Voices of Acadia. Volume 2 - 175th Anniversary

One-time supplement publication

Voices of Acadia Vol. II Voices of Acadia

Voices of Acadia

professor of Moral Philosophy and Math as well as Logic and Rhetoric. He continued to teach from 1839 to 1856, at which point he became president of the University he had co-founded. –

Edmund Albern Crawley In Mary Kinley Ingraham’s 1920 epic allegorical play Acadia, the author rhapsodizes about Acadia University and the school’s exalted place in the world of academe. She harkens back to six of the first seven presidents, all Baptist ministers. “The names of Pryor, Cramp and Crawley live,” she proclaims. Certainly Edmund Crawley’s influence in shaping Acadia is not to be underestimated. He was Acadia’s President from 1853-56, and in a very real sense his vision for the University persists today.

Ambitious and often abrasive, Crawley was creator of the Baptist Education Society, an organization that was responsible for the construction of Horton Academy. The institution’s mandate was “to assist indigent young men who felt called to the Gospel ministry.” Given his time, he was extremely progressive, speaking of a place that was “open to the needs of the people” and “open to students regardless of their religious denomination.”

Working in tandem with his friend John Pryor, the principal of Horton Academy, the idea of establishing a college was germinated and promoted. To this point, graduates of Horton had been forced to go to the U.S. to continue their education because the Anglican King’s College in Windsor would not have them. Crawley insisted that the new post-secondary school have “no restrictions of a denominational character imposed on professors or students.” Thus was born Acadia College (originally called Queen’s College), with Crawley assuming the role of

Clara Belle Marshall In this age of enlightenment, it is difficult to imagine a time when women were not allowed to attend university. In 1879, Acadia Seminary existed on the Acadia campus to provide separate accommodations and classrooms for ‘ladies.’ When the women requested permission for seniors to attend Acadia classes with the men, then president A.W. Sawyer reluctantly agreed, but not without the following admonition: “You must not consider yourselves as members of the College, young ladies.”

Twenty-four-year-old Clara Belle Marshall from Mt. Hanley, Nova Scotia was not to be deterred by such attitudes.

Once she had her foot in the door there was no stopping her, and in 1884 she became the first female graduate of Acadia. The following year Alice Maud Fitch became the second and in 1886 Minnie Blanche Bishop was the third. By 1900, 45 women had studied alongside men and earned degrees from Acadia.

Following Marshall’s graduation, she taught at the Acadia Seminary until her marriage and subsequent move to New York.

She would later return to her alma mater as matron of Seminary. – 1

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William White The son of former slaves, Rev. William White (1903) was born in Virginia in 1874.

He moved north to attend Acadia in 1900, becoming only the second black man to be accepted at the school to that point.

His presence on an all-white campus is testament to his perseverance and courage, and while at Acadia he created a legacy that endures today.

White was a true student-athlete, excelling in several sports, including rugby.

In October 1902 Acadia was scheduled to play a team from Truro, but they threatened to cancel the contest unless White was benched. To their credit, his teammates refused these demands and stood in solidarity with him.

White subsequently graduated with a BA in theology and was ordained in 1903. At the outbreak of the First World War, he served as pastor of the all-black 2nd Construction Battalion of Nova Scotia. During this time of military segregation, he was the lone black officer in the entire British army. In the face of such injustice, it would have been easy for Rev. White to become embittered, but instead he used the opportunity to speak out against bigotry and discrimination.

When the war was over, he became minister at the Second Baptist Church of New Glasgow, N.S. From this base, he issued a regular radio broadcast that was heard across Canada and in parts of the United States. He later received a calling to Cornwallis Street Baptist Church and remained there for almost 20 years.

Acadia presented him with an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity in 1936 in recognition of his accomplishments. He was the first man of colour in Canada to receive such a distinction. Although he died at an early age, his impact on Acadia, Nova Scotia and Canada was profound.

White’s daughter, Portia, went on to dazzle the musical world with her sublime contralto voice. –

Thomas Trotter Thomas Trotter served as President of Acadia University from 1897 to 1908. Born in England, his career as a Baptist minister took him to pastorates in Toronto and Woodstock, Ontario, as well as Wolfville, Nova Scotia and Toledo, Ohio.

During his time as president, Trotter contributed significantly to Acadia’s growth.

Among other achievements, he helped put the school’s finances on a firm footing and created the first department of theology.

He also oversaw the introduction of a Bachelor of Science program and a course in Household Science for women.

His son Reginald Trotter (’38) also attended Acadia – as well as McMaster, Yale and Harvard – before going on to a distinguished academic career at Stanford and Queen’s. Reginald authored two books: Canadian Federation: Its Origins and Achievements and The British English Commonwealth: A Study in Political Evolution. –

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her free time to mentor nursing students in the city. In 1932 she was elected president of the Regina General Hospital, another first for women. During WW II, she joined the Canadian Army Medical Corps and, when the war was over, specialized in internal medicine in Toronto hospitals. Chase holds the distinction of being a founding member of the Canadian Diabetes Association.

“My aunt Lillian came home (to Wolfville) every summer for a couple of weeks to visit family and friends,” recalls her niece, Peggy (Chase) Smith. “I can remember she would sit in the window of our dining room and read.

She was a great reader. I would drive her over to visit her Acadia classmates, Esther Clark Wright (’16) and Bessie Lockhart (’16). ” –

Lillian Chase

Lieutenant Milton Gregg, VC

Lillian Chase (’16) was ahead of her time.

When women were little more than a novelty at many universities, she was already a BWOC (Big Woman on Campus) at Acadia. Blessed with great athletic ability and an inquiring mind, she was at the epicentre of University life: editor of The Athenaeum; a mainstay of literary societies; and active in student government.

As an athlete, she was a true pioneer.

Despite the fact that women were limited to intramural competitions, she put no limitations on her achievements on the field of play.

She spearheaded teams in extra-league competition in hockey and basketball and helped set the standard for female Acadia athletes to come.

Armed with a BA from Acadia, Chase’s competitive drive and pioneering spirit led her to the University of Toronto, where she earned a degree in medicine and collaborated with Banting and Best on research that would lead to the development of the miracle drug insulin, then called ‘Banting fluid.’

She interned at the Toronto General Hospital, where she was able to observe the new diabetic clinic and witnessed the first administration of insulin to a human. Her invaluable knowledge of diabetes treatment opened further doors for her and eventually she set up a general practice in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Ever the champion of her sex, she used

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration for valour in the British Commonwealth. Milton Gregg (’16) earned the award for the exceptional bravery he showed in the face of the enemy. Born in Mountain Dale, NB, the 18-year-old left Acadia at the outbreak of the First World War and enlisted in the 13th Battalion, the famed Black Watch.

When he and his comrades were sent to France, he was given the job of stretcherbearer on the front lines. In 1916, he was promoted to lieutenant and posted with the Royal Canadian Regiment. Twice wounded in the line of duty, he was presented with the Military Cross for his bravery at Lens in 1917 and an additional bar was added for his actions at the Battle of Arras in 1918.

His actions, from September 27 to October 1, 1918, while serving with The Royal Canadian Regiment, earned him the Victoria Cross.

Following the war, Gregg worked with the Soldiers Settlement Board and subsequently the Halifax Herald. He was named Sergeantat-Arms of the House of Commons in 1934 and when WWII broke out, re-enlisted and served with the Royal Canadian Regiment in England.

Promoted to colonel, he became commander of the Officers’ Training School in Brockville, Ontario. He was promoted to brigadier before the end of the war.

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Gregg was named president of UNB before being elected to the House of Commons, where he was a minister in various portfolios.

After his political career, he represented the UN in Iraq and headed up the Indonesian branch of UNICEF. His final posting was as Canadian High Commissioner in British Guyana. –

Esther Clark Wright “They desire a better country.” Those are the words, translated from the Latin, that adorn the Order of Canada medal presented to Esther Clark Wright (’16) in 1989. All inductees receive the same medal, but it would be easy to believe the quotation was inscribed especially for her.

In a tribute in Atlantic Baptist magazine at the time of her death in 1990 at age 95, Austin MacPherson states that her legacy “as educator, traveller, scholar, lover of nature, benefactress – is part of the fabric of the social history of these Atlantic provinces and indeed of larger fields where her influence was known.” He says that Dr. Wright’s name will “remain as the authority from which future historians of Maritime history will build.” That remains true almost 20 years later. Her research laid the foundation for untold Atlantic writers and historians and helped define us to ourselves.

It is fitting that this distinguished researcher and prolific author of 15 books and countless articles should have the Acadia archives named for her. Her publications include Alexander Clark, Loyalist, Blomidon Rose and her seminal work, The Loyalists of New Brunswick.

A woman of deep and abiding faith, Dr. Esther Clark Wright maintained a lifelong commitment to aiding the less fortunate at home and abroad. She received an Honorary Doctorate from Acadia in 1975.

Her brother, Alden Clark (’24, Hon. ’78) holds the distinction of being the first male athlete inducted into the Acadia Sports Hall of Fame, and her nephew, John T. Clark (’52), was awarded a Doctor of Civil Laws from Acadia in 2010. –

Dr. Charles B. Huggins He called it “the quiet art.” Dr. Charles B. Huggins (’20) was referring to biological research, and while the process may have been solitary, even lonely, the results of those incalculable hours in the lab have resounded throughout the scientific community. More importantly, his tireless work in the field of prostate cancer has saved countless lives.

The Halifax, N.S. native was 15 when he entered Acadia as a freshman and still a callow lad of 18 when he left with his BA, ready to face the challenges that lay beyond the familiar campus. Obviously his time at Acadia had prepared him well. Not only did he face the challenges, he actively engaged them and usually emerged the victor.

During his illustrious career, Huggins was the recipient of gold medals from the American Medical Association (1936 and 1940), the American Cancer Society (1953), and the Rudolf Virchow Society (1964). He was presented with the Charles L. Meyer Prize from the National Academy of Sciences (1943) and earned a long list of other prestigious honours. In 1966, Dr. Huggins was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine “for his discoveries concerning hormonal treatment of prostatic cancer.”

Despite the myriad honours bestowed on him, Huggins never forgot his time at the place he called “Acadia the beautiful,” or the teachers who nurtured his love of science. Years later, he credited one of those professors, David Upton Hill, with introducing him to “the beauty and exacting requirements of physical chemistry.” The Nobel laureate’s fondness for his old school never waned 4

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and he used every opportunity to express his respect for his alma mater. “The lessons that I learned at Acadia have returned again and again in my mind,” he said. “I have been imprinted with the excellence of Acadia.”

True to his Acadia roots, Huggins did not conform to any narrow definition of ‘scientist.’

He was a well-rounded man who absorbed the interdisciplinary nature of Acadia and incorporated this eclecticism into his life’s work. For him, science was much more than test tubes and a cold, sterile collection of data; it was a vital and effective means to make the world a better place.

This lifelong conviction was recognized in 1985 when he was presented with the Benjamin Franklin Medal by the American Philosophical Society, founded by Franklin in 1743. This is the learned society’s highest honour for distinguished public service. The citation read in part: ‘Charles Brenton Huggins, in recognition of his distinction in science and of his important contributions to human welfare.’ –

Institute before being accepted into the London School of Economics, where she completed graduate studies in international affairs.

On her return to Canada, her career path was impacted profoundly by world events. She went to work for the League of Nations, where she showcased her skills as an organizer and lecturer. As the political situation in Europe continued to deteriorate, she found herself in Geneva during the Evian Conference (July 1938), convened by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt to explore the issue of what to do about refugees fleeing Hitler’s Germany.

Hayward was struck by the hypocrisy and empty rhetoric of those countries represented at the conference. Despite platitudes, none wanted to open their doors to these desperate victims of oppression. Back in Canada, she was determined to speak truth to power at a time when the “none is too many” attitude was widespread. She was convinced that if Canadians knew more about the pending human disaster they would force the government to act, and she embarked on a lecture tour with the League of Nations Society to inform and educate.

In 1938, in close alliance with Canada’s first woman senator, Cairine Wilson, she was a founding member of the Canadian National Committee on Refugees and Victims of Political Prosecution. Working in tandem with Wilson, Hayward’s efforts on behalf of refugees were nothing less than heroic. She insisted on being actively involved, visiting refugee camps and becoming a passionate advocate for them back home.

Hayward once credited her interest in international relations to the influence of Acadia history professor and former Rhodes Scholar Norman McLeod, who was later to become Canada’s Minister of Defense. At Acadia, she was infused with humanitarian zeal – what she called “a crusading spirit” – adding that “I studied for something for which I saw no job.”

She came back to Wolfville in 1958, where her incredible journey had begun. She resumed teaching and immersed herself in volunteer work. Acadia became her second home and in 1969 she accepted an appointment to the Board of Governors, a position she maintained until 1982. The Constance Hayward Scholarships, awarded each year to students in the honours history program, are among the many gifts she

Constance Irene Hayward It is no exaggeration to say that Constance Hayward (’27) served as Canada’s conscience during the time leading up to and during the Second World War. Hayward came to Acadia from her home in Newcastle, New Brunswick and, following her graduation with a BA, attended the Ontario College of Education.

She taught briefly at Scarborough Collegiate 5

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has given her alma mater. The prestigious Hayward Lecture Series, endowed by her mother years earlier, became another of her causes. She was a generous benefactor to Acadia until her death in 1982. –

and his wife had only recently been released after an 18-month interment at a camp for Americans of Japanese ancestry. News reports of his appointment as assistant pastor were sometimes inflammatory, but Dr. Titus did not shy away from the controversy, giving public speeches on ‘Prejudice, the Threat to Democracy.’ After the war, the Chicago Tribune of 1947 stated that `the church took one of the most significant steps in the history of Protestantism, for in the midst of a world at war the church called a Christian minister of Japanese ancestry to its staff.’

This simple but profound act of racial integration had a ripple effect. First Baptist Church had no Japanese-American members at the time, but many soon joined the congregation and the church became instrumental in the resettlement of JapaneseAmericans in the Chicago area as the war ended. In 1947, the Canadian-born Morikawa became the first Japanese-American to serve a Euro-American congregation as full pastor and welcomed the first African-American members to the congregation.

In 1944, Dr. Titus moved to California to become Professor of New Testament Literature at the University of Southern California’s School of Religion and subsequently at the Claremont School of Theology. He retired in 1975 after a teaching career than spanned 31 years.

Dr. Titus’ son, Lindsay (’73, ’79), received his BA and BEd from Acadia and grandchildren Sarah (’04) and Eric Mariner (’11) are also graduates.

We are fortunate to have these entries from Dr. Titus’ diary, describing his formative Acadia experience. “The years at Acadia (1930-1934) were both difficult and profitable.

They were difficult largely because of the adjustment from a rural school like that of Freeport to a university setting. They were profitable because it was here that I began to think in terms of scholarly discipline and to create friendships of lasting value.” –

Eric L. Titus The fight for freedom during World War II didn’t just take place on the battlefields of Europe or among the islands of the South Pacific.

Some men, like Dr. Eric L. Titus (’34), fought for freedom on the home front.

Eric Titus came to Acadia from Freeport, Nova Scotia in 1930, graduating with a BA (Theology) in 1934. While at Acadia, he was president of the Theological Club, won the Ralph M. Hunt Oratorical Contest, and found time to serve as assistant pastor in Amherst, and pastor of five other churches in the Amherst area.

From Acadia, he went to ColgateRochester Divinity School, where he received his Bachelor of Divinity in 1939. He attended the University of Chicago and graduated with his PhD in 1942. Later that same year, Dr. Titus became minister of the First Baptist Church of Chicago, the ‘mother church of ministries in the city of Chicago.’

In 1943, as fear, distrust and outright hatred of the Japanese was at a near frenzy, Reverend Titus did something that in the context of the time was extraordinary. He recommended for hire a Japanese-American named Jitsuo Morikawa and subsequently installed him as Assistant Pastor. Morikawa 6

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told the Alumni Bulletin’s Sue Roberts (’83), “I suppose it is always your first university that you remember best and with only about 600 students in my time, it was like a huge family. We all knew each other and the professors and teachers were very close to us. Intellectual windows opened for us.

The campus was like a fairground and the laboratories and classes like a brain game. It was great fun – exciting, exhilarating, never to be forgotten.”

Dr. Feindel died on January 12, 2014. In his obituary in The Globe and Mail, he was lauded as “an explorer of the mind.” Mark Preul, director of neurosurgery at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix and one of his former fellows, talked about the impact Dr. Feindel had. “It’s difficult to put into words how important his contributions have been. Dr. Feindel was a giant of neurosurgery. There are not many in medicine who are his equal. He was the living link to the brain explorers of the early 20th century, like Dr. Wilder Penfield.” –

William Feindel Famed Canadian neurosurgeon William Feindel (’39, Hon. ’63) graduated from Acadia with a BA in biology at the outbreak of the Second World War. He was mentored at Acadia by Muriel Roscoe, a professor of botany who saw great promise in the nearsighted young man.

After obtaining his MSc from Dalhousie, the native of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia attended McGill University, where he earned his MD. Professor Roscoe had urged him to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship and he was successful in getting the prestigious award, although his actual attendance at Merton College, Oxford was delayed by the war. He graduated eventually with a D.Phil. degree.

He began his practice at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), where he worked with renowned neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield.

Their research led to a breakthrough – dubbed the ‘Montreal procedure’ – that was soon used around the world for the cure, through surgery, of patients with epilepsy.

Dr. Feindel then went to Saskatoon, where he founded the Neurosurgical Department at the University Hospital in 1955. He later returned to the MNI, started the William Cone Laboratory for Neurosurgical Research, and served as director for 12 years (1972 to 1984). Among his many accomplishments, he pioneered the use of CAT and MRI units in Canada and also helped develop the first PET system to detect brain tumours and strokes.

In 1984, he refined these technologies and opened the Brain Imaging Center (BIC), the pre-eminent facility for clinical diagnosis and research in the field of neuro-imaging.

Dr. Feindel served as Chancellor of Acadia University from 1991 to 1996. At the time, he

Enid Davison Enid Davison (’38) has more reason than most to feel right at home at Acadia. After all, it actually was her home for most of her young life. As the daughter of long-time former president Frederic W. Patterson (1923-1948), she grew up on the campus that would soon become her alma mater.

“We arrived in Wolfville by train in February 1923, a winter of big storms. I was only five at the time. Acadia had been looking for someone to replace President Cutten, who had left to go to Colgate. Father was brought here to raise money and get Acadia back on 7

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Dalton Camp

its feet. He was only young, in his twenties.

“I grew up in what is now Alumni Hall. That was the President’s house. There was never any doubt that I’d be going to Acadia – it was right across the street.

“As president, father wore many hats. It was a much different situation from today. He was president, recruiter and fundraiser too. He was sort of a self-educated man. He did have a teacher’s license, but I don’t think he ever taught. He did a lot of preaching at local Valley churches and he got to know everybody and their family trees, so he knew the backgrounds of many students who came.

“He always stressed to potential students the importance of getting an education because he hadn’t had one. That’s what he told Glen Hancock (’41). Glen wanted to be a writer and father told him, ‘You have to get an education so that you’ll have something to write about.’

“Cyrus Eaton was a good friend of Acadia.

He was around the same age as father and they were both Maritime farm boys who met out west and became friends. Cyrus made his money in the United States and contributed to the University and paid for changes in the layout of the campus. He paid for the landscaping in front of the present University Hall.

“My parents had receptions at our house for visiting musicians, poets and lecturers.

They would invite various professors and their wives. I remember artists like Joseph Szigeti, the violinist and tenor Richard Crooks, pianist Dame Myra Hess, who smoked cigars, and poet Wilson MacDonald.

“We saw our share of fires, at the livery stables and the University barn in 1937.

My sister Jocelyn (’39) and I played in the University Orchestra. The concert was over and we had started playing ‘God Save the King’ when, looking from the platform to the north, we saw the sky lit up with flames in the area of our house. We felt we had to go, so we took our instruments and left. Dean Collins was the conductor. Later, he made it clear that was something one didn’t do.

“Acadia days were special. As I recall them, I feel young again. I was brought up to put Acadia first. I have a feeling that I belong here at Acadia and I like to see things going well. We can all hold our heads up and say, ‘It’s a good place to be.’” –

Dalton Camp attended Acadia before WWII at a time when standards of moral rectitude on campus were set extremely – and perhaps impossibly – high. They were apparently too high even for the son of Harold Camp, a Baptist Church minister and former Acadia divinity student from Woodstock, NB. Years later, Camp recalled when he was placed on probation for minor infractions, including missing 67 classes in one term.

There were also suspicious trips from the then “dry” town of Wolfville to that den of iniquity seven miles down the road that was Kentville.

Hoping to nip this behaviour in the bud, Acadia president F.W. Patterson was moved to write a letter to Dalton’s mother, Rilla Camp, itemizing her son’s misdeeds. When she received it in the mail, Rilla immediately phoned the president. After the list of infractions was repeated to her she replied, with the kind of indignant outrage only a mother can muster, “All I can say to you, Dr. Patterson, is that he was a good boy when he left Woodstock.”

Despite this rocky start, Camp’s list of achievements is long and impressive. As a celebrated journalist, he always seemed privy to the latest news and trends and was a master of interpreting them. His role was not limited to chronicling Canadian political events; he also precipitated many of those events, notably the end of the John Diefenbacker era and the ushering in of the Robert Stanfield era. While he was a lifelong Conservative, he won the respect of political opponents like Jean Chretien and Stephen Lewis.

Like many of his classmates, Dalton Camp left Acadia in 1942, his junior year, to join the military. Although he didn’t complete his degree, he left with something much more important – his future bride, Linda Atkins.

Acadia subsequently presented him with an honorary degree. It was the least they could do for the man that Peter Mansbridge has called, “one of the most engaging people in the history of Canadian politics and journalism.” –

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Harold Mitton

Acadia and that made me happy. Its strengths are quite exceptional. It has the chapel with an active chaplaincy program, and it has a healthy emphasis on athletics. My son Ron (’69) played basketball. There is a good emphasis on scholarship and I believe Acadia has the most Academic All-Canadians in the country (per capita). I still have an enormous love for the place.” –

Some three decades after graduating from Acadia, Dr. Harold Mitton (’44), returned to his alma mater in 1975 as Dean of Theology and Principal of Acadia Divinity College, a position he held for 10 years. Mitton holds three degrees from the Valley school, graduating with a BA in English followed by a Bachelor of Divinity. He received an honorary doctorate in 1966.

Mitton came to campus with a reputation as one of Canada’s most respected preachers.

He helped add to Acadia’s stature as a place that graduated ministers with great oratorical powers and a strong message. He also reached out to the rest of the university community and tightened the bond between the two.

While at Acadia, Mitton was involved in countless campus activities and was class valedictorian the same year his brother Donald (’44) was class president. Upon retirement, he was named Professor Emeritus, and a Chair in Church Leadership was named for him. At 94, Mitton has the energy and enthusiasm of a much younger man. He also maintains a sharp sense of humour. “Someone asked me what it’s like to be 94 and I said it’s great. No peers.”

“After graduating from Moncton High School in 1936, I worked for four years until I was 20. I began to think that my future wasn’t in business, but maybe in being a pastor.

I went to a church camp in northern New Brunswick, thought it through and decided to study theology. The very next day (Acadia President) Dr. Patterson came to the camp to recruit and he encouraged me to come to Acadia, which I did in the fall of 1940.

“I became very active on campus when I arrived. I decided that I wanted to become a part of the campus life so I went into various things. I played intermediate rugby football, where I was coached by Major (Fred) Kelly, an amazing man. I went into dramatics and got a gold A for that. Professor (Harold) Fitz Sipprell was an extraordinary man and great professor who was also involved in drama. The experience later helped me in my ministry. I don’t know what I was trying to prove, but I also became editor-in-chief of The Athenaeum, which in those days was a kind of literary magazine.

“Both my grandchildren graduated from

Watson Kirkconnell Watson Kirkconnell was the epitome of scholarship. A graduate of Queen’s and Oxford, he became President of Acadia in 1948 and served for 16 years before retiring in 1964. His body of work was as remarkable for its extent as for its quality, and the academic status and prestige he brought to Acadia would be difficult to exaggerate.

Kirkconnell authored more than 40 books and translated many others. He was a Milton scholar, a poet, historian and genealogist. In her glowing review of his memoir, A Slice of Life, Meredith Thompson said of his prolific output and meticulous research, “Obviously, to produce so much erudition, he must be a cross between a mole and an owl? Wrong again: few men in Canada have been more actively associated with public causes.”

A former professor of Latin, Kirkconnell was said to be proficient in 53 languages and dialects. One story, probably apocryphal, relates how he was once approached by a lady at a literary gathering and asked if it was true that he was fluent in over 50 languages.

His modest reply was, “that’s an exaggeration.

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Harrison McCain

I am fluent in several and have a working knowledge of the rest.”

Kirkconnell was co-founder of the Federal Citizenship Branch, the Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Baptist Federation of Canada and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1968, his extraordinary work earned him the title of Officer of the Order of Canada “for his services at home and abroad as an educator, scholar and writer.” It took another distinguished Acadia President and scholar, J.R.C. Perkin, to do justice to his literary accomplishments in his book, Morning in His Heart: the Life and Writings of Watson Kirkconnell.

Kirkconnell’s daughter, Janet Kirkconnell (’56), graduated from Acadia with a degree in English during her father’s presidency.

She later went on to teach German at Mount Allison University and the University of Toronto.

“Acadia came looking for my father,” she says. “He was Baptist and they needed a president. There was a time during the war when the government was going to close down humanities departments at universities and dad fought hard against that and was instrumental in saving them. He developed the Humanities Research Council – a huge undertaking.

“My parents never pushed us, but there was no question we would go to Acadia. While he was President, Dad continued to teach a course every year. I was in an English class where he did a couple of sessions on Milton.

He was so well organized. Everything was just perfect. I also took a mandatory philosophy class from MacGregor Fraser and I loved him as a professor, although not at first. In the second class he started referencing my father and then turned to me and said, ‘Would you explain to us the allegory of the cave?’ I just turned red and sank down in my chair.

“Dad had a wonderful sense of humour.

In those days there was a weekly assembly of the entire faculty and student body, and Dad composed lyrics to the tunes of Gilbert and Sullivan for the faculty to sing. Once he sang something based on Titwillow about some male student standing in front of Tully lamenting. It was lots of fun and everyone was completely engaged. He also wrote limericks and poetry, especially for home economics dinners.” –

Harrison McCain (’49, Hon. ’91) began his entrepreneurial journey in the mid-1950s as a lead salesman for Irving Oil. It wouldn’t be long before the McCain and Irving names had equal currency in Canada and throughout the corporate world.

Harrison McCain came to Acadia with the intention of pursuing pre-med studies, but soon chose another path, graduating with a BA in Economics. At Acadia, Harrison met and befriended Jim (’50) and Arthur Irving (’52), sons of oil giant K. C. Irving (’21). After university, Harrison began working with the pharmaceutical company Mowat and Moore, where his skills as a salesman soon made him stand out from the crowd. Jim told his legendary father that Harrison was the ‘king of salesmen.’ From that point on K.C. was determined to hire him, which, after much persuasion, he did.

K.C. Irving’s influence on his young charge was instant and lasting. Harrison’s high energy was infectious and he later passed it on to his employees in the burgeoning McCain business. Irving taught McCain to outperform his own expectations, to concentrate on the details of business, and to be strategic.

Emboldened by this mentorship, Harrison and his brother Wallace struck out on their own. Starting with little more than a plot of land and a dream, the McCains created a frozen food empire that now stretches around the world. McCain Foods Limited was born on the banks of the Saint John River in Florenceville, New Brunswick, in 1957. The plant initially employed 30 people and firstyear sales were $152,678. Today McCain Foods is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of frozen potato specialties and also produces other foods, including pizza, appetizers, vegetables, oven meals and desserts.

A privately owned company based in Florenceville-Bristol and Toronto, Ontario, McCain Foods employs over 20,000 people and operates 50 production facilities on six continents. The company’s products can be found in restaurants and retail stores in more than 160 countries around the world.

In Canada, the company has nine production facilities and approximately 2,600 employees, and owns the Day & Ross Transportation Group based in Hartland, New Brunswick – 10

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one of the largest transportation companies in the country. Throughout all this growth, the McCains insisted on maintaining their headquarters in their hometown of Florenceville, population under 1,000.

Little wonder that the charismatic but down-to-earth Harrison was the first to be named Canada’s Chief Executive Officer of the Year in 1990, and earned a spot on Maclean’s magazine’s honour roll that same year.

In 1994, the two brothers parted company.

Wallace subsequently bought Maple Leaf Foods while maintaining one-third ownership of McCain Foods. In 1997, Harrison bought out the U.S. food service division of Ore-Ida. Harrison McCain earned numerous awards. He was named an Officer, and later, a Companion of the Order of Canada and received an honorary Doctor of Civil Laws from Acadia in 1991. In 1998, he received the newly minted Canadian Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award and in the following year was made chairman of the board of trustees of the National Gallery of Canada. He was named, posthumously, to the French Legion of Honour.

His support for his alma mater, Acadia University, will long be remembered. –

confined to the provincial stage. His impact was felt nationwide, especially at federalprovincial conferences. He had a flair for the dramatic, but there was ample substance as well. He was a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s 1982 repatriation of the Canadian Constitution as well as the establishment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He was also a champion of bilingualism in his native New Brunswick and across Canada. –

Jean Marsh Jean Marsh taught at Acadia at a time when having a second language could have meant Pittman shorthand. And while technology may have rendered some of her former secretarial science courses obsolete, the fundamental life lessons learned in her classrooms are as valid now as they ever were. As a mentor and role model, Professor Marsh influenced countless young lives during her 38-year career as a teacher and director of the School of Secretarial Science at Acadia (1953-1991).

“I did my Master’s at Columbia University in Business Administration and then I went back to the same school and taught for another year to fulfill my requirements. At that point I decided there must be more to life than teaching high school so I wrote letters of application to Mount Allison, Acadia and the Navy, and gosh, Acadia needed someone.

I came down from Woodstock, Ontario in the fall of 1953 as an assistant professor and Director of the School of Secretarial Science.

The department consisted of two professors and we had a limit of 30 students, mostly women, but a couple of men, too.

“When I first arrived at Acadia for my job interview, I took the train up from Halifax. It was all so friendly. It took about three hours and stopped at every tree almost to pick up people going to and from their summer camps. The conductor picked me a couple of flowers and brought them in. Dr. (Watson) Kirkconnell met me at the station in Wolfville and took me to a little hotel. Shortly after I got word that I had the job. The fall of ’53 was the start of my first year.

“Everyone ate at the dining hall:

Richard Hatfield Richard Hatfield (’52) remains one of the most famous names in Canadian political history.

The colourful and controversial native of Woodstock, NB served as premier of New Brunswick for 17 years, starting in 1970. In a one-year period, from 1983-84, he made more than 30 trips to New York, prompting his friend and fellow Acadia student Dalton Camp to quip, “just because Richard wants to be premier of New Brunswick doesn’t mean he wants to live there.” Hatfield was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 1990.

He majored in Chemistry and English at Acadia, but drama captivated him. It was a passion that would continue to serve him well throughout his political career. “That was extremely valuable,” he said years later.

“It would benefit every politician to have a bit of theatre training. Too many politicians get caught up using big words to impress, but don’t know how to project feelings.”

Hatfield’s sphere of influence was never 11

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professors and students alike. For breakfast, you had cereal. One day one you might have Cream of Wheat. The next you might have oatmeal, but the oatmeal would be mixed in with the old Cream of Wheat. Finally, the third day, you’d have straight Cream of Wheat, then the fourth day you’d have Red River cereal and it was mixed in with the oatmeal.

The following day, straight Red River cereal.

All the bread was homemade and so was everything else.

“The highest thing on campus was being a head waiter. He was top dog on campus and ran the whole show. There was no student union, so he was the head of all the male students. If you wanted more food you picked up your plate and held it up in your hand – like Oliver Twist.” –

John T. Clark New Brunswick-based community leader and entrepreneur John T. Clark (‘52, DCL ’10) and his family have been a part of Acadia University for generations.

Clark’s grandfather, William George Clark, a Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick, served on Acadia’s Board of Governors for many years. He and his wife, Harriet Hannah Richardson Clark, both received honorary degrees from Acadia. Clark’s aunt, Esther Clark Wright, graduated in 1916, and a family gift helped to establish the Esther Clark Wright Archives in the Acadia library. His father, Alden Wright, graduated in 1924 and was one of the first inductees into the Acadia Sports Hall of Fame. Clark’s sister Nancy (’59) is also an Acadia graduate, as are his two sons, John (’78) and Jim (’83).

“I arrived at Acadia in the fall of 1948 after

graduating from high school in New Brunswick.

We were at the end of the veterans arriving.

It was an interesting mix of so-called young people and older guys, so we learned a lot in a short time.

“The education at Acadia is fine, but it’s secondary to the friendships you make. For me, that’s what it’s all about. That’s where I learned how to get along with people in life. I think if you went to a larger place you wouldn’t come away with these friendships, which we maintained. I was a friend of Connie MacNeil’s for 62 years. He graduated in ’53 and his wife Mert in ’52. I traveled to Wolfville for his memorial service (in 2013) with Arthur Irving (’52), who was also a close friend of his.

“At first I was in a residence called Westwood House and then in Barrax. I roomed with (former New Brunswick Premier) Dick Hatfield (’52) for my final three years. Dick was from Hartland, New Brunswick, but I had never met him before. So here I was with a staunch Tory and, of course, our family has always been Liberal. We struck up a good friendship and when you tell people that story, they kind of raise their eyebrows. I say it was like opposites because I played sports and studied and he did none of that – he was in the drama group so he’d sleep in and I’d be gone and then, when I was already in bed, asleep at midnight, he would come home. But we got along fine.

“I grew up with this kind of aura about Acadia. We were living in Fredericton and dad was running the business. UNB was within walking distance down the street, but I still went to Acadia. My sister Nancy also went. Our two boys both went: John, who is a GM dealer in Fredericton and Jimmy, who is the Toyota dealer. I suppose the Acadia family tradition goes all the way back to my grandfather, W.G. Clark, who was mayor of Fredericton, an MP, and then Lieutenant-Governor. When you go into Barrax, there’s a plaque there that has W.G.’s name on it because he was on the Board of Governors and was one of the supporters of building it after the war. Their daughter, my aunt, is Esther Clark Wright. Alden, my father, graduated in 1924 and played everything, including hockey basketball, baseball, and track.

“When dad was still with us he loved to go back to Acadia for reunions and he would always go to Acadia functions in Florida.

He established two scholarships: one has 12

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an athletic direction, the other a business education focus. When Connie died, I decided we should expand on that, so we set up a scholarship in his name.

“Clark Commons was the result of talks with Harvey Gilmour (’66). Harvey said that there were these three residences, two of which were new, and it would be nice to have a common area as well, so we funded that.” –

Colonel Ian Fraser Writer Glen Hancock (’41) has described the Royal International Nova Scotia Tattoo as “The Folies Bergere, the Dumbells, the Navy Show, Disneyland, and the Charge of the Light Brigade all rolled into one.” The military extravaganza has become one of the most important events on Nova Scotia’s calendar and the man who created the annual spectacle is Colonel Ian Fraser (’56). The brother of former Acadia political science department head Duncan Fraser, Ian has produced and directed the Tattoo since it began in 1979. In the ensuing decades, it has grown by leaps and bounds and now has the reputation as being one of the best pageants of its kind in the world.

Without question, Colonel Fraser’s time at Acadia gave vent to his competitive spirit. It taught him the value of teamwork and strategy.

He also learned the elements of leadership from one of the best mentors in Canadian college sport. Under the field command of legendary coach Major Fred Kelly, Fraser helped lead the charge for the tough-as-nails squad that captured the Maritime Intercollegiate Rugby championship and subsequently earned induction into Acadia’s Sports Hall of Fame.

That same “can-do” spirit was also evident in his participation as a diver on the Acadia swimming team and in his selection as editor of the Axe yearbook.

“Acadia was a family tradition. My older brother Duncan (’48) was there at the first part of the war until he was of an age to join the military, and then he went off to the Cape Breton Highlanders in Italy, came back and finished his degree. After Cambridge and a time teaching in Jamaica, he returned to Acadia, where he taught until he retired. The last couple of years, I was a student there while he was my history professor and one of the best I had, as

much as I hate to admit it.

“Latin was a requirement in those days. I didn’t have high school Latin, but I had to do it.

I looked at the Latin exam and saw that it was mostly translation from Latin to English, so my future wife, Gladys (Leadbetter, ’56), whom I met at Acadia and who was much smarter than I was, took me in hand. She coached me and I memorized Caesar’s Gallic Wars, which got me my degree because I had really neglected the fact that you had to have Latin in those days.

“The Tattoo was an accident. The writing that I did at Acadia led to it. At the Black Watch in Gagetown (NB), the local general wanted me to put on a pageant, as he called it, for Lord Beaverbrook. Actually, Winston Churchill was supposed to be at it too as Beaverbrook’s guest. It turned out Beaverbrook attended, but Churchill had other engagements, which wasn’t surprising. I wrote the show and partly directed it.

“A few years later I was asked to come to Ottawa to prepare a show for the Seattle World’s Fair – a Tattoo. It was very successful and then I did a Tattoo for the Centennial in 1967 and it turned out to be the biggest touring show that has ever toured in the world. It still is. It was an amazing production, and could never be done today. I was then posted to Halifax and dragooned into doing a ‘one-off’ Tattoo as part of the International Gathering of the Clans.

John Buchanan asked the Navy if they’d be interested in continuing it. That was 1979, and it went from there. I figured the whole thing would take maybe a day a week. Of course, it has taken on a life of its own.

“Acadia was a great place, and it had a remarkable amount to do with my success with the Tattoo. I was certainly influenced by the university and the society there. All the professors had an influence on me and if I hadn’t met my wife there, I’d have packed it in.” –

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province. Her works in historical fiction were recognized with the presentation of the Vicky Metcalf Award for writing that was deemed “inspirational to Canadian Youth.”

In 2011, Acadia and the Associated Alumni of Acadia University (AAAU) honoured Clark with its Distinguished Alumni Award. –

Joan Clark Joan Clark (’57) is a novelist and short-story writer. Born in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, she has lived in Newfoundland since the 1980s and authored several award-winning books about her adopted province. Her many books have been translated into German, Swedish, French, and Danish. Her adult novel, Latitudes of Melt, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize as well as the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. She is co-founder, with Edna Alford, of the acclaimed literary magazine Dandelion.

Clark’s writing career is far removed from her original dream. “I wanted to join the Norwegian Navy because it admitted women and I wanted to travel around the world,” she once said. Instead, Acadia University beckoned and she came under the thrall of English literature and specifically drama professor H.F. Sipperell. It was through her love of drama that she was inspired to write fiction. “Projecting into another character and becoming that character is something that I do in fiction,” she said when she returned to Acadia to read one of her works.

Many will remember Clark best for her books for children and young adult readers.

Titles such as Girl of the Rockies, The Hand of Robin Squires, and The Moons of Madeleine made her name prominent in the genre.

Her other works for adults include two short-story collections: From a High Thin Wire and Swimming Toward the Light. Her novel, The Victory of Geraldine Gull was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award. In 1991, she received the Marian Engel Award for her body of work.

Many of her works have centered on the folklore and mythology of Newfoundland, including the Viking influence on the

Freeman Patterson Acadia has always meant different things to different people. For world-renowned photographer Freeman Patterson (’59), it represented freedom.

A farm boy from the lower Saint John River Valley of New Brunswick, he was accustomed to rising at five every morning and working for three hours before leaving for school. He did that from the time he was eight until the day he left to attend Acadia. Once on the Wolfville campus, he was exposed to an array of new opportunities and experiences. The vistas that were revealed to him at Acadia not only inspired him, but gave him the confidence to identify and pursue his artistic dreams.

In 1984, Patterson co-founded the Namaqualand Photographic Workshops in South Africa. He returns to Namaqualand each year and calls it his “spiritual home.”

He is the author of 12 books and has written articles for various magazines in Canada and the U.S. He was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1975 and appointed to the Order of Canada in 1985. A major retrospective exhibition of his life and work, Freeman Patterson: Embracing Creation opened in September 2013 at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton. He now lives in Shamper’s Bluff, NB, near his childhood home.

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“Acadia was for me an incredible and a perfect transition – from an incredibly rural life to one that later became very urban for a while. Really, I cannot think of a better bridge, and it introduced me to a lot of things in which I realized I had a natural interest. In a relatively rural setting and with about 750 students at the time, we had really good theatre. I loved theatre at Acadia and got into it in a very active way. There was really good music. There were touring groups all the time. Those two things really stand out for me.

“No one could tell me what to study, either. If I wanted to study philosophy, I did. If I wanted to go into theatre I could do it. That was the lovely thing about Acadia. I didn’t go to get trained for anything! I went simply to have my mind opened. For me, that’s what it was – simply an opening. I was just doing what I wanted.

“When I left Acadia and went to Union Seminary in New York, every entering student had to take vocational testing. The head of the psychology department there did the analysis of my test and said, ‘Your answers clearly indicate a strong interest in music.’ I said I couldn’t even read music. She said, ‘No, no, let’s not take this too literally. This indicates a strong interest in the arts.’ And the scales just fell from my eyes. It was the first time anyone had said that to me in concrete terms, even though I had been sort of playing around with it the whole time I was at Acadia. The foundation had unknowingly been laid for me at Acadia.

The beautiful campus played a role and still does. I had an incredibly good experience at Columbia, but Acadia prepared me for that.

I consider Acadia my alma mater, there’s no question.

“Acadia gave me freedom. When I left home, I had worked on the farm, in the barns and in the fields until the day before I left. My aunt and uncle drove me and the family to the Saint John ferry. My sister is four years younger than I, and when they drove off my father turned to my mom and sister and said, ‘Well, that’s the end of Freeman.’ My sister said, ‘What do you mean?’ and my father said, ‘Oh, he’ll be back, but that’s the end of him. He won’t be part of our lives anymore.’ And she bawled her eyes out. But he was right. He knew somehow – read me well enough, I guess – that I would take advantage of the opportunities I was going to have. Acadia gave them to me.” –

Donald Oliver Born on a small Annapolis Valley farm, Senator Donald Oliver (’60) graduated from Acadia with an honours degree in history and a double minor in philosophy and English literature. The Class of 1960 valedictorian is a descendant of slaves who came to Nova Scotia from the American south. Both his father and grandfather worked as janitors at Acadia, and his aunt was renowned contralto Portia White.

Senator Oliver received a law degree from Dalhousie and practiced in Halifax for three-and-a-half decades. He also taught law at Dalhousie and is an acknowledged expert on corporate governance. In addition, he somehow found time to start up two companies. Throughout his life, Senator Oliver has been a champion of black Canadians and other visible minorities. In 1990, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney summoned him to Ottawa to serve in the Senate. He retired from the Upper Chamber in 2013 after a career in public service that spanned almost 25 years.

“W.P. Oliver is my half-brother. We had the same father, Clifford Oliver. My grandfather, Rev. Dr. William White, graduated in 1903, so on my mother’s side and father’s side everyone went to Acadia.

“We lived at 52 University Avenue in Wolfville and it was just a hop, skip and jump down the hill to go to classes. One year there were three of us – my sister Shirley (’56), my sister Jeanie (’59) and me – going to Acadia.

We were all on scholarships or bursaries because our parents had no money to assist us, but three members from the family in university at the same time is a lot. Acadia wasn’t very large and tuition when I started was $200 per course.

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“I was President of both the History and Philosophy clubs and, as President of the History Club in 1957, I invited Bob Stanfield to come and speak to us. That’s where I first met him and we became lifelong friends. He came with George Nowlan, who was Minister of Finance in Diefenbaker’s government at the time. Stanfield and I talked and I subsequently became a member of the Young Progressive Conservative Association and later did dozens of different initiatives with him, including doing work for the black and aboriginal communities in Nova Scotia. He wanted to know what could be done to lift up the black community in Nova Scotia after so many years of being held down.

“Acadia played a big role in developing my social conscience. In those days it was a Baptist university in the same way that St. F.X. and Saint Mary’s were Roman Catholic universities, so you took English Bible as a course. Religion was a major part of my training at Acadia.

“I can’t think of a better place I could have gone than Acadia, not just to prepare for a political life, but for where I am and what I’m doing now. It gave me a very solid base of ethics, of integrity, of being honourable, and it was a small enough campus that it was like an extended family. Professors had time to meet with you, talk with you and work with you. I needed that because I was shy and it was so wonderful to be able to sit down and talk with other students and faculty members.

“Acadia has a long tradition of honouring blacks. My grandfather, Rev. Dr. White, received an honorary degree – a huge honour in those days for a black man. Subsequently, many other members of my family did as well, like my uncle Lorne White, who graduated in ’49. I received one from Mr. (Arthur) Irving (’52) when he was Chancellor. I told the story of my great-great grandfather who was a slave in Virginia and one of his sons was my grandfather who had secretly learned how to read and write and got an education. When he got his freedom, he became a businessman and ended up in real estate. One of the things he ended up buying was the plantation where he had been a slave. I remember Mr. Irving saying afterwards what a moving story it was.

“I have started to give back to Acadia. For instance, I set up a prize in my mother’s name in music, and I’ll be adding to that. I also want to give some money for a prize for my father.

“This Baptist university really imbued in

me certain values that I still have and it also taught me altruism. The fact that I was a public servant, serving the public and giving back – that whole thing bubbled up and was formed in me in my years at Acadia. Certainly Acadia is very much a part of who I am.” –

Dr. Roger Tomlinson If any single person could claim to have literally put Acadia University on the map, it would be Dr. Roger Tomlinson (’60). Born in Cambridge, England, Tomlinson initiated the first geographic information system, or GIS, in the early 1960s and, in doing so, earned the title, “Father of GIS.” Dr. Tomlinson, who served in the RAF before graduating from Acadia with a BSc in geology, was frustrated with the limitations of conventional maps. “Retrieving information from these maps involved a lot of material and prohibitive costs,” he told the Alumni Bulletin’s Dalia Majumber (’05). He theorized that maps transferred to computers could be used for spatial analysis, making them a much more dynamic tool. He was hired by the Canadian government to test his theories and it was there that he pioneered the development of GIS technology.

“It all began at Acadia,” Dr. Tomlinson once said, singling out the late Professor Harcourt Cameron (’37), his geology professor and mentor, as a source of encouragement and support. “He was the diminutive dynamo who charged the place with energy,” Dr. Tomlinson recalled. He gives Professor Cameron credit for inspiring him to develop his revolutionary ideas about putting maps into computers. He went on to earn his PhD at McGill University and taught briefly at Acadia.

Today, virtually every kind of geographically referenced information about the earth can be analyzed and displayed through GIS. The implications and applications are endless.

“They are valuable in decision-making for every discipline in the world,” said Dr. Tomlinson. In today’s world, GIS technology can be used in concert with GPS and wireless technology to initiate and deploy emergency medical services and a vast array of other resources.

Dr. Tomlinson was the recipient of 16

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numerous awards within Canada and internationally, including the James R. Anderson Medal of Honor for Applied Geography in 1995 from the Association of American Geographers. He was the first recipient of the Robert T. Aangeenbrug Distinguished Career Award in 2005. In 2010, he received the Alexander Graham Bell Medal of the National Geographic Society. He also was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and the Order of Canada (he later became an Officer of the Order of Canada) for “changing the face of geography as a discipline.” Acadia presented him with an honorary doctorate in 2008. Dr. Tomlinson died in February 2014. –

Laura Ling Hsu “Life experiences are like nacreous pearls,” reflects Acadia alumna Laura Ling Hsu (’61).

“Quality pearls are produced by first seeding with solid truths; nurturing by mantles of good people; then let life’s challenges bring out the best nacre that would ultimately give each pearl its unique luster and beauty.” Many good people have given Laura opportunities to learn and earn valuable life experiences that, together, have made for a multi-faceted, productive and very happy life.

Laura’s family traces back to Grandmother (Kung Sian), a descendant of Confucius. As a poor orphan in China’s last dynastic days, her grandmother was nurtured by missionaries from America. Laura’s parents were among the few broadly educated, transformative members of the next generation that also fought foreign invaders like Japan in WWII

and survived the Cultural Revolution. Laura’s father, Shao-Wen Ling, PhD, Cornell, joined during Laura’s upbringing the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) as an aquaculture specialist, supported by his wife, Mrs. Jeanette YC Chiang Ling. The family lived in several countries in Asia.

When Laura, her brother William Yee-Nien (’62) and, later, sister Lillian Lee-Nien (’62) were ready for college, Acadia was their choice. All three graduated, went on to earn doctorates and became professors/researchers. Good friends from Canada, Mrs. Elaine Balsor Jean (’39) and her husband Dr. Yves Jean, connected the Ling family to Acadia. In 1961, Laura became the first woman of Chinese descent to graduate from Acadia, receiving her BSc with Honours. “I remain humbled and elated to be a recipient of the Clara Belle Marshall Raymond Scholarship, established to honour the first woman to graduate from Acadia (1884).” She also served as Class Life Vice-President and campus Winter Carnival Queen.

The Acadia experience was formative for Laura, educating her in the Western traditions of science and professionalism, leadership and personal decorum. She expresses great indebtedness to Dean Marion Grant, Professors E. Chalmers Smith, P.M. Payne, Jaqueline Ellis and others who gave her the preparation and vision to pursue her future. Very dear are Whitman roommate Jackie More (’60), and Joan Doncaster (’61). Following graduation from Acadia, Joan went on to study at Cornell, where she spotted just the right guy for Laura – a nice, brainy, good-looking fellow named Tom Hsu. And Joanie was right. The family is blessed with two daughters, Lynne and Mia, and their families. Laura is joyfully engaged with extended families and active in community services. –

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Les Oliver Les Oliver graduated from Acadia in 1962 and was recruited to work at Canadian Pacific before returning to complete his Masters in Math in 1966. After several other stops along the way, he secured his PhD at McGill and eventually became Director of Acadia’s Jodrey School of Computer Science.

“It was a thrill to be working with a professor like Glenn Tillotson in Physics, partly because physics classes tended to be small and Glenn would spend an inordinate amount of time with individual students. He was working at the edge of the change from vacuum tubes to solid state electronics so everything was brand-new and he was learning as we were learning. By my senior year, his class was one person – me – and he and I would sit in his office for it. At Acadia, we had complete accessibility to professors before, during and after class, to the extent that they would invite students to their homes.

“As a kid, I can remember pictures of Acadia hanging on the wall. We would regularly flip through my father’s (W.P. Oliver, ‘32) yearbooks. Acadia was always very much a part of our thoughts. Even though our father was the first in our family to go to university, he had great respect for higher learning and it was just a natural thing that university follows high school.

“After getting my masters, I taught math for a year at Acadia then went to Dalhousie and was working in bio-physics – computer programming doing automatic analysis of ECGs. That was lot of fun and it got me into the computing stuff. Then back to CP, where they got two of my loves together – teaching and computers. I became training officer for their

computer programmers.

“Then I went to McGill, where I got my PhD in computer science. That was my first exposure to real computer science as such, and it was exciting. I came back to Acadia in 1985 as Director of the Jodrey School of Computer Science. The Jodrey School had been a big step for Acadia and put us in a leadership position in the region. We were the first to offer a degree in computer science.

“One of the things I think Acadia did very well was the adoption of technology in a way that still embraced whatever the campus’ fundamental nature was. They tried to adopt the technology without changing for the technology. They adopted it with the objective of allowing it to do what you wanted to do, only better.

“Acadia had a very strong computer centre run by Allan McEwen. He did an amazing job making sure that the university had the appropriate infrastructure so that all of the departments could be well-served by the technology. For instance, sociologists were able to do better analytical work because they had the power of the computer. The Acadia Advantage was a lever for whatever it was you were doing. It wasn’t so much the computer itself. It was that you could use it to enhance what you were doing.

“When I look back at my student days, it’s clear to me that the professors were laying a foundation of knowledge that I’ve been able to build on ever since, whether or not I go back to the specifics of what I learned in any given class. It’s the whole picture that gets put together. When I think of university, I think of the whole experience. Acadia was just a very good place to be.” –

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potential” coupled with his willingness “to take a risk.”

His interest and faith in applicants didn’t end once they were enrolled. Fellow islander Don Clow (’83) was one of many Acadia students who benefited from the wise counsel of the ever-approachable Registrar. “I was a young kid from rural PEI and I didn’t have a lot of resources,” recalls Clow, President and CEO of Crombie REIT. “I had to go and plead my case from time to time in order to stay in school. When I needed a little extra funding or scholarship, Bob was there to listen.

Occasionally he found me a job somewhere to supplement things. You could sit in his office and he was the kind of guy who would listen to you and then try hard to see what he could do to help.” –

Robert ‘Bob’ Stead Perhaps no one did more to bridge the traditional gap that exists between town and gown than Robert ‘Bob’ Stead (’63). His ‘dual citizenship’ in both the University and the town of Wolfville blessed him with a unique perspective on the concerns and roles of both. It also left no doubt in anyone’s mind that he had the best interests of campus and community at heart.

In 1961, Bob moved from the pastoral surroundings of Howe Bay, PEI to the equally idyllic Annapolis Valley. While at Acadia, he was greatly influenced by then registrar Ruby Mae Thompson and professor of organic chemistry Erik Hansen. “Erik Hansen was the best teacher I ever had,” he once told The Advertiser’s Wendy Elliott. Helen Beals stirred his lifelong interest in the visual arts and Jean Marsh was a confidante with whom he shared a passion for local politics.

After graduation, Bob went back to the Island and taught for several years, but the pull of his adopted home was strong. He returned to campus as Assistant Registrar and Director of Admissions, a position he would hold for nearly three decades.

It would be hard to imagine a better face for Acadia than Bob Stead’s, especially for prospective students. He had the unique ability to “look beyond the transcript” and find the essence of the applicant. He had the soul of a visionary and it would be difficult to estimate the number of graduates who benefited from this innate skill. Delivering Bob’s eulogy in January 2014 after he succumbed to cancer, his friend Janet Kirk (’71) referred to it as his “uncanny knack for seeing undocumented

Roy Jodrey ‘Money can be used like a log to give warmth for the moment, or planted like an acorn to give shade forever.’ This sentiment was written on a scrap of paper found on the desk from which Roy Jodrey ran his business empire.

Industrialist Roy Jodrey (Hon. ’63) did not attend Acadia University, although his wife Lena Isabell (Coldwell) Jodrey (’09) did. Roy’s formal education ended at the age of 13 when he left school. “(When I was a teenager) I did anything I could to earn a dollar,” he once said.

“Anything was better than going to school.”

Despite his early departure from the classroom, Jodrey valued education. His thirst for knowledge, coupled with incredible perseverance and discipline, enabled him to become the very model of the self-made 19

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man. A voracious reader, he devoured an eclectic list of books on subjects as diverse as hydropower, finance and farming. He also took a variety of correspondence courses to learn about business, banking and mathematics.

Jodrey was born in Gaspereau near Wolfville. His entrepreneurial spirit was ignited early on and burned brightly throughout his life. Stories of door-to-door sales of farm produce are part of family lore.

After working in the family orchard in his mid-teens, he was inspired to export Annapolis Valley apples to England. In his late twenties he and his colleague Charlie Wright built a dam at Stiver Falls and were soon providing power sufficient to service the eastern end of the Valley.

In the early 1920s, he and fellow businessmen created the Avon River Power Company and in 1927 the Minas Basin Pulp and Power Co. was born. Not satisfied with one enterprise, or even two, Jodrey rapidly created a family of diverse companies. As his empire grew so did his legend, and soon he was on the board of directors of 56 companies, including the Bank of Nova Scotia. Despite his success, he staunchly avoided the temptation to move his headquarters to a larger centre.

In 1965, he donated 400 acres that became a provincial park at Cape Blomidon. For this and numerous other charitable endeavours, he was named Annapolis Valley Man of the Year.

Jodrey was inducted posthumously into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame in 2002.

Roy Jodrey was always generous to Acadia. The Jodrey School of Computer Science stands as testament to that, as does the Chair in Physics that the Jodrey family has endowed. Now more than ever, generations of Acadia students will know and appreciate the name Roy Jodrey thanks to a $2 million gift from the Jodrey family to the Residence Advantage initiative.

A state-of-the-art residence – opened in July 2003, known officially as “Roy Jodrey Hall” and affectionately as “RoJo”– honours the many contributions that the family patriarch made to Acadia. Grandson Roy Bishop (’59) spoke at the opening. “It is notable that today a university residence is being named for a person whose first three decades were spent on the other side of the Wolfville Ridge, whose formal education ended with

elementary school. In the years ahead, Roy Jodrey Hall will remind the Acadia community of a remarkable man from Gaspereau.”

Then Acadia President and ViceChancellor Dr. Kelvin Ogilvie (’63) expressed the gratitude of the entire Acadia community.

“This is a tremendous gift for Acadia University,” he said. “We are greatly indebted to the Jodrey family for their continued support of Acadia initiatives. This is one of the largest single gifts provided to a university in this region and we appreciate the Jodreys’ confidence that Acadia will continue to be the best primarily undergraduate university in this country.” –

The Wu Family The elder Mr. (Jieh-Yee) Wu (DCL ’93) has always been thankful to Acadia for giving a high-quality education to his three children, Lily (’63), Doris (’64), and Timothy (’66); a nephew, John; a niece, Dora; and a son-in-law, Andre Lau (’61). According to the Wu family, Jieh-Yee Wu “wanted to give back to Acadia as a token of thanks, and also in the hope that Acadia would continue with the tradition of providing quality education to successive generations of young men and women.

“Collectively, we feel that the education we received at Acadia was first-rate. Some of us have gone on to post-graduate studies at other universities and achieved good results because of the sound foundation we received at Acadia.

“We all have fond memories of our professors.” Doris benefitted greatly from the attentive instruction she received from Miss Jean Marsh and Miss Shirley Chute (’54) in the Secretarial Science courses; Timothy still has vivid memories of Professor (Sheldon) Fountain in the Commerce Department and Professors Kalejs (husband and wife Juris and Elizabeth, ’63) in the Music Department. Lily remembers how, as a young girl arriving in an unfamiliar place called Wolfville, she was met at the DAR train station – then still in active use – by Professor Marion Grant, the Dean of Women at Acadia herself.

Andre Lau owes his connection with the Wu family to Acadia as it was the place where 20

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he meet Lily. Andre remembers with respect and gratitude the sometimes stern but always helpful guidance given by his professors in the Physics Department: Professors Noble, Magarvey, Tillotson, and Van der Baaren.

Andre forged many friendships with his classmates, including Roy Bishop (’59) and Brad Blackford (’60), also in the Physics Department, who both went on to receive doctorates in physics and become professors themselves. He also enjoys a long-standing friendship with Payson Rowell (’61), despite being in different studies at Acadia.

“We treasure the small-town atmosphere where crimes are few, traffic is uncongested, and human relationships warm and informal, something that you can never get in a big city.” –

formed the idea that Acadia was a community in the true sense of the word.

“The access to professors, for example, was so easy and so readily done as to be almost intrusive in your life. There was no hiding! But there was a gentleness to it in terms of transition, partly because of the almost family relationship.

“The whole campus was my thing, my home. It was a brand new world. I was involved in campus government, curling, soccer, the Celtic Society and the Cape Breton Club.

“When I became involved in the Students’ Union, we would organize these fantastic cheering sections, and we had these things called bed races. We’d race hospital beds. I remember dear Watson Kirkconnell standing in his pajamas watching us leave campus pushing a bed to Yarmouth. We then turned around pushed it back, and we didn’t quit when we got to Wolfville. We kept going to Halifax. We pushed it over the bridge and celebrated in due course in the pubs of Halifax.

After a time, Acadia began to lock beds down very solidly.

“Acadia formed me. You were in a moldable stage at the age of 17 and facing the influences of that age. When I look back at the influences that most formed my career, my personal ethics and my character, they stemmed mainly from parents and home life, but Acadia polished them.

“Acadia gives you an impeccable foundation. It gave me a sense of belonging, a sense of the value of service and respect for other people. It reinforced what had been instilled in my home environment and gave me confidence that just maybe I was on the right track in the formation of my character. It’s the greatest gift any institution can foster and instill.” –

Ron Stewart When you talk about Acadia graduates who have made a difference, you could easily start with Dr. Ron Stewart (’63). He has spent a lifetime helping others and is one of the most respected pioneers of emergency and paramedic medicine in North America.

Ron Stewart came to Acadia from Cape Breton, the son of a coal miner and the first person in the family to complete his high school education. His love of learning received nurture from both parents. Dr. Stewart is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Member of the Order of Nova Scotia, and former Minister of Health for Nova Scotia. He was the first director of the paramedic program at the University of Southern California and revolutionized that field of medical care.

“I can remember to this day driving up to Acadia with my parents in a borrowed car,” he says. “When we arrived on campus, we pulled up in front of War Memorial Residence, Barrax as we later called it, and I was assigned to a room in the basement. I thought it was absolutely palatial – a three-room suite, one of which was the size of a broom closet.

“Acadia introduced me to things like live symphony orchestra and live stage plays. But it was mainly the people. It was such an intimate setting, which was part of the reason I chose to go there. For some reason, I had already 21

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Acadia Advantage. They were so far advanced relative to other university graduates in the instinctive use of the technology. It was never the technology itself; it was the way you used it to acquire and use knowledge. That’s why we transformed the learning environment, the classrooms, and set up the Acadia Centre for supporting faculty, training them to adapt to this new learning environment.

“The presidency was an enormously important part of my life. I’m very proud of what was done in the years that I was President and some of the things we were able to achieve. Having the University recognized in the Smithsonian Institution is an amazing thing for a university our size, but most important were the testimonials from students over the years.

“When I came back to Acadia as VicePresident and then President I wanted the academic community to be rejuvenated.

That’s one of the major reasons for the Acadia Advantage. I was an early adapter of technology in my research at McGill and could see where it was going in terms of access to information. I came back to Acadia as VicePresident and said, ‘How can I provide access to information for the students and faculty at Acadia?’ Even at McGill in those days, it was all paper. How was little Acadia possibly able to give its undergrads and faculty access to the information they needed to challenge themselves in this world? Even if we had the money, where would we put all those books?

“Electronically, I could give Acadia students and faculty access to the world’s information and they didn’t need to have a building full of books. Electronically, they could browse all the great resources of the world. It was phenomenal going into one of the anthropology classes or one of the classics courses and seeing them actually inside one of the great museums of the world looking at the object instead of passing the book around the classroom. It gave me the learning foundation I wanted for future generations.

“I really think the character of Acadia has remained true to itself and has evolved based on its founding principles. It is a progressive, socially conscious place with historic character. Time is present at Acadia. The future is present at Acadia.” –

Dr. Kelvin Ogilvie During the presidency of Dr. Kelvin Ogilvie (’63), Acadia became one of the most hightech and innovative campuses in North America. Even the Smithsonian Institution acknowledged the pioneering role played by the small school, making Acadia a laureate of the prestigious organization for its Acadia Advantage program. Once short-listed for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Dr. Ogilvie’s vision for the campus was bold and sometimes controversial, but it put the Valley school on the cutting edge and captured the attention of the academic world.

“I very much enjoyed being President of Acadia University and actually taking on the challenge of building the University.

The Acadia Advantage program was an extraordinary achievement in the annals of university development. In the last three years of my presidency we were running a surplus of about a million dollars a year and, of course, the University can’t really show a surplus.

We were putting that back into the university community in scholarships, bursaries and investments in teaching and research facilities – for example, the renovation of the old pool to become the kinesiology laboratories was done with surplus money.

“We were doing this in spite of what the university world thought was an impossibly expensive program, the Acadia Advantage program. It not only paid for itself, but was generating revenue for the University. The students that came out of those first years and until it ended under my successor got jobs that were cutting edge. I got letters from all over telling me that their degree had led to a certain career opportunity and it was due to 22

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campus as well. Peter Gzowski came to do the literacy golf tourney at Ken-Wo and then he was opening the new section of the library, and I took him around campus in a golf cart.

One of the most rewarding things was looking after the arrangements for one of Freeman Patterson’s first presentations at Acadia. From then on Freeman, John and I have been the closest of friends. Governor General Roland Michener opened a new section of the SUB in 1972 and I served him tea. I was part of Dr. Huggins’ installation as Chancellor.

“The actor Peter Donat (’49) came when Michael Bawtree started the ATF. I had seen him perform with Christopher Plummer at Stratford. Shirley MacLaine (DCL ’85) was another big name. Working with Jack Sheriff at the Theatre Arts Festival International (TAFI) was a great experience. I helped organize acts such as the Russian ballet at the gym – and Roger Williams and Harry Chapin and Joan Baez.

“I was still a student at Acadia when the Chapel was finished in 1963. It’s my favourite place on campus. If you go in there and sit, depending on the time of day, the stained glass windows are just so incredible. They are never the same. If you go to the Easter sunrise service and the sun’s coming up through those windows, it’s just such a calming and peaceful place to be. Of course, the windows also tell a story and each time you look at them because you are reminded of the history of Christianity and the founding of Acadia University.

“The Chapel stands as a sentinel on the campus and reminds me of the founding of Acadia by the ‘few’ from Nictaux who wanted a university that was without religious restrictions and accepted all, regardless of race or colour.” –

Winnie Horton Counting four years as a student, Winnie Horton (’64) was a part of the Acadia campus for 36 years before her retirement in 1997.

During that time she saw generations of students arrive as raw freshmen, graduate, and return as visiting alumni. Working in the Alumni Office, Winnie often represented a point of contact with their alma mater. In addition to her Acadia career, she was one of Nova Scotia’s finest women golfers, capturing the Nova Scotia Ladies’ Senior Tournament on her birthday in 1995.

“My husband John’s (Horton ’66) mother, Isabelle Mader Horton, graduated in 1936 with a BA and went to McGill for Library Science.

She married Sidney Horton, who graduated in 1941 and became a Baptist minister. John graduated in 1966 with a BSc in math. Our daughter, Catherine (Fuller), graduated in 1987 with a double major in honours chemistry and math. Our son John graduated in 1994 with a bachelor of physical education and recreation degree.

“I graduated in 1964 and almost immediately went back to work at Acadia.

In April 1965 I started working as secretary for Bill Parker (’56), who was then Director of Alumni Affairs. I organized my first alumni reunion that same year. The office was a one-person operation back then. Bill was the main man, but I was the one was making arrangements for alumni to come back. I stayed in Alumni Hall for 25 years before becoming Associate Director of Development in 1990.

“I always felt that I was the heart and soul of alumni, especially during reunions.

We had some memorable people drop by 23

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“University offers opportunities for networking and interchange, and it’s up to everyone to figure it out for themselves. There are a lot of those things that no one can teach you. Success is hard work and good luck.

And success doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re running a company. It means that you’re happy in your job and feel that you’re fairly compensated. That’s what success is. It’s what’s in you.

“I serve on two committees on the Board: one is the Pension Committee and the other is the Investment Committee, essentially the endowment fund. I think my role really is to be somewhat of a sounding board for Ray Ivany, who has been an absolutely incredible president.

“When I went on the board, Arthur Irving (’52) was chancellor and he was terrific. He would sit at those meetings, take it all in, and every once in a while he’d chat a little, give everyone a little talking to. He kept it straight and I think it’s important for Board members not just to attend meetings but to participate, to ask the questions that are going to help move the ball forward.

“I would credit Acadia’s turnaround mostly to Ray. He has been able to develop great contacts within the government and to my knowledge doesn’t have a party affiliation.

When I first went on the Board, one of the big issues was declining enrolment. Ray made a few changes, got some great people in place and turned that around. Now percentage growth in the students is one of the best in Atlantic Canada, maybe the best over the past few years. That’s important. Ray has assembled a very strong team. He has made some meaningful changes and that’s why things are turning around.” –

Don Reed As President and CEO of Franklin Investments Corporation, Don Reed (’66) knows a lot about the high-powered world of international investment. In 2000, he received the prestigious Thomas L. Hansberger Award for Leadership in Global Investing. Reed graduated from Acadia with a Bachelor of Commerce.

“My four years at Acadia were just great; some of the most fun years of my life.

I remember that Sheldon Fountain taught corporate finance and he had that practical experience that was so valuable. Dave Misener (’61) taught me accounting and John Connor taught economics – money and banking.

“I wasn’t that notable a student. When I was asked to go on the Board of Governors, I said I’d do it on one condition: that you don’t call the registrar and say, ‘We want to see this guy’s transcript.’ I had very poor marks, but perseverance is important. I didn’t give up. If I got knocked down I was able to try something else to be successful. One thing I did at university was make it to all my classes.

If I had an 8:30 a.m. class and had been out partying half the night, it wasn’t the professors’ fault that I was tired so I thought I owed it to myself and him to always show up for class. I was very serious about that.

“If you look out there, the people with the best marks aren’t necessarily the ones who have the most successful careers. You have to have the nerve to persevere. No one will come banging on your door. That’s what I learned at school. I learned about social and communication skills. I developed the knack of meeting people.

David Smith David Smith (’66) graduated from Acadia with a Bachelor of Commerce before studying law at UNB. After completing his LLB, he was called to the New Brunswick bar in 1971 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1985. He served as a judge of the Family Division from 1993-98, at which point he was appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench.

Smith is a former member of the New 24

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Brunswick Parole Board and has held various leadership positions in the Canadian Bar Association, NB Chapter. He has been active in the New Brunswick YMCA , the Moncton Airport Board, the Rotary Club, Resurgo Inc., and the United Way. Among his many other affiliations, he was a director of Canadair Limited, Marine Atlantic Inc., and Junior Achievement.

David has been credited for guiding the revitalization of downtown Moncton, including the acquisition and restoration of a theatre that houses the Live Performing Arts Centre for Greater Moncton. He is currently involved in planning for two state-of- the-art courthouses.

“I actually chose Acadia because my older brother and sister enjoyed their times there. I remember a philosophy professor from Montreal who was teaching logic.

He explained some of the natural steps of something becoming illegal: first was unhealthy, then immoral, and then illegal. I also fondly remember Seymour Hamilton, who gave me a lasting appreciation of English literature in an English 101 class.

“Acadia provides a unique small-town university experience in that beautiful Annapolis Valley setting, with the best teaching staff found anywhere. I really think it should be the top choice for any high school graduate who is seeking a university degree that is nationally recognized and highly prized.” –

Memorial Chapel, Rev. Roger Prentice (’69) was a sympathetic ear for many students, a person to come to for advice and assistance about matters religious and otherwise. In his chaplaincy, he used a variety of strategies to enhance and enrich the spiritual lives of Acadia students.

“I grew up in Halifax and went to Dalhousie and then Acadia, which was my first experience living in residence. There’s something about being a residential university that is important. You learn a lot. It was from my residence experience at Acadia that I got the sense of a community of scholars.

“My idea of chaplaincy was to promote the whole idea of spirituality in its broadest sense. I think that spirituality is an important part of growth.

“The Chaplain has the responsibility to point out to people that there is a spiritual dimension in life that is as important as your physical and mental, or academic, life. We have to let them know that they are missing something if they don’t tap into it somehow.

Spirituality means that there are purposes greater than ourselves.

“I wondered what I could do since the University was paying me to educate students a little bit indirectly – informally. I had a solid little congregation of about 30 people and one day, at the 11:30 service, I noticed a new guy in the back pew. When I was shaking hands afterward, he approached me and introduced himself as Jaret Sledz (’01), a defenseman on the varsity hockey team from Calgary. He said, ‘I don’t go to church normally, but I heard the bell and I wanted to know what went on in here since I’m a member of the University now.’

“I brought him to my office and we had a chat. I explained how I saw the chaplaincy as a thing that adds to your experience. He said, ‘I know someone on the team who might be interested. I’ll bring him tomorrow.’ I said that would be lovely, thinking I’d never see him again, but tomorrow arrived and there he was with Kirk Furey (’01). They said they knew others, and the group started to grow and I was greeting all these hockey players.

At the same time I was beginning these passion plays for Easter and I told them about it. I didn’t know if I’d get anyone into it, let alone hockey players, but they seemed to be attracted to the Chapel because they were coming every day. I said, ‘Would you like to

Roger Prentice University involves growth and learning; it’s a time for change and exploration. For some, however, it is also produces stress, doubt and vulnerability. Throughout his 22-year career (1985-2007) as Chaplain of Acadia’s Manning 25

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act in a passion play?’ They asked, ‘What’s a passion play?’ So I explained, and they said, ‘Yeah, we can do that. Need any more?’ I said, ‘Why, yes, I do.’ ‘Okay, we’ll talk to the team.’

And that’s how the varsity hockey team came to Chapel all the time and got involved.

“There seems to be a larger idea of education at Acadia. It includes academics and sports – and Chapel, if you wish. It’s all there and you’re living in a community where people partake of all this so it’s no more abnormal to go to Chapel than to go to the gym. It’s a community that cares for its students. I can tell you many stories of students with special needs for whom I was able to get help and I was never once turned down for a special request for a student.” –

man.

“I bleed Acadia red and blue. The people at Acadia are what convinced me to come, people like President James Beveridge, President Jim Perkin, Dr. Millard Cherry, Chalmers Smith, Bill Parker, and Jim Logue.

I also remember Eric Hansen, Al Whittle, Maurice Tugwell, Don McLeod, Vincent Leung, Ann Mingo, Ron MacDonald, Sandy Fraser, Dave Muttart, Major Fred Kelly, Gib Chapman, Tom Prescott, Don Wells, Connie MacNeil – the list goes on and on. They are why Acadia will always be my alma mater.

“Acadia was really the only school that took an interest in me academically, and that truly impressed me. You are offered a worldclass education at Acadia that allows you to do graduate studies at any other university.

I was made to feel that I could build a life for myself here. Not for one instant did I ever regret my decision to come here.”

Basketball generated a frenzy of excitement during Pound’s student days that reached a climax in 1971 when the Axemen met the University of Manitoba Bisons in the CIAU championship final on the Wolfville campus. It seemed the entire Annapolis Valley had shoehorned its way into War Memorial Gymnasium.

“The town was electric,” recalls Pound.

“The gym was packed to the rafters, with banners strung all over the place. They used to turn the lights out and focus a spotlight on a shiny paper barrier at the east end of the court. We would break through the paper with music blaring and get the crowd worked up. The Axemen mascot was standing on the other side of the paper chopping that huge metal axe up and down, and when I broke through it just missed my head, nicking my shoulder. This was all on national TV.” Fortunately, Pound kept his head and went on to lead Acadia to a decisive 72-48 win, setting off a night of pandemonium on campus. “It was an amazing feeling to win a national championship in your own gym,” he says.

A member of Acadia’s Sports Hall of Fame, Pound was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame on May 4th, 2014, his birthday. He still holds state records for his 40 points per game season average and his single game high of 68, both accomplished before the advent of the three-point shot. He was Executive Director of the Associated

Steve Pound Steve Pound (’72) was one of the best basketball players ever to don an Acadia Axemen uniform. He played at Acadia when basketball was king and the campus was its court. His trademark was a lightning-quick first step followed by a hard drive to the basket past opponents rendered immobile by the threat of his deadly outside shooting and deft passing touch.

Supported by a lineup that included allstars Rick Eaton (’72), Jerome ‘Bruiser’ McGee (’74), Peter Phipps (’71) and Gary Folker (’72), Pound was the sparkplug that powered the Axemen. The 5’10” guard from Millinocket, Maine had been recruited by U.S. basketball powers like Syracuse, Boston College, Niagara, the University of Massachusetts and Brandeis. He chose Acadia instead and the reasons for the choice say a lot about the 26

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Alumni of Acadia University for 15 years and is currently Associate Director Cianbro Institute - Workforce Development, Cianbro Corporation.

“It’s great to get recognized for these things, but I already got my reward with all the friends I met at Acadia: all the coaches and teammates and teachers who taught me life lessons. Over the years I was a student, a staff member and an alumnus of Acadia, and the biggest thing for me was how people were treated – with respect. They made you feel like you were important and it didn’t matter who you were. They didn’t do it because I was a basketball player.

“Ray Ivany has gotten us back on track.

We’re going to value people first. Ray called me within a half-hour of him taking the job (as University president). He said that he had accepted the job and hoped he could make Acadia the place I had always told him about.

He said he had always admired my love of Acadia, and I appreciated that gesture.” –

Halifax and with Studio D, the NFB women’s studio in Montreal, where she co-founded the innovative New Initiatives in Film Program, a project designed to provide women of colour and First Nations women with opportunities to make films. She was recruited to the national board of the Women’s Television Network (WTN) Foundation, where she designed programs to advance women in Canada’s film and television industry.

A staunch advocate for racial and cultural diversity and gender equality, she has reflected this passion in creative work and in her teaching and public presentations on local, national and international levels. Her films include: Black Mother Black Daughter, (1989); Speak It: From the Heart of Black Nova Scotia, (1993); Against the Tides (Hymn to Freedom Series 1994); Portia White: Think on Me (2000); and The Little Black School House (2007). She received an honorary doctorate from Acadia in 2010.

“My first year was the fall of 1968. I didn’t really have a plan at that point. The level of diversity when I was there was pretty slim.

I remember a very few Asian students, very few Black students, but one of the things that was important to me was that I was able to connect with those few who were on campus – students from Africa and the Caribbean and local Black students. It was one of the few times for me to be with other Black students who were aspiring to higher education.

“For me, the exciting thing was to be in this place where I would learn and take courses I had never thought about before, meeting other Black students and getting involved in campus activities. That was the way I was able to manage. We developed some good friendships.

“I knew Professor Evelyn Garbary from my home community of Beechville because she had lived in the Lakeside area adjoining Beechville and was a friend of my mom’s. She was involved in the push to desegregate area schools. It was wonderful to see her at Acadia in the theatre department and to be exposed to her teaching. She was always encouraging and dynamic. Another professor I learned from was Edward Eagles in the English Department.

I gained an appreciation of literature from him.

“I was involved in a women’s group at Acadia called the Propylaem Society. We began to look at the campus rules that were different for women and men. There were

Sylvia D. Hamilton Sylvia D. Hamilton (’72) received her BA in English and Sociology from Acadia before completing an MA in Education at Dalhousie University. After working in social and community development in the north end of Halifax, she moved to Ottawa and became the Assistant Director of Communications for the Company of Young Canadians. She later worked as a reporter and announcer for private radio stations as well as the CBC. Her interest in communications and the arts led her into writing and filmmaking.

She worked with the National Film Board in 27

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negative things charged against us as if we were these radical people trying to change things. And we were. It was really about how women were treated as students. I came to Acadia with the sense of community that I had in Beechville, a sense of what was right and wrong, and standing up for your beliefs was paramount.

“The challenge for Acadia in the next 175 years will be how to attract more African Nova Scotians, and indeed more students of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. In short, how to better reflect the province and the country that is becoming more diversified.

“Who are the professors and administrators, and what is being taught?

What will attract those students to Acadia?

We are growing a new generation, and in the climate of today we need to encourage them to come. They need to know there is something there for them, a place where they will see something of themselves, where they will be welcomed.” –

to prospective students. Acadia’s size and location, with it being removed from the hustle and bustle of Halifax, allows students to focus on their studies and become more deeply immersed in university life. That makes them better students and more complete people.

“I have dozens of fond memories of Acadia. I remember finishing my first-year exams and laying on the front lawn of University Hall with the sweet smell of freshly cut grass. I remember feeling ‘the power and the glory’ of the electric crowds and the unity of spirit at big basketball games.

“To me, Acadia – the place – has always been a beautiful vista. There can be no University Hall and campus more pleasing to the eye. To me, that is the beginning of the magic of Acadia. The simplicity of life in Wolfville allows a student to delve into his or her studies and university life. Working hard and playing hard equals great results. For me, this unique environment makes Acadia a very special place.” –

Gord Proudfoot Gord Proudfoot, QC (’74), graduated from Acadia with a BBA before completing his law degree at Dalhousie Law School. He is a partner and senior litigator at Boyne Clarke Barristers and Solicitors, where he has practiced law since 1979. Among his many accomplishments, Proudfoot is an Honorary Life Member of the Canadian Bar Association and past recipient of the Canadian Bar Association Distinguished Service Award (2000).

“I grew up in the Annapolis Valley and as a school boy, Acadia’s University Hall was always the icon of higher education.

“At Acadia, Professor David Meisner made it abundantly clear that accounting was not in my future, for which I owe him much.

I would have been bored silly. Professor Lionel Mitchell encouraged me because I had a knack for marketing. I took those fundamental skills, developed them further and they have served me well over the years in various public, charitable and political works.

I consider it a privilege to have met math Professor Dr. David Haley, who taught us that zaniness and brilliance can co-exist.

“I have recommended Acadia many times

Donalda MacBeath Donalda MacBeath (’75) is a legal consultant in the Alberta oil patch. She has worked with Enmax Energy, Petro Canada-Suncor and is now consulting with Chevron Canada Resources. After graduating from Acadia, she attended Dalhousie Law School and joined the Alberta bar in 1980 and the Nova Scotia bar in 1983. Her four siblings – Roberta (’80), Barbara (’81), Louise (‘71), and Roy (’72) – also graduated from Acadia, as did her parents, Donald and Sara (Class of 1950), and her own three children. Donalda is on the Board of the Associated Alumni of Acadia University, 28

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assisting the AAAU with its strategic objectives.

“When I came to Acadia, I didn’t intend to pursue law. I had a major in economics and a minor in political science. The professor who had the most influence on me was Maurice Tugwell. I was there when he started at Acadia and he was unbelievable. He was just so enthusiastic about his subject matter, about life, about what was out there for all of us in terms of future endeavours. He was exceedingly approachable, open and welcoming; never stodgy.

“From a learning perspective, Acadia allows you to be more than a number and to have that one-on-one relationship with your professors. For me, that was Tugwell. When I was trying to figure out what I was going to do after I graduated, I was thinking of taking the civil service road. Professor Tugwell advised me to ‘cast your net a little bit further. Look at your options.’ So just as a whim I wrote the LSATs, did well and decided to go to law school. After that, I never looked back.

I was in residence for four years and I came to Acadia from Grade 11, so I was a little younger. I loved the residence experience. I made a core of friends that first year and we stuck together. When we went into residence draw every year we’d try to get on the same floor and same building at least. As a result, I’m still in contact with that core group of 10 people, and six of us get together every summer. We call ourselves ‘the Acadia girls.’

“Acadia provided me with unique opportunities. I remember going by train to a learned society at Laval with Professor Ralph Winter and couple of other students. I got to have lunch with John Kenneth Galbraith and I met Milton Friedman! Being at Acadia gave me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A kid from small-town Nova Scotia sitting down for lunch with John Galbraith – I mean, Holy Toledo!

“My daughter Lisa graduated from Acadia in May with a degree in geology. She had a chance to be in Wales with Professor Sandra Barr to do some research work for her honours thesis. There she was, one-on-one with Professor Barr, doing this research work in Wales. And who is with Dr. Barr? The head of the British Geological Society! So it still happens today.” –

Drew Peck Perhaps no one has a more intimate knowledge of the Acadia campus than Drew Peck (’75).

For almost 40 years, as Director of Facilities, it was his business to know every nook and cranny of one of the most beautiful and historic universities in Canada.

Peck has always respected the vision of those who came before, and he fought to preserve the sense of place that is the legacy of generations of graduates while also building to meet the needs of future generations.

“I’ve been steeped in Acadia. My parents both went there and so did my aunts.

“My father, Ron Peck (’35), was an architect who set up his practice here in the Valley. He spent 21 years on the Board of Governors and was Secretary of the Board for much of that time. Working alone and with other architectural firms, he helped design many of the buildings on campus. For example, he worked with Harold Wagner on the Manning Memorial Chapel. He also did a number of renovations, like McConnell Hall in 1968, the first time I worked as a labourer on a project.

My mother Jean (Rand, ’41) was a lecturer in the Home Economics Department and School of Education. As a student, I was President of the engineering class and engineering representative on Student Council.

“I was able to get into the management and operation of the facilities. I had the opportunity to work as a liaison with various architects that the University hired. I had the chance to get the facilities faculty wanted put on paper and actually built. I got to work with everybody, whether it was dealing with heating problems in an office or renovating the residences, building the biology building or working with 29

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Mr. (Arthur) Irving (’52) on his projects. So the whole campus to me is home and always has been. I’ve been in all the buildings and know them intimately. In the spring of 2012 I realized I was working on buildings that I had originally been involved in getting built and thought, it’s almost 40 years – I’ve been here long enough.

“Every building reflects the history of the campus. My favourite is Emmerson Hall, which is a little jewel. I can just imagine what that was like when they opened it in 1913. It’s a sandstone building and just gorgeous. I had the pleasure of working there because my office was in the basement.

“Seminary House leads the charge of historically significant buildings. It was built in 1879 as the Acadia Ladies Seminary and is one of the oldest continuous-use campus facilities in Canada. Permanence is really important.

It’s a draw for people and, God willing, will continue to be.

“Acadia now builds for the energy efficiency that is key in today’s world. We also want to be as green as possible and are building to entirely new standards. In addition, we have to ensure that we keep up with the technologies that incoming students bring to campus.

“If I were to give a tour of Acadia to a new student, I’d start at Main Street and walk up the hill from the old gym that honored the First World War sacrifices. I’d show off University Hall and Convocation Hall and what that will represent for them coming out of Acadia.

U-Hall is so well sited and we’ve worked hard to open up the views from Main Street. As much as I hated to lose our elm trees, it has been very positive in terms of making U-Hall stand out. It’s iconic. It’s Acadia.

“I would take him or her to the K. C. Irving Environmental Science Centre, which reflects a lot of our traditions. Arthur (Irving) worked hard to put Acadia at the fore with the technologies that it offers.

“I’d take them to the Chapel, one of my favourite places on campus, and my father’s favourite. The plaster work was cast onsite and the big columns were turned in Newfoundland.

It has become a huge part of Acadia’s history.

“Acadia gives you a sense of place. When I retired, I was overwhelmed by the outpouring from people. I was presented with a painting of the campus. It’s fun to look at because at some point I’ve been involved with something in every building.” –

Dr. Joni Guptill Dr. Joni Guptill (’76) is an internationally renowned humanitarian. After graduating with an honours degree in chemistry from Acadia, she studied medicine at Dalhousie University and established a practice in Halifax for seven years and then in rural New Brunswick until 2008. While practicing in New Brunswick, she established several clinical care programs, including a rural Family Medicine Obstetrics program at the Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville, New Brunswick.

Guptill has been involved with Doctors Without Borders (Medicins Sans Frontières) for more than 20 years. She completed studies in Tropical Medicine in London, England in 1990 and was recruited there by Doctors Without Borders. She opened the Atlantic Canada office for MSF in 1990 and over the last 23 years has been involved in many capacities, including overseas projects in Somalia, Turkey, China, Syria/Iraq, and South Sudan. Guptill currently resides in Halifax.

“Our family has a long history of attending Acadia, including my brother, my father, my father’s brother and my mother’s mother, who attended Horton Academy just after the turn of the last century. Other great-aunts and uncles and my mother’s siblings also attended.

“I had been a bit unruly in my high school years, but settled into my studies at Acadia. I had wonderful mentors, including Dr. Merritt Gibson (’51), Dr. Dan Toews, Dr. Sherman Bleakney (’49) and my most special mentor, Dr. James Perkins (’95) – my minor was in religious studies. Acadia was a place of higher learning in my student years with dedicated professors who took an interest in the education and development of their students.

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Officer and President of Canadian Tire Corporation Limited, a position he has held since 2009. During his extensive business career, Wetmore has successfully led a number of public companies and managed complex businesses in different industries, including telecommunications, information technology and transportation. He is a Chartered Accountant and Member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Among his many honours and accolades, Wetmore was named 18th on The Globe and Mail’s 50 Most Powerful People in Canadian Sport due to Canadian Tire Corporation’s partnership with the Canadian Olympic Team.

“I was raised in Edmundston, New Brunswick, and went to school there until Grade 9, when I went to Rothesay Collegiate School (now Rothesay Netherwood). I met my wife Jann (Harvey, ’73) at Acadia as well. She took sociology and graduated with a sociology degree and worked in the field in Nova Scotia.

I took two years off and went back and did three, so I graduated two years after Jann.

“Acadia is a nice size. It allows you to make friends. Classes were mostly 20-30 students so you got to know the students and the professors. They were accessible. When I look back at it now, it was an extension of an Atlantic Canadian upbringing. It didn’t throw you into Boston or New York. The values were there, with excellent teachers to guide you. It didn’t limit you at all in anything you wanted to do with your undergraduate degree. I went straight from Acadia to work for Coopers and Lybrand at the time. It’s called PricewaterhouseCoopers now. I traveled all over Canada then I did work all over the world, and never did I feel that I didn’t know as much as the people I was meeting. It’s kind of a test of your undergraduate degree, and Acadia passed.

“What Acadia did for me was, while I was going through those years when I had to grow up a bit, I was growing up at Acadia in Wolfville. While my daughter was growing up, she was at UCLA in Hollywood. I worried about her. You know how much trouble you could get into in Wolfville? Not a hell of a lot. Growing up at Acadia just kind of cemented all the values that you learned and stayed with you through life.

“I wasn’t exposed to all the things that kids are in big towns and I don’t even think I was ready for it. I wasn’t old or mature enough. I’m

I am forever indebted to these professors who piqued my interest in science and played an important role in my development as a responsible student.

“I was involved in some sports – junior varsity basketball for one year – but mostly I pursued academics. In fact, I decided to pursue a career in medicine with a special interest in developing country work while I was in my third year at Acadia. It was somewhat of an epiphany and suitably came to me while I was bouncing a tennis ball against the wall of the Acadia Chapel.

“After my third year of studies, I worked in the mudflats around the Valley, collecting samples and counting invertebrates in a study on the feeding of migrating shorebirds. Great fun and a wonderful summer. There are other stories that involve tubing on the Gaspereau, trips to Brier Island, Dryden falls, three pools and all of the wonderful surroundings that make Acadia such a special location. I have wonderful memories of Acadia and it has a very special place in my heart. In 1996, I was married in the Acadia Chapel to my husband, Dale Fox. “I have been very kindly remembered by Acadia, with a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2009 and an Honorary Doctorate in 2010.

I always highly recommend Acadia to any students. The combination of high academic standards, the beautiful surroundings and the historical setting of Wolfville are a perfect environment for students to grow and develop.” –

Stephen Wetmore Stephen G. Wetmore (‘76) is Chief Executive 31

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glad I was in Wolfville. Your schools always have a huge impact on you and Acadia certainly did. You don’t realize it until you sit down and think about it. I’m glad I went to Acadia.” –

community of Nova Scotia.

When Nova Scotia opened the African Canadian Services Division of the Department of Education and Culture, Robert Upshaw was named its first director. The mandate was to formalize the relationship between the black community and the Department. Upshaw’s overriding goal was “addressing past inequities and ensuring future opportunities.

We are now in a position to have a real voice in directing the education of African Canadians in Nova Scotia,” Upshaw said at the time of his appointment. Upshaw is currently viceprincipal of Cole Harbour High School in Dartmouth. –

Robbie Upshaw There are athletes who excel at university sport and that experience becomes the defining moment of their lives. For a select few, the mark they make beyond collegiate sport is indelible. Such is the case with Robbie Upshaw (’77).

Upshaw was a leader for the Acadia Axemen basketball teams of the mid-to-late 1970s. In 1977, he led the Axemen all the way to a national championship. Decades later, he reflected on an amazing year. “We won the national championship and I got my first diploma. The satisfaction from the two accomplishments went hand-in-hand. I was happy with the diploma and the title, but the diploma gave me the greater satisfaction.”

Upshaw took nothing for granted and arrived at Acadia with his priorities in order.

“God has given me some talents and some smarts,” he says. “My mom cleaned rooms and made $5,000 a year, so it’s a miracle I got to university at all.”

He was determined to make the Acadia experience as meaningful as possible on and off the basketball court. “Competition is one thing,” he says frankly. “If you’re good enough, you can gain equality there. I’ve been given an opportunity to make the best of my talents while at the same time addressing the lack of opportunity for many other Nova Scotia blacks.”

He remembers with pride playing for Acadia. “It was not a privilege, it was something you earned,” he says emphatically.

“It was an opportunity, a chance to learn more about working as a team: to learn about discipline, hard work and commitment.” While at Acadia, Upshaw received the Gib Chapman Award for sportsmanship.

Those lessons of leadership and dedication were applied after his playing days were over. Upshaw transitioned smoothly from a worthy champion to a champion of worthy causes, bringing the same level of passion and commitment to his work on behalf of the black

Jack Scholz In his time at Acadia, Jack Scholz had an impact far beyond anything he could have imagined. He was a professor in the School of Recreation and Physical Education for two decades and touched countless lives during that period. The New Haven, Connecticut native arrived on campus after an AllAmerican career at Springfield College and a teaching stint at Colby College.

He coached the Acadia women’s varsity swim team to two national championships and guided the men’s team to an AUAA title. He was chosen CIAU Coach of the Year in 1977-78 and AUAA Coach of the Year in 1979-81. In all, he coached an amazing total of 36 AllCanadians while at Acadia.

But awards and accolades weren’t that important to Jack Scholz. He will be best remembered for creating the S.M.I.L.E. program (Sensory Motor Instructional Leadership Experience). This innovative 32

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program was designed to help Kings County school students with special needs. As director, Scholz paired each student one-onone with an Acadia student volunteer, and the results were nothing short of magical.

“We haven’t turned out any Olympians or Einsteins,” he once said. “That’s not what it’s all about. It’s the relationship that is formed between the child and the Acadia student.”

When Jack passed away in December 1995 at the age of 51, it was a loss not only for Acadia, but for the entire Valley community.

One parent described the priceless gift that he had given her son: “He was a big man who didn’t like to lose, and he didn’t like to see children set aside. Some of the children saw him as Santa Claus (and) I will never forget that kind man bending over our son, encouraging him.”

Jack Scholz left us with a S.M.I.L.E. – his legacy and his gift. –

during those years that I made up my mind that I wanted to eventually become a professor.

“Graduates of Acadia remain loyal to their school and I think it is due to the people and the atmosphere. My most lasting memories of Acadia are about the people, the professors, the students and the staff. Acadia people were very nice and friendly, caring, positive, and motivated, and they had a high esteem about themselves and the Acadia traditions. They were the nicest people I’ve ever met. In my perception, Acadia is number one.” –

Francis Lau Born in Hong Kong, Francis Lau (’79) graduated from Acadia with a BSc in Computer Science before going on to complete a PhD at the University of Waterloo. He has been a professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Hong Kong since 1987 and served as department head from 2000 to 2005.

“I chose Acadia because my cousins, who attended Acadia before me, highly recommended it. From the time I first arrived I found it to be an extremely welcoming place.

The environment of Acadia and Wolfville is so friendly and so quiet and safe.

“My favourite professor was Ivan Tomek.

He was more than just a professor: he was also a mentor and a friend. That’s one of the reasons that Acadia is a great place to get your undergraduate degree. It has the right combination of size, environment, atmosphere, traditions, variety in terms of subjects, teaching quality, student/teacher ratio, facilities, and an impressive research profile.

“I am now a professor at the University of Hong Kong, one of the top research/ comprehensive universities in Asia. Acadia literally paved my way to becoming an academic. I got interested in research when I was just an undergrad at Acadia, and it was

Ron James It may be tempting to describe Ron James (’79) as the clown of the Class of ’79, but that would be a mistake. There may be no precise word to describe James’s unique comedy, but clownish it is not. He weaves philosophy, sociology, history and psychology into his monologues and English is the glue that keeps it all together.

The Cape Breton-born, Halifax-raised actor-comedian arrived on the Wolfville campus “a little overwhelmed,” but with a permanent twinkle in his eye. His plan was to attend Acadia and then strike out on a career as a history teacher. Funny how university has a way of changing your life. When he graduated, he moved on to Second City, the epicentre of comedic creativity that has honed so many of North America’s sharpest comedic minds. For James, it was simply “a continuation of Acadia.”

When it’s suggested that he is a kind of comic genius, he takes exception. “There are professors who taught me at Acadia who would vigorously debate the ‘genius’ 33

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reference,” he says. “I would like to pay deference to Evelyn Garbary’s English 267 class, which whetted my appetite for performance and subsequently my work in Acadia variety shows where, in a less arthritic day, I had a pretty impressive Elvis impersonation. It was classic. That first year we took the room by surprise. We had girls from Dennis House run down the aisle screaming behind us while we ran in and I lip-synced an Elvis song. The second year we tried to one-up ourselves because Elvis had died, so we got a coffin from the undertaker on Main Street. I was in the coffin and my buddies carried me down the aisle to Elton John’s “Funeral for a Friend”. I then jumped out of the coffin and said, ‘This is my first live performance since I died last August.’”

His Acadia experience also became fodder for his humour. James’s comedic rants are impeccably crafted pieces of social commentary. Each anecdote is carefully designed to wreak maximum havoc on an audience, yet the narrative seldom seems contrived. The language may sound folksy, but it is invariably crisp and precise, with a universal message because he’s speaking about the human condition.

“My first year, my rookie year, at Acadia – and that’s not because I played any sports – I was immediately surrounded by interesting people. This was 1976 and one guy on my floor, geez, his student card was 1970. I was on a floor with guys who already had families and I didn’t even shave yet.

“Acadia people come up to me and say they remember when I said I was going to be a comedian. That’s when I started to articulate it. I started to say, ‘I think this is what I’m supposed to do.’ The seed of me was sown at Acadia. In late night riff sessions in the residence lounge on the floor, I’d be working the room, just because. In my last year at Acadia, I remember doing stand-up for the room, just riffin’, man, doing what you’re supposed to do when you’re a comedian. One time there were seven people there, then the next Saturday night there were 20 people, then after that there were 50 people in the room and more coming off the elevators. Acadia planted the seed and allowed me to at least declare the dream I wished to achieve.” –

Marilla Stephenson Marilla Stephenson (’80) is one of Nova Scotia’s most respected writers and opinionmakers. As a senior columnist for The Chronicle Herald, her analysis of events, political and otherwise, is invariably concise, thought-provoking and unapologetic.

She makes frequent appearances on CBC Newsworld and is a regular political panelist on the CBC supper hour news show Canada Now. She honed her writing and communication skills at Acadia, contributing articles to The Athenaeum and hosting a show on Radio Acadia.

“My time at Acadia was amazing for so many reasons. The gorgeous campus, the incredible camaraderie and school spirit made a very powerful impression on me arriving as a 17-year old freshman.

“The Acadia leaders who influenced my future included Dr. Jim Perkin, who was Dean of Arts before his term as president of Acadia.

He was a gentle man of great principle who demonstrated a very strong backbone and provided loyal leadership to Acadia. He helped me sort through some challenges and made a powerful impact on me.

“Professor Emeritus Ray Thompson taught me to love the works of William Shakespeare, which I enjoy to this day. Dr. Bill White and Sue Hannam, two of my former coaches when I played varsity volleyball for Acadia, were wonderful team-builders who knew how to draw the best from their student-athletes.

“The late Graham W. Dennis, who was a major supporter of Acadia and an honorary degree recipient, had a huge influence on my life in his role as publisher of The Chronicle Herald. Over my many years with the newspaper, he encouraged me to speak my 34

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mind and to always consider the best interests of Nova Scotia in my work.

“I formed lasting friendships during my university years and have many fond memories of my time at Acadia that I will always cherish.” –

before classes started for orientation with two friends from high school and my mom. We all went together and drove over at night, and I remember us coming off the highway at Exit 10 and kind of winding our way through to the campus. It was so pretty and green and welcoming. And then getting on campus, it sort of created a vision of what a university campus should look like. It was very welcoming – obviously with a lot of tradition – but of a size and scale that seemed very manageable.

“When you go through university, there are two main objectives: you want to grow intellectually, and you want to gain knowledge.

You want to develop skills that will help prepare you for your professional life, but I really think that half the goal of the university experience is the personal development. What I found in my experience at Acadia was that I was able to develop both. I had an excellent educational experience, but mixed with that I really grew up. I developed those personal skills: how to build communities, how to work in teams, how to really leverage being in a new place with new people and doing that by building my own confidence. When I left Acadia I felt very well prepared academically, and confident and mature as a person.

“Putting my conflict of interest as president of the University of Calgary on the table, I absolutely think that Acadia is an excellent university that serves its students very well. And those who have graduated from Acadia, whether they remain in the Maritimes, move out west, or travel internationally, are well prepared and well recognized. I think it’s a great environment. I will always wish it well – to continue on with its great traditions and great history. And I look forward to seeing it flourish long into the future.” –

Dr. Elizabeth Cannon Dr. Elizabeth Cannon (’82) was appointed the eighth president and vice-chancellor of the University of Calgary in 2010. A professional engineer, she is an authority in geomatics engineering and her research has placed her on the leading edge of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the U.S. Institute of Navigation, and Canadian Academy of Engineering. Dr. Cannon also received an Honorary Doctorate from Acadia in 2010.

“When I was in high school thinking what I wanted to do in university, I had two decisions: what do you want to study; and where do you want to go? My older sister had gone to Acadia. It was small and I liked that. Some of my friends had gone there and were still going there. One of the key things that drew me to Acadia quite frankly, was the swim program.

I was on the varsity swim team during my time there. I was really keen on being able to continue to swim, so I thought, ‘Wow, I can study what I want, I can be part of great swim teams, and I’m going to have some friends there and meet lots of new people. That sounds like a great fit.’ So I was super excited to go to Acadia.

“My expectations were all met. I remember going there a month-and-a-half 35

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achievable. That was thanks to John’s vision.

We knew we had to work harder than the rest.

He showed what we were capable of and what the result would be when we did it. It continues to inspire me as I move through life.

“As a parent, I’ve sent two of my sons to Acadia. It is a safe place – safe from a security point of view, but also in terms of being a nurturing environment. It sets the stage with its small classrooms, the way people gather, and on residence floors and other places on campus.

You end up feeling the value of relationships. It’s a big deal because it’s not just about education; it’s about life and those meaningful people in your life.

“Now that I’m a member of Acadia’s Board of Governors, I get a chance to talk with professors and I tell my kids: surround yourselves with great people and you’ll learn from great people. Acadia attracts great people.

It’s a platform for people to step up on and then leap forward.” –

Donnie Clow As a glue-fingered receiver for the Acadia Axemen football teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Donnie Clow (’83) learned the importance of teamwork and discipline. The lessons paid dividends on the gridiron as Clow became an integral part of two Vanier Cup championship teams, in 1979 and 1981.

Clow is now President and CEO of Crombie REIT, where he has transferred strategies learned on the field and in the classroom to the boardroom. His two sons, Stuart (’11) and Matthew, both attended Acadia and played football for the Axemen.

“Coach John Huard is one of the mentors of my life, just a tremendous influence. I went to Acadia with plans of staying for one year and then going to the University of Manitoba to become an architect. I also went there to play football. John was clearly a disciplinarian, a visionary and a compelling character. He understood the values of teamwork and discipline – he breathed them. That’s all he talked about.

“I met my best friend Stuart MacLean (’83) on first day of training camp and he’s still my best friend 34 years later. I have to say that there are 30 guys from that team who are still lifelong friends. Those meaningful relationships never end. We had a collection of good athletes – many would say stars – but they had been to the national championships the previous three years and lost badly. John transformed that group into a disciplined, cohesive team and set the bar very high. From the first day, he said that winning a national championship was the only option. There was no other.

“It set the groundwork for my future. You can look high and you can look at goals as being

Sonny Wolfe Sonny Wolfe had a tough act to follow when he came east to Acadia to coach the football Axemen in 1984. Under Bob Vespaziani and then John Huard, the Axemen had built a reputation as one of the finest football programs in the country. But Wolfe embraced the challenge and led the Axemen to 16 postseason appearances in his 19-year Acadia career. Under his guidance, the Axemen won three AUS championships (1986, 1995 and 1998) and he was twice named AUS coach of the year (’86 and ’95). Even more impressive is the number of Academic All-Canadians and future leaders that he helped to develop during 36

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his time as coach and mentor.

“I was coaching as an assistant at McGill University when the Acadia job came open and I decided to apply for the position. I thought I would at least learn something about the process. In late spring, I went to Wolfville for the interview along with an impressive group of candidates. I had never been east of Quebec City and knew little of Acadia other than that they had a good program.

“When I was heading to Halifax to fly back to Montreal, I called my wife Denise from the airport. I told her how beautiful Wolfville was.

They did offer me the position, but (President) Jim Perkin said it was important to have my wife see the area before jumping in with both feet.

“The thing I found so different and special about Acadia is the ability it gives students to be totally immersed in an environment.

I coached at McGill for eight years prior to coming to Acadia and the players care as much about the team, but there’s no way they can possibly care as much about their university. They are playing for one another at McGill. They are playing for the team. It’s completely different at Acadia.

“Coming out to games, seeing the stands filled, townspeople knowing who the athletes are. Maybe it shouldn’t be that important, but when an athlete gives so much, lifts weights year-round and really cares about their sport, when they try to be as good as they can possibly be individually and collectively, having 3,000 fans yelling and screaming for them is pretty great. You walk around downtown or anyplace on campus and people are talking about and asking about the games. No athlete at Toronto, Calgary or UBC – or any other place – gets that.

“I was fortunate to coach some great athletes at Acadia. Paul Masotti (’88) was one who would certainly stick out. He was an outstanding athlete and at one point the CFL’s all-time leading Canadian receiver.

“Bruce Beaton (’92) was an incredible person to be around. I remember when he was drafted first by the B.C. Lions after his fourth year. He had never played football in his life before Acadia. One of his buddies from Cape Breton literally dragged him into my office and said this guy should be playing football. Bruce was always a tall kid, but was probably 240 pounds and he looked skinny. Then he became a 300-pounder. He indicated to a newspaper

reporter that what he learned about football was so incredibly important to him. He said he learned more about himself and life from football than he ever did from any academic course he ever took – and he thought he was a better student than athlete.

“That’s what you believe as a coach – that you’re putting kids in an environment where they have an opportunity to grow. So to hear someone as bright as he is say that –someone who has had the accomplishments he has had – was tremendously satisfying. It’s a challenge going to university from high school, and Acadia allows you to learn about who you are and what’s truly important in terms of career and life.” –

Maurice Tugwell Usually it’s a hypothetical question. If you were lost at sea, who would you want in your lifeboat? In 2010, retired Acadia Economics professor Maurice Tugwell was an instructor aboard the tall ship SV Concordia when it foundered in a squall 500 kilometres off the coast of Brazil. The 64 people onboard managed to scramble into five rubber life pods in time to watch helplessly as their seagoing sanctuary flipped over, Poseidon-style. For two days – some 40 hours – the small boats bobbed in the ocean until a search plane spotted them and help arrived. All hands were brought safely to dry land.

Despite the near-tragedy, many of the estimated 14,000 former students taught by Professor Tugwell would say he had a knack for charting the right course, and doing it in a supportive, collaborative way. Perhaps that’s why he won the Excellence in Teaching 37

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Award from the Acadia Alumni Association in 1991, the Atlantic Universities’ Distinguished Teacher Award in 1993, and was a perennial presence on Maclean’s magazine’s ‘Most Popular Profs List’.

“It’s affirming to receive those kinds of kudos for my teaching. In some universities, your research credentials carry much more weight than your teaching when it comes to promotions. In fact, teaching is rated almost as incidental. That’s one thing I really like about Acadia. They gave you recognition for your work in the classroom.

“After the Concordia sank, I got lots of good wishes from students I had had years earlier, including some from my first year at Acadia. One in particular touched me. It said, ‘Glad you’re okay. If I had to spend 40 hours in a life raft with somebody, I think I would have chosen you because we could have really talked.’ It was a way of saying that we had a good relationship that worked under stressful conditions.

“For me, teaching had an acting component. I contend that any successful teacher has used it: a combination of content and stage presence. You don’t want the acting to take over because then it becomes just an ego thing without content. Believe it or not, economics is not everyone’s idea of a good time. And I taught statistical methods for years, and how exciting can that be? But you can make it interesting.

“And we are not just teachers. You are also there to guide students and encourage them to fulfill their potential. You can make a real difference. Let them know that they don’t have to settle for Double A when you can play at the Triple A level. Surely that’s part of what the university should to do.

“If I had to offer one piece of advice to new students, it would be to get to know one or two profs very well – not to butter them up, because we can see through that. When you launch your career you’ll be asked for a solid reference and will need more than an attendance record and final grade. The employer has to know things about you, the person. So find someone you’re comfortable with and cultivate him or her over four years.

They can tell your story to employers and put their heart and soul into it.” –

Dr. Wendy Bedingfield It’s little wonder that Wendy Bedingfield is listed in Who’s Who of Canadian Women.

Dr. Bedingfield is a passionate champion of gender equity and an untiring advocate for women in sport. A prolific writer and effective presenter, the former director of the School of Recreation Management and Kinesiology was instrumental in its emergence as a progressive and thriving part of the university.

“I came twice to Acadia. I came in the fall of 1969 as a volleyball coach and they had just started a phys ed program, so I taught some courses. I was here for three years and went off and earned a PhD at Indiana University.

“After Indiana, I went to the University of Alberta and was there for 10 years on the faculty as a physical education professor.

In 1986 I came to Acadia to be Director of the School of Recreation and Physical Education. They had done a review and the recommendation was to close it down, so I came at Ron MacDonald’s request to see if it was worth saving. He was VP Academic at the time. I thought we could make a pretty good unit out of it, so I stayed a second year. Once they decided it would continue, I became the full-time Director.

“My research area was sport biomechanics which, of course, is a hard science, but my real interest became women in sport and physical activity, so the work I’ve done in that area is more as an activist than a scholar. There has been incredible progress in women’s sport, really. I remember the first or second year I was at Acadia arguing at the CIAU (now the CIS) that women’s soccer should be a national program. Today no one even remembers a time when it wasn’t, so 38

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we’ve made a lot of progress in some areas, but there’s still a great deal to do.

“For me, the most astonishing thing when I came to Acadia from Alberta was the love people had for it. Occasionally we would have a wayward professor come from away and be critical of the place, and the students would be up in arms that anybody would dare do that.

That relationship they form with Acadia, which is really with the faculty and staff, is pretty unique. Size is certainly a factor in that, but I think Acadia’s faculty has been exceptional in terms of wanting to engage the students in their work. The original culture developed here has been passed on so that if you go into the biology building you’ll find every professor there has a lab, a research program, and a group of students that follow them around. It’s phenomenal.

“There is a lot of research going on at Acadia. All of the faculty are engaged in research and have engaged their students in research, which is the magic of the place.

The faculty members are teachers and researchers because the place is too small to have a separate labour force do just one job. I’ve always felt that the close relationship between faculty and students develops not so much because the classes are small, but because the professors are engaging the students in their own work, in their research and their projects.” –

come back and create a program where you didn’t have to be an ‘A’ student to be eligible to get financial assistance.

“Just because you’re not brilliant doesn’t mean you don’t need money, and that was the basis of the Roland and Leona Mullen Business Award. The award was really to honour my parents. They were hard-working people, and hard work is what it takes to get through university. They helped me get along and I’m trying to help somebody else move forward in life so they can be successful through their own hard work. It’s there to help people get a leg up, just as my parents helped me, and hopefully some day they will pass it on.

“Originally it was a contribution that would create a scholarship that would be sustained as the University made money in their endowment. Now there is another, separate component to it – 16 students going through at once. I changed it so I would finance 16 students who are attending right now under one part of the program. It was like, ‘Let’s have some instant gratification; we’ll support a whole bunch of students all at once.’ The result is that a group of students have gotten a very good leg up here over the last three years. They should all graduate together in April of next year, young and eager and ready to conquer the world.

“Part of being successful is giving back and that’s really the mission here. I know from some of the students involved that the award makes a big difference to them and their ability to afford university. It takes a little pressure off by not having to have another job while they’re there.

“Acadia gave me a chance. I think that’s the number one thing that I’m trying to do with the scholarship program; just give people a chance. At the end of the day, when the profs had taught me what they could and I had learned what I could, it was up to me. That’s what I’m giving the students, and hopefully also giving Acadia a chance to attract the students that want to go there.” –

Kevin Mullen Kevin Mullen (’86) is the owner and president of Empire Kitchen and Bath in Calgary, Alberta.

Part of a family of entrepreneurs, he used his own business acumen and the knowledge he attained at Acadia as tools to carve out a unique place in a very competitive industry. His company has earned a sterling reputation in the exclusive realm of luxury custom builders.

“When I left Acadia in 1986, I said to myself that one day I wanted to create something to give back to Acadia and especially the students who would be going there. When I went there, I was paying for my tuition and wasn’t smart enough to get a scholarship. The only other way to do it was to get in a bursary program and work for a professor to get a little money on the side marking papers or whatever. So my goal was to turn around and

Scott Armstrong After graduating from Acadia with a BA in history and political science, Scott Armstrong (’88) went on to complete his master’s in social 39

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science at Florida State University and his PhD in curriculum and instruction at the University of Southern Mississippi. After a decade in education as a teacher and principal, he was elected to the House of Commons in 2009 as the MP for Cumberland-ColchesterMusquodoboit Valley.

His father, David Armstrong (’60), attended Acadia and played basketball for Stu Aberdeen and his uncle Charles “Skip” Armstrong (’60) was President of the Acadia Students’ Union. Scott’s three sisters, Martha, Anne Armstrong (’91), and Sarah (Armstrong) Terfry (’92) attended as well, as did his cousin, Kim (Armstrong) Plourde (’88).

“I knew that I was going to Acadia when I was in elementary school. That was just where our family went. It was an expectation. Frankly, for me and my family, Acadia really is our second home.

“When you arrive on campus you’re still in adolescence and what follows is the transition from youth to adulthood. Acadia provides you with that grounding and, being a relatively small campus, there really is a family atmosphere. Even though you’re away from home, it’s like you’re going to a new home.

You know everybody: from the person who punches your ticket at the cafeteria to the professors, staff, security people, right up to the President.

“The Nova Scotia caucus in Ottawa has four members and three are Acadia graduates: me, Peter MacKay (’87, Minister of Justice) and Gerald Keddy (’75, South Shore).

“When Ray Ivany was appointed President, I was overjoyed. He’s a younger man and is thinking of Acadia not just in five, but in 20 years in his long-range planning. He understands the economic challenges many Nova Scotians face to gain a post-secondary education. He also has an understanding of the fiscal challenges universities face. The initiatives that he has brought in to promote the University domestically and to attract foreign students are going to benefit the whole Valley. Rural Nova Scotia is struggling and the towns that have universities help to diversity the economy. He understands that research dollars need to come in to continue to provide jobs.

“Without a doubt, one of the biggest attractions we have for people coming from other countries is post-secondary institutions like Acadia. We really have to

focus on bringing high calibre students here from other countries, not just to bolster enrolment numbers, but to bolster immigration.

International students come to Acadia and they start to lay down some roots. That makes it a lot easier to attract them as immigrants.” –

Heather Rankin Heather Rankin (’89) is a member of the famed Rankin Family, a musical group that combined traditional Celtic music, contemporary folk songs, and popular music. Hailing from Mabou on Cape Breton Island, the group included the late John Morris (Hon’96) on fiddle and guitar, Jimmy (Hon. ’96) on guitar and vocals, and Carol Jean (’89 and Hon. ’96), Heather, and the late Raylene (Hon. ’96) on vocals.

Their authentic Gaelic sensibility and haunting harmonies brought the essence of Nova Scotia to many parts of the world.

Heather is now a Halifax-based actor and has performed at Neptune Theatre, Chester Playhouse and Mulgrave Road Theatre. Jimmy has embarked on a successful solo career as a singer/songwriter and Carol Jean (Cookie) is married to recording engineer, teacher and inventor George Massenburg.

“How could I forget the honorary degrees we got from Acadia?” Heather says. “What makes me most proud is that it was Acadia University that recognized the Rankin family with a doctorate. Three of the five of us had attended St. F.X. previously, but it was my school that honoured us and it made me extra proud to be an Acadia graduate. It was a very special day and receiving our doctorates alongside Peter Gzowski (Hon. ‘96), how could you forget that? It was a very special occasion.

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Leonard Paul

“Theatre was a small program that turned out to be a bonus because, in that sort of environment, you got a lot of one-on-one with professors. One of the people who made a big impact on me was Frederick Edell. He was a professor and head of the theatre department. Louise Hoyt was the movement teacher, and that was a whole new area to which I had never been exposed – modern dance. That was just a fantastic experience.

And I remember Hilary Thompson, who taught children’s theatre and children’s literature.

Those three people left a lasting impression on me.

“There are many special things about Acadia. It’s located in a beautiful little town. It’s quaint, it’s safe, it’s got a little bit of everything to offer to everybody. It’s got a really nice sense of community and the people are friendly.

“I applied to many schools and I got accepted at a few – Dalhousie and others - but I chose to go to Acadia because they offered me a small entrance scholarship. While I was there in my first year I also had two siblings there and this fellow, Bruce Cohoon (’69, Director of Information Services), tracked us down and gave us more money because there were three of us from the same family.

He gave us each a small scholarship and in our situation - where at that time there were six of us in university - that meant a lot. And he actually knew about us. I mean, we weren’t well-known, but he was knowledgeable about what music we had done and about the Cape Breton Summertime Revue, and he approached both Cookie and me to sing at the opening of the Acadia Arena. We went in and we sang the national anthem.

“I think Bruce Cohoon played a role in recognizing The Rankin Family with doctorates, too. When we came back to campus to perform years after graduating it was a proud feeling. I remember that Bruce – once again – was promoting Acadia students. This time it was Tara Lynne Tousenard, who was attending Acadia at the time. He had us get her up on stage as a guest and she performed as part of the concert. That’s a nice memory.” –

Not surprisingly, artist Leonard Paul (’91) sees Acadia in distinct images that have become etched in his heart and mind. After studying fine arts at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Paul settled in Wolfville. As his career in art took flight, he began to take classes at Acadia. Art history, philosophy, English literature – they all helped him to discover and hone his unique style and philosophy of painting. Influenced by the Baroque masters of Europe as well as his own First Nations heritage, his works are imbued with a love and appreciation of nature.

The Paul painting that may be best known to many Acadia graduates is ‘Manning Memorial Chapel, Two Ravens,’ an oil painting of the iconic campus landmark that means so much to so many. “When I think of Acadia, I think of the Manning Memorial Chapel. In my painting of the chapel, I purposely put two crows in because every time my wife and I saw two of them, she would say, ‘Two crows joy.’ The Manning Chapel reflects the joy of the Word so it has a symbolic meaning for me beyond the esthetics. I wouldn’t put three or one. I put two because I love the architecture and it brings joy to my heart to look at the chapel.

“In my younger days, when I was doing a lot of marathons, I used to run on the track at Raymond Field. If there was one single image symbolizing my great joy of Acadia, it would be running around the track at dusk, or even after nightfall. Every time I’d come up the home stretch in front of the grandstand I would see University Hall, that beautiful rooftop peaking over the trees. That view made me run harder and faster because if I ran around 30 times, I’d get to see it 30 times. That’s my hallmark of Acadia.

“Acadia was such a welcoming place. I was very close friends with Dr. Kelvin Ogilvie (’63), the president at the time. He purchased a lot of my works and is one of my biggest patrons. I felt very privileged that I could go to his office and chew the fat with him a little bit. The other welcoming place for me was the biology lab. They rolled out the red carpet for me every time I went there. If I needed information for my paintings, a bird’s wing for example, I would go and see them. The late 41

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Mr. Cyril Coldwell was in charge of the birds in the biology department. They called him ‘the bird man’. Once I told him that I needed a picture of an owl and he gave me the entire mounted great horned owl. I couldn’t believe it. I kept that owl for the longest time and then I did this big painting of the great horned owl for Dr. Arthur Irving (’52). It’s in the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre.

“I live in a kind of fantasy world and I found Acadia to be like a storybook for me, especially in my kind of work. It’s like a romantic, in-themovies campus, and the people are so friendly.

If anyone wants to go to a university where the doors are open and the staff is beyond friendly and helpful, Acadia is the place to go.” –

“I came to Acadia in 1988 as a mature student after having worked at the Cancer Foundation in Halifax. For the first three weeks I felt I had made the biggest mistake of my life, giving up a full-time job to go back to school.

After three weeks, I couldn’t get enough of it. I loved everything about Acadia.

“Without question, Dr. Gary Ness was, and still is to this day, a mentor to me. I respect him so much. He is so genuine, so down-to-earth, a true gentleman – what you see is what you get.

He is by far the best teacher I’ve ever been in a classroom with. He made material absolutely come to life. We were so fortunate to have had him in this Department for the time we did. I liked his views on moral issues and we just talked through a lot of things. Dr. Wendy Bedingfield was also a great role model.

“Student-athletes excel at Acadia and take pride in the fact that they are both exceptional students and exceptional athletes. We take the same sort of pride in the kinesiology program and the students we have here. The expectations for them are high and they regularly meet and surpass those expectations.

“Our students go on to do amazing things that enhance other people’s lives. Many take that love of sport – that love of the body and using the body in physical activity – to enhance others as teachers and physical education specialists committed to physical literacy. It’s mind-boggling.

“I just believe in Acadia to my core. I’ve often said that if I pricked my finger it would bleed red and blue. I love the place. It has been such an important part of my life. My daughter’s here now and it is a fine academic institution where you have faculty members that care, that know our students’ names, know who they are, know if there are issues.

Students know they can come and talk, and that the door is open. Acadia offers one of the best educations you can receive in this country. I’m totally biased, but I love the place and absolutely believe in it.” –

Ann Dodge Nova Scotians felt enormous and justifiable pride when Ann Dodge (’91) competed for Canada in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. The Halifax native was a member of the Canadian National Canoe/Kayak team in the 1970s, a decade in which she competed in five world championships. In 1973 she was named Nova Scotia’s Athlete of the Year and in 1994 was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame.

For the past 19 years Ann has taught in Acadia’s School of Recreation Management and Kinesiology. She lectures on topics such as the foundations of kinesiology, coaching, health and wellness, physical activity and aging, and ethical issues in sport and physical activity.

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‘Investigation of the Relationship between Concrete Attributes and Both Instrumental and Terminal Values for Automobiles.’ We presented it at the 21st Annual Atlantic Schools of Business Conference in Halifax in November 1991.

“During my three-and-a-half years at Acadia, I discovered that Rick and I had a few common hobbies. We did some smallmouth bass fishing at the lakes in his canoe. We hunted rabbits, pheasants and teal in the Valley woods and on the dykes. I remember one very funny situation when I first hunted rabbits with Rick. We had Dina, his beagle hunting dog, with us and Rick said, ‘If you shoot my dog, I’m going to fail you!’ I wonder how many other international students get to hunt on the mountains with snow as high as your thighs? And eat freshly cooked hamburgers by building a fire on top of the snow, using the spruce as firewood? Only at Acadia could that happen.

“Other memories include plucking and eating blueberries at my friend Andy Forsyth’s (’91) father’s blueberry farm, as well as eating wild strawberries and a blackberry cobbler pie from wild blackberries picked near Lumsden Dam. “Acadia was academically rich, but it was more than that. It was about friendship and food and family. During the December holidays, I’d have stayovers at friends’ homes in New Glasgow, and every Christmas was spent with the family of my Caper ‘brother’ Greg Serroul (’90) in North Sydney.” –

Clement Yun Ng San When Clement Yun Ng San (’91) arrived at Acadia from his native Singapore in 1988, he soon discovered that the University offered much more than a fine undergraduate education. At Acadia, he was able to fully embrace the culture of Canada, Nova Scotia, and the Annapolis Valley. Clement is currently Head of Sales and Distribution at AustAsia Food in Singapore.

“Acadia’s small student population and the fact that it is in a small town makes everything warmer. There are familiar faces everywhere and you soon come to recognize the people at restaurants, pubs, supermarkets, banks and retailers. I easily blended into the local environment thanks to the many Canadian friendships I made. In addition to pursuing my undergraduate degree, I soon discovered that Nova Scotia, and especially the Annapolis Valley, had so many other things to offer.

“Because Acadia is small, it has an excellent professor-to-student ratio. That allows for greater focus, more individualized attention, and a much greater opportunity for classroom interaction. The result is a more personal education for each and every student.

“There are many benefits in knowing your professors well and them knowing you.

For example, I performed poorly in my first marketing assessment during my BBA core year. Professor Rick Sparkman took me aside and told me that such a performance, coming from me, was unthinkable. He said he knew I could do better. It was a boost to my confidence and I ended up majoring in marketing. With Rick as our sponsor, I coauthored, with my classmate Matt Kimball (’92), a marketing research paper titled

Alexandra Fuller After graduating from Acadia with a BA, Alexandra Fuller (’92) broke onto the literary scene with a bang in 2002 with Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood, a memoir of her childhood in Rhodesia that drew enthusiastic acclaim from both The New York Times and The Guardian and won several international prizes. Publisher’s Weekly also hailed the international bestseller, proclaiming that “a classic is born.” Two years later, Fuller followed that triumph with Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier, which captured the Lettre Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage.

Other books followed, including The 43

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Legend of Colton H. Bryant and Cocktail Hour Under The Tree of Forgetfulness, which is about her mother, Nicola Fuller. She is also a prolific writer of articles and reviews for various periodicals including The New Yorker and National Geographic.

Fuller once told the Acadia Bulletin’s Kathleen Martin (’03) that she always assumed she would write “in the same way I knew I would be a woman when I grew up.”

Acadia played a big role in honing her writing skills. On the publication of her first book, she called English professor, Dr. David Baron, “the single most influential human being in my life.

He taught me the craft of writing. Without Dr. Baron there would be no book. You don’t arrive at this on your own.”

Fuller received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Acadia in 2007. –

When I finish my ND degree, I can’t wait to get back to the east coast because what my profession brings is something that would be so beneficial to Nova Scotians. I want to set up my own private practice, hopefully in a rural area, and my dream job in 10 years would be to work part-time in private practice and half-time with the government, creating health policy.

“It was the director of the School of Nutrition and Dietetics at Acadia, Barb Anderson (’77), who got me into policy. She and I did an independent study in my last year. We looked at food industry policy in Nova Scotia and examined how where you lived and your income levels allowed you to purchase quality food for your family. I thought it was amazing. I realized that while it’s wonderful to work one-on-one with people, what if you could create something that would help tens of thousands of people through policy changes?

“I’m fourth generation Acadia - all women, which is really quite amazing. I’m also the oldest grandchild, so it was assumed.

‘Oh, you’re totally going to Acadia. Why wouldn’t you?’ I dug my heels in and said, ‘No, I want to do medicine, I want to go to Dal so I’ll have better chance to get into Dalhousie Med School.’ Then, at a scholarship luncheon, I ran into Elizabeth Johnson, former head of Nutrition and Dietetics at Acadia. She showed me around the nutrition wing and it was something I had no idea was available to me. Two days later I decided I was going to Acadia.

“It was right, it was home, and I wasn’t just a number. I think it was a combination of factors at the right time. Acadia pushed me to grow and learn and piece things together.

At 18, you don’t know who you are, but you have this idea of what you could be. For me, Acadia was a spot where I knew I could make every single mistake in the book and I’d have someone there who would pull me up and dust me off.

“When I first came I was nervous and shy and very much an introvert. By my fourth year I was involved in so many events and getting to know some of the University’s administrators on a personal level. I was willing to sacrifice a couple of points on my GPA if it meant getting to dance, to be in music, and involved in student politics.” –

Ashley Margeson At 24, Ashley Margeson (’12) already boasts a resume that would be the envy of people twice her age. She graduated from Acadia with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics and is currently studying naturopathic medicine at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto.

While at Acadia, Ashley was VicePresident, Communications for the Acadia Students’ Union and president of and teacher at the Acadia Dance Collective. She was a Residence Advisor, served on the Wolfville Mayor’s Advisory Council and was flautist and pianist in the Symphonic Band.

“Naturopathic medicine is hugely preventative, which is why I went that road.

I also have a great interest in health policy.

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and environmental science. He introduced me to environmental impact assessment, which is what I want to do. It really spoke to me, and he made learning fun. He’s not a stuffy academic, but is absolutely brilliant and well-regarded in his field.

“I also took environmental history from Dr. David Duke. It was in the arts actually, so a bit outside my norm, but I absolutely loved that class. I couldn’t wait to get in there and learn. I loved how it blended with my science background, but gave it some context and breadth – more of a human perspective.

“That kind of crossover is a strength of Acadia’s, especially in the environmental science program. It’s really beneficial if you’re a little unsure of what you’re interested in because it exposes you to so many things.

“There are all sorts of paths I could see myself going down. I’d like to be on the east coast doing marine impact assessment.

Nova Scotia has really become home and I’d like to stay because there are opportunities related to aquaculture, tidal energy, shipping lanes to protect the whales, and so on. It’s all about making ethical decisions and making development responsible.

“I’ve also discovered that I really like teaching. It wouldn’t surprise me if one day I tried to come back and be a professor. Maybe I’ll just never leave Acadia!” –

Kaycee Morrison Kaycee Morrison (’12) will complete her Master’s in biology in 2014, having earlier graduated with a BSc (Honours) in Environmental Science. Among her many student activities, she was a member of the Tidal Energy Student Association and president of the Acadia Graduate Students’ Association. Part of her research involved the impact of tidal energy turbines on lobster in the Minas Passage and Minas Basin.

“I was a science person all through high school in Peterborough, ON, and knew I wanted to pursue science in some form. I didn’t know that I wanted to do marine biology when I came here, but I did environmental science in my undergrad so I was exposed to a lot of different fields. It took time and evolution to decide what I was interested in. I discovered that I liked geology as well and in my free time took more aquaticbased courses. Then I thought: why not take advantage of being on the Bay of Fundy? It’s like you’re surrounded by your own lab. That’s an incredible advantage we have over other schools.

“I really enjoyed working with Professor Anna Redden (’79). She supervised me for my honours and is currently my Master’s supervisor. She never taught me, but agreed to take me on blind faith and it worked out beautifully. I like that she’s a female scientist out there getting her hands dirty in the field, but she also has great industry connections.

She just seems to do it all and is a great role model. She also did undergrad and her Master’s at Acadia so I found a lot of parallels; it was easy to relate to her.

“Dr. Ian Spooner taught in the area of earth

Matt Rios Matt Rios (’14) is Past-President of the Acadia Students’ Union. His Acadia experience has been both transformative and intense as he has had to confront challenging circumstances 45

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during his time on the ASU Executive. As ViceChairman of StudentsNS, Matt has worked closely with other student union presidents and the Acadia administration to ensure a proactive approach on issues such as alcohol abuse and sexual assault.

“My family always valued the experience of going away to university, and as kids we were encouraged to look outside the province of British Columbia. I applied to a number of schools – Acadia was the first to accept me and this little school on the east coast pulled me in. Needless to say it was love at first sight, and Acadia and I have had a love affair ever since.

“What makes Acadia special is that intangible quality that we often refer to as our sense of ‘community’. This university truly is a family, which sees its students as people with stories rather than just names and numbers.

More importantly, we are all connected by a unique bond that started 175 years ago. We are not connected by a grad ring or by the region we call home. We are connected by a generosity of spirit that I have come to know over my time here. That characteristic defines us and makes this wonderful community a family.

“For the past three years I have served on the Acadia Students’ Union Executive, and as President for the last two years. I would be lying if I didn’t say it has been one of the most difficult things I have ever done. We have faced significant adversity during my time in office, and those tragedies have come to define my perspective of the world. What has been so important, though, is our community’s ability to continue to rise up and be resilient in the face of crisis and sadness.

“I have made friends here that I will cherish and love for the rest of my life. I am not naïve in thinking that we will always stay as close as we are now because I am cognizant that life intervenes. But they will always be in my heart and mind. What is so amazing is you have people from every walk of life, every background and, without Acadia, we never would have been friends. To me, that is Acadia: my family; my brothers and sisters.

“I have had so many amazing professors who impacted me in different ways. People like James Britton, Heather Kitchen, Jamie Whidden, Andrew Biro, Rachel Brickner, Ian Stewart and others have shaped my

academic mind. In addition, I have developed relationships with professors who didn’t teach me: Lisa Price, Barb Anderson, Barry Moody, David Duke and Darren Kruisselbrink.

They have all had profound influences on my growth as a person. Our faculty members are in a class of their own, and I can never fully express my gratitude for having had them in my life.

“In closing, I have one last thought to share. I have sat through a few Acadia Convocation addresses and there is one line delivered by President Ray Ivany that captures what it means to be a graduate of Acadia University. Ray challenges all Acadia graduates ‘to go out and change the world in whatever way you can.’ He quotes Nelson Mandela, saying, ‘There is no passion to be found playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.’ This is not intended to be trite or hyperbolic; it is a declaration of the inherent expectations we as Acadia graduates must have for ourselves. I don’t have a clue where I will be in 5-10 years. But I know I will be a better person because of Acadia, and I know that I will be successful because of the things I learned here. Acadia will always be part of the foundation that has made me, and I look forward to defending and supporting this institution for the rest of my life.” –

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Editor: Fred Sgambati (’83) Graphic Design: Cathy Little Stories written and compiled by Jim Prime (’69)

175.acadiau.ca

Photo credits: Acadia University Archives, Acadia University Communications and Marketing, Andrew Tolson (Maclean’s), Jessica Darminan (Maclean’s), Dan Callis, Sandra Symonds, Fred Sgambati