ruth Mattheis, [’58 BA]. The property donated by the Mattheis’ should correctly be referred to as being “originally” called the Three Walking Stick Ranch, not “currently” referred to as such. John Ware, the legendary black cowboy who came up to Alberta on a cattle drive from Texas in 1882, initially established the Three Walking Sticks Ranch. He registered the Four Walking Stick brand (Left Ribs) with the Territorial Government in May 1885 and ran cattle with this unique brand. In 1898 he had the brand revised to the Three Walking Stick, as the original brand proved to be too large.

Ashley Zinyk, ’03 BSc(Eng) Edmonton, AB

Spruced Up I enjoyed the Spring 2011 New Trail. Great article on Spruce Meadows [pg. 24]. What a great job. Dean McKenzie, ’68 BEd Edmonton, AB

Capital Idea I read the article on Tanzania [Spring 2011, pg. 19] with nostalgia as I worked there for two years as a volunteer with the UN in the mid-’70s just after graduating from the U of A. Thus, I chuckled when I read that “Arusha is the capital of Tanzania.” Dodoma is actually the capital city of Tanzania. But

F. Merritt Chisholm, ’52 BCom Sidney, BC For more on the Three Walking Sticks Ranch go to www.newtrail.ualberta.ca.

it was a lovely article and I appreciated reading about the writer’s journey. Keep up the good work. Of the three alumni magazines I receive, New Trail has always been my favourite. It really shows the depth of the U of A student body. Guy Milner, ’74 BA, Courtenay, BC

Editor’s Note: Dodoma is the national capital of Tanzania. Tanzania’s National Assembly moved to the city in 1996 from the previous national capital of Dar es Salaam. Arusha is the capital of the Arusha region in northern Tanzania. It is a major international diplomatic hub and is host to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Into Africa By Lyndsay Hobbs, ’11 BSc

Flamingos landing in a lake

in Ngorongoro crater; Wildebeest grazing on the

Capital Experience

An alumna takes us into the heart

Photos: Lyndsay Hobbs, istockphoto.com

your letters

here is a perpetual heaviness to the air in Tanzania. It is thick with dust and heat and the scent of vegetation and sweat. But last summer, as I stood underneath the canopy the of deep green leaves at the base of Sanje Falls, the air was clear and the than temperature several degrees cooler my usual. Although a chill ran through get body, I knew I would probably only one chance to swim in a pool at the base of an African waterfall. I hesitated for a moment, my toes curling around the slimy bark of a log balanced across the water, then I took the plunge into culthe falls and dove headlong into the ture of East Africa. of I had travelled to Tanzania as part environin course a month-long field the mental and conservation studies at Lee U of A, led by Naomi Krogman and 15 Foote. Our group was small, about students, and the size and pace of the course encouraged personal reflection. or Tasked not with typical assignments mainly were we papers or presentations, responsible for observing and experiencing this remarkable country.

Our journey into the heart of Tanzania began at the Kilimanjaro Airport,

of Tanzania

Open Hearts & Open Doors

It’s easy to develop an intimate relationship with Tanzania. Storefronts, bars, onto restaurants and homes all open up life, the road, creating a vibrant street where neighbours always stop to talk and where music crackles out of tired, old speakers. Gates and fences are emoscarce, so there are no physical or tional barriers between you, the tourist, and the real Tanzania. However, this and social means that the country’s vast economic problems— such as the lack gap between the rich and poor, the of infrastructure and access to education — are also on display. This openness extends from the personal to the political in Tanzania, which openly struggles between western and of more traditional values and models eye, western the To economic progress. Tanzania may seem underdeveloped, but it has stumbled across a balance between traditional community self-sufficiency and big business, privatization forand conservation. For each massive, eign-owned sugar cane plantation—a

where my classmates and I piled into a creaky, dusty bus for the drive through the centre of Arusha, the nation’s capital. Ensure that upon arrival you search the skyline for a glimpse of Mount Meru, an active volcano that can be seen from almost anywhere at Arusha's within the city. Besides a beautiful Children mugging for the camera annual Nane Nane Agricultural Fair. view, Arusha hosts the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, bringare major export and employer—there ing employment and political represenhundreds of tiny family farms, where tatives cof- to the city since 1994. Tanzanians raise livestock and grow Although Arusha has a population tradiemploying bananas, and fee, yams ofNot 1.3 million, this number belies the tional—and sustainable—methods. serenity has that permeates its crowded just some recent fad, sustainability streets. of “Crowded” does not mean long been important to the farmers the same usedthing in Tanzania as it does East Africa, who have traditionally in Canada. Being surrounded by hunnatural pest control, such as boiled dreds tobacco leaves, and raised diverse crops of bodies that move with a languid, to prevent the risks inherent in mono- almost rhythmic lilt will lull you into a sense of security that cultures. Likewise, within this country is both is a and soothing. There is no of vast national park space, thereunexpected notion of anticipation in Tanzania, dialogue happening in each conservaonlytracontentment with one’s immedition area about how best to support ateand present. This becomes obvious ditional hunting and grazing needs while travelling through the guard people from dangerous animal country rarewatching carefully species, while still protecting theand planned timetaregion. crumble away. Learn to embrace and exquisite biodiversity of thebles trail 19 newtrail 20 new Spring 2011 Spring 2011

crater’s plains.

the moment and let the country sweep you up and carry you in any direction it pleases. Just north of the city lies Arusha National Park, the safari park that shattered my preconceptions of what a

An elephant wanders past tour trucks during a safari in Lake Manyara National Park.

safari is. When I visited in the summer, the savannah was surprisingly lush and green. Alkaline lakes hosted flocks of flamingos so large that they created a seemingly solid pink surface on the water. And, glimpsing the curve of a giraffe’s neck rising suddenly from the nearby treetops, I was reminded of why conservation of the vast wild spaces in Tanzania is so imperative.

Down the Rabbit Hole

From Arusha, you can travel westward toward the Ngorongoro region, whose rich colour palate derives from the area’s dark red soil and stands out in stark contrast to the more jungle-like surroundings of the capital city. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that incorporates wildlife conservation and human habitation in a multi-use system, and its highlight is the Ngorongoro Crater, which was created when a large volcano collapsed in on itself two- to three-million years ago. Our long drive down into the Ngorongoro Crater, some 2,000-feet deep, was foggy and damp. Reaching the crater’s floor felt a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole. My proportions were all off balance. The surrounding walls seemed to stretch up forever. And although I could see shapes in the distance I couldn’t tell how far away they were or what lay immediately ahead of me. It took the sun until almost noon to breach the crater’s edge, but, when it did, it illuminated the scene with the evocative blues and yellows that are synonymous with the Serengeti. The afternoon heat

Another Africa Today I received the Spring 2011 issue of New Trail, with Lyndsay Hobbs’ article about her experience in Tanzania. I think you’ll find many U of A connections in East Africa. Here’s mine: I travelled to Kenya in the summer of 2009 as a volunteer with Education Beyond Borders (www.educationbeyondborders.org). Our mandate is to engage, educate and empower teachers in developing countries. For the past three summers, teams of teachers from Canada and the United States have worked with teachers in remote rural regions of Kenya to develop strategies for successful teaching in their unique learning communities. The teaching situation in Africa is far removed from our Canadian context, and the Kenyan teachers provided me with a very different perspective on the challenges of our profession. Mary-Anne Neal, ’76 BEd Victoria, BC Corrections We inadvertently listed Elsie Dorothy Milne (Chivilo), ’53 Dipl(Ed), in our In Memoriam section. She is very much alive and we apologize for our mistake. Kristen Brown—Spring 2011, pg. 52—is not a U of A alumna. newtrail autumn 2011

bear country

One-To-One In keeping with the U of A’s green initiatives and in an effort to control rising publication costs, New Trail will deliver only one copy of each issue to an address. And, if you would like to receive the magazine exclusively in a digital format, see our contact information on page 3, or e-mail your request to alumni@ualberta.ca.

Polar Attraction While most North Americans were reveling in spring’s gradually warming temperatures, Bob Keenan, ’84 MD, instead headed for the deep freeze of the north—way north—when he embarked on the trip of a lifetime to the North Pole. “Years ago, I was accepted into the PhD program in the U of A’s biology department, and they were doing a lot of research in Arctic regions that I thought was really exciting. So, that’s where I was headed before I got sidetracked into medicine,” recalls Bob, now a thoracic surgeon in Pittsburgh. After months of training and preparation, on April 14, Keenan and five other intrepid travellers from Ireland, Russia, Australia and

the United Arab Emirates finally met their three travel guides (well above the Arctic Circle) in the Norwegian city of Longyearbyen. There, the team loaded each of their sleds with 40 kg of survival gear and food for the expedition before being flown to Borneo, a Russian-operated ice station at approximately the 89th parallel. From Borneo, the group set out in frigid conditions, navigating harsh terrain to the North Pole, where, after five days of skiing, Bob proudly planted his alma mater’s flag. – Christie Moncrief To read the full detailed story and see more photos of Bob’s epic trek to the North Pole, visit www.newtrail.ualberta.ca.

Bob Keenan displaying the U of A flag at the North Pole

it is brain surgery Jenny Souster is the first woman to graduate from the neurosurgery residency program at the University of Alberta in the 50 years that the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry has offered it. “Female neurosurgeons are just superb,” says Keith Aronyk, ’77 MD, director of the Division of Neurosurgery in the Department of Surgery. “Technically they’re excellent and we need more of them in Canada. This is a tremendous start and we are excited.” The faculty’s seven-year neurosurgery residency follows four years of medical school. Most residents, says Souster, go through a period of 6

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wondering if they can make it. A few years into her residency she felt burnt out and took some time off to re-evaluate her future. “I realized I was just in love with neurosurgery and it’s what I wanted to do,” says Souster. “I ended up coming back with a lot more energy and drive to finish the last few years. It’s a long haul and you just gotta make sure you take care of yourself along the way.” Read more on Souster in Faculty News at www.med.ualberta.ca. Watch for a health-themed issue of New Trail in mailboxes in December.

Remembering Robert Kroetsch The U of A Alumni Association mourns Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award. The U of A Press had the loss of inspirational alumnus also partnered with Kroetsch on seven Robert Kroetsch, ’48 BA, ’97 DLitt books and work was just about to begin (Honorary), renowned poet, novelist on another one at the time of his death. and teacher who died in a car accident Most of Kroetsch’s narrative fiction on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 on his way was deeply influenced by his formative home to Leduc, AB, from the Canmore years growing up in the West. “The Literary Festival. Born and raised on a farm in Heisler, most important aspect for me was the landscape itself,” he said, “living in an AB, Kroetsch said he “was the first person from my community to get a BA. almost-prairie environment with a few groves of poplars. I was the only son, Anyone actually being a writer was so I was often out there by myself in unheard of. It’s very romantic to think the landscape. I think it was a world you just grow up and become a writer.” that I inhabited with my imagination. He lived that romance over a It was a landscape that stimulated my career spanning 46 years during imagination. I made up stories.” which he received numerous honours, At Kroetsch’s June 27 memorial including the Governor General’s service in Leduc, author, professor and Literary Award for his 1969 book The New Trail columnist Aritha van Herk Studhorse Man, and being shortlisted (pg. 9) remembered Kroetsch as being for the same award in 2000 for his “endlessly curious about the world, and collection of poetry, The Hornbooks of everyone. For him, every moment was Rita K. In 2003 he was given a U of A a discovery.” Distinguished Alumni Award; in 2004 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada; and he was recently selected Visit New Trail online to view a video of to receive this year’s Lieutenant Kroetsch created by the U of A in 2010.

Robert Kroetsch at the 2008 Canadian Literature Symposium. Photo Credit: Charles Earl

Happy 60th Birthday Rutherford Rutherford Library has always meant more to students than a place to find a book or a quiet space to study. Generation after generation of students have hung-out in all of the U of A libraries to discuss the important things in life, sometimes to debate and always to learn. Everyone has a U of A library story to tell. Tell yours at www.library.ualberta.ca/librarytales, or mail to: Library Tales, 5-07 Cameron Library, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2J8.

Collection Size

For more information visit www.library.ualberta.ca/rutherford60

1951 50,000 ITEMS

1961 269,500 ITEMS

2011 2 MILLION ITEMS 1986 938,522 ITEMS

1,161,300 Number of visitors (not counting online visits) to the Rutherford Library from May 2010 to May 2011.

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High School Reunion 1985: Michael J. Fox was going Back to the Future, and a piece of the past missing for 73 years was found when the wreckage of the Titanic was discovered lying over 13,000 feet deep on the ocean floor. It was also the year when U of A sociology professor Harvey Krahn, ’83 PhD, sat down with 900 students from six Edmonton high schools to ask them a few questions about their life expectations as they were about to enter a depressed job market. “It’s been over 25 years since the first study,” says Krahn who, with Nancy Galambos—his research partner and associate chair of graduate studies in the Department of Psychology—is trying

facebook feedback Now that summer—and summer jobs—are almost over, we asked some of the U of A’s Facebook friends to think back to the most memorable summer jobs they had. Jennifer Turner Barolet: Working for the Ministry of Forests in BC. I remember being so excited during the phone interview when asked, “Do you mind flying in helicopters? Float planes? Spending a week on a boat?” and thinking, WOW! I can’t believe I get to do all this and get paid for it! Judith McDonald: Selling Collier’s Encyclopedia door-to-door. Mina Mehta Gates: Working for the U of A in my second year as the student leader of orientation days. Really great experience that helped me get leadership experience at a young age. Karen Liebel: Moth irradiation plant worker. We raised the moths that destroy apples, irradiated the females, and released them into orchards to fake mate with wild males. Got to use an industrial cooker for the moth meal (featuring wood shavings, formaldehyde, sulphur and 14 other ingredients) and a power washer to spray the entire facility down. Fun! Brittany Puttick: Okay, the moth lady wins. But I sure loved working at Garneau/University Childcare Centre! Sandra Anderson: Conveyor Operator in an open pit mine. Got firefighting and blast-site training, and got to operate heavy machinery. Cool for someone who was pursuing an English Lit degree! Janice MacDonald: Assistant manager at the Power Plant bar... best tan I ever had that summer. Join the conversation: Follow U of A Alumni Association on Facebook and @UofA_Alumni on Twitter.

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to reconnect with as many students as he can for some follow-up questions. Both researchers note that the amount of data that will have been collected on these participants over such a long period of time is what makes this study so distinct and such a valuable public resource. “There’s just not very many studies in the world that can do that,” says Galambos. “And we have modern methods to capture that change, so it’s really exciting.” The original 1985 study took place at Harry Ainley, Ross Sheppard, Victoria Composite, Jasper Place, Eastglen and Queen Elizabeth high schools in Edmonton. Any of the original participants who want to reconnect for

Team Building As a recognized and respected academic and sports leader, former U of A Deputy Provost Dru Marshall, ’82 MSc, ’89 PhD, knows a thing or two about building successful teams. But that success didn’t come without a learning curve. “When I started as a coach, I thought it was important to set a particular tone, so I had a ‘command and control’ style of leadership,” says Marshall. “Now, I think it’s more important that there’s a sense of collective leadership within a team—that people have a sense of self-responsibility, that they’re empowered to act in a way that they think is best for the group.” Whether working with academic leadership on strategic initiatives, or leading university and national field hockey teams to gold medals, this evolved philosophy has served Marshall well in her career. Here, she shares her top 10 team-building tips:

follow-up questions can e-mail harvey. krahn@ualberta.ca (780-492-0472) or galambos@ualberta.ca (780-492-4607). Contact can also be made through Facebook at swtAlberta. To read about how some of the participants from the original study fared go to www.newtrail.ualberta.ca.

Communicate the Vision Team members should understand what their final destination is and be able to visualize it in order to achieve the goal.

Share Values Set values as a team—they will guide team members’ behaviour as they work together to achieve their goals.

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Make a Plan If the vision is the final destination, the plan is the team’s roadmap to getting there. Shared & Individual Goals Establish individual goals, which, when combined with the collective, help achieve the team’s overarching vision.

Reflection & Refinement Learn from every experience, positive or negative. Reflect on them and refine your leadership approach in the future. Value Differences Everyone has a unique gift. The best leaders bring out that gift in each individual, helping them reach their full potential.

Tension is OK Sometimes the best decisions are made amidst tension. Just be sure to resolve conflicts early to avoid being distracted or derailed by them down the line.

Team Identity Whether you establish a team creed or adopt a team symbol, it reminds individuals not to be self-focused, but rather part of a greater whole.

Have Patience Team-building isn’t something that happens overnight; it takes time to develop team dynamics, and to work efficiently and effectively together.

Work With Weak Links Be careful not to underestimate so-called weak links. Rather than trying to work around them, give that person the opportunity to contribute and excel using their natural abilities.

After 30 years of accomplishments at the U of A, Dru Marshall recently accepted a post as provost and vice-president academic at the University of Calgary. Read more about her appointment at www.newtrail.ualberta.ca. She is also being added to the U of A Sports Wall of Fame at the Alumni Recognition Awards on September 22.

whatsoever things are true

The Worst of Lies

Writer and professor Aritha van Herk, ’76 BA ’78 MA, on the lies we tell ourselves

ive years ago, the publication of The Secret caused a buzz in the self-help realm. The book proposed that positive thinking can result in enhanced wealth, satisfaction and physical well-being. Embracing love, money and fitness with sufficient fervor will result in reciprocal outcomes; a variation on the Field of Dreams “if you build it” formula. Apparently, if you imagine yourself beautiful, you will be comely; if you imagine yourself rich, you will wear silk stockings. Personal motivation and responsibility aside, philosophical debates about the secrets of positive thinking have focussed on confirmation bias (when people focus on information that corroborates what their preconceptions are), and illusory correlation (when people believe two unrelated events are linked). Interestingly, The Secret does not once use the word “self-deception.” Lies we tell ourselves are a key element to survival, but also to self-sabotage, another aspect of human fallibility. Despite the nostrum that “the worst lies are those we tell ourselves,” we have become practiced at lying to ourselves, determined to outface our own doubts. A few years ago, one of my students asked me to refrain from marking papers in red ink because it was “bad for self-esteem.” I marveled at this astonishing request. Would the errors seem less ubiquitous or less serious if

I marked in blue or green? What about pink? Was self-esteem key to being able to write good essays? I knew that my assiduous identification of errors would not change: I believe in letting students know exactly what is wrong with their writing and how it can be improved. I still mark in red ink. Mea culpa, but tant pis. In his brilliantly evocative essay, “I Wanted to Write a Manifesto,” the Alberta writer, Robert Kroetsch, recounts a fantastic example of selfdeception. When he was a child, some hired men were digging a well on his farm. He wandered by to check their progress and they asked him to get them a pail of water from a different well. The young Robert did as they asked, but for some inexplicable reason, he chose to urinate (just slightly, not enough to discolour the liquid) in the pail. He went back to where the men digging for water were dying of thirst, gave them the pail and announced, truthfully, “I peed in the water.” “You did not,” the hired men declared. The narrator writes, “The two men took the pail and drank the water, and I marveled that men are so impervious to truth. They carry with them the paradigms of their claims to the world, and no mere words will deter them from believing.” There is the crux of self-deception: no mere words will deter us from what we believe. Most of the lies we tell ourselves begin with “I,” the narcissistic marker.

Perhaps the greatest lie lived now is the everywhere-demonstrated and practiced belief of individuals that they are the centre of the universe. Of course, each one of us want to believe ourselves the protagonist of the narrative we find ourselves in, not a minor character like Eliot’s Prufrock who “swells a progress, starts a scene or two.” The adamant egocentrism of this age, manifested by disregard for and discourtesy to others, is a deplorable symptom of the 21st century. Healthy narcissism, while it argues for balance, is an oxymoron that we may regret investing in. Lies, damned lies. Lies, beautiful lies. They are all part of this deliciously complex world that so intrigues and challenges the thoughtful. And so, let me confess. My biggest lie is that I do not lie. In truth, I am a practiced and persuasive liar. As a writer of fiction and creative nonfiction, as a worker with the most deceptive and slippery of tools, words, I make my living spinning meaning, weaving tales, and telling lies. The beautiful lie (bella bugia) is key to art, and life as art is all that we can live. For it always ends with death, that most inexplicable but inevitable truth. Aritha van Herk practices her lies in Calgary. Robert Kroetsch’s “I Wanted to Write a Manifesto” can be found in A Likely Story: The Writing Life. For more on Robert Kroetsch see page 7. newtrail autumn 2011

on the map in…

Germany Alumni 7.

Germany is the University of Alberta’s strongest connection with Europe via partnerships with German research institutions, academic and student programs, cutting-edge research opportunities and memorandums of understanding with leading German universities. The U of A has 26 faculty of German nationality, 107 German students and 135 alumni living in Germany. Here, we highlight a few of the University’s many connections to this amazing country.

Partnerships

Research

In 2007, the U of A partnered with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, which promotes academic cooperation between scientists and scholars from Germany and abroad. The U of A has 34 Humboldt scholars— more than any other Canadian university— including Dean of Engineering, David Lynch, ‘82 PhD, and Humboldt Prize winner and Professor of Chemistry, David Bundle. To find out more about the Foundation, visit www.humboldtliaison.ca.

Rik Tykwinski from the U of A’s Centre for Oil Sands Innovation (COSI) is currently working in the chemistry department at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nuremberg to develop new technology for oil sands extraction and upgrading.

The Alberta-Saxony Obesity Research and Training Alliance (ASORTA), a partnership between the U of A and the University of Leipzig, reflects the strong relationship between the province of Alberta and the free state of Saxony in the areas of obesity and metabolic disease. ASORTA encourages student mobility, exchange programs, research in juvenile and adult obesity, and hosts the International School on Obesity Research and Management (ISORAM). The first annual ISORAM, headed by leading U of A obesity expert Arya Sharma, was held at the Chateau Lake Louise in March 2011 to promote scientific and academic interactions between leading obesity researchers from Germany and Alberta.

The Helmholtz-Alberta Initiative (HAI) was established in 2009 between the University of Alberta and the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres as an independent, international research partnership. Designed to find solutions to the pressing environmental issues facing energy projects in Alberta’s oil sands and coal production in Germany, HAI pairs U of A researchers with a German counterpart. In the current phase, researchers from four Helmholtz centres in Germany are working with colleagues from three U of A faculties—Science, Engineering, and Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences. Future areas of study will include research in infectious disease and neuroscience. Forty Canadian researchers and students attended the 2nd annual workshop at the German Research Centre for Geosciences in March 2011. For more information, visit www.helmholtzalberta.ca.

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The U of A’s Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science (AFNS) has a vast network of connections to German universities with research collaborations in the areas of food science and bioresource, animal science, plant biosystems and land reclamation. Rainer Mosenthin, the head of feed science at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, joined the U of A in 2008 as an AFNS adjunct professor working with Ruurd Zijlstra, Michael Gaenzle and Catherine Field, ’88 PhD, on their research in swine nutrition. Mosenthin has a longstanding relationship with the U of A, having collaborated on hundreds of research papers over the past 26 years.

Events 6.

In September 2012, the U of A Alumni Association’s Educated Traveller sets sail aboard the MS Amadeus Elegant to cruise one of Europe’s most iconic waterways — the Danube. For more information on the 2012 Danube Passage cruise and alumni excursions to other destinations, visit the Educated Traveller online at www.alumni.ualberta.ca.

Janet Cardiff, ’83 MVA, an installation artist perhaps best known for her signature audio walks, lives and works in Berlin. In 1999, she was commissioned by Artangel in London to complete “The Missing Voice (Case Study B),” an audio tour that snakes its way through London’s East End. Cardiff represented Canada at the Sao Paulo Art Biennial (1998) and at the 6th Istanbul Biennial (1999). At the 49th Venice Biennale in 2001, Cardiff and her husband, George Miller, were the first Canadian artists ever to win La Biennale di Venezia Special Award.

Tim Lee, ’99 BDes, works as a scholar in Berlin at DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst), a German academic exchange program. He was the 2008 recipient of Canada’s leading visual-art prize, the Sobey Art Award, presented annually to a contemporary Canadian artist. Lee commonly uses photography and video to replicate and re-imagine seminal moments in art history and pop culture. His work is shown in public collections all around the world including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the National Gallery of Canada and the Tate Modern in London.

Students 9.

The U of A has formed significant educational partnerships in Germany, especially with Ludwig-Maximilians University and the Technical University of Munich, and has general agreements with 11 other German universities and nine study abroad programs supporting student mobility between Canada and Germany.

10.

The Alberta School of Business’ Department of Strategic Management and Organization organizes an annual Field Trip to Europe with an exciting stop in Germany. Each year, 30 MBA and BCom students broaden their international horizons by visiting leading European business schools, touring globally recognized businesses, meeting with top-ranking executives, in addition to visiting memorable tourist spots.

Bremen 9. Berlin 7.

Potsdam 3. Muenster 9. Dresden

Kassel

Leipzig

J端lich 3.

Bonn 1. Frankfurt 10.

9. Koblenz

Erlangen Reichartshausen

9. Karlsruhe 3.

Stuttgart 5.

4. ErlangenNuremberg

Passau 6.

Munich 9. 10. Freiberg 9.

Visit New Trail online for more web exclusive U of A connections with Germany.

newtrail autumn 2011

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Words: Sarah Ligon

University of Alberta calling…

The voice at the other end of the U of A’s Student Calling Program

ndrew Parker, ’08 BA, never imagined himself working as a student fundraiser. For one thing, Andrew has spent much of the past three years playing professional basketball around the globe. He’s played for teams in Germany, France and, most recently, Brazil. He’s also played for Edmonton’s basketball team, and, of course, he played for the Golden Bears. And for the past year he’s also spent countless hours hooked up to a phone and a computer in the University of Alberta’s Office of Advancement, on the third floor of Enterprise Square, calling alumni and friends of the University to ask for money. So far he’s raised about $63,000. “The Student Calling Program has been the best place to work—apart from playing basketball,” he says. “Everyone here has been amazing. They even followed my career when I was down in Brazil.” Of course, it’s not the easiest of work. He and the other student callers begin telephoning in the early evening, during people’s dinner hour, and sometimes they have “bad calls.” But Andrew—one of the most pleasant guys you will ever meet—takes them in his six-foot-five stride. “Everyone’s going through different stages in life, maybe someone just got laid off or hasn’t found a job yet. It can be tough to fundraise under those circumstances, but I don’t let it bother me. This is for scholarships and for education,” he says. And Andrew understands the benefits personally. “I received scholarships for three years, and my brother”—former Golden Bear Stephen Parker, ’03

LLB—“got a scholarship, too. It’s tough being a student; it’s not cheap. So when alumni do go on to get good jobs, we should think about the others who are coming up behind us.” Student callers raise money for the Annual Fund. In addition to student scholarships and bursaries, these discretionary resources are used to address the most pressing current needs of students, researchers, faculties and the institution as a whole. After two years of provincial cuts to the University’s budget, those funds have never been more useful than they are now. Last year, gifts to the Annual Fund were used to support such things as student global learning initiatives, undergraduate research opportunities, student athletics, and U of A libraries acquisitions. It doesn’t take a huge donation to make a big impact on the life of a student or the University. Just ask Hadi Sabaa, 27, a PhD candidate in computer science, who has raised a record $300,000 in the three years he’s been a student caller. “The pledges I’ve raised aren’t that much—$5, $25, $50—but the pledges are monthly, so they add up. Five dollars is the price of a cup of coffee these days, and it doesn’t put much of a dent in people’s budgets. But for students it can make a big difference—especially when hundreds of alumni choose to give.” Hadi may be a natural salesman, as well as a brilliant computer scientist, but he’s a student first and so can tell people first-hand what it’s like to attend their alma mater today. “A lot of people are nostalgic about the U of A,” he says. “They ask specific details about certain buildings and classes and professors. People want to know what rent is like, what tuition is newtrail autumn 2011

ROB HISLOP

“

The Student Calling Program has been the best place to work—apart from playing basketball Andrew Parker

like. I can tell them that the average student I know pays $500 a month in rent and some students—even some students in the calling program—have student loans of $40,000 or $50,000. Alumni are surprised because when some were here rent was $80 a month and tuition was $2,000 a year, or less. And $500 is a lot to them now, so when I tell them a student has to pay that much every month, they start to understand.” The Student Calling Program has been around for over 20 years now and Jeff Wright, director of the Annual Fund, calls what it does critical to the University’s financial well-being. “The Annual Fund represents about 10 percent of charitable support received by the University,” he says, “but it is an incredibly important 10 percent in that it helps build a more resilient University, and allows the president, provost and deans to address the most critical needs of our students today versus those in the future. The needs of now, so to speak.” Every year, student callers have about 60,000 conversations with alumni and friends and bring in approximately $700,000 in pledges. This year, the program has set a goal to raise $800,000. “With the exception of the alumni community itself, students are the University’s best ambassadors,” says Wright. “They are also the immediate beneficiaries of alumni giving and philanthropy. As well, they are in tune with campus and student life and can give alumni a brief look into student life today. Our callers ask alumni to expect great things from the U of A, but envision even greater things. Being a student caller is a great part-time job and learning opportunity. We have student caller alumni who are now doctors, bankers, 14

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”

and professors, and they tell us the job they had as a caller was something they have never forgotten and appreciate to this day.” And while these students are representative of your average U of A student, they are anything but average themselves. Some are graduate students making breakthroughs in leading-edge science or undergraduates working two jobs to pay their way through school. Many are international students (Hadi himself is from Lebanon). What they all have in common are the strong relationships they’ve built with one another through the program. “Everyone’s become really good friends here,” says Anum, 23, an undergraduate in physics who has been a student caller for three years. “Sometimes you don’t want to go home.” Hadi and Andrew have formed a friendship that’s typical of those forged in the program. For instance, when Hadi earned his first $200,000 in pledges last November—and a pair of donated tickets to an executive suite at an Edmonton Oilers game, compliments of the Alumni Association—he asked his sports-fanatic friend, Andrew, to be his guest. And, one night, when Andrew had a really bad call, he turned to Hadi for help. An alumnus had just accused Andrew of swearing at him over the phone and demanded to speak to his supervisor. While the supervisor took the call, Andrew sweated it out with Hadi. It turns out the whole thing was a practical joke played by the alumnus, who used to be a student caller himself. Although it made for a few tense moments, they all had a laugh about it afterward. And, as Andrew is quick to add: the alumnus gave.

Meet the Voices on the Other End of the Line Photos by Michael Holly

Susan, Class of 2013 Degree: BA Economics Hometown: Thika, Kenya “It’s nice to see how good people are. They are so generous—so willing to give.”

Oksana, Class of 2011 Degree: BSc Biological Science Hometown: Edmonton “I really love working at the SCP. I’ve made some great friends here, we work hard, but we have a lot of fun times too—kind of like University.”

Ron, Class of 2014 Degree: BSc Cell Biology Hometown: The World [Russia, Poland, Israel]

Sameer, Class of 2011 Degree: MSc Engineering Hometown: Delhi, India “For every donation, I help raise the U of A’s rankings, which raises the value of our degrees, so it’s a win-win.”

Anum, Class of 2012 Degree: BSc Physics Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan

“At first, calling was awkward, “It’s a cool job. I feel like I’m but sometimes you don’t really making a difference have to say anything. by bringing in money for People just want to give.” student scholarships.” newtrail autumn 2011

Words: Jennifer Kuchta, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;02 BA

Robertson Bay, Greenland, Lawren Harris

From Art to Zoology: An A to Z Guide to the University of Alberta Museums

newtrail.ualberta.ca

or 99 years now, the University of Alberta has been building one of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest museum holdings with 28 collections in 11 departments spread out over 120 locations that house 17 million objects. Covering numerous disciplines in human history and natural science, this unique distributed museum model is supported by a central team of museum experts with each museum led by an appointed academic curator. While many collections are accessed regularly by researchers, students and the community, the U of A Museums are working towards a centralized curatorial research facility to enhance collaboration, facilitate improved access, encourage further interdisciplinary studies, and exhibit the latest collections-based research.

The U of A Museums are a designated Category A institution, able to acquire cultural property as certified by the Canadian Cultural Property and Export Review Board.

The University of Alberta recently acquired Robertson Bay, Greenland, by famed artist Lawren Harris, just one of the many Group of Seven paintings in the Art Collection. Emily Carr once owned the painting.

Renowned husband-and-wife archaeologists, Alan Bryan and Ruth Gruhn, are memorialized with two collections named in their honour: The Bryan/Gruhn Ethnographic and Archaeology Collections were acquired by the couple over a period of 50 years to capture the essence of cultural practices.

The vast majority of the biological science collections are used to monitor trends in Biodiversity. A number of these collections support research in Polar Regions, related to the Northern Initiative at the U of A.

De Boers has permanently loaned a collection of their Diamonds for exhibition purposes in the Mineralogy and Petrology Museum, open daily to students and the public.

Classical Greece and Rome are well-represented in the W.G. Hardy Collection for Ancient Near Eastern and Classical Antiquities, curated by Jeremy Rossiter, ’77 MA, ’86 PhD, and staffed by graduate students in the Department of History and Classics. Many of the university’s collections are used as reference materials to track Climate Change and other global issues.

Laboratory for Vertebrate Paleontology

Curator and acclaimed paleontologist Philip Currie is featured in Dino Gangs, a documentary film that explores the hunting habits of Tyrannosaurus rex.

A cast of a skull of a Dunkleosteus, one of the deadliest ancient sea creatures, guards the entrance to the Paleontology Museum, open daily to students and the public.

The Osteology and Fossil Hominid Cast Collections are extensively used in the Department of Anthropology for the study of Evolutionary Anatomy.

The Friends of the University of Alberta Museums is a non-profit society founded in 1984 to support museum activities on campus. Membership is open to anyone.

The earliest collecting on campus began in the Geology Department. Non-geological specimens and artifacts were subsequently transferred to other appropriate departments.

Renewable Resources Natural History Collection

Seven U of A museum collections are involved in an international research initiative driven by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility that provides free biodiversity data for scientific research, conservation and sustainable development.

There are four Herbaria in the U of A Museums, including the Cryptogamic Herbarium (mosses, liverworts, hornworts, lichens and fungi), the Devonian Botanic Garden Herbarium (bryophytes and lichens), the Paleobotanical Collection (plant-related fossils), and the Vascular Plant Herbarium (ferns, conifers and flowering plants.) newtrail autumn 2011

Collections objects are used daily as primary source materials in Object-Based Learning and research projects.

E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

There are more than one million Insects in the E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum, more than 30 percent of which are accessible via the online database at www.entomology.museums.ualberta.ca. This collection is curated by professor Felix Sperling, ’79 BSc, ’86 MSc, who followed his passion for butterflies as a young boy to become an esteemed entomologist.

The Jim van Es Marine Invertebrate and Malacology Collection is just one of the collections in the Department of Biological Sciences, valued for its use in courses teaching animal diversity, particularly related to shells and mollusks.

The Freshwater Invertebrate Collection is the designated repository for ecological specimens collected during the Alberta Oil Sands Environmental Research Program (1975-1985), representing an important baseline survey of aquatic invertebrate diversity in the region before major development occurred.

Many unusual specimens in the Parasite Collection are used for morphological identification as well as to support learning and research related to wildlife disease.

The Art Collection contains vast holdings of historical and contemporary Canadian and international artists, with a particular strength in contemporary international prints, accessed regularly in the Print Study Centre in the Fine Arts Building. Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives

There are numerous recordings of Khyal, a modern genre of classical singing in Northern India, held in the Canadian Centre for Ethnomusicology.

The Muse Project is a strong initiative in K-12 education developed to provide learning opportunities for schoolaged children, one of many outreach opportunities using museum collections.

The Pathology Gross Teaching Collection in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology is a widely used resource for illustrating disease processes.

The Meteorite Collection is the largest universitybased meteorite collection in Canada, housing more than 1,100 specimens from over 130 different meteorites.

The world-renowned Mactaggart Art Collection, donated by former chancellor Sandy, ’90 LLD (Honorary) and Cécile Mactaggart, ’06 LLD (Honorary), is composed of more than 1,000 rare textiles, costumes, paintings, and other artifacts from ancient and modern East Asia.

He’s known affectionately as the Nature Nut but John Acorn, ’80 BSc, ’88 MSc, is just one of 28 appointed curators, who are all current academic staff and active faculty members responsible for the University’s museum collections. 18

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The Rosenberg Quilt Collection is just one of the many impressive holdings in the Clothing and Textile Collection. This unique collection contains more than 23,000 clothing and textile-related artifacts

The U of A Museums administrative and advisory service offices, led by Janine Andrews, ’84 MSc, are housed in the historic Ring House 1, built as a residence for the University’s first President H. M. Tory, ’28 LLD (Honorary). This house is allegedly haunted by the spirit of Emma Read Newton, wife of the fourth president of the University, Robert Newton, ‘50 LLD (Honorary).

Early 1900s architectural rendering of campus showing proposed museum on North end of Quad. ©University of Alberta Archives.

Left: Cryptogamic Herbarium Right: Bryan/Gruhn Ethnographic Collection Bottom Right: folkwaysAlive! Collection Bottom Left: University of Alberta Museum of Zoology

Explore the skin of the earth through the Soil Science Monolith collection, exhibited in the hallways of the Earth Sciences Building. Science Sunday for kids is one of the most popular public programs offered by the U of A Museums the first Sunday of every March.

Numerous Trilobites are just some of the more than two million fossil invertebrates in the Invertebrate Paleontology Collection.

The Trace Fossil Collection contains fossils that provide evidence of life activities (such as moving or feeding) preserved in the geologic record.

The Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Collection is actively used for teaching and study, and is frequently accessed by the local community for genealogy research. It also supports the U of Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s status as North Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest centre for Ukrainian studies.

There are often many ways to Volunteer or get involved with various museum collections and programs. For more information visit www.museums. ualberta.ca.

Water is well represented in the research and teaching specimens in the U of A Museums, including, but not limited to, the Ichthyology, Freshwater Invertebrate, and Fossil Fishes collections.

In 1979, the U of A acquired an Egyptian mummy. The mummy and its coffin have been the subject of various research initiatives including computerized X-ray scans, carbon dating, and infrared photography.

You can hear Yodeling and Yabos, amongst many other songs and sounds, in the extensive folkwaysAlive! collection, in partnership with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. This collection contains more than 2,000 records donated to the U of A by Folkways Recordings founder Moses Asch.

The Zooarchaeology Reference Collection is a comprehensive selection of animal skeletal specimens from Alberta and the Arctic. For more, visit www.museums.ualberta.ca. newtrail autumn 2011

2011

A l u m n i recognition awards A celebration of Universit y of Alberta Alumni Achievement University of Alberta alumni bring honour to themselves and to their alma mater in a multitude of ways—through leadership in their professions, business and government; groundbreaking advances in science and medicine; accomplishments in athletics, humanities and the arts; and service to the global and local communities. The Alumni Recognition Awards celebrate the diverse accomplishments of alumni and the recognition they bring to the University.

Alumni Honour Award Recognizing the significant contributions made over a number of years by University of Alberta alumni in their local communities and beyond.

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Tim Berrett, ’97 PhD, is an accomplished athlete, consultant and academic. A Canadian record holder in his sport of race walking, he has competed in nine International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships and five Olympic Games.

Linda R. Gadwa, ’99 BEd, ’06 Dip(Ed), ’09 MEd, is an educator highly respected for her innovative leadership at Kehewin Community Education Centre, where she served as principal for four years and spearheaded many initiatives to promote Cree culture.

Larry Booi, ’68 BA, ’89 BEd, is a promoter of education and an advocate for supporting the public good. The president of Public Interest Alberta, he is past-president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association and past vice-president of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation.

Michel R. Gagné, ’87 BSc, a chemistry professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is regarded as an international leader in catalysis chemistry. A groundbreaking researcher, he has authored more than 100 publications and holds five patents.

Hugh Bradley, ’54 BSc(Ag), is an awardwinning and highly respected farming pioneer in Canada’s north. He has tremendously contributed to the development of agriculture in the Yukon since he, along with three partners, bought Pelly River Ranch in 1954.

John Grigsby Geiger, ’81 BA, is a best-selling author and an award-winning journalist. An editorial board editor at The Globe and Mail, he is also a senior fellow at the University of Toronto’s Massey College and president of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Chetwyn C. H. Chan, ’92 BSc(OT), ’95 PhD, is internationally recognized for his research in rehabilitation science and for his contributions to advancing the discipline and building a stronger rehabilitation educational system in Asia, particularly in Mainland China.

M. Elizabeth (Betty) Gourlay, ’66 Dip(Nu), ’67 BSc(Nu), has made significant contributions to the nursing profession through her leadership in the development of nursing practices and education in her career that spanned more than 40 years.

Jason Kapalka, ’92 BA, ’94 MA, is a trend-setter in the gaming industry. He is the co-founder of PopCap Games and designer of Bejeweled, the most popular puzzle game of the century according to Guinness World Records 2010 Video Games Edition. Larry Y. Louie, ’82 BSc, a successful Edmonton optometrist, is an award-winning photographer who uses his art to support SEVA Canada, an international charitable organization that aims to eliminate preventable and avoidable blindness.

John (Jack) H. Nodwell, ’64 BSc(Eng), founder and past-president of Foremost Industries, has made significant contributions to the engineering profession and is lauded for being a pioneer in developing Canada’s trade relationship with the former Soviet Union.

A l umn i Ce n t e n ary Award f or Vo l u n t e e r S e rv i c e Recognizes alumni who have demonstrated commitment, dedication and service to the University of Alberta. Lloyd Malin, ’65 BA, ’70 LLB, ’03 LLD (Honorary), a judge of the Provincial Court of Alberta, has served his alma mater with great distinction, volunteering with exceptional vision, dedication and leadership. A past-president of Alumni Council, he was a member of the University Senate as well as the Board of Governors, acting as chair from 1997 to 1998 and vice-chair from 1998 to 2002.

A l u m n i Awa rd o f E xc e l l e n c e Celebrating outstanding, recent accomplishments of University of Alberta graduates.

Felix Otterson, ’44 BA, ’49 Dip(Ed), ’53 BEd, throughout his eminent career as a priest, administrator and teacher, has had a positive and lasting impact on the community at large. In 2010, Edmonton Catholic Schools named a school in his honour.

Trevor Anderson, ’95 BA, an Edmonton-based artist, is gaining international attention for his independently produced short film The High Level Bridge, which premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and was an official selection of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

Lorne Sawula, ’67 BPE, ’69 MA, ’77 PhD, an internationally recognized authority in coaching volleyball, has contributed to all levels of play, including serving as the head coach of the Australian, British, Canadian and Swiss National Volleyball teams.

Shannon S. D. Bredin, ’96 BPE, ’96 BEd, ’98 MSc, an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, is the recipient of numerous honours, including the 2010 Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Health & Fitness Program Recognition Award.

Alfred Sorensen, ’83 BCom, is a successful leader in the global energy sector, who generously supports his alma mater. A member of the University’s Business Advisory Council, he established the Alfred Sorensen Chair in Energy, Environmental and Reputational Risk Management.

Todd Cherniawsky, ’93 BFA, is an accomplished production designer who has worked on numerous Hollywood blockbusters. He has been a member of two Academy Award-winning teams for art direction, including Alice in Wonderland in 2011 and Avatar in 2010.

Cora Weber-Pillwax, ’77 BEd, ’92 MEd, ’03 PhD, whose teaching career began in 1968, has devoted her life’s work to supporting communitybased and community-driven initiatives to advance the aspirations and goals of Aboriginal communities.

Christopher Opio, ‘94 PhD, a University of Northern British Columbia professor, was named one of Canada’s Top 10 Champions of Change in 2010 for his humanitarian work as co-founder and chair of the Northern Uganda Development Foundation.

Jeffrey G. Whissell, ’98 BSc(Pharm), a recognized leader in the pharmacy profession, is making significant contributions to create a more patient-focused health care system. Through his professional involvement, he has championed the pharmacists’ role in delivering care to Albertans.

Nathan Whitling, ’93 BCom, ’97 LLB, an Edmonton lawyer known for taking on controversial cases, recently received the Harradence Prize from the Criminal Trial Lawyers’ Association in recognition of his dedication to the principles of fundamental justice.

newtrail autumn 2011

A l u mni Horizon Award

S p o r t s Wa l l o f Fa m e

Recognizing the outstanding achievements of University of Alberta alumni early in their careers.

Recognizing the contributions of alumni as athletes and builders of university sport.

Cristelle Audet, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;04 PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa, is a dedicated humanitarian. She is the co-founder of One Childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Village and is the chair of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Social Justice Chapter and Ethics Committee.

Dru Marshall, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;82 MSc, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;89 PhD, the head coach of the U of A Pandas Field Hockey team for 21 years, is a highly respected leader in university sport, coaching education and administration.

Amanda Babichuk, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;01 BCom, is a successful Edmonton businesswoman who has shown remarkable innovation in growing dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Lish Urban Kitchen & Wine Bar. Community-minded, she generously supports local charities, including the Terra Centre for Pregnant & Parenting Teens.

Darrell Menard, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;76 BPE, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;81 MA, an internationally renowned sports medicine doctor and a nationally ranked elite runner, has made tremendous contributions to the sporting world as a physician, participant and promoter.

Ken Bautista, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;99 BEd, is an award-winning entrepreneur who uses innovative digital media to bring educational programs to young audiences. He is the co-founder of Rocketfuel Games and Edmontonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Next Gen initiatives, including artsScene, Startup Edmonton and TEDxEdmonton.

Ted Poplawski, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;77 BA, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;78 Cert(Arts), â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80 BEd, one of the greatest goaltenders in Golden Bears hockey history, has brought great distinction to the sport as both a player and coach, winning 17 Canada West and eight CIAU/CIS championships.

Claire Clark, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;02 BEd, is making huge contributions to support Aboriginal women in the professional community. She is co-founder and executive director of the Aboriginal Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Professional Association and founding member of the Edmonton Aboriginal Business Association.

The Honour able Dr. Lois E. Hole St ud e n t S p i ri t Award Celebrates student spirit and the many contributions students make to the betterment of the University community and beyond.

Farrah Salima Ebrahim, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;00 BA, a senior consultant with Deloitte in Toronto, is taking a leading role in social justice issues. Recognized for her work in human rights, she has undertaken extensive research on the intersection of women, youth, Islam and civic engagement.

Leona Semenoff, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;11 BEd, is a dedicated supporter of her community who volunteered as a district commissioner for the Girl Guides of Canada in Fort McMurray, AB, while completing her studies with the U of A as she fulfilled her dream of becoming a teacher.

Duncan Miano Wambugu, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;99 BA(Augustana), â&#x20AC;&#x2122;03 MMus, is a highly accomplished musician. A vocal coach, mentor for aspiring singers, and one of the youngest appointed music professors at Kenyatta University, he is now pursuing his PhD at the University of Florida.

Alim Nagji, a third-year medical student, has contributed his time and talents to the U of A, his local community, and the world at large, including his work as a noncommunicable disease study designer at AK Hospital in Tanzania.

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Distinguished Alumni Award The Alumni Association’s most prestigious award recognizing living graduates whose truly outstanding achievements have earned them national or international prominence.

PHILIP STONE

John Godel, ’53 BSc, ’55 MD University of Alberta professor emeritus in pediatrics, John Godel is a physician highly respected for his contributions to pediatric health care in remote Canadian and African communities and for his research on vitamin D as protection from a host of health conditions. A caring and compassionate physician, John Godel has served the medical profession with great distinction, and his impact has been far-reaching. Thousands of children have benefited from his dedication to improving pediatric care, and many practitioners, inspired by his work, are following in his path. Godel’s international outreach began in 1969 when he accepted a Canadian International Development Agency post at a teaching hospital in Nigeria. In 1973, he moved with his family to Tunisia to serve as the chief of pediatrics in Menzel Bourguiba. While there, he championed the refurbishment of a military hospital and organized pediatric, maternal

and child health services. Under his care, the mortality rate of hospitalized children markedly decreased from 50 to five percent. In 1978, he returned to Edmonton as a U of A professor and chief of pediatrics at the Charles Camsell Hospital. It was also during this time he began travelling to northern Canada to provide health care to Aboriginal children. His work in these isolated communities led to his pioneering research on the importance of vitamin D and the effects of alcohol on a fetus during pregnancy. A Member of the Order of Canada, he continues his work in Africa with the Healthy Child Uganda project.

COURTESY CBC NEWS

Claire Martin, ’95 BSc An award-winning weather forecaster and educator, Claire Martin has had a profound impact on weather reporting in Canada and around the world. Claire Martin has epitomized the profession of meteorology in Canada, providing the highest level of weather forecasting and science presentation. As a senior meteorologist for CBC News, she is renowned for her weather reports and has become the national voice for all things weather related. Martin’s dedication to her profession has greatly improved the public’s understanding of the science of weather. Working with the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, she was the driving force in the development of national broadcast standards for weather reporting. She also shares her expertise with numerous organizations, including

the International Association of Broadcast Meteorologists, where she served as chair and vice-chair. An avid educator, this former forecaster with Environment Canada helped create an award-winning weather unit for Alberta’s public school science curriculum, and she also helped run a weather broadcasting course for African nations with the World Meteorological Organization, a UN specialized agency. Martin was named the Best Weather Presenter in the World by the International Weather Festival in 2000, 2001 and 2003. In 2005, she was recognized by the American Meteorological Society as a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist—the first such certification awarded in Canada. newtrail autumn 2011

You’re invited to join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of the 2011 Alumni Recognition Award recipients at a gala ceremony on September 22, 2011, at the Winspear Centre for Music. To register for this complimentary event visit www.ualberta.ca/alumni/weekend

Tom Radford, ’66 BA A distinguished documentarian, Tom Radford has played a pivotal role in Canada’s film industry, inspiring an entire generation of filmmakers.

K ATZ

COURTESY CLEARWATER MEDIA

Tom Radford is a highly acclaimed filmmaker whose career as a writer, director and producer has earned him numerous national and international awards and accolades. For more than 40 years, he has had a profound influence on Canada’s television and film industries. In 1980, as an executive producer at the National Film Board (NFB), he founded the NFB Northwest Studio in Edmonton, which launched more than two decades of unparalleled film activity in Alberta and supported the development of many of our country’s filmmakers. He also initiated the National Screen Institute and established

one of the first independent production companies in Edmonton. A champion of environmental and social causes, Radford uses his creativity to showcase the distinctive character and heritage of Alberta and Canada’s North to the rest of the world. A founding partner of Clearwater Media, he explores the human experience and brings important— and sometimes forgotten—aspects of our natural history to the public’s attention. His ability to enthrall audiences extends to other art forms as well. He is the co-author of the best-seller Alberta, A Celebration, and his photography has been displayed at the National Gallery of Canada.

Marguerite Trussler, ’69 BA, ’70 LLB, and Francis Price, ’75 LLM Marguerite Trussler and Francis Price are highly respected for their leadership in the legal profession and in the arts community. While a Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench, Marguerite Trussler made a significant impact on family law. She led many court initiatives such as Parenting After Separation and judicial dispute resolution, and she was president of the Canadian Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges. A respected Queen’s Counsel, her husband, Francis Price, is recognized for his expertise in mortgage law and as an arbitrator. He served as a Bencher with the Law Society of Alberta and received its award for Distinguished Service to the Community in 2011. Leading by example, this couple generously gives of their time and resources to educational and arts organizations. As a founder and president of the Victoria School Foundation for the Arts, Trussler has helped raise endowment funds to provide annual scholarships and master classes for many students. A past chair of the board of Edmonton Opera, Price spearheaded the company’s endowment program, sings in its chorus, and is the recipient of its Zoie Gardner Volunteer Award. Together, they have raised three daughters, published a leading legal text, and worked in partnering Edmonton’s legal and theatre communities. Their contributions will have a lasting impact on the community.

newtrail.ualberta.ca

Words: Judy Monchuk

Photography: Brent Mykytyshyn

Agenda Alchemy Creating golden matches between sport and business

s the Vancouver 2010 Olympics wrapped up and Canadians were transfixed by the growing medal count of nativeborn sons and daughters, Colin Young, ’88 BPE, was looking at the medal board with a slightly different sense of wonder. Six of his clients had captured a total of eight Olympic medals. For Young, co-founder of Agenda Sport Marketing, it was a sparkling showcase of what the fledgling company had to offer. “We had a pretty amazing group,” says Young, a sponsorship consultant specializing in sport marketing, brand strategy and athlete management. “I think it’s a real shot in the arm that we can identify people who are on the track to success. And they also delivered.” Big time. By the International Olympic Committee rules, Agenda would have placed seventh in medals won among competing nations during the 2010 Games. If it were a country it would be nestled in the rankings between Switzerland and China. Choosing those potential medalwinners is a tough art to master; creating the right connections with business is even tougher. But that was what Young and partner Russell Reimer were looking to do in 2005 when they opened Agenda to focus on providing premier Canadian athletes with representation aimed at getting mutually beneficial sponsorship deals. More importantly, they had a vision of connections through sport and its ability to inspire. Their timing was right. Vancouver had just been awarded the 2010 Olympics and Western Canada was awash in winter sport athletes aiming to peak on home ground. Companies newtrail autumn 2011

“People are passionate about sport and connect with things they love.”

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Add an Olympic medal, charisma and a wanted to be part of the experience, but compelling personal story and the odds had no idea how to benefit from linking improve. Still, there’s no sure thing. up with an athlete. “It’s part heart, part science,” says Enter Agenda, with a bevy of Young. “We’ve seen athletes you think tangible benefits to sponsoring an can’t miss not attract an endorsement.” athlete on the road to Olympic or In an increasingly fragmented world-class glory, including making marketplace, Young believes companies the athletes, as Young says, “3-D brand want innovative ways to reach their ambassadors” for corporations. To do consumer base. Touching customers that he had to overcome the perception with a link to an event or activity that that giving money to help fund athletes resonates personally is one potential was simply patronage. “A lot of people avenue. “Sponsorship can get to an area still consider it a handout and it where conventional advertising can’t,” shouldn’t be,” says Young about athlete says Young. “People are passionate sponsorship. “A business can give an about sport and connect with things athlete $20,000. But what we look to they love. do is get $100,000 worth of value for “It’s about having heroes who their investment.” are more than NHL players,” Young “We’re trying to tell a story through continues, noting that when four-time these athletes,” says Jennifer Johnson, Olympic medalist Kristina Groves goes ’05 BPE, Agenda’s manager of client into a school, kids know who she is and relations who came on board in 2008. have seen a speed skating race. “Ten She goes on to say that stories are years ago, we would have had to tell a powerful tool for building a bond between athlete and client and a key part people what speed skating was. Now, people know the Hamelin brothers,” of Agenda’s success-management plan. “We want our athletes to be great athletes, who won gold in 2010. Groves joined the Agenda fold great role models and great marketing in 2006 after capturing two silver partners for our corporate clients.” medals at the Turin Olympics and Young came up with this paradigm says representation allows her to after a 20-year career in sport focus on skating. “Agenda is really administration, including marketing good at helping each athlete partner roles at Nike and senior producer with companies they feel connected duties at NBC Sports, where he built to,” says Groves, who added another the network’s website for the Sydney two medals in Vancouver and whose Olympics in 2000. But the Agenda story sponsors include Nike and Oakley. “I starts with a philosophy that stands feel any company I work with because the image of a typical “agent” on its of Agenda has been aligned with my ear. “We try not to be that guy pushing own agenda.” for money,” says Young, stressing the That link was evident with natural need to make the company’s athlete foods manufacturer Hain Celestial, experience a positive one. which sponsored Groves. To celebrate That means creating the right links her Olympic achievements, the between athlete and corporation---a company set up a Facebook page process very similar to matchmaking. that allowed the first 500 Canadian Those who set up love connections respondents to send a personal message know there’s no guarantee of success. to Groves while also supporting her But a trained practitioner takes note favourite charity. of the qualities that might make for a “Celestial recognized very soon that compatible match and sport marketing I was part of Right to Play,” she says. is no different. Being attractive, well“At the Olympics, they made a $5,000 spoken and a competitor in a sport that donation to that charity in my name.” connects with the public is a good start.

Establishing that right fit starts with a “discovery session” that can be a reality check for starry-eyed athletes who believe signing with an agency is an automatic path to riches. “We’ve learned to be realistic and upfront,” says Young, adding that the agency represents a limited number of athletes and works on long-term connections. “We ask them a bunch of questions: ‘Who are you? What charities do you want be aligned with? What are you really looking for in an agency?’ We’re able to tell pretty quickly what level of savvy they’re at.” Patience is a key consideration, since building those corporate links and creating a plan means it will likely take a year before an athlete sees any money coming in. But first they have to identify the athlete, which means keeping an eye on the World Cup circuit and an ear to the ground about amateur athletes in a wide array of sports. In addition to Agenda’s Olympic champions, several elite athletes fit the criteria of “potential superstar.” Among those are U of A student and rising triathlon star Paula Findlay, an emerging medal favourite for the 2012 London Olympics after winning three of four Championship Series Races since last July. There’s also long distance swimmer Ryan Cochrane, whose 2008 Olympic bronze in the 1500m freestyle was Canada’s first medal in the event in 88 years. The six-foot-three swimmer has turned a lot of heads as he racks up victories, including two gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Agenda’s reputation in Canada’s sporting community caught his attention, too. “I was first drawn to Agenda by their obvious knowledge of the sport industry within North America as well as by the extremely high level of commitment toward each of their athletes,” says Cochrane from Victoria, BC, where he trains full-time and attends UVic. “As an athlete, I know I’m getting the best representation within Canada, and a high level of trust comes from that.”

Agenda Clients 2010 Podium Pride Wheeling and dealing on behalf of world champions is a long way from Young’s start studying science and forestry at UBC. When he heard about the U of A’s physical education degree with a focus on sports administration, he thought it might be a good fit. “When I look back, it gave me a very good foundation in the business side of sport,” says Young. “I knew very early that I liked the mixture of business and sport, and the U of A allowed me to develop the very basic skills I needed to continue on. I knew I didn’t want to be a phys-ed teacher. Did I know where I would end up? No. But it provided me with that first step.” Johnson wanted the same things from her education. She was heavily involved with Campus Recreation during her time at the U of A, organizing activities for students and faculty while personalizing her degree with a selection of business courses. A founding member of the University’s golf team, she missed her convocation ceremony because she was competing at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national championships in Vancouver. Johnson’s passions for amateur sport and golf continued after graduation. She worked with corporate clients as an event planner at the Edmonton Country Club, spent three years with the Sport Medicine Council, and was part of Team Alberta’s mission staff at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax. Much of her time now is spent helping clients as varied as Talisman Energy, KidSport Canada and ATB Financial get the most out of their sport sponsorship activities. Knowing her boss graduated from the same program validates Johnson’s choice of U of A to provide the tools to find her dream job. “I remember when I graduated I was so excited about getting into the workforce, to start putting what I’d learned to the test. I don’t think I’d be where I am if I had taken another program or attended another school.”

Gold Medallists • Jon Montgomery (skeleton) • Maelle Ricker (snowboard cross) • Charles Hamelin (short track speed skating, 500m team relay) • Francois Hamelin (short track speed skating, team relay) • Denny Morrison (long track speed skating, team pursuit)

Silver Medallist • Kristina Groves (long track speed skating, 1,500m)

Bronze Medallist • Kristina Groves (long track speed skating, 3,000m)

For more on Agenda go to www.agenda.ca. newtrail autumn 2011

Reeling in the Ye A look back through time at three years in the life of the University and the world

1961

This year’s Alumni Weekend is celebrating all U of A graduates, but particularly those alumni from 1961 who are marking the 50th anniversary of their graduation. The following stories not only look back at what was going on in the world and on campus 50 years ago, but also 40 years ago in 1971 and 25 years ago in 1986.

Lisa Ricciotti

This year, the oldest of the baby boomers turn 65. As they cross the traditional demarcation line between career and retirement, the generation that came of age challenging the status quo are experiencing a status shift of their own. Like it or not, they’re now officially “seniors.” That still comes as a shock to boomers who sang “Hope I die before I get old” with The Who in 1965. Today, members of the boomer demographic that shaped every decade it passed through in the same way a giant bulge passes through a python, are busy redefining the meaning of aging and retirement. But 50 years ago, pensions and preserving vitality were hardly top-of-mind. In 1961, convocating students at the U of A, like shiny-eyed grads before and since, were ready to change the world. And, in many ways, they did. They may have got off to a slow start, but the winds of change were beginning to stir in 1961. While we now worry about the future of our environmentally endangered planet, in 1961 the danger was more immediate. Under the continuing threat of the atomic bomb, the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union escalated and the Cold War entered the frigid zone. In the U.S., citizens were advised to build bomb shelters. (Here in Alberta, an underground bomb shelter was already built beneath Edmonton’s Westmount Mall in the ’50s, and the largest underground bomb shelter in Alberta was built in 1964 near Penhold.) The stare-down between the two superpowers came perilously close to 28

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real nuclear war during the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. In August, the Sovietdominated Eastern Bloc erected the Berlin Wall and, in December, the Vietnam War (which was never officially declared a war) began with the arrival of American forces in Saigon. However, the “Sixties”—as referenced in pop culture—had yet to make its tie-dyed, bell-bottomed, marijuana-scented way onto U of A campuses in 1961. Beauty pageants were still a regular occurrence on campus and it wouldn’t be until 1969 that Council passed (in a 10-6 vote) a resolution withdrawing support for, as The Gateway reported, “any contest or other activity which regulates women to object status.” Of that motion, Academic Vice-President Liz Law, ‘70 BA, said: “Women should not be considered sexual objects and a beauty contest is, in effect, a public auction.” Still, early signs of the radical changes that swept North American campuses appeared at the U of A as chaperoned student dances had ended and the days of separate male and female dormitories were numbered. (Now virtually all U of A dorms are co-ed.) Students would also gain a seat on the Board of Governors in 1968, a year of intense student protests for more self-governance and teachins to raise social and political awareness. But in 1961, The Shirelles’ hit song “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” posed its eternal question and students danced the twist and the pony to the beat of Chubby Checker. During that year, Wolfgang Bottenberg,

Lynne McGettrick (Newcombe) and Eileen Turner became the U of A’s first Bachelor of Music graduates from the Faculty of Arts’ Department of Music created in 1958. The year 1961 also saw Ernest Manning, ’48 LLD (Honorary), as premier of Alberta and the birth of musician k.d. lang, ’08 LLD (Honorary). As well, throughout the ’60s, the U of A produced such notable political icons as Joe Clark, ’60 BA, ’73 MA, ’85 LLD (Honorary), Preston Manning, ’64 BA,’ 08 LLD (Honorary) and Grant Notley, ’60 BA. University leaders through the ’60s who left an indelible mark on the U of A include Clare Drake, ’58 BEd, ’95 LLD (Honorary), for whom the hockey arena is named and Maury Van Vliet, ’61 BSc, ’64 LLB, for whom the phys ed building is named. The addition of 30,000 new books to the Rutherford Library was newsworthy on campus in 1961. Also, some of the technological advances that would spawn the information age—and challenge libraries—were dawning. The transatlantic telephone system was launched and the first generation raised on television now watched recordings of surgical procedures in U of A’s Faculty of Medicine classes while introducing videotapes into lectures was a hot topic among other faculties. (Today, podcasts are used to give undergraduate medical education students a basic understanding of specific surgical processes.)

ars East meets West at the under-construction Berlin Wall that once divided the German city. Photo credit: Corey Hatch

In science, the Space Race stole 1961 headlines. The year kicked off with Ham the Chimp rocketing into space in a test-run for America’s plans to put the first human into orbit. But the Russians got there first when Yuri Gagarin orbited the world for 108 minutes in April—closely followed by U.S. astronaut Alan Shepard a month later. More quietly, important scientific innovations were underway at the University. In 1961, Raymond Lemieux, ’43 BSc, ’91 DSc (Honorary), returned to his alma mater as a professor and researcher. He’d previously pioneered the synthesis of sucrose with George Huber and now developed synthetic versions of oligosaccharides, the sugar that coats red blood cells. His discoveries led to many important medical applications, including improved treatments for leukemia and hemophilia as well as the development of new antibiotics, blood reagents and anti-rejection drugs for organ transplants. Today, Lemieux is considered the pioneer of modern carbohydrate chemistry and the U of A’s Gunning/Lemieux Chemistry Centre is named after him and Harry Gunning,

’83DSc (Honorary), the “father” of the chemistry department. In politics, Saskatchewan Premier Tommy Douglas, ’76 LLD (Honorary), planted the seeds of what would become Canada’s publicly funded national health care system when his Co-operative Commonwealth Federation passed the Saskatchewan Medical Care Insurance Act. The same year Douglas stepped aside as premier to head the newly formed national New Democratic Party, which, in 2011, became the official opposition for the first time in its history. Appropriately enough, as the U of A grads of 1961 began their life journey into a world of change, the man who would later make history as the first black president of the United States was born (as was the man who made hockey history, Wayne Gretzky, ’00 LLD). Fifty years after the civil rights movement began and the freedom riders rode buses into the segregated south, Barack Obama was elected on a campaign slogan of hope and change. Because, in the end, hope is all we have and change is all we will ever know.

1961

U of A in 1961

Tuition/Fees/Full-Time

Enrolment

TWO TERMS, FIVE COURSES

Students begin planning for a new SUB which opens in 1967.

The Golden Bears hockey team wins the Hardy Cup.

$29.50 GENERAL FEES $250 INSTRUCTIONAL FEES

A first offence fine of $25 is imposed for any student caught operating an unregistered vehicle on campus.

$279.50 TOTAL

10,394

TOTAL STUDENTS

7,916 FULL-TIME STUDENTS 644 FULL-TIME GRADUATE STUDENTS 1,484 PART-TIME STUDENTS 348 SPECIAL STUDENTS 2 PART-TIME GRADUATE STUDENTS

The World in 1961

3 billion

On the airwaves

ESTIMATED WORLD POPULATION

John Diefenbaker CANADA’S PRIME MINISTER

Fidel Castro declares Cuba is to adopt communism and bans free elections.

John F. Kennedy

Niagara Falls starts producing hydroelectric power.

AMERICA’S PRESIDENT

President Kennedy asks Congress for $531 million to put a man on the moon.

Walter Johns U OF A PRESIDENT

Peter Hyndman, ’62 BCom & Alex McCalla, ’61 BSc ’63 MA STUDENT UNION PRESIDENTS

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) starts.

Beatles first appearance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England.

The Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup.

On screen

On TV

Perry Mason Bonanza My Three Sons Candid Camera The Twilight Zone

Breakfast at Tiffany’s The Guns of Navarone West Side Story Judgment at Nuremberg A Raisin in the Sun

“Little Sister” Elvis Presley “Runaway” Del Shannon “Where the Boys Are” Connie Francis “Travelin’ Man” Ricky Nelson “Spanish Harlem” Ben E. King

newtrail autumn 2011

1971

Athabasca Hall

Kim Green

1971: Janis Joplin croons, “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose,” on 8-tracks across North America. Bell-bottoms, peasant blouses, and tie-dyed anything are the emblems of Flower Power, a term coined by Allen Ginsburg in 1965 to promote nonviolent demonstrations and passive resistance, but now both its fashion and politics inform the most powerful culture of all: youth. In 1971, youth will have its day and, at the U of A, they will also have their say. Although less militant than American or other Canadian universities on such issues as the Vietnam War and student rights—probably due to a more heterogeneous student population, a generally conservative mindset, and the mollifying effects of the waning days of Alberta’s first oil boom—U of A students still fight for their rights... and win. That year students were given parity with the faculty on General Faculties’ Council (GFC), a group that The Gateway staff reporter Judy Samoil, ’71 BA, ’76 BEd, ’76 (Dipl)Ed, terms the “major decision-making body of the University.” Spearheading the initiative to achieve equality on GFC was 1970 Students’ Union (SU) President Tim Christian, ’73 BA, who would go on to be U of A dean of law. The special meeting to bring about parity was held before a packed council chamber and televised to over 700 anxious students in the Students’ Union theatre who loudly voiced their approval after the vote. Chairing the meeting was U of A President Max Wyman, ’37 BSc, ’82 LLD (Honorary), the first alumnus and first Albertan to hold 30

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that post. As reported in what was then called The New Trail, Wyman, a champion of student rights, said: “The central issue today is, are we prepared to bring out into the open the students’ views of the institutions providing for their education, and are we prepared to give students an effective voice in remedying the defects that are acknowledged to exist?” The answer was clearly yes. So persuasive was Wyman’s argument that a senior staff member noted for his conservatism announced that he had come to the meeting with every intention of voting no, but had reversed his position after Wyman’s speech. Another oratorically gifted alumnus and native son was handed the keys to the province that year when Calgary-born Peter Lougheed, ’51 BA, ’52 LLB, ’86 LLD (Honorary), was elected as the tenth premier of Alberta, establishing a Conservative Party dynasty in Alberta that has lasted to this day. The former Golden Bears football star—who also played for the Edmonton Eskimos while still a student—was also SU president and president of his Delta Upsilon fraternity. While serving as premier he initiated the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund, developed the successful bid to host the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988 and, most famously, bickered with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, ’86 LLD (Honorary), over the National Energy Program. The global market economy was a dominant theme throughout 1971 with a worldwide recession, coupled with high rates of inflation. Although through Lougheed Alberta government funding to the U of A

increased throughout the decade, there was still a problem paying the bills. Buildings planned for in the ’60s—because of the false impression they would be needed for the continuing linear growth of the baby boomers— now had to be maintained at a considerable cost as student enrolment actually declined for the first time in the University’s history. The student body was also undergoing a remarkable change at universities across Canada, and the U of A was no exception. From the First World War until the early ’60s the percentage of female students remained relatively constant, comprising approximately a third of the student body. But, by 1970, that percentage climbed to 40 percent and continued to climb to the point where U of A female students now outnumber their male counterparts, comprising about 54 percent of today’s student body. In addition to the changing gender balance of the student population, those students were also free from dress codes and, particularly for women, curfews. Previously, women living in Pembina Hall had a curfew of midnight enforced by the dean of women (a position that no longer exists), but this had been let slide by the late ’60s. In 1967 when Candace Savage, ’71 BA, arrived at the U of A, the dean of women invited her to attend the Bluestocking Club, a carryover from the time when intellectually inclined women needed to band together for moral support. “There was a speaker—I don’t remember who—and we met in the dean’s apartment,” says Savage. “It was very nice and very boring.” Given a chance to choose

their own speaker, Savage recalls, “we picked this dishy young campus radical named Jon Bordo [’68 BA, now a Trent U professor], who came along and had tea with us. I think the Bluestocking Club died of natural causes shortly thereafter.” In an ironic way, a sort of radical youth was also represented in the preservation of Pembina Hall, Assiniboia Hall and the U of A’s oldest building, Athabasca Hall—three original residence buildings. In 1971, the buildings were deemed unfit for occupation and slated for demolition. But because of their central place in the University’s history and in the affections of 60 years of alumni and staff, they were lovingly restored to their youthful beginnings, making them as good as new again. However, the U of A yearbook—Evergreen and Gold—published since 1921, would not be so fortunate as it ceased publication in 1971 (although a group led by Michael Ford, ’81 BCom, ’85 LLB, produced a final volume for the University’s 75th anniversary). So it goes. Some things are saved for posterity; some things disappear forever. To

think of the campus without Athabasca (1911), Assiniboia (1912) and Pembina (1914) Halls anchoring the west side of Quad is to see the University in a fundamentally different light, as a diminished place where history could not take hold. The fact that they were all saved in the ’70s says something profound about that era and its people, about a generation who may have sang along with Janis Joplin, but knew that the stakes were actually very high when you had something to lose.

U of A in 1971

Tuition/Fees/Full-Time

1971 1971 Dodge Challenger (reintroduced to the carmaker’s lineup in 2008)

TWO TERMS, FIVE COURSES

A freeze on hiring is announced in light of a $3.5 million budget deficit.

Spring and summer session introduced with six-week intensive courses. SUB staff unionize.

Enrolment

$38.50 GENERAL FEES $400 INSTRUCTIONAL FEES $438.50 TOTAL

22,555

TOTAL STUDENTS

16,152 FULL-TIME STUDENTS 2,091 FULL-TIME GRADUATE STUDENTS 3,207 PART-TIME STUDENTS 746 PART-TIME GRADUATE STUDENTS 359 ATTENDING AT AFFILIATED INSTITUTIONS

On the airwaves

The World in 1971

3.7 billion

ESTIMATED WORLD POPULATION

Pierre Trudeau

CANADA’S PRIME MINISTER

Pierre Trudeau (52) marries Margaret Joan Sinclair (22) in a secret wedding, and on Christmas Day of that year, Justin Trudeau is born.

Richard Nixon

The first CANDU reactor begins operation at Gentilly, Quebec.

AMERICA’S PRESIDENT

Jim Morrison is found dead in a Paris hotel room.

Max Wyman

An Air Canada plane is hijacked and flown to Cuba.

U OF A PRESIDENT

FLQ terrorist Paul Rose is sentenced to life in prison.

Don McKenzie, ’69 BA, ’72 LLB

The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Chicago Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup.

STUDENT UNION PRESIDENT

On TV

On screen

All in the Family Mary Tyler Moore All My Children The Partridge Family

French Connection Shaft A Clockwork Orange Love Story

The Odd Couple

Straw Dogs

“Brown Sugar” Rolling Stones “If You Could Read My Mind” Gordon Lightfoot “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” Bee Gees “Maggie May,” Rod Stewart “It’s Too Late” Carole King

newtrail autumn 2011

1986

The MIR space station as seen from the departing space shuttle Discovery.

Eliza Barlow

of that year, 5,000 people flocked to the Dr. Verna Yiu, ’84 BMS, ’86 MD, will never University’s Butterdome for a forum and forget the day a young man with a mysterious inquiry into Canada’s defence policy and illness came into the Alberta hospital where nuclear arms. she was an intern. The 19-year-old patient An article in The Gateway advancing the was extremely sick with a rare form of forum said Edmontonians had been noted for pneumonia, but doctors were stumped as to “staying home in droves” during previous arms what the cause could be. “He was kept in an race demonstrations, and that the University’s isolation room and we all had to wear masks peace and disarmament club had only four when around him,” recalls Yiu. “We knew his immune system was depressed,” she continues, members in 1986. During the forum, guest David Suzuki—who once taught at the U of “we just didn’t know why.” A—cited both Chernobyl and Challenger as he Later, it was discovered that the sick man argued technology was out of control. had been infected with what was, in mid“Technology is totally out of control, human 1980s Alberta, a virtually unknown virus: HIV. control, and to speak as if we can control In retrospect, Yiu says, it seems silly to think of this by further technological devices simply the measures medical staff took to isolate the man, given what’s known now about how AIDS perpetuates a myth that we are in command of this technology,” said Suzuki. He went on is transmitted. But, at the time, they had no to blame human error for the Challenger and idea what they were dealing with. “It was one of the things I recall very vividly,” Chernobyl disasters. “No technology today is foolproof because no human being is not a says Yiu, who, 25 years later, is a respected fool at some time in their lives,” he said, while U of A professor, a pediatric nephrologist at also labelling nuclear weapons as “insane.” Stollery Children’s Hospital and interim dean Though Suzuki was already convinced of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. Though technology was out of control, U of A students every year is tumultuous in its own way, the in 1986 could scarcely imagine the gadgets class of 1986 graduated during one that was, that would be available to students 25 years perhaps, especially so—it was also the first later. Cellphones and computers still weren’t year that BAs and BScs took four years to commonplace. Yiu had to tote heavy medical complete rather than three. textbooks around in the era before laptops and Early in 1986, the space shuttle Challenger smartphones. “I used to get a lot of shoulder disintegrated just over a minute into its flight, pain from carrying my knapsack around,” she killing its seven-member crew that included schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. April brought recalls with a chuckle. However, the advent of personal the worst nuclear power plant accident in computers and technology at one’s fingertips history with the explosion and fire at the was already whispering in the wind. That year, Chernobyl nuclear reactor in the then-Soviet IBM released its first laptop computer, the Union (an event frighteningly re-enacted with PC Convertible ($1,995 US). The high-tech Japan’s recent Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power machine ran on batteries and weighed a lapPlant disaster). As the cloud of radioactive crushing 13 pounds (six kg). fallout spread across Europe, fear spread Closer to home, Alberta’s frenzied oil across the world. It was heightened by the boom of the 1970s was in the middle of a suspicion and distrust many felt toward serious bust; by mid-1986 the world price of Soviet leaders as the Cold War persisted, oil had plummeted below $10 a barrel. The still three years before the beginning of the crisis led to much uncertainty for 1986 grads Fall of Communism. who were looking toward careers in the oil “I remember a lot of anxiety—feeling and gas industry. Jeff Green, ’86 BSc(Eng), anxious and helpless,” says artist Christine counts himself one of the lucky ones. “It was a Koch, ’81 BA, ’86 BFA. Chernobyl, in really rough time to graduate,” recalls Green, particular, stirred up a swell of activism that now vice-president of production operations had been largely dormant. In November 32

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and administration for Perpetual Energy in Calgary. Although in December 1985, before he graduated, he’d been hired by Norcen Energy Resources. “Norcen hired 10 engineers that year and they stuck to their hiring and kept us on, whereas numerous other companies were saying, ‘Here’s a couple thousand bucks, don’t come.’” Green started his job in June 1986 and was only there a few months before layoffs started coming down that fall. “I was very nervous. I actually thought I’d be laid off.” Although Yiu has never faced the prospect of being laid off, she has faced her share of challenges over the last 25 years. When she started her medical career, her specialty— kidney transplants for infants—was really an experiment, she says, adding that patients were sent to Minneapolis for the transplants. “Now, not only do we do it in Edmonton, but the survival rate is really good.” Yiu feels th U of A’s medical curriculum has also improved. In her day, students would memorize every human body part for anatomy class. Today—100 years after the medical school opened—she says instruction is “systems-based.” For example, medical students study the heart and everything to do with the heart, then do the same with lungs and so on. “It’s much better,” she says, “more integrated, because there’s some form of context.” Yiu is looking forward to September’s Alumni Weekend for a chance to reconnect with some of her long-lost classmates, noting that in the era before Facebook or e-mail it was tough to stay in touch with anyone who moved away from Edmonton. “I haven’t seen many of my classmates for 25 years,” she says.

2011 1986 The University’s three main financial sources are provincial government funding, private sector donations and student tuition. Here’s how the government’s contribution compares to student tuition over the years.

2010-11 Fall/Winter (2 terms) Tuition/Fees

2010/11 Enrolment

$5,194.80 TUITION $904.02 MANDATORY

38,290

NON-INSTRUCTIONAL FEES

$6,098.82 TOTAL FEES

Government Funding (left bars) vs. Student Tuition (right bars)

TOTAL STUDENTS

29,100 FULL-TIME STUDENTS 5,964 FULL-TIME GRADUATE STUDENTS 1,844 PART-TIME STUDENTS 1,382 PART-TIME GRADUATE STUDENTS

U of A in 1986

1960/61

1970/71

$6,000,000

$50,098,000

PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTION

$2,049,000

$8,981,000

TUITION AND FEES REVENUE

RATIO OF APPROXIMATELY $3 IN PROVINCIAL FUNDING TO EVERY $1 COLLECTED BY TUITIONS.

RATIO OF APPROXIMATELY $5.6 IN PROVINCIAL FUNDING TO EVERY $1 COLLECTED BY TUITIONS.

1985/86

2009/10

$204,412,000

$581,038,000

PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTION

$29,802,000

$233,790,000

TUITION AND FEES REVENUE

RATIO OF APPROXIMATELY $6.9 IN PROVINCIAL FUNDING TO EVERY $1 COLLECTED BY TUITIONS.

RATIO OF APPROXIMATELY $2.5 IN PROVINCIAL FUNDING TO EVERY $1 COLLECTED BY TUITIONS.

Source: University of Alberta Financial Statements and Financial Information of Universities and Colleges. Government contribution includes the general operating grant/unrestricted funds. The U of A receives other government funding which is not included. Tuition for standard U of A bachelor of arts or science programs.

Tuition/Fees/Full-Time

Enrolment

TWO TERMS, FIVE COURSES

Major renovations begin for both the Arts Building and HUB. Peter Lougheed Scholarships (worth $5,000) established.

29,107

$978 TOTAL

TOTAL STUDENTS

Jen Johans photos

In-person registration of students ends as new telephone registration implemented—the first at a Canadian University.

$100 GENERAL FEES $878 INSTRUCTIONAL FEES

21,527 FULL-TIME STUDENTS 2,775 FULL-TIME GRADUATE STUDENTS 3,612 PART-TIME STUDENTS 1,098 PART-TIME GRADUATE STUDENTS 95 AUDIT STUDENTS

The World in 1986

On the airwaves

4.9 billion

ESTIMATED WORLD POPULATION

Brian Mulroney

The Soviet Union launches the Mir space station.

CANADA’S PRIME MINISTER

British surgeons perform world’s first triple transplant (heart, lung and liver).

Ronald Reagan

Internet Mail Access Protocol defined for e-mail transfer.

UNITED STATES PRESIDENT

Myer Horowitz

U OF A PRESIDENT:

Mike Nickel, ’89 BA, ’91 MA

STUDENT UNION PRESIDENT

At 20, Mike Tyson becomes the youngest heavyweight boxing champion in history.

The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo ’86, was held in Vancouver.

The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Calgary Flames to win the Stanley Cup.

On TV

On screen

Cheers Magnum, P.I. The Cosby Show Dynasty Family Ties starring Canadian Michael J. Fox

Top Gun Aliens Platoon Crocodile Dundee The Color of Money Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

“True Colors” Cyndi Lauper “Rock Me Amadeus” Falco “Kiss” Prince “Papa Don’t Preach” Madonna “Walk Like an Egyptian” The Bangles

newtrail autumn 2011

question period

Dan Riskin, ‘97 BSc Dan Riskin—award-winning bat biologist and TV scientist—talks with Brittany Trogen, ‘08 BSc, about how science led him to his dream job as the co-host of Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet.

DSG PHOTO

How did you get your start in science? I went to the U of A straight out of high school, and when I started I didn’t know if I wanted to study acting or physics. I figured you can always act in community theatre, but you can’t do community physics; so I made the decision to take more science classes. My first year at the U of A, I had this unbelievable zoology class with Reuben Kaufman, who’s a tick endocrinologist. He was so enthusiastic about the hormones in ticks that I was really entertained by his class, his passion and his excitement for the material. He really got me going down the scientific route. What made you decide to specialize in bats? I read a book in high school that planted the idea—a book called Just Bats by Brock Fenton, who is a famous Canadian bat biologist. It just captured that passion and excitement you get from doing the science rather than just reading the facts. When I finished reading the book, I wrote a letter to Brock Fenton and said, ‘I really admire your work and I’d love to work with you someday,’ and next thing you know I was a master’s student in his lab. I believe if you’re going to be doing science—or any kind of research—you have to be doing something that gets you out of bed every morning. For me, that thing was vampire bats. You’ve spent the past several years researching and teaching—how did you make the transition from lab scientist to TV host? A friend of mine recommended me to a production company looking for evolutionary biologists who could describe things with some flavour and who weren’t old men—I fit that description. Then that same production company produced 34

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Monsters Inside Me [on Animal Planet in the U.S.], and that show has done very well. As a scientist, I get to learn new things and tell people things they didn’t know before about the natural world. I’m very passionate about the scientific world. The TV gigs are about finding a funnel for that passion. Your TV work is really taking off, and soon you’ll be starting another new job as co-host on Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet—how do you feel about that? I feel a little bit like it’s too good to be true—I keep pinching myself. When I was doing my PhD, I got a bit of press for the work I was doing with vampire bats, and I was interviewed by Daily Planet. I remember thinking it was the ultimate compliment to my work to get the interest of that show. I’m so honoured by what a big deal it is to join their team. The analogy would be like if I joined the Oilers. I respect the institution so much that if I’m going to wear that jersey, I’m going to play my heart out. Jay Ingram [‘67 BSc, ’09 DSc (Honorary)] has been the face of Daily Planet for 16 years—since Discovery Channel’s inception in Canada—how does it feel to be stepping into his shoes? I have so much respect for Jay Ingram. He’s made the world a better place because of his work in science and television. When Daily Planet first came on the air in ‘95, I was still doing my undergrad at the U of A, and I remember someone saying while we were watching the show, ‘Did you know that guy went to the U of A?’ and I said, ‘No way! I go to the U of A!’ It just never occurred to me then I would be doing the job someday. I can get people excited about science relatively easily, I’ve been doing active research, I taught every year of my PhD

at Cornell. My hope is that viewers will see that I’m not trying to be Jay, but that I’m someone who’s trying to bring something new and different to the show. What excites you most about this new opportunity? There’s a need to make the scientific world accessible, and I think Daily Planet does that better than just about anybody. Fundamentally, science is a curiosity about the world, but there’s so much built up around the idea that science is a boring thing. Going to this bigger scale where I’m able to reach out to an audience of millions of people can make a fundamental difference to the future. If you get a high school student to think ‘Hm, science doesn’t look that boring,’ maybe you can get them working on climate change or habitat loss where they can make a really big difference. How did the U of A prepare you for where you are today? I didn’t realize how much of an advantage I had as a graduate of the U of A until I also had an Ivy League education from Cornell to compare it to. The research at the U of A is worldclass, and the teaching is absolutely fantastic. I think the passion I saw in Reuben Kaufman and in the other profs I had kindled a curiosity in me. I just continue to try to learn things and to share them with people, whether that’s in a classroom or on Craig Ferguson’s show. I’m really happy with where I am, and I feel lucky as all hell. Interviewer Brittany Trogen graduated with a molecular genetics degree and is co-founder and producer for the science communications company Science in Seconds Ltd., where she works to make scientific research accessible to the general public.

More Dan online at www.newtrail.ualberta.ca Q

Dan’s first show co-hosting Discovery Canada’s Daily Planet airs on August 29, 2011.

Did you know there’s an amoeba that can eat your brain? That there’s a parasite with an appetite for eyeballs? One part medical mystery, one part horror story, Monsters Inside Me explores the destructive—and often disgusting—effects of human parasitic infections and is not for the faint of heart. Watch an excerpt of the show, now airing on Discovery Science.

Watch a clip from one of Dan’s many visits to the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Follow Dan on Twitter. @riskindan

Visit Dan’s blog to read more about his research on his favourite under-appreciated animal—the bat. www.noctilio.com

Ever wonder what anti-matter is? Or how fusion is supposed to work? Brittany Trogen’s website, Science in Seconds, digs up the week’s latest science news and delivers it one video and blog post at a time. Learn more online. www.scienceinseconds.com newtrail autumn 2011

newtrail.ualberta.ca

trails

FOLLOWING THE FOOTS TEPS OF U N I V E R S I T Y O F A L B E R TA A LU M N I

Two Dollars Please: 2004, photograph and oil paint on canvas 24” x 36” (Cultural Memories and Imagined Futures: The Art of Jane Ash Poitras, a book by Pamela McCallum featuring 25 colour illustrations of Poitras’ work, was published by the University of Calgary Press in August.)

JANE ASH POITRAS, ’77 BSc, ’83 BFA, has a list of solo exhibitions that stretch back over a quarter century and have taken her around the world. Her work can be found in numerous public collections— such as the National Gallery of Canada, the City of Edmonton, the University of Alberta Hospital and the Royal Ontario Museum—and five universities including the U of A and Yale. A Cree Indian, Poitras was born in the northern Alberta community of Fort Chipewyan. She was orphaned at the age of six and, growing up in Edmonton, spent many hours drawing, colouring, cutting and pasting. However, despite her artistic leanings, she was persuaded by the woman who raised her to pursue a more pragmatic science degree. Later, while working as a microbiologist, she was encouraged by friends to present a portfolio of her artwork to the U of A’s Department of Art and Design. She was accepted into the program and, after graduation, went on to get a master’s degree in printmaking from Columbia University in New York City. Her work began to gain recognition even before her Columbia graduation. One of the prints she created for her master’s thesis was purchased by the Brooklyn Museum and featured in its “Tiffany Collection” that toured across Canada. Poitras’ work features elements of collage and painting, often referencing native history in an ongoing examination of the issues surrounding acculturation. She describes her style as “deconstructive, spiritual, political, non-political. It’s a little bit of everything, like chicken soup.” A longtime sessional lecturer for the U of A’s Faculty of Native Studies, Poitras has garnered numerous awards acknowledging her achievements including a 2006 Alumni Award of Excellence and, most recently, the 2011 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award. newtrail autumn 2011

trails

alumni events

ONGOING EVENTS IN EDMONTON TED Talks Spend an inspiring lunch hour with TED Talks when it returns the last Wednesday of each month starting September 28, 2011.

AROUND THE WORLD September 22, 2011 – New York Join other Canadians at the 19th annual Canadian Universities Alumni Reception.

Educated Luncheon Lecture Series Join us each month for this informative and engaging lunchtime lecture series beginning October 12, 2011.

September 24, 2011 – Seattle Meet up with people from other Canadian universities at the Canadian Consul General’s Office All-Canadian University Event.

Educated Image Beginning October 20, 2011, these monthly seminars will feature October 21, 2011 – Vancouver experts who will guide you through dining etiquette, dressing for Cash in your Bear Bucks for a chance to win exciting prizes at the annual Fun Casino Event. success and savvy networking. ALUMNI WEEKEND EVENTS - EDMONTON September 22 – 25, 2011 Get full Alumni Weekend event details at www.ualberta.ca/alumni/weekend. September 22 – 25, 2011 Lister Hall Alumni Chapter invites all present and former Listerites to drop by their booth in the Big Top Tuck Shop. September 24, 2011 Join Dental Hygiene alumni as they gather for their annual reunion—this year celebrating the 50th anniversary of the program. Register on the Alumni Weekend website. September 24, 2011 Fraternity and sorority alumni are invited to attend the Fraternities Alumni Chapter’s 2nd Annual Open House Reception & House Tours. Register on the Alumni Weekend website.

November 2, 2011 – Edmonton Join the Dental Hygiene Alumni Chapter at the Faculty Club for their annual Black & White Affair. For more information e-mail cristine.myhre@ualberta.ca. November 20, 2011 – Vancouver Don’t miss out on the annual tradition of Holiday Brunch at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. November 23, 2011 – Lethbridge Enjoy a gourmet dinner with fellow alumni while listening to an inspiring guest speaker at the Unique Experiences Dinner. November 24, 2011 – Edmonton Spend a Night at the Bookstore for discount shopping and holiday spirit. Check www.ualberta.ca/alumni/events for more details on these events as they become available.

THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION IN YOUR CITY The Alumni Association is planning networking parties, family activities, receptions and celebrations worldwide this fall and winter. Look for us in: Calgary Vancouver & Victoria

London Seoul

Toronto

Tokyo

Beijing

Seattle Los Angeles Houston

Hong Kong India Singapore

For more information about events outside of Edmonton visit us online, or e-mail john.perrino@ualberta.ca.

For more events and up-to-date information, subscribe to e-trail, the Alumni Association’s monthly electronic magazine, at www.ualberta.ca/alumni/e-trail. 38

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1. (L-R) Bryan Rittenhouse, ’76 BMedSc, ’78 MD; Jean Rittenhouse, ’75 BScPharm; Jeanette DeRosario, ’81 BSc(Special), ’87 MHSA; and Mike Marlow, ’75 BSc(Eng), are pictured in front of The Matterhorn while on tour with the Alumni Travel Program’s “Great Journey Through Europe.”

2. Phil Dixon, ’80 BSc(Ag), manager and co-owner of Sunfresh Farms, and Kevin Kossowan, ’99 BCom, mega-foodie and “urban homesteader,” presented opposing views on the local food wave at the Localvore’s Dilemma in April.

3. In June, alumni were treated to show-jumping excellence at the 16th Annual Alumni Dinner and Reception at Spruce Meadows.

4. Alumni enjoyed networking with U of A President Indira Samarasekera (fourth from left) at a cocktail reception in Toronto in June. Also in attendance was Alumni Association Executive Director Sean Price, ’95 BCom (first from left). 5. Over 300 young candy-lovers and their families took part in the Alumni Association’s 4th annual Easter-Egg Hunt in April.

6. The newest alumni from the Class of 2011 hammed it up in the Alumni Association’s convocation photo booth in June.

Management Programs University of Alberta | Faculty of Extension

Learn. Lead. Succeed.

Certificate Programs

Professional Development Series

Citation Programs

• Management Development • Human Resources Management • Information Technology Management • Risk and Insurance Management

Specialize in areas of specific interest:

• Supervisory Development • Business Analysis

Business Seminars

780.492.3116

Michael Kaye, ’88 BA, haute couture designer (left), celebrated the launch of his Bijoux Jewelry Collection on QVC with fellow alumni at a London cocktail reception in May.

• Workplace Communication • Financial Management • Workplace Coaching • Conflict Resolution • Management Bootcamp

www.extension.ualberta.ca/management newtrail autumn 2011

trails

classnotes

1930s &1940s

‘31 William (Bill) Kent, BSc(Eng), who studied at Old Strathcona High School before getting his engineering degree from the U of A, was celebrated as the oldest living graduate of his old high school in May. The 103-year-old engineering genius, who counts the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver as one of his best-known projects, was asked to reveal his secret to having a long life. Kent’s reply: “I’ve got a very simple answer. I’ve never smoked.” ‘40 Gordon McLure, BSc(Eng), wrote: “This year’s spring edition of New Trail (which I still read cover to cover) contained notes no earlier than ‘64. I should let you know that a few of us from the distant ‘40s are still active alumni, perhaps not accomplishing great things, but rather enjoying a pleasant life, due in great part to our fruitful years at the U of A.” Gordon goes on to say, “I still play a mean game of bridge several times a week. I’m also tutoring for Read Saskatoon, and last year was the first year that I was unable to match or better my golf score with my age (have done so ever since I reached my 71st year).”

1950s

‘55 Thomas Peacocke, BEd, ‘59 BA, was the recipient of the ATCO Gas Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement at the annual Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts held on April 11. He was recognized for his tremendous impact on Edmonton’s theatre scene and for shaping the careers of hundreds of actors. ‘56 Jack Calkins, BEd, ‘69 Dip(Ed), writes that the Victoria School Foundation for the Arts—which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year—has established the Jack Calkins Award to be given to the student who best combines athletic accomplishment with academic achievement. Victoria School is an Edmonton-based K-12 institution focusing on academics and the arts. The Foundation has an endowed fund that, to date, has awarded 131 scholarships totaling $283,500. ‘56 Leonard (Len) Maier, BSc(Eng), went to work for Halliburton after graduating from the U of A. Starting as a truck driver, Len eventually worked his way up to become president of the service company’s Canadian arm in 1973. He was promoted and transferred to Singapore in 1982, with responsibility for the management of Halliburton’s operations in 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and initiated the company’s entry into China when they first opened their doors to Western companies. 40

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In 1987, he was promoted to vice-president of International Operations, the first non-American to become an officer in the history of Halliburton. Unquestionably the most daunting task he was involved with was the leading role Halliburton played in the control of over 600 burning oil wells in Kuwait in the 1991 Desert Storm war. Len took early retirement in 1993 and returned to Canada where he established a technical and management consulting practice, assisting small Canadian companies become more prominent in the international petroleum industry. Today, he still pursues his hobby of running a tree farm near Calgary, which he established in 1978. ‘59 Lorraine Fiske (Soucy), BA, ‘73 BEd, of Edmonton, retired from teaching in 1988. Subsequently she worked in the career development field with Concordia College, and analyzed French resources for Alberta Education. In 1983, in an effort to find her roots, Lorraine started doing genealogical research and recently wrote a family history of her father’s line, the Soucys, entitled From France to America: Descendants of Jean Soucy dit Lavigne, Canada – United States 1665 – 2010. The book is available through fiskelorraine@hotmail.com. ‘59 Irving Kipnes, BSc(Eng), ‘09 LLD (Honorary), was recently appointed as the 25th Dr. Allard Chair in Business at Grant MacEwan University. Irving is the executive chair and director of Liquor Stores, North American Limited. He started his career as a chemical engineer for Imperial Oil before becoming president and CEO of North West Trust. With his wife, Dianne, ‘09 LLD (Honorary), he has contributed to numerous community initiatives through the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Foundation.

1960s

‘61 Juane Priest, Dip(Nu), ‘72 BEd, retired in June 2010 after 51 years as an educator. Juane taught student nurses at the University of Alberta Hospital for several years. After moving to Calgary and completing her master’s in education at the University of Calgary, Juane worked in the field of elementary education for 40 years, finally retiring as principal. She looks forward to travelling and doing some writing in her retirement. ‘61 Dale Birdsell, MD, won a lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons, presented at an international conference in Vancouver in early June. ‘62 Aileen Espiritu, MA, ‘99 PhD, was recently named the director of the Barents Institute in Kirkenes, Norway, which conducts multidisciplinary research in humanities and social and political sciences in the northern regions of Nordic countries and northwest Russia. Aileen is responsible for the Institute’s academic and administrative operations, focusing on cross-border research and studies, transnational relations, Northern politics, and regional development. ‘64 Lorne Tyrrell, BSc, ‘68 MD, was inducted into Canada’s Medical Hall of Fame. Regarded as one of the world’s most brilliant medical scientists, he is the director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology at the U of A, and he holds the Canadian Institutes of Health Research-GlaxoSmithKline Chair in Virology. ‘65 Myrna Kostash, BA, received the City of Edmonton Book Prize for Prodigal Daughter: A Journey to Byzantium.

‘65 Evelyn Abell, BEd, a high school English teacher, and husband Bob, ‘83 PhD, a science and computer specialist, were partners in Alphatel, a technology consulting business. In 1996, they moved to Ottawa and established Automated Learning, specializing in online courses focused mostly on technical topics. Away from education, they enjoy dancing and supporting Canada’s forests. They have two married children and two granddaughters. ‘66 Tom Radford, BA, and Niobe Thompson, co-founded Clearwater Media, an international documentary production company based in Edmonton. Their two-hour documentary special for The Nature of Things called “Tipping Point,” about the global hot-button issue that is the Alberta oil sands, won in the categories of direction, screenwriting and editing at the 2011 Alberta Film & Television Awards. ‘67 Michael Alexandruk, BEd, ‘73 BA, ‘76 Dip(Ed), of Fort Saskatchewan, AB, retired in 1994 after teaching for 31 years. Most of his career he taught science, social studies and mathematics at all grade levels. Michael also served as an assistant principal for 22 years at elementary schools in the County of Strathcona. Since retiring, he and his wife Olga, ‘69 BSc(Nu), ‘90 BEd, are enjoying time with their family, including four grandchildren. ‘68 Peter G. Kevan, MSc, ‘70 PhD, is now professor emeritus at the University of Guelph. He was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2009. He is active as the scientific director of the Canadian Pollination Initiative, a network linking about 50 scientists in some 30 institutions across Canada. Peter is also on the Executive Committee of the International Union of Biological Sciences through his chairmanship of the International Commission on Plant-Bee Relations, and maintains a research program in the North at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC). He continues to teach regularly with annual courses in pollination biology in Brazil, at the Missouri Botanic Garden, and at CNSC for Arctic & Boreal Entomology.

‘69 Arlene Ponting, BSc(Pharm), ‘95 PhD, is CEO of the Calgary-based non-profit Science Alberta Foundation, which recently had its short animated film Do You Know What Nano Means? nominated for a Webby Award. “This really puts us on the world stage and creates an opportunity to talk about the important work we are doing to promote science literacy,” says Arlene. “To be on a short list with the other nominees in our category means our digital resources are considered among the best in the world.” You can view the film on the organization’s website www.wonderville.ca.

1970s

‘71 Don Irwin, BPE, ‘74 MSc, and his wife, Carolyn, have been teaching in Fort St. John, BC, since 2003. Two of their sons also live there with four of their five grandchildren. They continue to be involved in the church and Don has also been involved in politics, serving on City Council. ‘72 Patrick Naughton, MSc, was appointed to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents by Governor Neil Abercrombie. ‘73 Doug Kellough, BSc, was recently installed as president of the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care for the 2011 – 2013 term at the annual meeting and conference in Toronto. ‘74 Lesley McDevitt, BEd, of Calgary, retired in 2008 after teaching grades 1 to 3 and working for many years as a school-based literary specialist for the Calgary Board of Education. Lesley enjoyed teaching and is now enjoying retirement by travelling, taking photos, reading, visiting friends and family, and volunteering. ‘74 Brian Sugiyama, BA(RecAdmin), recently retired after working for 35 years in the field of recreation for the City of Nanaimo, BC. Brian and his wife, Karen, are still living in Nanaimo, nearby their three children and three grandchildren. ‘74 Laurie Mireau, Dip(Ed), ‘76 MEd, ‘80 PhD, retired from education and is now a full-time visual artist who enjoys teaching, painting and drawing classes. Laurie paints in watercolour, oil and acrylic, and welcomes commissions. For more information on her work visit www.mireauart.com.

A new reason to choose The Banff Centre BANFF, CANADIAN ROCKIES Toll Free: 1.877.760.4595 E-mail: conferences@banffcentre.ca www.banffcentre.ca/conferences The Banff Centre has everything a meeting planner needs for success: exceptional value, outstanding service, and an inspirational new meeting facility - the Kinnear Centre for Creativity & Innovation.

newtrail autumn 2011

trails

classnotes

70s

‘75 Satish K. Tripathi, MSc, was appointed president of the University of Buffalo. He is the first non-American president in the school’s history. ‘75 Colleen Clarke, BA(RecAdmin), operates a small training, development and career counselling/coaching firm in Toronto. Colleen writes that as a trainer, speaker, columnist and coach she inspires individuals and groups to apply tools and strategies to move forward in their employment situations.

‘76 Aritha van Herk, BA, ‘78 MA, of Calgary, was selected to receive membership in the Alberta Order of Excellence, the Province’s highest honour. She was recognized for her significant contributions to Albertan and Canadian literature. ‘76 Helene Donahue (Tomusiak), BA, ‘80 MHSA, recently returned to Edmonton from Vancouver, to become program coordinator of the Alternate Relationship Plan Program Management Office at the Alberta Medical Association. Helene also reports that she is an avid member of the Victoria Business Women’s Golf League, attended the World Health Congress in Brussels, Belgium, in May 2010, and was a spectator at the Ironman Race in Kona, Hawaii, in October where she watched her daughter cross the finish line. ‘77 Beth Kope (Cummings), BEd, writes that she currently works as a disability resource advisor supporting students with disabilities at Victoria’s Camosun College. Beth also recently published a book of poetry called Falling Season about her mother’s rapid decline due to Lewy body dementia. Her mother, Lois Elaine Cummings (Grant), ‘50 BA, passed away in 2008. For more information on Beth’s book, visit www.leafpress.ca. ‘77 Agathe Gaulin, BA, ‘96 Dip(Ed), ‘00 MEd, reports she has been living in Comox, BC, since 2002. She pursued a career in adult education and consulting in organizational development, mainly with French-language communities in Western Canada. Agathe adds, “My passion lies in sailing, and I am now a certified ISPA sailing instructor.” ‘78 Randy Reichardt, MLS, was recently named 2011 Engineering Librarian of the Year by the Special Libraries Association based in Washington, DC. Randy, who is the first Canadian to receive the award, has worked as an engineering librarian in the Cameron Science & Technology Library at the U of A since 1983. He writes, “Receiving this award is an incredible honour, and I am very grateful to my colleagues throughout the association who nominated me. It is humbling to be recognized by my peers in the profession.” ‘78 Charlotte Nancy Love, BEd, ‘90 MEd, a mediator and author of books on leadership and conflict resolution, reports she is president of the People Using Language Skills Effectively Institute, a training and development company with offices and affiliates all over the world.

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‘79 Richard Bremner, BSc(Eng), and Clare Jarman, ‘79 BA, were married in 1982 and moved to Canmore, AB, in 1985. Richard established Bremner Engineering and Construction Ltd., completing numerous heavy civil construction projects throughout Alberta. Some of his work included the twinning of the TransCanada Highway between Banff and Lake Louise, the design and construction of animal overpasses and underpasses in Banff National Park and along the TransCanada Highway; and several bridge structures in Calgary and Canmore. Clare has worked for the Government of Alberta since 1979, spending the last 27 years as a probation officer for Banff and Canmore. ‘79 Rodney A. Jerke, LLB, formerly a lawyer and partner with Davidson and Williams LLP in Lethbridge, AB, has been appointed as a judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta. ‘79 Joyce Townsen, BEd, was awarded the 2010 Taylor Award as Corrections Canada Volunteer of the Year for her work as chair of Children Visiting Prisons-Kingston, Inc. This program involves setting up and maintaining play areas for children to enjoy while visiting with an inmate father in three of Kingston’s Correctional Centres, and supervising craft activities with community volunteers. ‘79 Anthony Turner, BSc, of Ottawa, writes that since graduating with a specialization in geography he has worked as a consultant in both the private sector and with the Federal Government. He is currently working for Environment Canada as the head of the Wetlands Office in the Canadian Wildlife Service. Turner is also a singer-songwriter and has recorded two CDs of his own music. While attending the U of A, Anthony married Sharon Reeves and they have a daughter, Andrea, who now lives in Toronto.

‘78 Elaine Pedersen, BSc(Nu), ‘92 MN, submitted this picture from the U of A’s Mixed Chorus’ 67th Annual Concert on April 2, 2011. Pictured are Robert de Frece, ‘69 BSc, ‘71 Dip(Ed), ‘75 BEd (celebrating his 25th anniversary of conducting the Chorus), flanked by Karin Pedersen, and her grandmother Muriel Hole, ‘47 Nursing (Dip), ‘48 BSc(Nu), who sang with the very first U of A chorus in 1944. Muriel’s husband, Harry Hole, ‘44 BSc(Eng), ‘05 LLD (Honorary), had a great laugh when, in one of the evening’s speeches, the first chorus was described as being comprised of a “motley crew” of singers.

1980s

‘80 Frank Albert, BA, ‘83 LLB, has been the Toronto head of the Alumni Association’s Faculty of Law Chapter for several years. He is a partner in Rosenbaum & Frank LLP, with offices in the Exchange Tower in the heart of the financial district. He and his wife, Mimi, have a three-year-old daughter, Emma. ‘81 Brian Vance, BSc(Eng), was recently appointed as Slave Lake’s chief administrative officer, which is the Alberta municipality’s highest administrative office. ‘82 Brian Ferguson, BSc, of Pasadena, CA, is an animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios whose hand-drawn artistry will be featured in the new Winnie the Pooh movie, scheduled for release this summer. His 30-year career with Disney includes work on many animated films, including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Chicken Little and Bolt. ‘84 Pat Ryan, BCom, has been working for the past 27 years as an IT project manager at Shell Canada. “I am divorced and have two great kids both in university. I love to golf and curl, and some of my favourite memories are of being involved with the U of A Dance Club,” writes Pat. ‘85 Catherine Wood, BCom, is working on her PhD in psychology and will complete it this year or next. She is a psychotherapist and coach in private practice in Toronto. Catherine has published a children’s book, half the net proceeds of which are donated to charities for children and animals.

‘86 Melody Davidson, BPE, Hockey Canada’s head scout for women’s national team programs, was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. As head coach, she led the Canadian Women’s National Hockey Team to gold medals at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and in 2006 in Turin, Italy. In January, she was named for a fifth straight year to the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity’s most influential women list. ‘86 Robert Bremault, BSc(Eng), says it is great to reconnect with the U of A Alumni and friends in Alberta. Since 1989, Robert has been working in California on global energy resource management, as well as “advancing hockey south of the border.” ‘86 Pamela Antoine, BSc(Nu), writes that she received a Fine Arts Certificate in 2010 and enjoys oil, pastel and watercolour painting. She is a grandmother to three granddaughters and is working full-time as a case manager with the Champlain Community Care Access Centre. ‘86, Rick Rogers, BSc, a painter, and his business partner Karen Bishop, a watercolour artist, realized a mutual long-time dream of opening an art gallery with the establishment of The Daffodil Gallery in Edmonton’s 124 Street gallery district in April 2011. Named for The Daffodil, a beloved old theatre in Bishop’s hometown of Cheltenham, England, the gallery welcomes both experienced and new art collectors. It features both established and emerging Canadian artists, representing a wide range of artistic styles, from traditional to contemporary. Visit The Daffodil Gallery online: www.daffodilgallery.ca.

1990s

‘90 Scott Rusnak, BA(RecAdmin), of Scottsdale, AZ, is creative director for Visimonde, Inc., a company specializing in online gaming. It was recently announced that Visimonde has partnered with the NHL to bring its game Rinksters, a hockey-themed virtual world aimed at kids six-to-12 years-old, to a wider audience. “Kids can log on, become a pro, and pretend they’re Jonathan Toews or Roberto Luongo…sort of in the mind of what kids might think it’s like to be an NHL star,” says Rusnak. A St. Albert, AB, native and long-time Edmonton Oilers fan, Scott was especially excited when the Oilers were the first to sign on to the beta version of Rinksters, a move that resulted in skyrocketing numbers of kids playing the game. For more information visit www.rinksters.com.

‘90 Clarke MacIntosh, BA, was recently appointed as national director for the Royal Academy of Dance. An accomplished pianist, he has also studied cello, French horn and voice. Previously, he was executive director of the Royal Conservatory of Music Examinations, a division of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada. ‘94 Shannon Enns, BSc, an ESL teacher in Vancouver, writes that she enjoys meeting people from all over the world. “It’s a great way to learn about cultural differences.” In her spare time, she enjoys kayaking, gardening and volunteering. Catherine reports her favourite U of A memory is of registration day because she was always so excited to get back to school. newtrail autumn 2011

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90s

‘95 Todd Babiak, BA, was shortlisted for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour for his book Toby: A Man. The $15,000 Leacock Medal is awarded annually to the author of the funniest Canadian book of the year.

Partners, the Awards celebrate the country’s most innovative and visionary young leaders.

‘95 David Fullerton, MSc, writes to say he is working as an industry liaison officer in technology transfer at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College.

‘98 Sheila Graham, BA, reports that she has started a new service writing eulogies, helping people either as part of their estate planning or during the stressful time before a funeral service. More information is available at www.crocodileink.com/lastwords.

‘96 Angela Santiago, BA, the CEO of the Little Potato Company in Edmonton, and Nicholas Johnson, ‘93 BCom, the managing director of corporate finance for First Energy Capital Corporation in Calgary, were recently recognized with Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Awards. Managed by the Caldwell

‘98 Jean Stringham, PhD, reports that her first novel for young readers, The Hoarders, was published in June 2010, and her second novel in the same series, Balance, was released in April 2011. Jean is employed as a professor of English at Missouri State University.

2000s

‘04 Yong Lu, MSc(Eng), writes to say he is working as an engineer for one of the engineering, procurement and construction companies in Edmonton. Yong has one child and enjoys outdoor activities. He says his favourite memory of the U of A is the old South Lab. ‘05 Christine Valdes, BSc(HEc), a Vancouver-based style consultant with expertise in fabric retail and personal shopping, recently had the opportunity to speak on the importance of dressing for success at a Microsoft conference in Seattle. For more on Christine’s style advice, visit her blog at www.goodtastestrikesback.com/blog. ‘06 Arlen Konopaki, BFA, was the recipient of the Northlands Award for an Emerging Artist given at the annual Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts held on April 11. ‘07 Tara Whitten, BSc, captured gold in the women’s omnium at the Track Cycling World Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, on March 27. ‘09 David Hayes, PhD, is currently a neuroscientist postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Mental Health Research. For more information see www.neuroscientist.ca. ‘10 Michael Mah, BSc, is currently living in Vancouver, taking a master’s of management degree at the Sauder School of Business. Michael reports that this graduate level degree will complement his studies at the U of A as well as his future studies in dentistry at UBC. Michael says, “The U of A has given me the skills to be adaptable in many environments.”

‘03 Sara Michel, BA, is back in Edmonton after eight years working with the Federal Departments of National Defense and Foreign Affairs, and the UN World Food Programme; master’s studies in International Affairs; fieldwork in Bolivia and Cuba with local NGOs; and travels from West to East, North to South, lavish lifestyles to mud huts. Currently, she works for the international development organization Development and Peace, promoting social justice locally and raising awareness about global issues. Sara was recently named the interim chair of a newly formed History & Classics Alumni Association, an honour she gladly accepted considering how foundational that program was to her career. “The historical perspective it gave to current social, political and global dynamics; the challenge of critical thinking; research and analysis skills; and the stimulating exchange with talented classmates and faculty were life-long skills that served as guardian angels and catalysts for my professional and academic career,” she says. Sara is happy to be working with the Association, whose goal is reconnecting with the alumni of the History & Classics Department. For more information, visit them on Facebook – UAlberta History & Classics Alumni Association or send them an email at uofahistoryandclassics@gmail.com.

Three alumni have recently been appointed to the Provincial Court of Alberta. Eric Brooks, ‘86 LLB, has been appointed to the Medicine Hat Provincial Court; Donald Higa, ‘79 BA, to Calgary Civil; and Susan Richardson, ‘87 BA, ‘08 MA, to Edmonton Criminal. 44

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They’re Back!

The reunited Male Chorus during one of their recent concert rehearsals. Front row (L to R): Rob Curtis (foreground); Richard Sadoway, ‘67 BEd, ‘73 Dip(Ed) (seated); Bob Patrick; Bill Cairns, ‘69 BSc, ‘75 MSc; Glen Neeser, ‘68 BA, ‘67 BEd; Dave Leigh, ‘68 BEd, ‘75 Dip(Ed). Back row (L to R): Bill Hibbard, ‘65 BSc(Eng), ‘72 MEng; George Traynor, ‘64 BEd; Harry Gaffney, ‘65 BSc, ‘68 LLB; Dennis Foth, ‘66 BSc, ‘68 MSc, ‘71 PhD; Bob Sadownik, ‘67 BA; Malcolm Robertson, ‘65 BEd, ‘71 BSc, ‘79 Dip(Ed); Bill Shymko, ‘71 BDes, ‘72 LLB; Malcolm (Mac) McPhee, ‘68 MSc; Brad Willis, ‘69 BA, ‘75 LLB; Helmut Nikolai, ‘65 BEd, ‘90 Dip(Ed). Behind the lens: John McEwen.

The men of the University Male Chorus are returning to campus after an absence of nearly 40 years. Founded in 1961, the Male Chorus was a fixture on campus through the ‘60s and early ‘70s. The Chorus travelled Alberta, visiting about 50 different communities on “Maytime in Alberta” tours arranged by then-conductor David Peterkin, supervisor of music for Alberta. Performing in schools, churches, community halls and banquet rooms, the men sang over 100 performances on the road and around Edmonton and campus. When not performing, the Chorus became a kind of musical fraternity for members who shared a lot of common social interests and activities. Unfortunately, the once-active chorus eventually faded away for want of a conductor. This year’s Alumni Weekend will see the return of at least 50 of the Chorus’ members to campus to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the group’s founding. While it was a challenge to find the living members of a group that saw about 200 men participate over the years, remarkably, many members

Whether you are trying to impress your boss or your in-laws these sessions will help you put your best foot forward in a variety of social situations. For more details or to register visit www.ualberta.ca/alumni/image or call 780-492-2515.

from across the country are expected to arrive for the first-ever reunion. And, even more surprisingly, more than half of the founding members are accounted for. In preparation for performing a concert at Convocation Hall during Alumni Weekend, the reunited members, now ranging between 60 and 85 years of age, have enjoyed rehearsing at home, or in groups in Edmonton, Vancouver and elsewhere since February. Thanks to modern communications, a website was created and podcasts were provided to help learn or re-learn the repertoire planned. Each month the Edmonton group has met twice, under volunteer conductor, Rob Curtis, ‘03 BMus, ‘07 MMus, to work hard at rebuilding

voices that have seen little use, while relearning the music and interpretation. To hear the results of the reunited Chorus’ hard work and meet the men, please join them during Alumni Weekend on Saturday, September 24 at 4:00 p.m., in Convocation Hall. They promise you a concert that you won’t soon forget. John McEwen, ‘64 BEd, ‘74 MEd, Chairman, U of A Male Chorus

October 20 Dining Etiquette ($65) Confused about which fork to use? Join us for a four-course meal at the Hotel Macdonald and come away with table manners that make you look savvy — not stuffy.

November 23 Dress for Success ($25) Maximize your first impression! Learn how to avoid the seven image breakers and pick up tips to dress appropriately for every situation.

December 1 Savvy Networking ($25) Get ready for the holiday social scene — learn how to connect with ease in any social or business situation and put these new skills into practice at our post lecture dessert reception. October 27 Fright Night Just in time for All Hallows Eve come explore some ghoulish films.

Our new Alumni Film Club at the Garneau Theatre (home to Metro Cinema) features independent & mainstream movies followed by thought-provoking discussions from filmmakers and experts.

November 17 Documentaries The U of A has produced some of the world’s finest documentary makers — enjoy films designed to educate and entertain. December 15 Christmas Special The most wonderful and hectic time of year. Take time to relax from all the hubbub!

$6 in advance, $10 at door For more details or to register visit www.ualberta.ca/alumni/film or call 780-492-6530. newtrail autumn 2011

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Dentistry Memory Lane The School of Dentistry recently hosted a small group of 1971 alumni who toured the halls of the old dent/pharm building and reminisced about class traditions, instructors, lectures, student lounge gatherings, and other experiences they had during their time at the U of A. Some said that while many things have changed, so much (on the surface at least) appears to be the same. Albert Hoh, ‘71 DDS, was among the group and when asked why he chose dentistry as a career he said, “Dentistry is in my blood.” Not only were Albert’s grandfather, father, two uncles and three cousins dentists, but Albert’s son is now a dentist, too.

From Left to right, John Richmond, Bob Provan, Carl Hensel, Terry Rawlyck, ’69 BSc, ’71 DDS, Don Graham, Albert Hoh, Tally Abougoush, and John Weisebeck, ’71 DDS. Missing: Joey Brown and Rolf Reichart, ’71 DDS.

Thoughts from others in the touring class: “I enjoyed the tour very much. It was nice to see Dr. Sperber. It was a very nostalgic and worthwhile experience.” Robert J. Provan, ‘71 DDS (Calgary) “A real trip down memory lane. It was a very emotional experience and quite something to see the areas where we spent four years together.” John Richmond, ‘71 DDS (Vancouver) “A sentimental journey. It was interesting to see how little things have actually changed over all these years.” Joey Brown, ‘71 DDS (Calgary) “It was touching to see the young students looking forward as we remembered backwards, to 40 years ago, and connected with the past: reminiscing about the times spent with classmates in clinic, intramurals, study groups, and parties; realizing the quality of the education we received at the U of A; remembering how beautiful the building was.” Don Graham, ‘69 BSc, ‘71 DDS (Qualicum Beach, BC) “The tour was very exciting. I saw where I spent time in my 4th year at the Restorative Clinic. I remember Dr. Walter Meyer shaking my hand. He did not call me Mr. Hensel—it was Dr. Hensel. It was great to see the students in their scrubs—the next group of dentists eager to join the best profession in the world. I enjoyed seeing the black and white squared tile floor, the pictures on the wall and all the great memories from 1967 to 1971.” Carl Hensel, ‘71 DDS (White Rock, BC) “The tour was the perfect way to start our 40th reunion weekend. The déjà vu moments were many, and unexpectedly still so vivid despite the passage of 40 years.” Tally Abougoush, ‘67BSc, ‘71 DDS (Calgary)

review Grey Matter Wool on Wolves Tom Reikie, ’07 BA, ’09 BEd; Gordon Brasnett, ’09 BSc; Brody Irvine, ’09 BSc; Kevin George, ’08 BCom; Eric Leydon, ’08 BSc(Eng) Independent Wool on Wolves has quickly positioned itself as the pride of the Edmonton music scene, and Grey Matter goes a long way to justifying that position even beyond the city limits. Loosely classified as an alt-country/folk album, Grey Matter has a lush, layered sound that will likely remind you of Wilco’s glory days. Running the gamut from the toe-tapping “Honeybee,” to fiddle-happy numbers like “Ain’t Seen Mississippi,” to the more thoughtful and wistful “Bird in the Bush,” whatever your mood, Grey Matter has something to offer you. Coming in at just under 60 minutes, this album can be a daunting listen for one sitting, 46

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especially with smouldering, slow-burning tracks like “Cocaine and Bellows” and “Red Roses.” Even so, the blending of raw, open emotion with obviously cultivated technical talent will build you up, tear you down, make your smile touch your ears, and greatly increase the amount you stare pensively out of rain-streaked windows. The most exciting thing about Grey Matter is the raised expectation of what Wool on Wolves’ future holds, having essentially

dared themselves to top what is already an impressive musical accomplishment. Reviewer Bob Evans, ’05 BSc, works as a user experience consultant with iomer Internet Solutions. He is known to have vocal opinions about music.

Online exclusive: Watch the music video for “Honeybee” on the New Trail website: newtrail.ualberta.ca.

ALUMNI AMBASSADORS

Volunteers giving their time and talent in support of the University of Alberta

Alumni can get involved and give back in many ways: • giving career advice • recruiting students • helping with Alumni Association events • giving back to the community through special projects To learn more about becoming an Alumni Ambassador contact Jennifer at 780-492-6530 or visit www.ualberta.ca/alumni/ambassador.

Awa

Prix d rded a bronze for Bes ’Excellen t Alum ni In ce by t

itiativ he Ca for the nadian Coun e Adv cil Educat ancement of ion in 2 011!

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in memoriam

The Alumni Association notes with sorrow the passing of the following graduates (passings occurred in 2011 unless otherwise noted) ’33 Joan Ruth M. Hargrave (McElroy), BSc, of Edmonton, AB, in June ’34 Alex Johnstone Hamilton, BSc, ’39 BCom, of Edmonton, AB, in March ’36 Lorna Lydia Park, BA, of Calgary, AB, in April ’37 Lee Anathalie Winnifred Taylor (Heath), BA, ’40 MD, of Victoria, BC, in March Margaret Jean Dawson, BSc(HEc), of Calgary, AB, in April Hazel Kathleen McVeigh (Trott), UAH(Nu), of Santa Monica, CA, in June ’38 Helen E. Maxwell (Aikenhead), BA, of Calgary, AB, in May ’39 Kenneth Kincade Balderson, BSc(ElecEng), of Magrath, AB, in March Sheila Crawford, BSc, of Calgary, AB, in April ’41 Isabelle Maclean English (Reesor), Dip(Nu), ’42 BSc(Nu), of Lacombe, AB, in January M. Hope Spencer, BA, of Comox, BC, in February Margaret Skead Small, BA, ’67 BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in April Roy Melvin Reynolds, BSc(Ag), ’43 MSc, of Airdrie, AB, in March Sheldon V. Donvito, BSc(ChemEng), of Rosemère, QC, in March Stanley Gordon Pearson, BSc, of Calgary, AB, in April Robert Guy Williams, BSc, ’43 MD, of Calgary, AB, in December 2010 ’42 Allan Henry Harrison, BSc(Ag), of Calgary, AB, in March Blanche Evelyn Boorman (Wallace), BA, of Rimbey, AB, in January Helen Elizabeth Amerongen (Fetherstonhaugh), BA, of Edmonton, AB, in May

’44 Patrick Henry Bouthillier, BSc(CivEng), of Edmonton, AB, in April Robert John Shaw, Dip(Pharm), of Surrey, BC, in May ’45 Beatrice Anne Rolf (Grant), BSc(HEc), of Edmonton, AB, in June Doris Elspeth Mackay, BSc, ’48 MD, of Victoria, BC, in January Raymonde Milner (Penrowley), Dip(Nu), of Seba Beach, AB, in April ’46 Dick Wytsma, BSc(ElecEng), of Nepean, ON, in March ’48 Robert Paul Kroetsch, BA, of Leduc, AB, in June Roy Ronald Spackman, MD, of Cardston, AB, in May Samuel Jonah Martens, DDS, of Calgary, AB, in May Theodor Khyam Shnitka, BSc, ’52 MSc, ’53 MD, of Edmonton, AB in June Violet Lesia Starck (Sollanych), BSc, of Calgary, AB, in May ’49 Ada-Jean Alice Droniuk (Kotch), BSc(HEc), of Calgary, AB, in May Donald Edward Brown, BEd, ’51 MA, of Calgary, AB, in April Harcourt Dudley Smith, BSc, ’64 BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in March Joseph Charles P. Falvo, BCom, of Edmonton, AB, in June Margaret Joan Andrekson (Weir), BA, of Edmonton, AB, in March Robert Bruce Bannerman, BCom, of Calgary, AB, in June Robert Franklin George, Dip(Ed), ’50 Dip(Ed), ’51 BEd, of Victoria, BC, in February Wallace Lorens Lindberg, BSc(MiningEng), of Edmonton, AB, in March

Bruce Douglas Owen, BSc(Ag), ’52 MSc, of Delta, BC, in May George Donald Kettyls, BSc, ’52 MD, of Vancouver, BC, in March Gordon Ross Raisbeck, BSc(ElecEng), of Belwood, ON, in May Henry Lewis Bertrand, BSc(ChemEng), of Rocky Mountain House, AB, in March Howard George Atkin, BSc(CivEng), of Edmonton, AB, in March John Russell Hemstock, BSc, ’52 MD, of Calgary, AB, in April Marion S. Clark, BCom, of Calgary, AB, in March Norman Peter Luyckfassel, BEd(IndArts), of Fort Saskatchewan, AB, in May ’51 Alan Ashton Covey, BA, ’52 LLB, of Edmonton, AB, in April Alexander Malycky, BA(Hons), ’52 MA, of Calgary, AB, in March Carl Henry R. Rolf, BA, ’52 LLB, of Edmonton, AB, in May Grant S. Devonshire, BSc, of Calgary, AB, in April John David Jantzie, BSc(Ag), of Ponoka, AB, in June John Wilbur Freeland, BA, ’52 LLB, of Peace River, AB, in March Kathleen Mary Bailie (McKnight), Dip(Nu), ’52 BSc(Nu), of Calgary, AB, in June Thomas William Laviolette, BSc(CivEng), ’54 MSc, of Canmore, AB, in April William Almas Linke, BSc, of Danville, CA, in March ’52 Avis Mary Gallagher, Dip(Nu), of Vancouver, BC, in April Clarence David Kent, BSc(PetEng), of Vancouver, BC, in March

Marvin Gehman Fowler, BA, of Duncan, BC, in April Michael Shysh, BSc(Pharm), of Vilna, AB, in June ’53 Helen Levasseur, BSc(Nu), of Edmonton, AB, in March ’54 Lina Gaudette, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in March Nick Tkachuk, Dip(Ed), ’65 BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in May Rita Marion Haggarty, Dip(Ed), of Edmonton, AB, in April Victor Laskosky, BEd, of Camrose, AB, in March William Pritchard Hanna, DDS, of Calgary, AB, in March ’55 James Milton Stewart, BSc(PetEng), of Calgary, AB, in April John Nelson Chappel, BA, ’60 MD, of Reno, NV, in March Joyce Gertrude Lorenzo (Schon), BSc(HEc), of Pittsford, NY, in March Michael Francis McInerney, BA, ’56 LLB, of Gunn, AB, in April Sylvia G. Smith, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in April Tadao Tsuyuki, DDS, of Coquitlam, BC, in February William Robert Bishop, BSc(CivEng), of Edmonton, AB, in June ’56 Jean Ashmore Hudson (Young), ’56 BEd, ’63 MEd, of Clithero, UK, in November 2010 Arnold Lloyd Smith, DDS, of High River, AB, in March George Lyle Brown, BSc(CivEng), of Calgary, AB, in May John H. Terfloth, BA, of Victoria, BC, in April

Norman Belding MacIntosh, BCom, of Kingston, ON, in May ’58 Alna M. Dibble, BEd, of Calgary, AB, in April Gerald Carr, BCom, of Edmonton, AB, in June ’59 Lloyd W. West, BEd, ’62 MEd, ’68 PhD, of Red Deer, AB, in June ’60 Alex Leonty, BEd, ’76 Dip(Ed), of St. Paul, AB, in June Barbara Rothe, Dip(RM), of Edmonton, AB, in June George Mervyn Lloyd, BA, of Qualicum Beach, BC, in January Ivan Frederick Kraemer, BSc(CivEng), ’62 MSc, of Blaine, WA, in February ’61 Johan Frederik Dormaar, PhD, of Lethbridge, AB, in February Lawrence Walter Yuzda, BA, ’64 LLB, of Calgary, AB, in May Shirley Ione Anholt (Hay), Dip(Nu), of Calgary, AB, in June ’62 Joffre Pomerleau, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in June Josephine Anne Wigmore (Middleton), Dip(Nu), of Edmonton, AB, in May Karen Elizabeth C. Austin, BA, of Vancouver, BC, in April William B. Werstiuk, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in March ’63 Eric Howard Abell, BPE, ’68 MA, of Saanichton, BC, in March Gary Robert Gay, BEd, ’76 PhD, of Calgary, AB, in March Jennie Stogre, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in March John W. Peach, MEd, ’70 PhD, of Victoria, BC, in March

’43 Bernard Edward Riedel, BSc(Pharm), ’49 MSc, of Vancouver, BC, in April Margie McCrea, BSc, of Camrose, AB, in May

William George Brander, BSc(ChemEng), of Edmonton, AB, in April ’50 Alton G. Craig, BSc, of Mississauga, ON, in April

Emma Morrison, Dip(Ed), of Calgary, AB, in May Eva Myrtle Foster, Dip(Ed), of Calgary, AB, in May

Oskar Retzer, MD, of Calgary, AB, in June ’57 Nestor John Svarich, BSc, of Calgary, AB, in June

Otto Bergen, BSc(CivEng), of Edmonton, AB, in February ’64 John William Ferbey, BEd, ’79 MEd, of Whitehorse, YT, in November

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Robert Edward Garland, MA, of Lower Greenwich, NB, in May Wendell L. Lund, BSc(Ag), of Canmore, AB, in March ’65 John Lorne Dea, BA, ’74 Dip(Ed), of Edmonton, AB, in June R. David Michelsen, BEd, ’72 MEd, of Edmonton, AB, in March Trevor Wriglesworth, BSc, of Calgary, AB, in June Zoria Fedoretz, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in May ’66 David Samuel Matheson, BSc(CivEng), ’68 MSc, ’72 PhD, of Calgary, AB, in June June Allison Wein, BEd, ’67 Dip(Ed), of Edmonton, AB, in May Keith Crampton Campbell, BEd, ’71 Dip(Ed), of Edmonton, AB, in March Margaret Hazel Joan McNeice, Dip(Nu), ’69 BSc(Nu), of Edmonton, AB, in April Marion Edith Florence, BSc, of Turner Valley, AB, in May Murray Edmund Mickleborough, DDS, of Saanichton, BC, in June Sandyne Marguritte Terriff, BEd, of Surrey, BC, in May ’67 Ellory Catherine L.Santarossa (Yurchuk), BPE, ’92 Dip(Ed), of Sherwood Park, AB, in June Frank Edwin Neid, BEd, of Lethbridge, AB, in April Gerald Irving Neave, BSc(CivEng), of Tofield, AB, in April Maria Hermina Lock, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in March ’68 Donald John Makar, MD, of Edmonton, AB, in June Betty-Lou McCulloch (Hope), BA, of Edmonton, AB, in March Gwen Elizabeth Durand (Quebec), BA, of Calgary, AB, in May

’69 Anita Mae Oluk, Dip(Nu), ’72 BSc(Nu), of Edmonton, AB, in April Edmund J. Welland, MSc, ’73 PhD, of Dartmouth, NS, in April Lewis Torok-Both, BEd(VocEd), ’76 MEd, of Edmonton, AB, in March Mario R. Galanti, DDS, of Calgary, AB, in March Muriel Eleanor Knowlton, BEd, of St. Albert, AB, in June Randall Lane Antoniuk, DDS, of Edmonton, AB, in June Robert Charles Edwards, BCom, ’78 MBA, of Edmonton, AB, in April Terumi Edward Nakamura, BA, of Edmonton, AB, in February ’70 John Cyril A. Koziak, BSc, ’74 DDS, of Edmonton, AB, in April John Maitland Murphy, BA, ’71 Dip(Ed), of Edmonton, AB, in February Mary K. Frances Batiuk, BEd(VocEd), ’79 BA, of Edmonton, AB, in March Raymond Frank Allore, BEd(VocEd), of Edmonton, AB, in May Robert Donald Motiuk, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in May ’71 Dennis M. Batiuk, BEd, ’75 Dip(Ed), of Provost, AB, in March Lynn Marie Cote, BSc(Nu), ’98 MNu, of Edmonton, AB, in June Norman Frank Gaelick, MEd, of Edmonton, AB, in April Ricky David Holmberg, BSc, of Edmonton, AB, in April Roderick Gladstone Nagina, BSc, of Sherwood Park, AB, in June ’72 Doris Severyn, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in March John M. Wampler, BEd(VocEd), of Edmonton, AB, in March

’73 Edith Eleanor Dayton, BEd, of Camrose, AB, in May Jean Victoria Elchuk, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in May Laurie J. Cooper, BA, of Edmonton, AB, in April Randolph John Palivoda, BA(Hons), ’74 MA, of Spruce Grove, AB, in June ’74 Ray Merrit Waters, BEd, of Fairview, AB, in January ’75 Charles Edward Gourlay, BEd, of Kamloops, BC, in June John A. Brownlee, BSc, of Calgary, AB, in April Maria Anna M. Weiss, BEd, ’82 MA, ’95 PhD, of Nepean, ON, in February Marion Beate Vosahlo (Nicely), BA, of Edmonton, AB, in March ’76 Marc Joseph Parent, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in March ’77 Lonnie Gordon Wong, BSc(Spec), of Calgary, AB, in May Russel Allen Paul, BCom, of Westlock, AB, in April Wendel Robert C. Walker, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in February ’78 Janice Lynn Thompson (Waite), BMus, of Calgary, AB, in June Joyce Carol Elaschuk, BSc, of Smoky Lake, AB, in June Michael James Nesbitt, BA, of Edmonton, AB, in June ’79 Barbara Carol Corbett, BEd, ’94 Dip(Ed), of Edmonton, AB, in April Holly Anne Day, BA, ’85 BSc(Spec), of Hinton, AB, in March Mary Whitelaw Grumbly, BA, of St. Albert, AB, in April Richard Kent Williamson, BCom, of Calgary, AB, in March

’80 Barrie William Robinson, PhD, of Abbotsford, BC, in March Ian Clifford Hackett, BCom, of Calgary, AB, in May Kenneth Joseph Griffin, BSc, ’87 BSc(SpecCert), of Calgary, AB, in May Elizabeth Ganton, BEd, of Vermilion, AB, in May John Allan Stadelman, BA, of Medicine Hat, AB, in April ’81 Leonard Adolf Klingbeil, BSc(CivEng), of Edmonton, AB, in May Nellie Anne Fersovitch, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in May ’82 Elizabeth Christine Francis (Wyntjes), BSc(Nu), of Viking, AB, in April Margery Alice Fenske, Dip(Nu), of Edmonton, AB, in March Sharon Marianne Service, BEd, of Calahoo, AB, in March ’83 Gladys Paula Kramer (Fiddes), BSc(Nu), of Edmonton, AB, in April Judith Colette Oman, BSc(OT), of Calgary, AB, in March ’84 Elsa Barretto Sartin, BEd, of Stony Plain, AB, in May Helen Maria M. Hohmann, BEd, ’91 Dip(Ed), of Edmonton, AB, in June Jacqueline Yvonne M. Girouard, BA(Spec), ’86 MLS, of Edmonton, AB, in February Robert Dale Kozniuk, BCom, of New Westminster, BC, in March ’85 Richard James Van Dewark, BA, of Calgary, AB, in June Nancy Aikman, MLS, of Edmonton, AB, in May Timothy Grant Becker, BCom, of Edmonton, AB, in April ’87 Audrey Marie Stechynsky, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in April

James Frederick Horen, BEd, ’75 BA, of Westbank, BC, in February Patrick William Johnston, BA, ’68 BEd, of Sherwood Park, AB, in March

Reginald Chris Klem, BEd, of Calgary, AB, in April Robert Basil Layton, PhD, of Ottawa, ON, in April

Sheree Ann Frappied, BEd, ’03 MA, of Edmonton, AB, in May Timothy James Beechey, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in May

’88 Corinna Marie Maryniak, BSc(HEc), of Edmonton, AB, in May Hugh Spurrell Evans, BA, of Edmonton, AB, in April

John Henry O’Mahony, BEd, of McLennan, AB, in December 2010 ’90 Kenton Fredrick Phimester, BSc, of Edmonton, AB, in March Michele Anne Muench, BEd, of Calgary, AB, in April ’91 Douglas Steven Debrinski, BA, ’95 LLB, of Edmonton, AB, in April ’92 Judith Anne Laviolette, BA, of Edmonton, AB, in May ’94 Frank Wernher Barresi, PhD, of Muscatine, IA, in April Martin Emil Schug, BA(Spec), of Edmonton, AB, in April ’95 Ferdi Frances Neuman, BA, of Halifax, NS, in June Jeffrey Dean Beitel, BSc(Pharm), ’99 BSc(Spec), ’04 MD, of Edmonton, AB, in June ’96 Micheline Sylvie Gravel, BA, ’97 MA, of Edmonton, AB, in April ’99 Stephen A. Edmond, BCom, of Spruce Grove, AB, in April ’01 Cherylee Winter, BSc(Nu), of Grande Prairie, AB, in February ’02 Bobby Singh Dosanj, BCom, of St Albert, AB, in April ’05 Ailish Ruth O’Connor, BCom, of Edmonton, AB, in April Jeffrey Charles Taylor, BA, of Torrance, CA, in June Robert Scott Day, BCom, of Sherwood Park, AB, in May ’06 Cayley Denise Woodhead, BEd, of Sherwood Park, AB, in June

Submit remembrances about U of A graduates by sending a text file to alumni@ualberta.ca. Tributes are posted on the “In Memoriam” webpage at www. ualberta.ca/alumni

newtrail autumn 2011

photofinish

Credit: Jeff Stansbury, “On Target: Flight of Second U.S. Astronaut,” Amerika Illustrated, December 1961. To see more Cold War images visit New Trail online.

Blast Off It’s been 50 years since the first human space flight—a triumph of science, engineering and imagination. This year’s Alumni Weekend—taking place from September 22 to 25—takes as its theme the era that ushered in the atomic age with its fascination for space, the men who first explored it and the headlong competition between two nations to exploit it. Trevor Rockwell, ’11 PhD, recently presented a paper titled, “They May Remake Our Image of Mankind: Representations of Cosmonauts and Astronauts in Soviet and American Space Propaganda” at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Rockwell’s research examines Soviet Life and Amerika Illustrated, two propaganda magazines distributed in the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He

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compares official Soviet and American depictions of space exploration and how the Cold War competition gave way to the spirit of cooperation in space. Rockwell also recently presented a lecture titled “From Hysteria to Handshake: Peace and Progress in American and Soviet Space Propaganda” at the Alumni Association’s Walter Johns Circle. This image, taken from Amerika Illustrated—the Russian-language propaganda magazine that the United States government distributed in the Soviet Union during the Cold War—shows members of the American and world press viewing the launch of Virgil “Gus” Grissom, the second American astronaut launched into space from Cape Canaveral, FL, on July 21, 1961. Jennifer Jenkins, ’95 BEd

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