5 minute read
Class Acts: Ken Hague ’70 & Shannon Smith Howes ’00
Ken Hague ’70
You Just Can’t Say No to Ken Hague ’70
BY MARK BOGHEN, WRITER
As a high school student, Ken Hague ’70 fought to make every LCC team that would have him: hockey, football, track and field. Ever determined, he even bought pole vaulting equipment so that he could practice during the summers. Perhaps because that indefatigable spirit has never deserted him, when Ken sensed that his class’ upcoming 50th anniversary LIONfest reunion might not be fully attended, he decided to put his skills to work.
The long-time former mayor of the Laurentian town of Ivry-sur-le-Lac, Ken has plenty of experience organizing people. “I started reaching out. It’s amazing to pick up the phone and talk to someone, often for the first time in decades, and immediately fall into conversation about the good times we had back in the day.” With a talent for persuasion, Ken rounded up a majority of the graduates of ’70 to attend the event, even though most are now scattered around the country.
And then, COVID. The reunion, scheduled for October 2020, had to be postponed indefinitely.
“Obviously, it’s a shame,” Ken says. “But I started thinking: at a 50-year reunion, many attendees have changed so much it takes half the evening just to reintroduce people. With the event off the table, what if we produced a book featuring everyone’s current photos and self-written bios so that we could all become reacquainted, even if it’s not in person?” And so he set to work, contacting, enlisting and sometimes cajoling reluctant autobiographers. He even patched together some profiles himself, based on internet searches, in order to induce his fellow alums to correct them! Getting help from an old classmate — publisher and designer J Eberts ’70 — the result is a beautifully laid out digital compendium of pictures and stories that gathers the old gang together again. “The response has been fantastic: everyone is really pleased. And it’s fascinating and inspiring to see the diversity of accomplishment of this incredible group of people.”
With a long family history at LCC, Ken remembers the day his grandfather, H. McLeod Hague, from the Class of 1917, first dropped him off on Royal Avenue. “I was nervous, of course, but it took only minutes before I felt comfortable, and I never looked back. I went all the way to grade 12, and honestly it was among the best experiences of my life. They taught us respect, teamwork, and all the fundamentals of being a good person.”
After initially following in his father’s footsteps, studying engineering at McGill, Ken settled onto a path of his own, entering the reinsurance field, then virtually unknown outside of Europe. Through 30 years in that niche sector, he rose to the position of senior vice president, travelling the world and pioneering new forms of insurance for governments and corporations. Now retired from business and his mayoralty, and looking back on a long and successful career, he acknowledges the value of the work ethic he picked up at LCC. “Always be yourself; always be generous with others,” he advises. “If you do that, and learn from your mistakes, you’ll live a happy life.”
A PAGE FROM KEN HAGUE’S REUNION BOOK
Shannon Smith Howes ’00
The Confidence to Succeed
BY ASHLEY RABINOVITCH, WRITER
Shannon Smith Howes ’00 remembers her first class at the University of Toronto, where she majored in English and history. After the class ended, her roommate was surprised that Shannon had the courage to introduce herself to the professor in a room full of 300 students. “After attending LCC for seven years, it felt natural to me,” Shannon remembers. “I had already attended seminar-style classes, led discussions, and held a number of leadership roles. I began my university experience with the confidence to approach my education in a way that was different than many of my peers.”
Shannon began grade 7 at LCC in 1995, the first year the school admitted female students. While she occasionally felt out of place in a mostly male environment in those first few years, she bonded quickly with her fellow students as she filled her schedule with a wide range of co-curricular activities. A talented athlete, Shannon played on LCC’s first girls soccer, hockey, and rugby teams year-round. She went on to play varsity rugby at university and make the under-23 national rugby team after graduation. Today, she plays for an over-30 team in Toronto. “My athletic experience has formed so much of who I am,” she says. “The foundations that were laid as a student athlete have helped me develop leadership skills and commitment. This has served me well in my professional and personal life.”
Today, Shannon oversees the University of Toronto’s Community Safety Office as the assistant director of high risk and community safety. Day to day, she works with law enforcement, social workers, and other stakeholders to support victims of violence, harassment, and other safety-related concerns. “The opportunity to serve vulnerable people and mitigate on-campus risk has been highly rewarding for me,” she says.
Once filled with classes, sports tournaments, and student club meetings at LCC, Shannon’s current schedule is action-packed in a different way. Advancing the university’s crisis response to the COVID-19 pandemic has consumed considerable time and resources in the Community Safety Office this year. Like many parents, Shannon faces the ongoing struggle of working long hours with three young children at home. As Shannon considers the challenges of multitasking and problem-solving in a time of crisis, she credits her years at LCC for imparting the skill set she needed to succeed. She thinks back to her time in the current affairs club, when she and her fellow grade 11 students created and hosted a multi-school conference, complete with budget proposals and keynote speakers. She thinks about the one-act plays, the science labs, and the sporting events across the country. “I feel grateful for the countless opportunities I had to try something new,” she reflects. “Whether I succeeded or failed, I gained the confidence to pursue my greatest passions. I learned to solve complex problems, and I learned to manage my time effectively. I’ve carried the lessons of LCC with me throughout my life.”
Shannon Smith (left) with students
