Alumni News

Notes on the milestones and achievements in the lives of our alumni. There are plenty of ways to stay in touch! www.utsconnect.ca

alumni@utschools.ca @utschools @utschools / @rosemary_evans @utschools

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Monica Biringer ’78 has been appointed a Judge of the Tax Court of Canada. A partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, she most recently served as Co-Chair of Osler’s National Tax Group. Monica joined UTS among the very first girls admitted to the school, and since then has given back generously to the school, helping lead the First Girls Initiative, as a Co-Chair of the Building the Future Campaign, and as a former Chair of the UTSAA Board of Directors. Madame Justice Biringer is also a recipient of the H.J. Crawford Award.

Amazing news about Jill Presser ’87, P ’17, ’21 – make that Madame Justice Presser – she has been appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario. Principal lawyer at Presser Barristers in Toronto, her work focuses on appellate criminal defence, mental health, artificial intelligence, and more. Paid sick days, variants, an equitable and impactful vaccine rollout, and more: Dr . Darrell Tan ’94, an infectious diseases physician and clinician-scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital was featured on CTV News in the spring about mitigating COVID-19 transmission. Darrell also secured a $1-million Canadian Institutes of Health Research COVID-19 grant for clinical drug trials, which will look at whether HIV drug Kaletra could be useful against the virus.

Ezra Moos ’20 is pursuing his dream to play college basketball at the University of Chicago. He says: “I would not be pursuing this dream without all of the help from peers, friends, teachers, and coaches at UTS. I am forever thankful for my time at UTS.”

// Research published by Dr . Elizabeth C . Turner ’83

describes what may be the oldest fossil evidence of animal life reported to date. The microscopic sponge-like structures from the Northwest Territories’ Mackenzie Mountains are approximately 890 million years old, several hundred million years older than what had previously been discovered. Elizabeth is an Earth Sciences (geology) professor at Laurentian University in Sudbury. The controversial findings were published in the journal Nature and featured in the global media. She is also the recipient of the 2020 Howard Street Robinson Medal in Precambrian Geology from the Geological Association of Canada. Here she is pictured working on Nunavut’s Baffin Island.

// Six UTS alumni were involved at all levels to create a thing of beauty: Opera Atelier’s tour-de-force film, Handel the Resurrection, which was released this spring. Ballerinas Rebecca Moranis ’16 (on the right of this image, second from the front of the photo) and Cynthia Smithers ’06 (first left in the front row) danced and wielded swords. The fight sequence in this picture was created by Fight Director Jennifer Parr ’79 and the Conductor/Musical Director for the piece was David Fallis ’73, P ’02. Behind the scenes, UTSAA Board Members Laura Money ’81 and Mark Opashinov ’88

sit on the Opera Atelier Board. So many UTS alumni coming together to result in a majestic work of art.

Photo by Bruce Zinger; Costumes by Michael Legouffe; Sets by Gerard Gauci; Make-up designed by Barbara Szablowski

IN THE NEWS

Chair of the UTS Board of Directors and the Building the Future Campaign Jim Fleck C .C . ’49, P ’72 was featured in the Director Journal. The article highlighted his expansive business career and his many leadership roles including founding president of The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, past chair of Business / Arts, Art Gallery of Ontario, Canadian Museum of History, and Canadian War Museum, former director of the Banff Centre and Harbourfront Centre, and Institute of Corporate Directors Fellow. “I get things done,” he says. That’s for sure!

Susan Opler ’79, P ’14 was on CBC News this April as her role as Toronto’s Ombudsman was given the power by Toronto City Council to review police procedures and programs. “This is a groundbreaking step in independent, local police accountability on behalf of the people of Toronto,” she told CBC. In July, she retired after five years in the role. The Brood X cicadas were coming and UTSAA Board Director and entomologist Jessica Ware ’95 as assistant curator in invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History became a media darling, appearing on various news spots. On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, she did her best to enlighten the Uninformed Correspondent, Bootsie Plunkett, about these cicadas and other bugs with a hilarious visit to the American Museum of Natural History.

Lawyer Jeff Carolin ’00 represented the Black teenage victims in the ‘Neptune Four’ case in Toronto, where two police officers were found guilty of misconduct for accosting the teens in 2011, and sentenced to a combined 15 days without pay, which he called inadequate. “I don’t think it’s serious enough to actually deter this kind of conduct in the future,” he told CBC News in May. He and his clients were also disappointed by the finding that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate racial profiling. With her business Grape Witches, Nicole Campbell ’05 and co-owner Krysta Oben created a decolonized and natural wine boutique accessible to women, and are also working to ensure Black, Indigenous, and people of colour can become sommeliers through a scholarship program. They were recently featured on CBC News.

Photo by Lindsey Levy Photo by Arden Wray ’07

Simu Liu ’07 told Variety Magazine the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is “truly going to change the world.” The movie we were all waiting for was welcomed with rave reviews at its world premiere August 16 in Los Angeles, with the full release in the US and Canada in September. He opened up to Maclean’s and Star Cineplex Magazine about his

role in Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the importance of representation on the big screen and beyond.

“It was pretty incredible seeing my action figure and realizing as I held that figure in my hand just how few people who look like me have ever had that opportunity,” he says. “And how many kids who were like me growing up, who were deprived of being able to play with those figures and seeing themselves represented. [...] It’s incredible.”

The Triple-Layer X-STATIC® Mask, produced by Xenia Chen ’10 and her company Threads, was featured as one of the top wellness products in 2021 on Cityline. Read more about her business transformation into masks in the Fall 2020 issue of The Root.

Vancouver nurse Winnie Cheng ’11 was featured in the cover story of the Sunday New York Times in June, “The Cost of Being an ‘Interchangeable Asian.’” She told the Times about how she has repeatedly been referred to by the name of another hospital worker of Asian descent, and how a physician she had worked with for years had called her by the wrong name. “You can see how that accumulates over a lifetime of work,” Cheng told the Times. “Four years in, they don’t know my name.”

Photo by Jackie Dives

Data scientist/ journalist Edward Tian ’18 earned a Toronto Star byline as a contributor to an article about the misinformation movement.

Class of 2021 Co-Valedictorian Shuruthi Sivadas ’21 spoke to The Globe and Mail about the challenge many teenagers faced in securing summer work opportunities: “It’s been super difficult because a lot of the places hiring were looking for a university summer that runs May to August. A lot of the things that are open to teenagers aren’t necessarily going to operate.”

AWARDS

Dr . Ron Ellis Q .C . ’52 was recognized for his exceptional career achievements and contributions to his communities with a Law Society Medal in 2020, for his work as a leader in administrative law, teacher and mentor, adjudicator, and tribunal administrator. He has spoken and written extensively about administrative justice systems.

Kudos to Kevin Keystone ’03 for winning a Simon Rockower Award for Excellence in Jewish Journalism from the American Jewish Press Association for his series in the Jewish Independent on his hike through the West Bank, Palestine. He also started a master’s in Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School this fall, and is engaged to be married to his fiancé, Aaron Sanderson!

Taylor ShirtliffHinds ’17 won the Harvard University Bowdoin Prize for Undergraduate Essay in the Natural Sciences for her essay entitled, “Troublesome Teenagers: Developing an Experimental Paradigm to Quantify Socially Mediated Alcohol Consumption in Juvenile Mus musculus.” Established in 1791, this award’s previous recipients include philosophers, novelists, and historians.

Martine Duffy ’17 was awarded the John Golden Prize for Playwriting, given to a graduating student of the Dramatic Writing Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Jay McGregor ’20 won the Best Alumni Story award from Interactive Schools for his “In Conversation” video series, produced on behalf of our school, in which he interviewed members of the UTS community about the importance of the arts and humanities.

LITERARY

Human activity means that birds are disappearing at an alarming rate. Flight from Grace: A Cultural History of Humans and Birds, a new book by Richard Pope ’60, asks the perplexing question of why we damage the environment?

// Robert Mackle, who taught geography and other subjects at UTS from 1988 until 2011, and whose spouse Kate Tiley was a UTS French teacher for 25 years and sadly passed away in 2018, curated an exhibit called Afterlife in the Crucible Gallery this summer, which he co-owns in Powell River, BC. The exhibit features the work of those who have gone too soon, including paintings and drawings by Kate.

Rev . Dr . Ross Bartlett ’75 has just published Gathered for Preaching: A Sourcebook for Lay Leaders and Clergy with the United Church Bookstore. Ross is the United Church Formation Director at the Atlantic School of Theology. His previous books include: On Holy Ground: You and Your Faith Story (Wipf and Stock, 2017) and Speaking Church: A New Vision for the Sub/Urban Church (Wipf and Stock, 2019).

ALUMNI VISITOR

Claire Peng ’12 shared her experiences in the fashion design world with Charlie Pullen’s M4 (Grade 10) Visual Arts class, presenting her portfolio and discussing experimentation during her MA Fashion at Central Saint Martins and in her current work at Burberry. This is a picture of her designs.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PINK PANEL

Several alumni attended a virtual panel hosted by UTS Parents’ Association for the International Day of Pink, discussing how parents can support their children who identify as LGBTQ2SI+ or who are allies of this community. Panelists included Donald Ainslie ’84, former principal at University of Toronto’s University College and a University of Toronto philosophy professor; Jessica Ware ’95, assistant curator in invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History; Syrus Marcus Ware, artist, activist and scholar, a CLA assistant professor in the School of the Arts at McMaster University, and also identical twins with Jessica Ware; Ali Greey, a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto; and UTS Day of Pink Committee members Cameron Miranda-Radbord ’21 and Catherine Wachter, UTS teacher and guidance counsellor and founder of Pink Day at our school. Another panel was hosted by students.

Interested in joining the Branching Out program to mentor senior UTS students? Contact Rebecca Broderick for more details: rebecca.broderick@utschools.ca.

WE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT… you!

Share your news with The Root by emailing alumni@utschools.ca. (P.S. Also, please email us if your address or contact info has changed).

The H.J. Crawford Award honours and pays tribute to an individual who has contributed to the advancement of UTS through commitment, dedication, and volunteerism. The award also recognizes those who have contributed to our greater society through significant lifetime achievements. The Honourable Henry N .R . “Hal” Jackman O .C ., O Ont ’50, a UTS Founder and former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, is an exemplary citizen within both categories.

Hal is a dedicated member of the UTS community who played a critical role in securing the survival of UTS through the renewed affiliation with the University of Toronto. He met with key members of the University of Toronto leadership to advocate for UTS. He has been a steadfast volunteer in all three of our major fundraising campaigns, as Honorary Co-Chair of the Building the Future campaign, and as a member of the Campaign Advisory Board for the Building Opportunities campaign in the early 2000s and as a canvasser for the Preserving the Opportunity campaign in the mid-1990s.

Beyond his volunteerism and advocacy, Hal helped secure our future through his generous philanthropy to UTS, including his gift as a UTS Founder to the Building the Future campaign.

Hal’s contributions to our greater society are undeniable, including his service as Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Chancellor of the University of Toronto, and as chairman of the boards for many prominent Canadian corporations. His philanthropy is one of his defining features, and his contributions to academics, the arts, and healthcare and social causes have forever shaped our community for the better. Read more about Hal in the cover story on page 8. UTS has a long-standing history of Olympic glory hailing back to the first-ever Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix in 1924, when the Class of 1920’s Duncan Brown Munro – they called him Dunc – led the Canadian hockey team to Olympic gold, obliterating the competition 110 to 3 over the course of the event. He scored 18 goals!

In this Olympic year, we honour the UTS tradition of excellence in sport by inducting UTS Olympians into the Hall of Fame. Over the course of our history, there were 18 UTS Olympians, and several gold medal winners. Congratulations to UTS Olympians who have accepted this honour.

Seven alumni were on the golden hockey team in St. Moritz in 1928, which won in a complete shut out, captained by the Class of 1921’s John Porter. The team included the Class of 1920’s Herbert “Bert” Plaxton and his brother, the Class of 1923’s Hugh Plaxton, plus their cousin, the Class of 1921’s Roger Plaxton; the Class of 1920’s Ross Taylor; the Sullivan brothers, the Class of 1919’s Frank Sullivan and the Class of 1920’s Joe Sullivan.

Figure skater Charlie Snelling ’56 competed in the 1956 and 1964 Winter Olympics.

Brian Herbinson ’49 took bronze in equestrian eventing in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, and competed again in 1960.

Thomas Gayford ’46 struck team show jumping gold in Mexico City’s 1968 Summer Olympics, after competing in the 1952 and 1960 Olympics.

Joe Stulac played on the Canadian men’s basketball team for the 1964 Summer Olympics, before becoming a UTS Physical Education teacher.

George Gross Jr . ’70 became a twotime Olympian in water polo, playing at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics.

Geza Tatrallyay ’67 learned to fence as a Grade 7 student at UTS and took it all the way to the Montreal 1976 Summer Olympics in épée fencing.

Three-time Olympian Laurie Graham C .M . ’78 reigned as Canada’s top female downhill skier for over a decade, racing at the 1980, 1984, and 1988 Winter Olympics and winning six World Cup victories.

Douglas Hamilton ’76 rowed to bronze in the Quadruple Sculls at Los Angeles 1984 Olympics, and competed again in the 1988 Summer Games.

Paul Davis ’76 sailed to bronze for Norway in the Soling Class at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

From the mountaintops to the rink to the open water and beyond, UTS athletes shine. Their Olympic legacy in the Hall of Fame will serve as inspiration for the next generations of UTS students, who have a fire in their eyes and Olympic dreams in their hearts.

REUNIONS

Connecting a continent: six alumni from across Continental Europe, ranging from the Class of 1968 to 2019, gathered virtually in May with UTS Board Chair, Jim Fleck C .C . ’49, P ’72, Principal Rosemary Evans, and Martha Drake, Executive Director, Advancement. They shared updates on their lives and what brought them to Europe, and discussed pandemic life and vaccines.

The Pacific Northwest Branch Event, also in May, brought together 10 alumni from across B.C. – and one from California – ranging from the Class of 1960 to 2011 in a virtual gathering with Jim Fleck C .C . ’49, P ’72, Principal Rosemary Evans and Martha Drake, Executive Director, Advancement.

Nearly 40 members of the Class of 1971 gathered on Zoom in June to celebrate an incredible 50th anniversary of their graduation from UTS, sharing stories and updating classmates on their lives beyond UTS. Peter Jarrett ’71 organized and facilitated this virtual class reunion!

EVENTS

Where there’s a will, there’s a way! In April, 85 alumni, parents, and UTS staff attended Where there’s a Will: Your Guide to Estate Planning. This informative and inspiring session, sponsored by the UTS Office of Advancement was led by Michael Rosen from Borden Ladner Gervais, the law firm for UTS, and helped attendees take next steps in making their estate plans.

UTS Alumni Association Trivia Night.

Mayor John Tory O Ont ’72 spoke at the Building the Future Speaker Series in May about the importance of community engagement, sharing great insights about how we can all take part in improving our city. He answered questions from UTS School Captains Aliana Niezova ’21, Jaden Lo ’21, Caleb Na ’22, and Emily Liu ’22. Nearly 200 members of the UTS community watched the live event.

The Class of 1978 prevailed over an epic UTS Alumni Association Alumni Trivia Night battle in May with 21 teams and over 100 alumni from the Class of 1963 to the Class of 2019. The event was hosted by Jon Bitidis ’99, UTSAA Director and UTS Acting Head of Admissions. The Check Your Head team, made up of members of the Classes of 1985 and 1987, came second, and third was Reach ’17, made up of members of the Class of 2017.

From the classic whiskey sour to the modern blood orange bourbon sour, the UTSAA Cocktail Class and Social was a hit in July, with hosts Adrian Lee ’07 and Eric Petersiel ’89 sharing the art of cocktail making and how to build a basic but brilliant bar with 23 UTS alumni ranging from the Class of 1956 to the Class of 2018.

UTS Alumni Advancement Officer Rebecca Harrison (on leave) and her husband, Stephen, welcomed beautiful baby Isaiah St. John Harrison Colella on Friday, August 13. For those unfamiliar with that old English name, St. John is pronounced sin-jin. Mother and baby are doing well!

IN MEMORIAM

REV . MICHAEL HICKS ’45 1928-2021 How to describe a life well lived? One option is to borrow details from the choices, passions, and pathways of Michael Hicks. Michael was one of those people with an additive life: more was indeed better. So rather than decide between civil servant and clergyman, for example, he was both. When opportunities to teach at university presented themselves, he became a professor of political science at one school and public administration at another. Add to that his marriage to Barbara Findlay, and he also took on the roles of husband and father to three daughters – Jennifer, Margaret and Sarah – and, later, grandfather to seven grandchildren: Mark, Carolyn, Meredith, Santiago, Juan, Oscar, and Ben. A few minutes spent with Michael would also reveal his talent (and affection) for storytelling and his love of music, Canadian art, and the outdoors. It may be true that no one can “have it all.” But Michael had something close.

He lost an eye in a hockey game at UTS when he was 12 or 13, but instead of being a setback it became a defining moment in his life. After graduating from UTS in 1945, Michael studied at University of Toronto’s Trinity College for his bachelor and master of arts degrees. He worked at the Treasury Board of Canada in Ottawa before deciding to seek ordination as an Anglican minister and earning his master of divinity degree at General Episcopal Seminary in New York City. After marrying Barbara and moving to Winnipeg, Michael was a chaplain at the University of Manitoba and also taught political science.

When the family moved to Ottawa, Michael taught at Carleton University while working as a public servant and serving in several Anglican churches. Two dominant themes throughout Michael’s expansive, energetic, and generous life were evident at this and every stage: his commitment to public service and his faith in God.

When he wasn’t tending to his parishioners, students, and children or fulfilling his duties as a public servant, Michael enjoyed listening to classical music, joining in choral singing and sharing stories. He also made time for his old UTS friends and visited the school on several occasions: for an alumni dinner, “Baldy Boys” luncheon, Centennial Homecoming and Dinner, and Remembrance Day service. He also attended Ottawa Branch events.

Michael is remembered with love by the large cast of characters in his life, from his wife Barbara and extended family to his many friends, colleagues, students, and parish members.

DICK SADLEIR ’47 1929-2021 Of the many sides of Dick Sadleir – his passion for the arts, enthusiasm for the outdoors, heartfelt dedication to friends and colleagues – his commitment to education may be his best known. After attending UTS and the University of Toronto, Dick launched a lifelong career as an educator and leader, starting as an English and math teacher at Upper Canada College (UCC). He then earned his master of arts from the University of Cambridge and returned to UCC as an English teacher before joining UTS classmates Tom Symons C .C ., O Ont, FRSC ’47 and John Leishman ’47 in the planning, development and founding of Trent University, which opened in 1964.

Dick believed deeply in the new university that, in Tom’s words, was “a pretty pronounced departure from the current trend in higher education in Canada and still more in the United States.” The three UTS colleagues shared a vision of a university that belonged to the community, ought to be accessible to all, and would immerse students in a culture of understanding and inclusion.

At Trent, Dick served as the first Master of Peter Robinson College, Dean of Men, Head of the English Department, Vice President, and Vice-Chancellor, and Acting President in 1968 and 1971. He was also responsible for selecting the green and white school colours that continue to represent Trent today. Ever passionate about the development of young people, Dick returned to UCC

in 1975 to become its fifteenth Principal, serving until 1988. “Our community remembers Mr. Sadleir for his steadfast commitment to fostering educational excellence, as well as the joy he took from his interactions with students, faculty and staff,” says current Principal Sam McKinney. Dick’s family says that he was “happiest in the Common Room talking with fellow teachers and in the halls talking with students.”

After leaving UCC, Dick became the Director of the Lycée Canadien en France in St. Jean, Cap Ferrat, where he and his wife Joan lived for three years, enjoying the Mediterranean. Dick also continued to enjoy the arts, in particular music and theatre, and shared his passion with children Tom, Mary, and Kate and grandchildren Michael, Tess, Peter, Harry, and Francis.

In his later years, Dick also maintained close ties with UTS, attending several Remembrance Day services, the Alumni Dinner in 2007, Donor Appreciation Tea in 2011, and Year Rep Reception in 2013. He had been a UTS Year Rep himself as well as a Preserving the Opportunity campaign canvasser.

Dick died peacefully in February 2021 and is dearly missed by his family, friends, former colleagues, and countless students who have fond memories of his caring and attentive manner.

ROGER GARTON CRAWFORD ’50 1931–2021 Roger Crawford described his time at UTS as “the best academic years that I ever experienced.” Two years at North Toronto Collegiate had convinced him the two were not for each other, and after writing the UTS entrance exams in 1947, he entered Grade 11. Roger considered his attendance at UTS a turning point in his life, and noted in particular the honour of being invited to play the Last Post and Reveille at the Remembrance Day service on November 11, 1949.

After UTS, Roger attended the University of Toronto in engineering. During his first year, somewhat more emphasis was put on football games and the Sigma Chi fraternity than his schoolwork, and not surprisingly he failed calculus, turning his P. Eng into a five-year degree. In 1952, Rog began dating Denyse Hall. They married in 1958, celebrating 61 wonderful years until her passing in 2019.

Roger loved engineering, speaking often of his summer stints at Des Joachims, the Department of Highways, and Ontario Hydro. His professional career was spent with Duncan Hopper & Associates and the Ministry of the Environment, and later he consulted with IPEX. Roger was an active volunteer with the Centre for Advancement of Trenchless Technology at the University of Waterloo, where an award is named in his honour.

Roger considered UTS a formative part of his life and was thrilled to see his daughter Mardi attend the school. He was a true gentleman and will be greatly missed.

– Mardi Witzel ’82

Barnet (Barney) Kussner ’82

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

What will you do?

To designate UTS in your will or as a designation for memorial gifts, please contact Martha Drake, Executive Director, Advancement. • 416-946-0097 • mdrake@utschools.ca