Alumni matters CLASS NOTES
1940s
David (Dave) Thompson, DVM ’42, reports he is “happy and healthy,” having celebrated his 100th birthday last year. He enjoys reading OVC’s Crest news and keeping updated with other alumni.
1960s
John (Ross) Knechtel, B.Sc. (Agr.) ’67, is an active member of the Guelph Wellington Seniors Association and an advocate for mental health support in Guelph.
1970s
Rugby player Britt Benn, BA ’14, has qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She was a member of the bronze medal-winning 2016 Canadian Olympic team.
Lawrence Cornett, BA ’70, retired to Prince Edward County after a career in education paralleled with journalism. He is a volunteer with the Regent Theatre, Prince Edward Memorial Hospital Association and the new Probus (pecprobus.org) as photographer.
Lynda Macdonald, BLA ’80, was inducted into the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (Don Wuori, BLA ’78, was also inducted posthumously). Macdonald is the director of community planning for the City of Toronto, Toronto/East York District.
1980s
Leonard (Mike) Wallace, BA ’87, is the new executive director of the London Development Institute in London, Ont.
David Calder, BA ’82, has been named city manager for Cambridge, Ont. Previously, he was chief administrator for the Town of Tillsonburg, Ont. Patrick Dowds, BA ’88, retired following a 30-year teaching career and now plays guitar and sings for a local band called Fire When Ready, which plays gigs all over the GTA.
Anne Marie Taylor, DVM ’81, recently retired and returned home in Nova Scotia, having fun exploring the vibrant local food and wine scene. Travelled this winter in Cambodia and Vietnam, including an unplanned and unexpected overlap with the 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit.
1990s
Tara Holland, B.Sc. ’97, M.Sc. ’05 and PhD ’14, is an environmental science professor at Simon Fraser University who overcame great adversity, including battling breast cancer, to win the 2019 Squamish 50K trail race.
David Giuliano, BA ’82, M.Sc. ’94, is a pastor and author. His latest book is It’s Good to Be Here: Stories We Tell About Cancer. He lives on the north shore of Lake Superior in Marathon, Ont., and was the 39th moderator of the United Church of Canada. www.davidgiuliano.ca 34 | PORTICO Fall 2019
Tania Davies, B.A.Sc. ’97, has been accepted into the vice-principal pool at the London District Catholic School Board. She lives in London, Ont., with her husband, two children and two dogs. Kelly Thornton, BA ’90, served as the artistic director of Nightwood Theatre in Toronto for 18 years and is now the first woman to serve as artistic director of the 60-year-old Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.
Darren Long, BA ’98, is vice-president of sales with Guildhall Wealth Management. He and his wife, Megan, like attending alumni events and sharing U of G memories with their three children, the oldest of whom they hope chooses to attend U of G to study science or engineering. Darryl Huard, B.Sc. ’91, has been appointed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to work with Venezuelan refugees and migrants in northern Brazil.
2000s
Moulika Sharma, B.Eng. ’17, is a project coordinator and health and safety captain for GHD Ltd. in Toronto and a language instructor for newcomers to Canada, and was a national finalist in the Miss Universe Canada pageant, held this past August. “U of G helped me develop skills that I continuously hone and utilize in both personal and professional development. I am proud to say I am a U of G engineering alumna and will forever be a Gryphon.”
PHOTO (BOTTOM RIGHT): SHOOT ME STUDIOS
David Whittington and Cora Whittington, B.Sc. ’72 and B.A.Sc. ’74, respectively, were inducted into the Peterborough Agricultural Wall of Fame in Peterborough, Ont.