Summer 2018 Journey Alumni Magazine by Lakehead University

JoUrney LAkeHeAD ALUmnI mAgAZIne | sUmmer 2018

PlAying WitH FiRe Alumna Ceilidh Boyd set her sights on becoming one of Thunder Bay’s first female firefighters

tHe undeAd ROAM Uncovering polish villagers’ attempts to ward off evil spirits

nHl dOCtOR The ottawa senators turn to Dr. Donald Chow in a crisis

PluS A possible meteorite strike in northern ontario Dr. Cheryl Lousley questions the costs of climate change

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on THe mAp Intriguing and informative news from Lakehead orillia and Lakehead Thunder Bay

VILLAge HAUnTeD By THe UnDeAD Archaeologists explore the fascinating burial practices of a 17th-century polish village

A Look BACk professor emeritus John Whitfield recalls Lakehead’s chaotic and exciting early years

FIreFIgHTIng TrAILBLAZer kinesiology grad Ceilidh Boyd found her calling when she started fighting fires

From sTAkeoUTs To sTUDy HALLs Cert no. XXX-XXX-000

Former private investigator sarah Valiquette-Thompson says university changed her life

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UnnATUrAL DIsAsTers professor Cheryl Lousley believes that environmental issues are ethical and philosophical issues

18 THe mAn THe oTTAWA senATors reLy on Dr. Donald Chow has been this nHL franchise’s head team physician since 2002

23 TUrnIng poInTs Alumni milestones and achievements

sUmmer 2018 • Volume 34, Number 2 Lakehead Journey Alumni magazine is published twice a year by the marketing and Branding team which is responsible for establishing policy, editorial direction, and content for the magazine. The views expressed or implied do not necessarily reﬂect those of Lakehead University or the marketing and Branding team. publications mail Agreement number 40062450

A seAson oF CeLeBrATIon the Agora celebrates the Alumni Association, its members, and their contributions since 1965. The Commons features the Alumni Honour Wall (recognizing our award recipients, past presidents, and honorary members) and exhibits of Alumni art purchases.

QTy: 32,500

ConTACT Us marketing, Branding and Clayton Browne Web Development Director editor Tracey skehan graphic Design melissa kastern Telephone: 807-343-8134, Fax: 807-346-7770 email: editor@lakeheadu.ca ConTrIBUTors editor Tracey skehan, Brandon Walker, Donna Faye

senD ADDress CHAnges To office of Annual Fund and Alumni engagement Lakehead University 955 oliver rd., Thunder Bay, on Canada p7B 5e1 Telephone: 1-800-832-8076 Fax: 807-343-8999 email: alumni@lakeheadu.ca or online alumni.lakeheadu.ca

ALUmnI AssoCIATIon BoArD oF DIreCTors president past president Vice-president Vice-president secretary/Treasurer Board of governors' representative LUsU representative executive Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director

eXTernAL reLATIons TeAm

michel Beaulieu Lou pero karen Boz Debra Woods Chris Valliant Lou pero Leah Ching mark Tilbury nancy Angus karen Boz Chris Dasilva kevin Ford Linda Henderson nancy Luckai Josh mcQuay paul popo-ola Ashleigh Quarrell kara smith Jennelle Therrien yolanda Wanakamik

Vice-president, external relations Deb Comuzzi Associate Vice-president Ann Brandt (Toronto office) Annual Fund and mark Tilbury Alumni engagement Director government relations Director richard Longtin (Toronto office) marketing, Branding and Clayton Browne Web Development Director philanthropy Director kathryn Davidson Administrative Coordinator patricia mcCluskey Annual Fund and Jill Cooper Alumni engagement Assistant Acting Annual Fund and meghan Hanbury Alumni engagement manager Annual Fund and Amanda gerow Alumni engagement Associate Annual Fund and Anna sampson Alumni engagement Associate Campaign operations Assistant Jennifer steers Campaign research Analyst (Toronto office) mike Ding marketing and Communications Associate Jaclyn Bucik (Lakehead orillia) Donor events Associate Diane robnik Donor events manager patti merriman external relations Associate Jacquie kent (Lakehead orillia) gift & Database Administrator Aaron Cava marketing and Branding Associate Tracey skehan marketing and Branding Associate melissa kastern Communications and marketing Associate Brandon Walker philanthropy Associate Lee-Anne Camlin philanthropy Associate Devon ottertail Web Development manager spencer ranta Web Designer stefan Hoard Web Developer Justin michel 2Web Designer Ian mcLeod

p Mark Tilbury and Michel Beaulieu were thrilled to accept the 2018 CCAE award for best Varsity Engagement Program.

The entire spring has been a time of great celebration for the Alumni Association. How appropriate that our official tagline is Engage – Celebrate – Share. On June 6, at the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) conference in Halifax, Lakehead University celebrated its first ever award in the Best Alumni Initiative category for our Varsity Engagement Program. It’s been wonderful to connect with all of you who’ve come out to cheer on the Thunderwolves in your hometowns! Check out the 2018/2019 varsity schedule in this issue to see if we are coming to a city near you this fall. Convocation 2018 was a time to celebrate the addition of 2,033 new alumni to our already 62,547 members around the world. Welcome to the family! Earlier this spring, at Lakehead Thunder Bay, the Alumni Commons was unveiled. This newly-renovated space near

Mark Tilbury, Director Annual Fund and Alumni Engagement

As we head into the fall, plans are well underway for Homecoming taking place on September 14 in Orillia and September 21 and 22 in Thunder Bay. We will be celebrating alumni award recipients: Karl Subban, Sue Craig, Shandor Alphonso, Crystal Davey, Rob Jamieson, and David Hare as well as special guest, honorary degree recipient Ron MacLean (Hockey Night in Canada) at our Alumni Awards Dinner. Please visit our website and watch social media for homecoming details. See you – in your town, on the court, and around the world.

p (L-R) Anthony Tassone, Alumni Entrance Scholarship winner, Pino Tassone, BEd’87, MEd’95, Director of Education (Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board), and Mike Filipetti, BSc/BEd’96, St. Ignatius High School Principal

Michel Beaulieu, President Alumni Association

JoUrney is your magazine We want to hear from you! We hope you are enjoying reading Journey Magazine. Over the past few years, the Alumni Association of Lakehead University has been refining the magazine’s look and design and tweaking its stories and content to make them more appealing and relevant. As part of this process, we’d like to invite all of our readers – whether you are an alum, a student, a friend, a parent, or a faculty member – to share your thoughts and ideas about the direction Journey Magazine should take in the coming years.

Any reader who takes a couple of minutes to fill out a short online survey will be entered into a DraW to Win a $100 prepaid Visa Card and Lakehead alumni swag (approximate value: $50) DraW DeaDLine is septemBer 7, 2018

Take the survey and let us know what’s important to you! http://bit.ly/Journeymagsurvey

Thank you to all our alumni for your support over the years! We look forward to working with you to create a magazine you can be proud of. Information is collected for this survey under the authority of section 12 of the Lakehead University Act.

on THe mAp Teaching Commons

Walk with Will

phyllis Bosnick

The Teaching Commons officially opened at Lakehead Thunder Bay’s Chancellor Paterson Library on April 26. Intended to be “a space to dream big about teaching,” the centre works with faculty, instructors, and graduate students to cultivate excellence in teaching. The Teaching Commons also provides hands-on support, training, and workshops at Lakehead Orillia. Get in touch with the Teaching Commons in Thunder Bay by emailing teachingcommons@lakeheadu.ca and in Orillia by emailing Chris Tomasini at ctomasin@lakeheadu.ca.

The Thunder Bay Field Naturalists (TBFN) invites all alumni to take part in the “Walk with Will” at Greenwood Lake on September 29. This commemorative event is being held in honour of Professor Emeritus Willard Carmean who passed away on December 30, 2017. Participants will walk through the old growth forest on the 2,000-acre conservation reserve Dr. Carmean helped establish. Wearing red suspenders is strongly encouraged! Transportation is available – the naturalists will be departing Thunder Bay from Movati Athletic on Arthur Street at 10 am. The walk starts at 1 pm. For more information, contact Lada Malek at lmalek@lakeheadu.ca or visit the TBFN’s Facebook page.

One of Lakehead’s finest ambassadors – Phyllis Bosnick – passed away peacefully on December 22, 2017 after a short but courageous battle with cancer. During her 25-year career with Lakehead University, Phyllis’s work with financial aid, scholarships, and bursaries helped countless students accomplish their educational dreams. She was also a Lakehead student herself – earning a Business Diploma in 1974 and a BAdmin in 2008. Most recently, Phyllis served as the University’s Manager of Student Awards & Financial Aid before retiring in 2013.

retired Lakehead employee? The Retirees’ Association of Lakehead University (RALU) invites all former University staff, faculty members, administrators, spouses, and partners to become a member. Renew old friendships and make new friends at events including monthly lunch meetings and a monthly speaker’s program at the 55 Plus Centre on River Street in Thunder Bay. RALU also publishes a regular newsletter. Check out RALU’s Facebook page (RALU Retirees Association of Lakehead University) and their website www.lakeheadretirees.ca. you can also email ralu.communications01@gmail.com. Upcoming events include a joint field trip with the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists on September 15 and the RALU annual general meeting in the second half of September (date and location to be announced).

If you would like to help Lakehead students by making a donation in memory of Phyllis Bosnick, please go to donate.lakeheadu.ca.

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ON THE map

meteorite mystery by Tracey Skehan A quiet neighbourhood on the outskirts of Thunder Bay had settled down for the night when the sound of a huge blast reverberated through the air. It was around 11 pm on Wednesday, December 13, 2017, when the commotion jolted people awake. Shortly afterwards, police were dispatched to investigate. A nearby resident, Linda Pohole, explained in a CBC News article posted the following day: “I called it in thinking that something happened in Mount Forest, and maybe a house exploded. It was that loud, and my son said he felt the house vibrate.” When Ontario Provincial Police arrived, they discovered a hole by the side of Highway 61 opposite Pohole’s house. “The first indicators were that it was a meteorite,” says Dr. Stephen Kissin, a Lakehead geology professor emeritus and meteorite expert contacted by the OPP. Dr. Kissin went to the impact site with the police the following morning and collected samples.

p The OPP traced the reports of an explosion that shook houses to this unusual depression discovered beside Highway 61.

p Geologist Stephen Kissin examines the site of the purported meteorite landing. No unusual fragments were found but the pieces could have flown into the nearby snowcovered ditch.

Was the mount Forest subdivision in danger of being wiped out on a wintry night? The hole, and disturbed gravel and debris surrounding it, measured about a foot in diameter. If it was a meteorite, Dr. Kissin says, it would have been only 3-4 inches in diameter. This means it was capable of damaging a car and injuring anyone it struck, but not a force of mass destruction.

A few days after the occurrence, the OPP forwarded samples to their explosives unit to analyze for traces of chemicals. By that point, Dr. Kissin had given up hope that there had been a meteorite. The OPP test results, however, found no explosive residue.

After examining the samples under polarized light in Lakehead’s preparation lab, Dr. Kissin came to a disappointing conclusion – it was ordinary road gravel. “One piece even had asphalt attached to it,” he says.

Then in May 2018, a second witness, Dave Voss, from the Lappe area north of Thunder Bay, contacted Dr. Kissin to tell him that he saw a fireball streak across the night sky on December 13. Dr. Kissin is now convinced that Thunder Bay was the site of the third recorded meteorite strike in Northern Ontario’s history. His fascination with these rocks remains strong. “Before people went to the moon, they were the only thing on Earth that was extraterrestrial. If you pick up a meteorite, you are handling the oldest object on Earth dating back to the origin of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.”

“It is possible that the meteorite bounced off the hard ground and the pieces scattered, but there was deep snow covering the area and no other samples have been recovered.” The fact that there was only one report of the sky being lit up also made it unlikely that it was a meteorite strike. So the mystery persisted. “Clearly, there was some sort of detonation that created a small crater,” says Dr. Kissin.

on the map

A Defender of Liberty Comes to Campus unable to speak a word of English. Joseph’s budding legal career was cut short by the outbreak of World War II and the demands of his family’s scrap metal business. Then, tragically, he died of a heart attack when Brian was 10 and Edward was 13. “We both became determined to fulfil our father’s frustrated ambitions,” Mr. Greenspan says.

Criminal defence lawyer Brian Greenspan visited the Thunder Bay campus on March 22 to deliver an impassioned defence of Canada’s justice system. In the face of persistent calls for radical reform, he declared, “Our system is not broken – renovations may be necessary but it is not a tear down.” Mr. Greenspan, twice named one of the 25 most influential lawyers in Canada, also warned against indifference towards one of the cornerstones of Canadian law – the presumption of innocence. “The most unpopular defendant charged with the most unpopular crime,” Mr. Greenspan says, “has the right to expect the same kind of defence that you would want for yourself or for your children.” His public lecture – And Justice for All: The Future of the Adversarial System in Canada – took place at Lakehead’s Bora Laskin Faculty of Law.

Brian Greenspan was reading the work of famous jurist Clarence Darrow, and other legal treatises in his father’s law library, by the time he was 12 years old.

Mr. Greenspan’s visit was an opportunity to thank him in person for his support of Lakehead University. His Toronto-based law firm Greenspan, Humphrey, Weinstein made a gift to the University’s Bora Laskin Faculty of Law in honour of its opening in 2013.

Canada’s crime rate plummeted to a 35-year low in 2016, even with a 10% increase in total population – challenging the popular view that we need to ‘get tough on crime.’

Mr. Greenspan was also in Thunder Bay for the unveiling of the Edward and Brian Greenspan Seminar Room, which is anonymously funded by a close family friend. Now, aspiring lawyers will be able to learn their vocation in a welcoming space made possible by two brothers who have shaped the evolution of Canadian criminal law. As a defence lawyer, Brian Greenspan has represented clients ranging from Omar Khadr, the Canadian child soldier held in the Guantanamo Bay prison, to Steve Murray, the man wrongly accused of killing his daughter, Mistie Murray. Brian and Edward (who passed away in 2014) were destined to become lawyers. Their father, Joseph, graduated from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law even though when he’d arrived in Niagara Falls as a 13-year-old Polish Jewish immigrant, he was

Since then, Brian Greenspan has become the founding chair of the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers, received the G. Arthur Martin Medal for contributions to criminal justice in Canada, and founded Innocence Canada – a non-profit that helps exonerate the wrongly convicted. Mr. Greenspan urges Canadians to embrace our system of adversarial justice because it is fundamental to upholding our civil liberties and has the ability to adapt to the increasingly complex demands placed upon it by our democratic society. Safeguarding the justice system is a crusade the next generation of lawyers must carry on. “Remember,” says Mr. Greenspan, “we must ensure that the right to counsel is meaningful and that the voice and position of the parties, whether civil or criminal, remains the defining feature in this search for truth.”

A Look Back...

The Birth of a University Not many people were there to witness the creation of Lakehead University, but Professor Emeritus of Mathematics Dr. John Whitfield was one of the select few. In 1965, he was hired as an assistant professor of mathematics at the Lakehead College of Arts, Science and Technology located on Oliver Road in Thunder Bay. Dr. Whitfield, who had grown up near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, had been yearning to return to the north after earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in the United States. That summer, he, his wife, and their two small children left Ohio for their new home. By the time he reported for work in September 1965, the provincial government had declared that Lakehead would finally receive university status after decades of lobbying.

p The University Centre (above), the Braun Building, and the Prettie Residence were the only three buildings when Lakehead’s Thunder Bay campus opened in 1965.

– the University Centre, the Braun Building, and what would become the Prettie Residence. “There were only about 400 students that first year and 40 faculty.” says Dr. Whitfield.

“When I first came, my office was in the corner of one of the University Centre classrooms – every time a class started, I had to pack up my papers and leave,” Dr. Whitfield laughs.

In those early years, it was hard to tell the faculty apart from the students. When Dr. Whitfield arrived, he was a fresh-faced 25-year-old on the verge of completing his PhD. “We were all young – just kids – but everybody was writing course curriculums, deciding which degrees should be granted, which departments should be set up. We had a job to do and we did it. They were exciting times.”

“When I first came, my office was in the corner of one of the University Centre classrooms – every time a class started, I had to pack up my papers and leave.” “The community had been pushing for the University, but it didn’t seem to be happening,” says Dr. Whitfield. When they finally succeeded, the University’s leadership had to rush to have the doors ready to open in the fall. The campus would have been almost unrecognizable to anyone strolling through Lakehead Thunder Bay today. Three solitary buildings stood on the vast property surrounded by dense wilderness

Two years later, Dr. Whitfield was president of the Faculty Association. Not long after, he became Lakehead’s first dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science. He would go on to serve as VicePresident (Academic), Interim President, and Vice-President Research and Development. Despite the influence he would have on Lakehead University, his beginnings were humble.

p Dr. Whitfield teaching an upper-year mathematics class in 1968 in the Centennial Building. The Department of Mathematics was moved to the Ryan Building after it was constructed in the early 1970s.

‘A Look Back’ will be a regular Journey Magazine feature. We invite alumni, faculty, and staff to share their memorable Lakehead experiences with us. Please email your stories and photos to editor@lakeheadu.ca for consideration in one of our upcoming issues.

A Village Haunted by

Photo Credit: Slavia Project

by Tracey Skehan

p Dr. Polcyn’s research team works for a non-governmental organization that arranges field schools in mortuary archaeology. They have been excavating the Drawsko cemetery for the past 10 years.

The team – led by Lakehead’s Dr. Marek Polcyn – was interested in the village’s earliest historic remains. That changed when they accidentally unearthed a skeleton laid to rest in the 1600s. The body had been buried with an iron sickle against its throat to prevent it from rising from the dead and menacing the villagers. “The sickle and other sharp tools, like scythes and knives, were believed to offer protection against evil forces because they are made of iron,” Dr. Polcyn says. “That’s because iron is created by fire and fire is purifying.” The first “deviant burial” was found in 2008. Since then, 18 more deviant burials have been discovered in this peaceful village surrounded

by pine forests. Through their work, the Drawsko archaeologists have verified that the bodies buried with sickles were local people over the age of 15 and that both male and female corpses were subjected to these unusual rites. One skeleton even had a sickle placed against its abdomen. These funerary practices imply that the villagers believed the dead to be demonic or vampires, although Dr. Polcyn says the word ‘revenant’ is accurate as well. “Vampires rise from the dead after three days but these bodies would have been unable to leave their graves because the sickles would either decapitate or disembowel them. For that reason, ‘revenant’ is a better term. It refers to someone who has returned from the dead but is not alive any more.” Many of the corpses had metal coins placed in their mouths or on their bodies at the time of death. “We think the coins might have been intended to ward off evil. However it is more likely this custom

Photo Credit: Slavia Project

A team of archaeologists made an eerie discovery while excavating a cemetery in the remote village of Drawsko, Poland.

p Sharp iron tools were commonly believed to be effective against evil forces because iron is created by fire and fire is purifying. Some of the Drawsko skeletons also had stones placed beneath their chins – possibly to keep their mouths closed and stop them from feeding on the living.

A Village Haunted by the Undead

followed the ancient myth of paying the ferryman to take souls across the river to the land of the dead.”

Poland was a leading military power in the 17th century – a kingdom where science, art, and philosophy were esteemed. Nevertheless, a rich spiritual world in which earlier pagan beliefs coexisted with Catholicism, the dominant religion, held sway among a portion of the mostly rural population. “Church services were in Latin and people couldn’t understand what was being said. They needed something to help them cope in times of illness and death,” Dr. Polcyn explains. “Thus many peasants cultivated beliefs from the past – every realm of life was inhabited by good and bad supernatural beings.” These beings were akin to Celtic elves and fairies. Some of the villagers given unusual burials would have been believed to possess supernatural powers when they were alive. Having a big head, a hairy body, or a unibrow would have been suspicious to rural folk. Other individuals predisposed to become revenants included cruel people, atheists, herbalists, and sheep breeders. Similarly, people with two hearts (who could walk on roofs and fences in their sleep) and people with two souls (who had two cowlicks in their hair) would become revenants after death. Dying a “bad death,” through murder or suicide, for example, was another way people risked becoming a revenant.

Photo Credit: Slavia Project

So why did the villagers believe some members of their community posed a supernatural threat?

p Protection was the main goal of this unusual funerary custom. “We know this,” Dr. Polcyn says, “because the cutting edge of the sickle was placed against the throat, and sometimes the abdomen, to barricade the dead in their graves.”

The likelihood of deviant burials was heightened by the wars that convulsed 17th-century Poland, causing plague and famine. This period also coincided with the Little Ice Age when falling temperatures led to starvation in Nordic countries and caused Swedes to begin wars that affected Poland. Still, there are many mysteries surrounding Drawsko’s deviant burials. An analysis of the bones show that child mortality was low, people were well fed, and they weren’t diseased, making the fear of revenants perplexing. Dr. Polcyn also wonders if the village priest knew about this pagan custom. The puzzle is compounded by the fact that there are no church records – an odd situation since village churches were required to keep written accounts of visits from the bishop that occurred every three to six months.

According to Dr. Polcyn, older beliefs lingered on in rural areas. “Up until World War II, people saw lights and heard sounds in the Drawsko Cemetery. They believed the place was haunted.” “When I was a young boy in Poland, my grandmother warned me not to go into the field around noontime because a female spirit called przypołudnica would be there. She materialized during hot weather and stole children.” Dr. Polcyn surmises that the story of this malevolent spirit was inspired by children getting lost among the crops while the air shimmered in the midday heat. Although, like Drawkso’s deviant burials, we will never know for sure.

Ceilidh Boyd HBK’04/BEd’05/MSc’10 can take the heat

photo Credit: Della rollins

by Tracey Skehan

On a spring day in 2016, Ceilidh Boyd (pronounced Cay-lee) shunned the warmer weather for the apparatus floor of Thunder Bay’s Station 3. She was concentrating on pulling a 180-pound mannequin around an obstacle course in a test called “Victim Drag” and crawling blindly through another course called “Blacked-Out Face Mask” – among other challenges most people would avoid.

The Lakehead alumna was one of 270 people who’d applied to the City of Thunder Bay Fire Department in the hopes of snagging a coveted firefighting position. “The Thunder Bay firefighting physical test is notoriously hard to pass,” Ceilidh says. Division Chief of Training Bill Johnson agrees. “We, and one other Canadian fire department, are reputed to have the toughest tests in the country. It’s always been that way.” The physical test is the same for male and female applicants. “We root for the women and don’t discriminate,” says DC Johnson, “but if you pass, you pass and if you fail, you fail.” DC Johnson quickly realized that Ceilidh’s physical abilities and her personality would make her a good match with the city’s fire department. “She had a sense of humour and bonded quickly with her team,” he says. “She was shouting out encouragement and rooting for her teammates. Most people just stand off to the side, kicking stones.” One thing that Ceilidh is learning to compensate for, however, is her smaller size. At just 5’5” tall, learning to use her body effectively is essential.

Photo Credit: Della Rollins

playing with fire

p Firefighters Stephanie Drost and Ceilidh Boyd: Having to depend upon one another in crisis situations, combined with long hours, leads to tight bonds among firefighters.

in Ottawa. “Ceilidh is one of the strongest people I know – physically and mentally. She’s also extremely loyal and the person I always turn to. She was there for the birth of both my children.” Ceilidh and Kirsty grew up in London, Ontario, in a family of nine brothers and sisters. “We couldn’t be more different, but we all get along,” Ceilidh says. The rolling farmland around London didn’t provide many outlets for an active

“Ceilidh was a fearless and reckless kid – forever climbing to the tops of trees in her bare feet and constantly getting scraped up and covered in dirt.” Although Ceilidh didn’t know it at the time, she was about to make history. She, and fellow candidate Stephanie Drost (who was also a Lakehead student), would become the first female firefighters ever hired by the Thunder Bay Fire Department. None of this was surprising to Ceilidh’s older sister Kirsty Boyd, a plastic surgeon

kid, so Ceilidh looked forward to holidays at the family cottage on Georgian Bay. “Canoeing was my favourite activity.” Ceilidh took an unusual route to becoming a firefighter. “I went into teaching first because I’d been a camp counsellor and I enjoy helping people develop,” she says. Her sister Kirsty believes

that although firefighting wasn’t an obvious career choice (both their parents were doctors), it made sense. “Ceilidh was a fearless and reckless kid – forever climbing to the tops of trees in her bare feet and constantly getting scraped up and covered in dirt.” Kirsty remembers when the Boyd children put together an album for their dad’s 60th birthday. Ceilidh’s page was full of photos documenting the dangerous outdoor stunts she was constantly dreaming up. When she finished high school, she enrolled at Lakehead University and combined her studies with athletics and other sporting activities. “Lakehead was super fun,” Ceilidh says. “I played basketball my first year and then wrestled the next two years.” She credits her coach, Francis Clayton, with being instrumental to her placing third in the Ontario and Canadian university finals for wrestling.

playing with fire

Photo Credit: Della Rollins

Firefighting has become more sophisticated over the last 20 years. Weather patterns, fire characteristics, and other factors that affect the spread of flames are analyzed so that the most effective tactics can be deployed. There’s also much more emphasis placed on safety.

p Ceilidh and Stephanie demonstrate the “Victim Drag” test. Another Thunder Bay Fire Department test required Ceilidh to wear ankle weights and a 50-pound vest and run up and down three storeys – three times in a row – with a weighted 85-pound hose. The gear weighed almost as much as she did.

After graduating with an Honours Bachelor of Kinesiology followed by a Bachelor of Education in 2005, Ceilidh found work as a substitute high school teacher in Thunder Bay. In 2008, she returned to Lakehead to complete a Master of Science, seeking a less conventional career and frustrated by a shortage of teaching positions. She didn’t let her master’s studies get in the way of her adventurous side. During the summers, Ceilidh was a white-water canoe-trip guide with Missinaibi Headwaters Outfitters in the Algoma region of Ontario. In 2010, with her third Lakehead degree under her belt, Ceilidh became an instructor with Wilderness Medical Associates International (WMAI). “It’s an outdoorsy version of St. John’s Ambulance and the Red Cross,” she says. “It teaches first responders how to treat people with injuries and health conditions in wilderness settings.” It was while working at WMAI that things began to fall into place for Ceilidh. One of her friends was a 12

forest firefighter with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) and in 2013, Ceilidh decided to give it a try. She was stationed in the District of Thunder Bay as a seasonal firefighter.

“As a forest firefighter, I was aware of danger,” Ceilidh says, “but it’s been a long time since we’ve had a fatality.” Most deaths, whether it’s forest fires or the structural fires Ceilidh now responds to, stem from heart attacks and strokes. “It’s hot – 35 degrees – but not because you’re close to the fire,” Ceilidh explains. “You’re wearing a lot of heavy flame-retardant bunker gear that makes you sweat and there’s no way for your body heat to escape, causing overheating and dehydration.” The greatest risks to firefighters’ health, by far, are the long-term effects of inhaling carcinogens in smoke and fumes. Ceilidh’s days as a forest firefighter with the MNRF were unpredictable.

“The best thing about firefighting are the people you work with – we all look out for each other. We make meals together and hang out after work – it’s like a family.” “I realized that I liked doing manual labour and at the MNRF, we got an hour every day to work out. That was amazing – it’s preventative health care.” Instead of a job in an office surrounded by cubicles and fluorescent lights, Ceilidh’s everyday routine was punctuated by water bombers and helicopters flying overhead while she and her fellow crew members pitted themselves against fast-moving wildfires. “The chance to fight fires was exciting because you finally got to put all your training in action,” she says.

“You could be called out in a helicopter in five minutes,” Ceilidh reports, “or if it was slow, we would do training and maintenance work.” The MNRF also sent her to Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Idaho to fight fires during slack times. “That was a blast – I really loved it.” In the off-season, she taught exercise physiology at Algonquin College and the University of Ottawa. Once she started firefighting, Ceilidh knew she’d found her vocation and soon began applying to different city departments to become a full-time

playing with fire

firefighter. When she earned a spot in Thunder Bay, she was over the moon. “The guys were so awesome at making us feel welcome. They were amazing – I can’t say enough about the Thunder Bay Fire Department.” DC Johnson is pleased with how Ceilidh is meshing with the team. He credits this to a couple of things. “She’s not fresh out of school and has more maturity. Also, her kinesiology degree gives her some insight into biomechanics.”

Firefighters take every measure possible to prevent injury and death in emergency situations. “We often enter a building if a blaze is not too bad,” Ceilidh says, “but we won’t go into large structural fires unless there are people inside.” The firefighters work in small, synchronized units to stay safe. This includes breaks to rehydrate and remove their bunker gear to cool down. “We go in and out as a crew,” Ceilidh says. “If someone has to leave because they’ve finished the air in their bottle, or for any other reason, we all leave together.” The camaraderie is a major draw for Ceilidh. “The best thing about firefighting is the people you work with – we all look out for each other. We make meals together and hang out after work – it’s like a family.” In September 2017, Ceilidh faced a hard decision. Much of her own family lived in Southern Ontario and she wanted to be closer to them. It prompted her to accept a firefighting

Photo Credit: James Smedley Outdoors

One of the things that all firefighters have to watch out for, DC Johnson says, is not to let their sense of empathy overwhelm them. “It’s quite common for firefighters to feel like they could have done more. This puts them at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” he says. “They may be at a fire where there is a mother or father who has just lost a child.” Similarly, Ceilidh says she finds situations involving people the most psychologically challenging. “The worst are car accidents where we have to extricate

people from wrecks,” she says.

p “I’m an adrenaline junkie. I like rock and ice climbing,” Ceilidh says, “and I’m a sucker for sports movies.” As a Lakehead undergrad, Ceilidh spent her summer guiding wilderness trips – the longest of which was 35 days on the Thelon River in Nunavut. Later, she was a guide on the Missinaibi River (above) in Northern Ontario.

position with the City of Ottawa; however by May 2018, Ceilidh was back in Thunder Bay. “Ottawa was great,” she says, “but I’d had a taste of how good it is in Thunder Bay so I reapplied to the department.” One unanticipated aspect of being a firefighter was the sudden transformation into a role model – starting with her own family. Ceilidh’s two youngest sisters are now MNRF forest firefighters for the District of Thunder Bay. “It’s funny,” Ceilidh says, “I didn’t really think about the effect I would have. I should have known since Steph and I were Thunder Bay’s first female firefighters.” This effect has been most apparent in the community service work she does with the Thunder Bay Fire Department, especially the school visits. “After a 20-minute presentation, little girls will come up to me and say ‘I want to be a firefighter too.’ That’s been a fantastic surprise.” Often, though, the youngsters are puzzled when Ceilidh is introduced. She laughs, “The kids constantly ask me, ‘Why are the other firefighters calling you ‘Firefighter Boy?’ They don’t realize that my last name is Boyd.” Her work as a trailblazer was recognized in 2017 when Ceilidh, along with Stephanie Drost, received Influential Women of Northern Ontario Awards. The two were also featured in a Maclean’s Magazine Explorer 150 video (part of a series of cross-country videos created to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday). But Ceilidh doesn’t want them to stand alone. “I definitely encourage other women to apply to the Thunder Bay Fire Department. It’s a demanding job, but the best one I’ve ever had.”

e m o C L We

s s A L C 2018! oF

on from i t a u d a r recent g nd wish you all r u o y n lations o mic success, a g network of u t a r g n o e se and cud of your acadumni – a growin u o H i n om Alum. We are so pro s one of our al orld. r f s g n i t Gree d University ur Journey a round the w Lakehea as you start yog and working a The Alumni Association strives to create a supportive and inclusive the bestindividuals livin community through our magazine, 62,547 e-newsletter, and social media

channels as well as our network of Chapters and Alumni Ambassadors. We host a variety of events in Canada and around the world each year, so be sure to stay in touch.

Chapter Communities Thunder Bay, Simcoe County, GTA – Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Finland, Hong Kong

Ambassador Communities Kingston, Guelph, Hamilton, Kenora, Kitchener, Oshawa, Sarnia, Sudbury, Vancouver, Victoria, Waterloo, Windsor, Woodbridge, South Korea

Varsity Thunderwolves events

FInD Us on > 14

Please refer to our varsity engagement schedule in the magazine to see if we are coming to a city near you. We’d love to see you at the games!

ALUmnI Commons Lakehead Thunder Bay An event was held to celebrate the Alumni Association with the unveiling of the Alumni Commons at Lakehead Thunder Bay on April 19, 2018. Since 1965 the Alumni Association of Lakehead University has contributed over $2 million and counting through its fundraising efforts, mainly toward student financial aid at the University. The Alumni Commons on this campus is the space between the Agora and the Faculty Lounge

that overlooks Lake Tamblyn. The University chose this space to recognize the Alumni Association’s tremendous ongoing contributions to the alumni, students, faculty, and staff of Lakehead University. “This area is a favourite of students and staff,” says Dr. Michel Beaulieu, president of the Alumni Association. “There is rarely a time that I walk down here that there aren’t students studying or professors sitting in conversation. Almost every member of our alumni who attended this campus will have a fond memory of this space.”

Newly refurbished, along with portions of the Agora, it is now a permanent and dedicated space to celebrate and share the history of the Association with the Lakehead community. “We’re very proud that current and future students will benefit from the welcoming and fresh decor, upgrades to technology, and the refurbishment of furniture,” says Michel. The Alumni Wall of Honour proudly displays all award recipients, honorary members, and past presidents of the Alumni Association. Along the long hallway, 30 years of student art from the Alumni Art Collection can now be admired. Dr. Moira McPherson, Lakehead University’s interim president and vice-chancellor, said she is pleased with the exceptional updated space. “It is the result of the strong and collaborative relationship with the Alumni Association and Lakehead University that moves our University community forward,” she added. “We are so grateful to the Alumni Association for their 53 years of dedication and support.”

Former Private Eye looked inward to change her life by Brandon Walker

After graduating from college, Sarah ValiquetteThompson spent six years as a private investigator in Barrie. It was a thrilling, and sometimes scary, job. Although she enjoyed it and met amazing people on stakeouts, the idea of attending university constantly lingered in the back of her mind. “Truthfully…I was always intimidated by university. I don’t know why,” says Sarah, a Ward 1 Councillor for the City of Orillia. “I was really nervous that I couldn’t measure up. I didn’t think I was good enough for university.” In 2010 she was in her van doing surveillance when she started looking into universities on the internet to pass the time. “Lakehead was just opening a campus in Orillia and that sounded less intimidating than going down to Toronto for school.”

p Sarah and her family fell in love with Orillia’s outdoor lifestyle.

She decided to visit Lakehead’s new campus and the rest, as they say, is history. “I toured the school and loved it.” Sarah registered for the Bachelor of Arts program and realized she had nothing to worry about.

“Because for me it was so beyond the piece of paper. I wanted to be the first in my family to attend college and then university, to put in 110 per cent and get the best marks and experience that I possibly could,” she says.

“The classes are small, professors are patient, and it’s so positive and hands on. I felt like an equal.” “In movies there’s always big university classrooms with all these people in rows of seats attending a lecture.” Lakehead was completely the opposite. “The classes are small, professors are patient, and it’s so positive and hands on. I felt like an equal.” She and her husband Ian are originally from Bolton. While studying at Lakehead, a job opened up and she convinced him that they should move to Orillia. “Then I got a job at a restaurant and slowly started making connections,” she says. She used to laugh at friends going to school in Toronto. “They’re battling subways and buses and traffic to get to class and here I am rollerblading along the trail every day to Lakehead. It’s a whole different experience. I fell in love with Orillia, the downtown is so much fun – there’s kayaking, fishing, swimming. I convinced my husband to stay forever. Lakehead truly brought me up to this area.” Her goal when registering was simple: to earn a degree and graduate.

And that Lakehead University experience changed her life. She went from quiet and timid to someone comfortable speaking her mind. “When I started building my confidence at Lakehead and reflecting more about who I was as a person, I began analyzing the world around me. That was tough. It got me thinking about things I’d never thought of before.” Sarah says her university education gave her the confidence to open Era 67, the restaurant she and Ian owned and managed until selling it in 2016. Her education also helped her run a successful campaign to become a councillor for the City of Orillia – Lakehead political science student Mason Ainsworth was also elected to council – and to own and manage the R’ Cottage restaurant in Washago, which Sarah and Ian purchased three years ago. “I was a completely different person before going to university. When I found my voice at Lakehead it was like ‘hear me roar, I can do this,’ ” she says.

Unnatural Disasters Are we hiding our heads in the sand when it comes to climate change? A terrible inferno engulfed Southern California in December 2017. The largest wildfire in the modern history of California was ignited by six years of drought and Santa Ana winds gusting up to 97 km. As flames seared the tinderdry landscape, over 100,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes and hundreds of buildings were destroyed. It was in the aftermath of this catastrophe that Dr. Cheryl Lousley travelled to the golden state. The Lakehead Orillia English and Interdisciplinary Studies professor was there to take up her position as the Fulbright Canada Visiting

by Tracey Skehan

Research Chair at the University of California, Santa Barbara, during her teaching sabbatical. In a twist of fate, the wildfire was directly linked to her area of research – the environmental humanities. This recent field of study uses the methods of the humanities to question the environmental consequences of our actions – the choices we are making about the way we live and the way we treat other species and the planet. “Environmental issues are ethical and philosophical issues,” Dr. Lousley says. “Who bears the burden of toxic effects from environmental degradation? Who gets to live a good life?” It also looks at how artists working in different media – such as literature, television, web-based media, and visual arts – explore environmental themes in their work. “A lot of the time,” she says, “we think of environmental problems as something that will happen in the future but this mindset contributes to a denial of climate change in the here and now.” Dr. Lousley’s latest research project, Environmental Narrative and Memory in Contemporary Canadian Fiction, focuses on grief, mourning, and memory in the work of writers like Anne Michaels and Margaret Atwood. One of the three linked tales in Michaels’ 2008 novel The Winter Vault, for example, centres on villages that were flooded in the 1950s to build the St. Lawrence Seaway and the human and ecological costs that technological progress sometimes entails. “Canadians talk about great losses and sacrifices made during war  Dr. Cheryl Lousley explores the beach on the University of California Santa Barbara campus.

 The 2017 California wildfire destroyed homes, agricultural land, and animal habitats. When the blaze was at its worst, over 8,500 firefighters were needed to bring it under control.

and other traumatic events, but environmental losses, like polluted waterways, usually don’t have the same profile and public memory,” Dr. Lousley says. She had her own brush with environmental devastation the day she arrived in Santa Barbara. On January 9, 2018, a mudslide tore through a city neighbourhood killing 23 people. In the following weeks, Dr. Lousley’s residence would be sandbagged, two evacuations ordered, and highways closed. The whole episode had a surreal quality. “Life carried on as normal despite the mudslide tragedy just a short distance away,” she says. “After classes, students and professors would head to the beach and go surfing.” Although Santa Barbara has a reputation for being very wealthy, half of those who died in the mudslides were immigrants working in the service sector. “Both the rich and the poor lost their lives,” Dr. Lousley says. “The mudslides profoundly shaped my time there.” For her, it was an experience that reinforced the urgency of changing the stories we tell about our world. 17

Caring for

Hockey Heroes

Dr. Don Chow (BSc’77, Biology)

by Donna Faye

Hockey is revered by many Canadians – the passionate devotion with which they follow their beloved teams and players can approach an almost religious fervour. As one of the sport’s icons, Bobby Orr, famously said, “Growing up in Canada, any young kid’s dream is to play in the NHL and be on a Stanley Cup team.” As a team physician for the Ottawa Senators, it is Dr. Don Chow’s job to take care of these elite athletes. “I always tell the junior doctors, when you take care of these heroes, or any patient, treat them like you would your own mother, father, brother, or sister – then you will never make a bad decision.”

construction on Highway 61. He also worked in the grain elevators, at first shoveling grain spills – a job no one wanted because of the rats – then operating grain-cleaning machines.

The prestigious world of professional hockey is a long way from Don’s early years on his parents’ farm in Thunder Bay. Wing and Sophia Chow ran a large farm with 800 to 1,000 hogs. Despite their backbreaking labour, some years they didn’t turn a profit.

It wasn’t only the pursuit of a degree that drew Don to Lakehead. At the end of high school, he finally asked out the beautiful Angela Wirsching, whom he had admired for years. “We never spoke until I asked her to go with me to graduation. She said yes.” They studied together and both graduated with BSc degrees in 1977. After Don’s first year of medical school, they got married.

Since the family couldn’t afford to put their children into hockey, the kids played for fun on the rink at the Jackpine Community Centre whenever there was ice. Something else the family couldn’t afford was sending Don, the oldest boy, and his four siblings to university. “My dad said, ‘I’ll teach you how to work hard,’ but he told us to get a good education and to become physicians because there will always be sick people who need a doctor.” Don put himself through university, working at some gruelling summer jobs. The summer after graduating from high school, he worked in road

This tenacity paid off. All five of the Chow children went to Lakehead University and four of them, including Don, became physicians.

He then obtained his MD at Queen’s University in 1981 and, after a residency at the Sunnybrook Trauma Centre in Toronto, decided to specialize in spinal and orthopedic trauma surgery. The young medical resident made an impression on his peers and mentors – he would end up performing whole spinal surgeries himself. “I’d have the surgery done and the surgeon would come back and say, ‘I knew I didn’t have to come in.’”

caring for heroes

Word of this talented young surgeon reached Dr. Gordon Armstrong, legendary for his spinal surgery skills. Dr. Armstrong invited Don to come join him for a fellowship at the Ottawa Civic Hospital, as it was then called. It turned out that Dr. Armstrong was succession planning. As he wound down his own illustrious career, he hoped this up and coming spinal surgeon would take over his practice. In 1988, Don joined the staff at the Ottawa Civic Hospital, subspecializing in spinal and orthopedic trauma surgery. In addition to his busy practice, he became a member of the Ontario Race Physicians in 1986 and completed his Diploma of Sport Medicine in 1990. Then on October 8, 1992, Don was asked to come and introduce himself to the Ottawa Senators. It was their inaugural game, against Montreal, and the team physician thought it would be good for the players to know Don in case they ever needed

Don stabilized his neck and moved him onto a spine board. Don has been their medical physician ever since and the Senators’ head team physician since 2002. While there have been many high points in his career, like getting to meet hockey legend Bobby Orr, some of his best memories are of being able to give hope to people after a serious injury. One of his first patients was injured in a game in New Jersey when he and another player crashed into each other. His spine was broken. “He had just started playing in the NHL and now he’s in tears thinking his career’s over. And I said, ‘Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on your rehabilitation.’” Following spinal bracing, Don sent the player to a newly opened spinal rehab clinic called the Canadian Back Institute. He played for another five years with the NHL and then went on to play in England. “It’s great any time you help somebody who thinks their life has been completely changed forever.”

On his way to see a patient in the emergency ward at the Ottawa Hospital, a car went through an intersection and collided with Don’s motorcycle. him for any spinal problems. He didn’t even have a seat for the game. Hockey teams typically had their own emergency doctors or surgeon, who could take care of everything but the spine. They would occasionally bring in an orthopedic spinal surgeon. In that first game, a Senators’ defenceman was slammed against the boards. The head team physician yelled for Don to get out there. The player was unconscious on the ice.

In 2010, Don had his own experience with a critical injury. On his way to see a patient in the emergency ward at the Ottawa Hospital, a car went through an intersection and collided with Don’s motorcycle. He broke ten ribs on his left side and five on his right side. He stopped breathing and his lungs were so badly bruised that they could only ventilate him with a volume of air they would use for a small child. He remained in a coma for three days.

p Dr. Chow escorts an injured goalie off the ice during a Senators’ game in 2013.

The life-threatening experience had a profound impact on Don. Not long after his recovery, he decided to retire from spinal surgery to spend more time with his children and grandchildren. In addition to his commitment to family, Don is a strong supporter of health care and health care research. He is very proud that Thunder Bay now has a medical school so that young people are no longer obliged to leave home to pursue medicine. He and his siblings established the Wing and Sophia Chow Family Bursary for students entering their first year at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. The bursary is open to students who have graduated from Lakehead University and a Thunder Bay high school. The bursary also recognizes two individuals who dedicated their lives to encouraging their children to pursue higher education. “Our parents,” Don says, “are the ones who taught us the value of hard work and education.”

Diane and Ron

Watson Community Champions

Diane and Ron Watson are celebrating 40 years of marriage in July 2018 but instead of focusing on themselves, they are concentrating on the next generation. Over the last few years, the Thunder Bay couple have established seven funds at Lakehead that have benefited our students and varsity athletes as well as students in need of emergency funding due to personal or financial hardships. The Watsons have ensured the sustainability of these funds through a gift in their will – allowing them to leave a lasting legacy. Why are they such unwavering and generous supporters of Lakehead students? “I want to be a role model who motivates other community members to donate to young peoples’ education,” Diane says. “We want to leave a legacy of good,” Ron adds. The couple are longstanding advocates of a university education. Diane, a Lakehead alumna, believes that “postsecondary education teaches critical thinking and fosters a more resilient society.” Ron, for his part, is convinced that “university opens up a lot of career fields and gives you control over your life.”

Their commitment to Lakehead is rooted in their own experiences – both Diane and Ron faced major financial hurdles on the road to university. Diane’s family teetered on the edge of poverty. “I never saw my father because he had two jobs,” she says, “and my mother was blind so I had to help take care of her.” Things weren’t any easier when she was at Lakehead. “I had a full program of arts, science, and practical work as well as a job,” Diane says. “I was so stressed.” Despite these challenges, she graduated in 1971 at the top of her class with a diploma in Library Technology and then worked in Lakehead’s Faculty of Education library. “It was definitely the best job I ever had.” Ron, who is a York University grad, was confronted by similar obstacles and at one point had to drop out of school until he could earn more tuition money. “I was a jock in university and sports were the only thing that relieved stress.” Diane and Ron would go on to run an extremely successful pizza business before selling it and retiring while still in their 50s. The two became active volunteers and philanthropists dedicated to community service. “Our philosophy is to help others and hope that someday they will be in a position to pay it forward,” Ron explains.

“Our family is the family of man,” Diane says. “People should remember that you can’t take money with you, so why not use it for the betterment of others?” She also has some advice for graduating students and alumni. “Find a job that’s your passion and you’ll be happy for the rest of your life.” Thank you Diane and Ron Watson for Leaving a Lakehead Legacy: •

Diane & Ron Watson Bursary

•

Diane Buhlman Scholarship in Education

•

Diane and Ron Watson Emergency Bursary

•

Diane and Ron Watson First Responder Bursary

•

Shirley and Fred Buhlman Athletic Scholarship

•

Diane and Ron Watson Student Athlete Enhancement Fund

•

Diane and Ron Watson Student Athlete Mental Health Fund

What kind of legacy would you like to create? Please call Lee-Anne Camlin, Philanthropy Associate, for more information. E: rlcamlin@lakeheadu.ca T: 807-343-7792

your legacy is enriching my future. ACHIeVemenT progrAm ACHIeVemenT THroUgH eDUCATIon

The Achievement Program is Lakehead University’s commitment to support access to postsecondary education by providing opportunity to students who experience socioeconomic barriers.

HoW IT Works

The support i received through the estate of florence Shuttleworth-Higgins has allowed me to focus more on my studies, bringing me closer to my career goals and dreams. ~ marinda Tran, Bachelor of Arts recipient of the florence Higgins Music Scholarship (2017), Lakehead University

for information on how to include a charitable gift in your will to Lakehead University contact Lee-Anne Camlin at: T: (807) 346-7792 E: rlcamlin@lakeheadu.ca All requests remain conﬁdential with no obligation

eXCepTIonAL. UnConVenTIonAL.

+ LAkeHeAD UnIVersITy pArTners WITH sCHooL BoArDs + pArTICIpATIng sCHooLs enroL sTUDenTs In grADe 4 + sTUDenTs eArn FInAnCIAL sUpporT From grADes 4 To 12 By pArTICIpATIng In progrAmmIng AT THeIr sCHooL, CommUnITy, AnD LAkeHeAD UnIVersITy

pArTICIpATIng sTUDenTs AnD THeIr FAmILIes Are proVIDeD WITH:

FInAnCIAL LITerACy AnD eDUCATIon WorksHops

sTUDenT speAker serIes

ATHLeTIC menTors AnD ACADemIC TUTors

To FInD oUT HoW yoU CAn mAke A gIFT To THe ACHIeVemenT progrAm, pLeAse ConTACT:

kathryn Davidson Philanthropy Director, External Relations

T: (807) 343-8476 E: kathryn.davidson@lakeheadu.ca W: lakeheadu.ca/achievement

VARSity SPORtS We’re on the road again and looking forward to seeing you!

Having “Fans in the Stands” can be a tremendous advantage for a visiting team. We encourage you to attend games in your town as much as possible. The coaches and players appreciate your cheers!

Mark Tilbury, Director Annual Fund and Alumni Engagement

Tom Warden, Athletics Director

VArsITy AWAy gAmes: 2018-2019 schedule of Dates, First semester date

City

Varsity Sport

friday, October 19

McGill redmen

Montreal

Men’s Hockey

Saturday, October 20

McGill redmen

Montreal

Men’s Hockey

Thursday, November 1 *

Guelph Gryphons

Guelph

Men’s Hockey

friday, November 2 *

Toronto Varsity Blues

Toronto

Men’s Hockey

friday, November 2 *

Nipissing Lakers

North Bay

Men’s and Women’s Basketball

Saturday, November 3

Toronto Varsity Blues

Toronto

Men’s Hockey

Saturday, November 3 *

Laurentian Voyageurs

Sudbury

Men’s and Women’s Basketball

Saturday, November 10 *

York Lions

Toronto

Women’s Volleyball

Sunday, November 11

Nipissing Lakers

North Bay

Women’s Volleyball

Thursday, November 15 *

Guelph Gryphons

Guelph

Men’s Hockey

friday, November 16

Laurier Golden Hawks

Waterloo

Men’s Hockey

friday, November 16

Ottawa Gee-Gees

Ottawa

Men’s and Women’s Basketball

Saturday, November 17 *

Carleton ravens

Ottawa

Men’s and Women’s Basketball

Saturday, November 17 *

Waterloo Warriors

Waterloo

Men’s Hockey

friday, January 4 *

Guelph Gryphons

Guelph

Men’s and Women’s Basketball

Saturday, January 5

Guelph Gryphons

Guelph

Men’s and Women’s Basketball

friday, January 11

Windsor Lancers

Windsor

Men’s Hockey

Saturday, January 12 *

Windsor Lancers

Windsor

Men’s Hockey

friday, January 18 *

McMaster Marauders

Hamilton

Men’s and Women’s Basketball

friday, January 18

Brock Badgers

St. Catharines

Women’s Volleyball

* Alumni event confirmed for this game. Visit alumni.lakeheadu.ca for up-to-date event information.

At the time of printing the Nordic Skiing schedule was unavailable. Go to Thunderwolves.ca for current information.

Want to receive an invitation to these events? Make sure we have your up-to-date email address and/or phone number. Contact the Annual Fund and Alumni Engagement office by calling 1-800-832-8076 or by emailing alumni@lakeheadu.ca.

For a complete listing of varsity games, visit thunderwolves.ca We look forward to seeing you on the road, and at HOMe in the tHundeRdOMe! 22

turning points 1960s Lorne G. Everett (BSc’66/HBSc’68), who served as Lakehead University’s chancellor from 2000 to 2009, led fundraising efforts to purchase a lift for handicapped children and adults at the Hearts Equestrian Therapeutic Centre in Santa Barbara, California. When Lorne discovered the facility was having trouble getting veterans out of wheelchairs and onto horses, he turned to his men’s horse riding club, Los Rancheros, for help. In February 2018, a plaque was embedded in a large sandstone rock next to the lift structure in honour of the Los Rancheros club. Jean Zatulsky (née Jordan) (BA’68, English) recently returned to live in Thunder Bay and she’s looking forward to getting reacquainted with the Class of ’68 for their 50th anniversary. Jean would like to encourage as many of her former classmates as possible to attend Lakehead’s Homecoming celebration in Thunder Bay taking place September 20-22, 2018.

1970s Cyril Dabydeen’s (HBA’73, English) collection of stories, My Undiscovered Country, was published by Mosaic Press in November 2017. In this latest volume, Cyril’s stories of life in Guyana are interspersed with the urban landscape of Canada where he has lived for many years. Cyril has also published full-length novels, is a prolific poet, and the former official Poet Laureate of the City of Ottawa. Dr. Hans Hansen (HBA’73, Philosophy), professor and head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Windsor, received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the European Conference on Argumentation held at Fribourg, Switzerland, in the summer of 2017. Hans’s research centres on the

intersection of argumentation and logic. He is interested in identifying and discussing informal theories of logic and inference and in seeing how they might be adapted to argumentation.

Williams Lake Indian Band community forest until the end of December 2017. A retirement party was held for Ken on February 8 at the Scout Island Nature Centre. He now plans to work as a part-time consultant.

George MacKie (BAdm’77) retired in the summer of 2017 after a successful career in labour relations and human resources for various manufacturing companies in southwestern Ontario. George and his wife Debra have begun a new life adventure as the owners and operators of Hughson Hall Bed and Breakfast, an elegant Victorian B & B in beautiful Stratford, Ontario. You can find out more at www.hughsonhall.com.

Debra Rose Wilson (HBScN’81/BA’81) of Austin Peay University, Nashville, Tennessee, was honoured with the 2017-2018 Holistic Nurse of the Year award from the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA). Debra, who also holds a PhD, has been providing guided imagery certification to thousands of nurses for over 20 years. Debra is also a nurse educator. Her nursing specialties include self-care, stress management, connections between mind and illness, trauma, and inflammatory connections between mind and body. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in quantum physics. Debra was honoured with the 2016 Faculty Engaged Scholar Award from Tennessee State University.

Susan Simonsen (BEd’74) has established the Susan Cochran Simonsen Bursary at the Thunder Bay Community Foundation (TBCF). As a Foundation board member, Susan has seen the transforming effect education has had on young high school students who have been awarded TBCF scholarships and bursaries. While attending a graduation ceremony at the Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School in Thunder Bay, Susan realized she was witnessing a group of Canadians embracing a radical change to promote education in their communities. At that moment, Susan became determined to be part of that change. “Canada needs to encourage leading Aboriginal young people to take their rightful place in our national life,” she explained.

1980s Ken Day (HBScF’80) retired as manager of the University of British Columbia Alex Fraser Research Forest in Williams Lake on February 16, 2018. Ken was with the research forest since its inception in 1986 when he responded to an ad for a resident forester position. Ken also managed the Williams Lake and

Keep in touch

Started a new job? Have you married? Begun a family? Received an award? If so, we want to hear from you! Take a moment to tell us what is new and exciting in your life…or just to share your comments and story ideas for Journey Magazine. Connect with us for more information or to submit your story: T: 1-800-832-8067 E: alumni@lakeheadu.ca W: alumni.lakeheadu.ca

turning points

2000s Jeff Burke (HBESc’07), the owner of Brule Creek Farms, in Conmee, Ontario, received The Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence in December 2017 for his canola crop. Since 2008, Jeff has been growing grains and milling them into flour on his farm. The recent addition of an oil press has allowed Jeff to create his own line of cold-pressed, extra virgin canola oil and sell the high-protein canola meal left after the pressing as livestock feed. The excess oil is used to power tractors, reducing the farm’s fuel use by 25%. Marissa Reckmann (née Hudolin) (HBSc’06, Chemistry) has been appointed president and chief operating officer of AGAT Laboratories – a highly specialized science and

It’s

tbaytel.net/gigabit

laboratory service provider for industries in the environmental, energy, mining, industrial, transportation, agri-food, and life sciences sectors. Marissa joined AGAT in 2006 and took on increasing responsibilities as AGAT transitioned from a local laboratory to the most scientifically diversified laboratory in Canada. Marissa is currently president of the Canadian Land Reclamation Association – Alberta Chapter and a member of the board of directors of the National Canadian Land Reclamation Association.

In Memoriam William (Bill) Towill (MScF’90) died of brain cancer on May 23, 2017. He is survived by his wife Deborah (Debby). Although he was born in Saskatchewan, Bill spent the majority

we have lift off

of his life in Thunder Bay. He gained a BSc in Botany at the University of Manitoba, followed by an MSc in Forestry from Lakehead University. Well respected in his field, Bill was a forester for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources for over 35 years and had only recently retired. He had a passion for young people and was a mentor and dynamic leader with Scouts Canada and active on the Scouts District Council for many years. He was very involved with First-Wesley Church throughout his life, serving on many committees and as a member of the choir. Bill loved the outdoors. He canoed and hiked his way throughout the region and was looking forward to travelling even more widely with Debby during their retirement years. He is missed by all who knew him.

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HomeComIng september 14, 2018 – LAKEHEAD OriLLiA september 20-22, 2018 – LAKEHEAD THUNDEr BAY

Outstanding Young Alumni Award shandor alphonso HBComm’09, MBA‘10 NHL Official

Crystal Davey

BSc ’05, MPH‘10

The Alumni Association of Lakehead University has been honoring distinguished alumni since 1988 when the first Alumni Honour Award was given. The Outstanding Young Alumni Award was added in 2004. Legacy and Honorary Membership were added in 2011 and 2014 respectively. Join us as we celebrate this year’s winners.

friday, september 21, 2018 Tickets $75.00 To purchase tickets and a listing of Homecoming activities, visit lakeheadu.ca/homecoming.

Ron MacLean

Nurse, Primary Care Practitioner, Lecturer

Legacy Award rob Jamieson BA, HBOR‘94

– Past President, Alumni Association – Current President, Ontario Provincial Police Association

Alumni Honour Award

GUEST SPEAKER

sue Craig

Mr. MacLean was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in absentia at the June Convocation in Thunder Bay. He will be attending Homecoming Weekend, and will be a special guest at our Alumni Awards Dinner on Friday, September 21st.

MSc‘91

Nationally recognized and pioneering geoscientist.

Karl subban

BA’83, BEd‘83

Plan Your Reunion

Retired Educator, Author, Speaker

Would you like to get together with your former classmates? Whether you are coming back to campus or celebrating elsewhere, we can assist you with your plans. Visit our Homecoming website for details, call 1-800-832-8076 or email us at alumni@lakeheadu.ca milestone reunion Years 2008 – 10th 1993 – 25th 1978 – 40th

2003 – 15th 1988 – 30th 1973 – 45th

1998 – 20th 1983 – 35th 1968 – 50th

For a full schedule of events and details visit lakeheadu.ca/homecoming

Honorary Membership David hare – Retired Director, Residence, Conference & Food Service

UNEXPECTED UNPARALLELED

COME BACK TO THUNDER BAY. FOR LIFE. WWW.GOTOTHUNDERBAY.CA