New Trail Autumn 2007 by University of Alberta Alumni

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Days of Glory Campus Sporting Excellence Plus... Ed McDonald: Charity Fighter Jock Tom Morimoto: Man of Many Lives

Special Inside: Agriculture, Forestry, and Home Economics Insert Alumni Recognition Awards Winners

The Accidental Oilman

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Sky Pilot A jet fighter plane’s new role raising money for charity

Special Sports Feature Including...

The U of A’s coming of age on the football field Kevin Tyler’s Canadian Athletics Coaching Centre A look forward at some former athletic stars A look back at some of the great U of A teams The Winter’s Tale: Ice Hockey gets frozen on film

On the cover: World-class athlete Carline Muir. Photo: Richard Siemens/ U of A Creative Services

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Dirtshooters

The Accidental Oilman

A quarter century ago they were the best on campus

Capital of Peace Discover the unconventional charms of Geneva

The Adventures of Tom Morimoto The unlikely life of someone who’s seen more than most

The serendipitous path to success of a petroleum engineer

Inserts

Agriculture, Forestry, and Home Economics Recognition Awards — this year’s outstanding alumni

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Your Letters

50 Alumni Events Our alma mater branches out

Our readers write to us

Bear Country

51 Bookmarks

Goings-on around the U of A

University pages to be proud of

Quaecumque Vera

52 Class Notes

Whatsoever things are true

Keeping classmates up to date

10 Landmarks

56 In Memoriam

Accolades, honours and other milestones

Bidding farewell to friends

59 Scrapbook

49 Trails

Picture memories

Grads making their mark in the world

60 Tuck Shop Taking a page out of the past

50 Evergreen Alumni association participation

H E R E ’ S

ISSN: 0824-8125 Copyright 2005 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40112326 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Office of Alumni Affairs, University of Alberta 6th Floor, General Services Building Edmonton AB T6G 2H1

H O W

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Comments, suggestions, letters to the editor, story ideas – New Trail welcomes them all. Write to us at New Trail, 6th Floor, General Services Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6H 2H1. Our reader response line is also ready to take your call. Leave us a message at (780) 492-1702, or e-mail: newtrail@ualberta.net. Your privacy is your right and our responsibility. If you would like to remove your name from future mailings from the University of Alberta, please contact us at (780) 492-3224 or 1-800-661-2593.

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This is our last issue of New Trail before heading into Centenary Celebrations 2008. If you’ve lost touch with someone from your university days or ever found yourself wondering what happened to a friend from that time, returning to the campus during Centenary 2008 could be your perfect opportunity to reconnect with them, or even make new friends. We have many activities planned for that year where we celebrate 100 years of academic and scholarly excellence, alumni achievements, and sporting triumphs. It’s this latter subject that we’ve chosen as a theme for this issue as we look back at the athletic legacy of the University of Alberta. Many alumni have distinguished themselves internationally with their athletic achievements, or just had a lot of fun and made lifelong friends playing sports on campus. One story we feature is about a group of Calgarians who came to Edmonton to attend the U of A and ended up recruiting and organizing over 100 participants who fielded a team in every intramural sport on campus. A lot of the people who joined in the fun are still friends today, and an extraordinary number of them have gone on to become very successful in their professional careers. “It was a great opportunity to socialize and have a ton of fun while attending university,” says Bob Lehodey, who played a number of different sports for that intramural team, and is now a Calgary lawyer. Another story profiles a remarkable group of varsity athletes as we catch up with them and find out what they’re doing in their post-university lives. These are but two of the stories we bring to you about individual effort and team spirit that, win or lose, has always been a big part of what president Indira Samarasekera coined in her 2005 installation address as part of this province’s “can do” attitude during “the first Century of the University of Alberta [that] has been a debut to greatness.”

Susan Peirce, ’70 BA Executive Director, Alumni Association

T O U C H

On the Move? To keep receiving New Trail wherever you go call (780) 492-3471 (1-866-492-7516 toll-free in North America) or e-mail your address change to alumrec@ualberta.ca SPRING 2007

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OFFICE OF A L U M N I A F FA I R S

Executive Director Susan Peirce, ’70 BA Associate Director/ Manager, Alumni Education Programs Rick Pilger Associate Director/ Manager, Alumni Branches Gina Wheatcroft, ’94 BEd Executive Project Manager Coleen Graham, ’88 BSc(HEc), ’93 MEd Administrative Coordinator Jacquie Reinprecht Assistant, Alumni Branches Andrea Dunnigan, ’03 BCom Coordinator, Alumni Chapters John Perrino, ’93 BA(RecAdmin) Communications Manager Kim Green Communications Associate Shelagh Kubish, ’85 BA Assistant to the Director Diane Tougas Assistant, Alumni Education Angela Tom, ’03 BA Coordinator, Graphic Communications Lisa Hall, ’89 BA Coordinator, Alumni Recognition Jodeen Litwin, ’90 BSc Assistant, Alumni Recognition Cally Wesson, ’07 BA Coordinator, Research & Marketing Tracy Salmon, ’91 BA, ’96 MSc Assistant, Alumni Services/Reception Ann Miles Coordinator, Alumni Special Events Colleen Elliott, ’94 BEd Assistant, Alumni Special Events Ashley Hunka, ’05 BA Coordinator, Students & Young Alumni Chloe Chalmers, ’00 BA How to contact the Office of Alumni Affairs

Write to us at: 6th Floor, General Services Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H1 Call us toll-free in Canada and the U.S.A. at 1-800-661-2593 or in Edmonton at 492-3224 Fax: (780) 492-1568 E-mail your comments, questions, address updates, and class notes to alumni@ualberta.ca Join the Alumni Association’s online community at www.ualberta.ca/alumni.

To advertise in New Trail contact Bonnie Lopushinsky at (780) 417-3464 or bl5@ualberta.ca New Trail, the University of Alberta Alumni Association magazine, is published quarterly (circulation: 125,000). The views and opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the University or the Alumni Association. All material Copyright©. New Trail cannot be held responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

new trail

AUTUMN 2007

LETTERS

THE

EDITOR

ALUMNI COUNCIL 2007–2008

Director Susan Peirce, ’70 BA Supervising Editor Rick Pilger Editor Kim Green Associate Editor Shelagh Kubish, ’85 BA Contributing Editor Jodeen Litwin, ’90 BSc Art Director Lisa Hall, ’89 BA

Executive Committee President Jim Hole, ’79 BSc (Ag) Past-President / Vice-President Nominating & Bylaws Heike Juergens, ’72 BA, ’79 MEd, ’87 PhD Vice-President: Awards Judy Zender, ’67 BA Vice-President: Centenary Jim Hole, ’79 BSc (Ag) Vice-President: Scholarships Stephen Leppard, ’86 BEd, ’92 MEd, ’03EdD Board of Governors Representatives Ruth Kelly, ’78 BA Dick Wilson, ’74 BA, ’75 LLB Vice-President: Strategic Planning Kurian Tharakan, ’86 BCom Senate Representatives Jennifer Rees, ’80 BSc (PT) Kerry Day, ’80 LLB Vice-President: Student Life Mark Polet, ’77 BSc (Hon) Secretary Doug Irwin, ’73 BPE Faculty Representatives Agriculture, Forestry, & Home Economics Anand Pandarinath, ’93 BSc (For), ’00 MBA, ’00 MFor Arts Judy Zender, ’67 BA Augustana Stacey Denham Gibson, ’95 BA (Augustana), ’98 LLB Business Kurian Tharakan, ’86 BCom Dentistry Tom Mather, ’69 DDS Education Stephen Leppard, ’86 BEd, ’92 MEd, ’03EdD Engineering Jim Funk, ’78 BCom, ’86 BSc(Eng) Graduate Studies vacant Law Bryan Kickham, ’71 BA, ’74 LLB Medicine Larry Jewell, ’63 BA, ’68 MD Native Studies Heather Taylor, ‘97 BA NS Nursing Carol Duggan, ’59 Dip(Nu) Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Rose Anne Lawton, ’73 BSc (Pharm) Physical Education and Recreation Gerry Glassford, ’64 MA Rehabilitation Medicine Grant Fedoruk, ’99 BSc(PT) Campus Saint-Jean Deni Lorieau, ’73 BA Science Mark Polet, ’77 BSc Member at Large C.H. William Cheung, ’86 LLB Academic Representative vacant Ex Officio Executive Director Susan Peirce, ’70 BA Graduate Students’ Association Julianna Charchun, ‘04 BA Students’ Union Michael Janz U of A Vice-President (External Relations) Sandra Conn Honorary President Dr Indira Samarasekera

Kudos

Short-Time Reader

Last evening at a function I extolled the superb New Trail — its content, layout and diversity of subject. It is GREAT. As I celebrate another 50th graduation anniversary I think of the U of A. By the way, I have published a book, Redesign the Door, dealing with 38 events in my life which challenge tradition. Lulu published it. Now I am publishing The Dirty Thirties... I hope. The Watrous Manitou (a Saskatchewan weekly) has published several chapters. I am looking for a publisher and have written U of A press. We will see what happens.

My name is Jonathan Vermeire. I’m a grade six student attending Our Lady of Victories Catholic School. I began to read your articles when my teacher brought his collection of New Trail magazines into class and was fascinated by the articles that you publish. I was wondering if I could get New Trail delivered to my house, even though I’m not a graduate of the University of Alberta and I’m not 13 yet?

Barry Brooks, ’55 BA, ’57 BDiv North York, ON

A Satisfied Reader

Long-Time Reader I continue to find New Trail interesting and informative, and that it helps to maintain my ties to the University of Alberta 46 years after graduation.

I enjoyed reading your Summer ’07 issue, especially the hiking story [‘Kilimanjaro High’] and the nanotechnology article.

Ellis Treffry, ’61 BSc(Ag) Vermilion, AB

Carol Nowicki, ’74 BSc(HEc) Edmonton, AB

Jonathan Vermeire Edmonton, AB (Editor’s note: We sent Jonathan a copy.)

tuck shop

We Have A Winner

recent book about life on the U of A campus called I Was There: A Century of Alumni Stories About the University of Alberta, 19062006.

Last issue (Summer ’07) we ran a Tuck Shop contest called “Those s Those Were The Day Were The Days” where we asked you to identify six photos of The correct answers are: U of A grads. It was our most 1) Doris Anderson, ’45 BA, ’73 popular contest to date, but LLD (Honorary); 2) Joe Clark, only one person got all the ’60 BA, ’73 MA, ’85 LLB correct names that went with (Honorary); 3) W.O. Mitchell, the faces. . . congratulations to Susanne Barton, a professor ’43 BA, ’75 DLitt (Honorary); 4) Preston Manning, ’64 BA; in the U of A’s Department of 5) Joe Shoctor, ’45 BA, ’46 Physiology. We’ll be sending LLB, ’81 LLD (Honorary); Susanne a copy of Ellen 6) Paul Gross, ’97 BFA. Schoeck’s, ’72 BA, ’77 MA, 3

a long time yourself from a picture taken You could probably recognize you are most likely someone else whose face ago. But can you identify do with the distinwhat we’re asking you to familiar with today? That’s If you think you alumni pictured above. guished University of Alberta to us by August 10, with the faces, send them have the names that go with the most correct out a prize to the person 2007, and we will send all the people picperson correctly identifies answers. If more than one draw a winner. put the names in a hat and tured or if there’s a tie, we’ll hunting. Good luck, and happy head Services Building, Trail, 6th Floor, General or e-mail Send your answers to New Alberta, Canada, T6H 2H1 University of Alberta, Edmonton, us at newtrail@ualberta.net

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SUMMER 2007

A Delighted Reader I was delighted to find the article about Doris Anderson in your Summer ’07 issue. I met Doris at Mount Royal College, Calgary. She, like me, was taking advantage of lower fees at the U of A affiliate. And our friendship lasted until graduation at U of A in 1945. I lost contact, but not interest, in her career after that and was always grateful for having been lucky enough to know her. And I’m sure that after experiencing English classes as I did she’d be the first to point out to you that the caption ought to have been “Doris’s Days”! Let me share one anecdote with you. During our MRC year Doris one day suggested to me and a group that we broaden our experience by attending a Sunday evening service at a Spiritualist church.

We did, and attended with all due respect. At the end of the service we were invited to request a “reading.” Doris raised her hand. The medium said, “I see you wearing a white coat, and in your hand is an unbalanced scale.” Only after we left the church did Doris confide in us that her part-time job was as an apprentice in a butcher shop. I loved her then, I love her still. Robert W. Pulleyblank, ’45 BA, ’47 BEd, ’47 Dip(Ed) Nanaimo, B.C.

A Tearful Reader I read the article “The Power of One” about Tania Spilchen in the Summer ’07 New Trail magazine and was moved to tears. What an amazing story. Genevieve Boyer, ’98 BSc Edmonton, AB

Down Memory Lane Congratulations on the super article about nanotechnology in the Summer ’07 issue of New Trail. Last summer I visited the University after an absence of some 30 years and was shown over the new institute by [National Institute for Nanotechnology director] Nils Petersen. By coincidence, many years ago he was a summer student in my research institute at the University of Western Ontario! How times have changed. In 1929, former U of A president Henry Marshall Tory — then president of the first National Research Council — showed my father, Henry Spencer (M.P. for Battle River, AB) over the first NRC building in Ottawa (in 1937 I worked one summer in that building). Now there are NRC labs from coast to coast!

This past week, instead of flying to Vancouver as we do twice a year, we took The Canadian — left Toronto at 9 a.m. Tuesday and arrived at Vancouver at 8 a.m. Friday. As a youngster, I travelled many times to Ottawa with my father from our farm in Alberta — but not ‘in style’! I hadn’t been on that route in 30 years so it was a real treat and I highly recommend it. Keep up the good work. Elvins Y. Spencer, ’36 BSc, ’38 MSc London, ON

We would like to hear your comments about the magazine. Send us your letters via postal mail or e-mail to the address on the previous page. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.

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AUTUMN 2007

new trail

bear country

Fan-tastic U of A’s bona fide super fan finds serenity in the unlikeliest places

hen the Bears and Pandas hockey teams take to the ice, Clare Drake Arena is not a quiet place. Up to 3,000 fans cheer, holler and hoot, trying to be heard over the music that fills the arena when play isn’t underway. When the crowd has a U of A goal to celebrate — which is often — the volume really cranks up. It’s not a place you’d expect to find peace, but that’s exactly what working at the games has brought Robert Soloview. Soloview, more commonly known as “Super Fan,” has worked at Bears and Pandas games for several years, taking tickets and welcoming fans. He started hanging out at Bears hockey practices and games after he met Blair St. Martin, ’05 MD, ’04 BSc(MedSci), who was captain of the Bears hockey team at the time, at a U of A Christian Club event. When he learned that St. Martin was on the hockey team, Soloview offered to help the team in any way he could, and from there his involvement grew. He now works part-time at sports events in

the arena, the main gym and at Foote Field — “I’m a super fan of all the sports,” he says. Spina bifida has made one of Soloview’s legs weak, so he walks with a limp, and his speech is a little impaired. Classes at the Glenrose Hospital helped, but he says that in his life some people treated him poorly, targeting his differences. In 1999, he was going through a difficult time, facing some challenges with his health and his spirit. But then he met St. Martin, who, he says, “helped me get my life back on track.” Through St. Martin, Soloview was introduced to a welcoming group of friends in the Golden Bears hockey team and then the other sports teams. In 2003 the hockey teams presented him with customized Bears and Pandas jerseys with “SUPER FAN” across the back, and he wears these jerseys now to the games. At the 2007 Green and Gold Awards, he received a plaque in

t 5:26 a.m., August 4, the Delta II Rocket carrying the Phoenix Mars Lander lifted off from its Cape Canaveral, Florida, launch pad. Ninety minutes later it had left Earth’s orbit and settled in for its 10-month journey to Mars. Aboard that craft is a touch of U of A engineering expertise, a device deceptively simple yet amazingly sensitive. It’s called a ‘telltale,’ a term coined by sailors for a little piece of thread they once used to identify wind speed and direction. In this case the ‘telltale’ will sit atop Canada’s contribution 4

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AUTUMN 2007

recognition of his dedication and commitment to U of A sports and, more poignantly, a standing ovation when it was announced. “It was a surprise,” he says, “and to get a standing ovation, it brought tears to my eyes.” He volunteers at an extended care centre and a church, but it’s at the Clare Drake Arena and Varsity Gym that he’s found his true calling, making people feel welcome when they come to sports events. He enjoys the work so much he says he plans to stay at it until he retires— “when I’m 100 years old.” Now closing in on 40, Soloview has found a balance in his life he was lacking before. And he’s in no hurry to give it up. “I’ll be here until I retire

to the Mars mission, a multi-instrument meteorological station (MET) that will — if all goes well — track weather patterns and climate changes at Mars’ frigid northern plains, the first such mission to another planet’s polar environment. Although it was built in Denmark, U of A mechanical engineering professor Carlos Lange and his students designed the ‘telltale’ that will be part of MET’s sensory array. Comprised of a small hollow tube dangling from a Kevlar thread and suspended from a 10 centimetre-tall, gallows-like instrument made of titanium, it will give scientists some idea about the wind speed and direction in the polar region. “It’s a very low-tech solution to a hightech problem,” says Lange.

Sound Bite

“L

arge theropod dinosaurs display remarkable specializations for macrocarnivory, but tyrannosaurids take many of these feeding adaptations to an extreme.” Reading this sentence published in the scientific journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica may give you pause to think... what? But for the non-scientists in the crowd, what this means is simply that Tyrannosaurus rex had one heck of a bite. Research conducted by a team of Alberta scientists, including lead author Eric Snively, a U of A biologist and post doctoral research fellow, has found that the fused nasal bone in a T. rex’s skull and its incredibly powerful jaws gave it the potential strength to pick up a pair of 7.5 tonne Triceratops’ and the capacity to chomp through their bones without breaking its own teeth or damaging its skull. “The T. rex just blows almost everyone else [some whales and large marine reptiles exerted higher bite forces] out of the water when it comes to strength,” says Snively. “All of the T. rex’s features came together to give it the strongest bite of any land animal alive now or then, with a lower jaw that could apply 200,000 newtons of force — that’s like lifting a loaded semi trailer.” Snively and his team found that the fused tyrannosaurid nasal area was stronger than unfused carnosaur nasals. This feature increased the strength of such dinosaurs as T. rex and helped them chomp down with powerful bites capable of splintering bone. “Other carnivorous dinosaurs skull bones might shear apart slightly when they bit into their prey,” Snively says. “But with tyrannosaurs, all the force of the bite was transmitted to the flesh and bone they were ripping into.” T. rex and its closest relatives, that ruled the roost all over western North America from present-day Alberta all the way down to Mexico, also had bigger teeth and harder skulls than other dinosaurs. But the study concludes that

it was the development of the fused and arched nasal bones in comparison to the narrower muzzles of other dinosaurs that really gave them their cutting edge. And if you think that lawyer who was snatched off the toilet seat and swallowed with such alacrity in Jurassic Park was just another Spielbergian flight of fancy, think again. “T. rex’s neck power was as staggering as its jaw muscles,” says Snively. “In a split second, a T. rex could toss its head at a 45 degree angle and fling a 50 kilogram person five metres in the air. That’s with a conservative estimate of the creature’s muscle force.” Snively co-authored the study with Doug Phillips, ’77 MSc, ’84 PhD, from the University of Calgary and Donald Henderson, palaeontologist and physicist from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. The trio compared the teeth and skulls of both tyrannosaurids, such as T. rex, and non-tyrannosaurids, such as Allosaurus. What they found is that the fused, arch-like nasal bones found in a T. rex skull were an adaptation that allowed the carnivorous creatures to break right through the bones of their prey without breaking their own skulls. This adaptive feature was important for T. rex because of its small arms that couldn’t hold on to its prey for long while it subdue creatures with a series of lacerating bites. “It couldn’t afford to be that delicate,” Snively says. “It had to bite in the creature and drive its teeth right through the bone.” And that it did. Very effectively.

Another Canadian contribution to the mission is the Lidar system, which will bounce pencil-thin, laser pulses off of clouds and atmospheric dust to ascertain movement, composition and mass. But the star of the show is probably the Phoenix Mars Lander that will dig into the Martian soil to try and provide scientists with the history of water at the landing site as well as data on whether the Martian arctic climate can support life and how is the region affected by polar dynamics. Of course, Phoenix has to land safely on the planet for any of this to happen — no small feat considering that about two-thirds of all spacecraft

destined for Mars either fail before completing their missions or don’t manage to successfully deploy on the planet. For now Lange can only cross his fingers and hope he gets the chance to see his ‘telltale’ in action so scientists can study the complex relationship between the various environmental factors at work in the region and if the area shows any signs of being favourable to harbour life, now or in the past. He can also take heart in the fact that he was there at Cape Canaveral to watch Phoenix successfully launch on its way to Mars. “I got to see my baby fly,” he says.

T. rex — a nose for nastiness

AUTUMN 2007

new trail

quaecumque vera

Bottle Bane A

study by U of A School of Public Health professor Cameron Wild published in the journal Addiction found that simply mailing self-help pamphlets to problem drinkers reduced their binge drinking by 10 percent. For the study, conducted with the University of Toronto, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada, a screening interview was conducted with over 10,000 Canadians. Out of that number, 877 adult males and female drinkers with an average age of 43 were randomly selected to receive a brief self-help pamphlet on alcohol use. Another 850 individuals with similar drinking habits were chosen for a control group. The 877 selected drinkers were then mailed a pamphlet called Evaluate Your Drinking that outlined ways they could take stock of their own alcohol use. The control group did not receive the initial distribution of the pamphlet until after the study had ended. Six months later, everyone in the study was contacted to see whether their alcohol consumption had changed. Among the 1,305 participants who completed the study, Wild and col-

leagues found that problem drinkers who received the self-help pamphlet at the beginning of the study reported a 10 percent reduction in binge drinking rates, compared to problem drinkers in the control condition. Why did the pamphlet work? “Many heavy drinkers mistakenly believe their behaviour is more common than it actually is,” Wild says. “These norm misperceptions can perpetuate hazardous or harmful alcohol use because frequent heavy drinkers calibrate their beliefs to view their alcohol use as normative, rather than inappropriate or deviant. “We think it’s an innovative way to reach out to problem drinkers who are too embarrassed to seek out formal alcohol treatment,” says Wild, who also notes that the ratio of untreated to treated problem drinkers in the general population is about 10 to one.

Hearty A Heart

new study to determine the effect of exercise on people who have experienced heart failure has found that aerobic exercise is the best way to go. The study, led by researchers from the University of Alberta and published in the prestigious Journal of the American College of Cardiology, examined data from 812 heart-failure patients involved in 14 trials. The researchers examined existing research into studies examining aerobic exercise only, a combination of aerobic and strength training, and strength train-

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AUTUMN 2007

Cameron Wild

“Problem drinkers,” he says, “don’t seek formal alcohol treatment because of stigma or embarrassment, and when asked why they have not sought help, state that they prefer to ‘change on their own.’ Our research capitalizes on this by helping people take stock of their drinking habits. It’s a cheap and effective public health approach to reducing hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption in the general drinking population.”

ing only. What they found was that “aerobic training offers the clearest benefits when it comes to rehabilitating the heart,” says Alex Clark, one of the authors of the study. “Traditionally, patients were recommended to be almost sedentary,” continues Clark, a U of A nursing professor and Alberta Heritage Population Health Investigator. “But the sense of taking things easy is counteracted by the findings of this study, and this evidence from this type of analysis is persuasive.”

The Fab Nine N

ine species of beetles completely new to Alberta have been discovered near Hinton by University of Alberta forest ecologist and chair of the department of renewable resources, John Spence. In the study published in the journal Biological Conservation, Spence, along with research colleagues David Langor, ’89 PhD and Greg Pohl, ’87 BSc, ’92 MSc, concentrated on the grounddwelling rove beetles, some of which are predatory while others prefer to dine on fungi. The research team looked at the insects found in old growth forests that hadn’t seen a fire for over 80 years, as well as stands that had been harvested anywhere from one to 27 years ago. The researchers discovered that while some of the stands in the process of regeneration had the highest number of different rove beetle species, some types of the beetles only exist in the old growth forests, which means it’s crucial to some beetles’ survival to protect this habitat, at least until harvested forests regenerate and are recolonized. “I understand that beetle conservation is not as high on the priority list in some people’s minds as grizzly bears or caribou,” says Spence. “But having devoted most of my life to studying insects and their communities, I would

While the researchers found that only aerobic exercise reverses the remodeling of the heart caused by failure, which enlarges during heart failure while also pumping less blood, there was no evidence that strength training combined with aerobic exercise was as effective. And although the damaged heart doesn’t become healthy, “it becomes more effective than without the aerobic exercise,” notes co-author Mark Haykowsky, ’91 BPE, ’94 MSc, ’98 PhD. Heart failure is a modern day ‘epidemic’ — being one of the most common conditions

John Spence (above): “We must manage natural systems with respectful ignorance.”

feel awful to know we were responsible for the loss of any insect species.” It’s unknown what role the beetles play in the overall ecosystem of the forests they dwell in, but citing the example of the declining honey bees and their crucial role in the pollination of plants, Spence urges caution in managing a species whose role is not completely comprehended. “Even if you don’t really care about insects,” he says, “there’s a lot of evi-

dence that different insect species often turn out to be critical links for ecosystem processes that we value. And unfortunately we don’t understand how important they are until they’re gone. Concerns about biodiversity have arisen to remind us that we must manage natural systems with respectful ignorance. This is not the same as protecting endangered species of mammals and birds about which we already know quite a lot.”

in people over 70 years old and affects between six and 10 percent of people in that age bracket. “Heart failure affects all areas of life, including walking, sleeping and mental health, and it makes people very tired and restricted — even walking across a room can prove very difficult,” says Clark, whose work is supported by an Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research award. “Overall it can have a cataclysmic effect on your life.” Alex Clark

Sky Pilot For Ed McDonald, taking to the air for charity just makes ‘plane’ sense

“I

f money was no object to you, what would you pay for a ride in one of these things?” Ed McDonald, ’83 BSc(Eng), ’96 MBA, poses this question standing beside his luminous L-39ZA Albatross, the fighter jet that he’s just finished hanging me upside down in, nothing between my helmeted head and the ground but a cupola of Plexiglas canopy and over 3,000 metres of air. Turns out money isn’t an object for many people who are willing to pay a lot of it to rip through the sky at over 800 kilometres an hour in the Czechoslovakian-built light-attack jet aircraft that McDonald bought from “a guy in Calgary who had two and wanted to get rid of one so I bought it off him for $400,000.” So far 20 people have agreed to give a total of somewhere between $250,000 and $300,000 to various charities for the privilege of being flung around the sky where they’ll experience a g-force of up to three or four times normal on their bodies and hurtle along so close to the ground that Tiger Woods could probably ding the plane with a shot from his nine iron. You might twist and turn through the air as you follow the course of the North Saskatchewan River, and you might do a four-point barrel roll where McDonald will snap the plane so that your left shoulder faces the ground, then you’re upside down, followed by your right shoulder facing the ground, and then back to upright again. The deal McDonald does with the charities is that they cover the cost of fuel and maintenance on the airplane and he throws in his time and the aircraft. “I don’t want to make any money at this,” he says. “I just want to cover

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Ed McDonald: “We owe the U of A a lot.”

my costs. But on the other hand, I don’t want to cheapen it. The Air Force put up F-18 rides about a year ago at a fundraising dinner in Calgary and it yielded 25 grand a ride. To the layperson this plane is pretty darn close to an F-18. So the market value is anywhere from $5,000, the minimum bid price, to $25,000. It’s eye watering what people will give. There are four people so far that have paid $25,000 each. “There are some very generous people who go to these auctions that want to do something for that cause,” McDonald continues. “And if I can give them a ride in a jet fighter and they get a taste of what it’s like to fly one of these, and the charity can put a lot of cash in their jeans, then everybody wins.” He’s not kidding when he says passengers get a taste of what it’s like to fly the Albatross (the same type of plane Pierce Brosnan flew in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies). Before we were even in the air he had me holding the stick as we taxied down the runway while he tidied up some things in the cockpit (the passenger

sits behind the pilot). Then we were barely airborne, but already up over 2,500 metres, when he had me take the stick and fly the plane. As you might expect from a fighter jet whose purpose was to train Eastern European pilots in general military flying and advanced bombing techniques, the handling is smooth and precise. It takes just a fractional hand movement to the side to push the plane into a 45degree banking turn. But that fractional movement increases exponentially when you’re pulling two-and-half gs through a turn, as McDonald demonstrated when he asked me if I could lift my arm in one such manoeuvre. Applying the normal force to execute such a task resulted in my arm remaining firmly on my lap. McDonald, who was born in Edmonton, has thousands of flying hours in his day job as an Air Canada pilot who regularly flies an A340 Airbus back and forth to Europe and Asia. But he has only 50 hours in the cockpit of his new toy that he’s had for a year. Not to worry. He also flew jets in the Canadian Air Force (mostly out of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) for 15 years — full time for five years and in the reserves for another 10 — where he says he’s pulled as much as seven gs while executing much tighter and faster aerobatics than those he subjects his passengers to. More than just an expensive toy or a great way to raise money for charity, the Albatross also fits McDonald’s business plans. “Combined with the uncertainty of the airline industry and the fact that flying passenger jets is not all that stimulating after a while, I figured it was time to diversify and started a bit of an engineering practice. What we do for the

The author on the ground and the Albatross in flight.

airline industry is we design stuff for airports that use the global positioning system that allows aircraft to find runways in poor weather conditions. What we designed has to be flight checked so we needed an aircraft to do the flight checking. So the issue was do you buy a little Cessna or something like that, or do you do something off the wall and get an L39 Albatross?” The question is, of course, rhetorical. But what did his wife, Michele Sawatzky, ’87 BSc(Den), ’89 DDS, have to say when he broke the news that he was in the market for a good, used fighter jet? “She thought I was kidding at first,” laughs McDonald. “Then when I went and actually bought it she thought it was probably just a piece of junk. But when she and the kids [Austen, 10, and Kaitlyn, seven] came out to the airport for the first time to look at it and she saw how nice and clean and new it looked, then she realized this is

for real. But as I’ve told her through my whole flying career, the drive to the airport is the most dangerous part of going to work. Same with this airplane. The biggest risk on this airplane is losing the engine. But it’s almost a brand new engine and I keep a close, close eye on it. Right now it’s behaving perfectly and any time it starts showing any trouble it’ll be getting maintained immediately.” That engine currently has only 163 hours on it and will require a rebuild at 1,000 hours. It can be rebuilt four times before a new engine will have to be installed. That same engine also sucks up about 500 litres of jet fuel an hour — fuel that, at the time of this writing, costs $1.10 a litre. Okay, so it’s not exactly environmentally friendly, but how often do you get to strap yourself into a rocket and pretend you’re a fighter jockey? However, if you’re looking for that Top Gun experience this year you’re going to be disappointed as McDonald says he doesn’t want to oversaturate the

market and turn what could be a oncein-a-lifetime experience into an everyday occurrence. “Various charities call me up and say ‘we have a live auction and would you be willing to donate a ride,’ ” he says. “Up until now I’ve been basically saying yes to everybody. But I’ve cut it off for this season because 20 is a lot.” Which makes me feel very privileged that McDonald has taken the time and effort to give me something for free for which others are willing to pony up as much as $25,000. He’s doing it because he’s an alumnus and, he says, “We owe the U of A a lot. We owe our livelihoods to the education we got at the University of Alberta. Obviously we worked for it but still the U of A was a big part of our lives. I still have season’s tickets to Golden Bears hockey and I love taking my kids to Bears games. “It’s great to go back on campus. It brings back lots of memories, lots of good times. Whether my kids go to the U of A or any university at all is not important. But they do get exposure to the place and learn that it was a big part of their parents’ lives.” — Kim Green AUTUMN 2007

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landmarks University professor emeritus E.D. (Ted) Blodgett has been named the City of Edmonton’s poet laureate, a position he will hold until July 2009. Among other duties, he will be involved in the September 17 launch of the Poetry Festival, one of many events connected to Edmonton’s designation as the 2007 Cultural Capital of Canada. Also part of the Cultural Capital initiative, a symposium will be held at the U of A on November 9 and 10 exploring the connections between arts and science. For information on these and other events, check edmontonculturalcapital.com Long-time U of A men’s hockey coach Rob Daum, ’84 BEd, ’82 BPE, has signed a one-year contract to serve as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers. Daum was head coach of the Golden Bears from the 1995–96 season until 2004–05. He then coached for two seasons with the Houston Aeros in the American Hockey League.

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Five U of A researchers were named Canada Research Chairs in May. Anne Sales of the Faculty of Nursing was named CRC in Interdisciplinary Healthcare Teams; Uwe Hacke of the Department of Renewable Resources, CRC in TreeWater Relations; Sandra Davidge of the Perinatal Research Centre, CRC in Women’s Cardiovascular Health (reappointment); Aksel Hallin of the Department of Physics, CRC in Astroparticle Physics; Tian Tang of Mechanical Engineering, CRC in Nanobiomolecular Hybrid Materials. Hacke, Hallin, and Tang are also recipients of the Canada Foundation for Innovation Leaders Opportunity Fund, which supplies funding for infrastructure associated with a Canada Research Chair. At the City of Edmonton Salute to Excellence Awards in June, professor emeritus of Art and Design Walter Jule was named to the Arts and Culture Hall of Fame. His role in building an internationally acclaimed centre for printmaking at the U of A was acknowledged.

Professor emeritus Greg Hollingshead has been awarded one of three $30,000 prizes in this year’s Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards. Hollingshead, author of three novels and more than five dozen short stories, won the award at a ceremony in May. Hugh Hoyles, ’66 BPE, professor emeritus, was inducted into Volleyball Canada’s Hall of Fame in June. At the U of A, Hugh coached the Golden Bears volleyball team and is best known for his role establishing the Campus Recreation program. He has also been involved in volleyball at provincial, national, and international levels. He was inducted in the Alberta Volleyball Association Hall of Fame in 2004. David Petis, assistant dean (external relations) of the Faculty of Engineering for the past seven years, has moved to St. Catherines, Ontario, to take on the position of vice-president, advancement, at Brock University.

Edmonton-born philanthropist Peter Allard donated $1.5 million to enable the university to create the Dr. Charles A. Allard Chair in Diabetes Research, a position named in honour of the donor’s late father, a renowned Edmonton surgeon and 1943 graduate of the U of A medical school. Ronald Gill, the new scientific director of the University’s Alberta Diabetes Institute, is the first Allard chairholder. The U of A will seek $1.5 million in matching funds from the government of Alberta's Access to the Future Fund to make the endowment fully funded at $3 million.

In Memoriam Long-time U of A employee in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation Ron Urness passed away in late July. Urness, affectionately known as “Ron Rink,” maintained the Clare Drake Arena on campus for almost four decades.

Campus Sporting Excellence

Great Teams at the University of Alberta Decades of sports have brought pride and excitement to campus, and a few particularly notable teams have led the charge by Shelagh Kubish, ’85 BA hen W.G. Hardy, ’73 LLD (Honorary) came to the U of A in 1920 to teach classics, he brought his love of ancient history, a keen academic mind, and a staggering energy that saw him serve as chair of the classics department for more than a quarter of a century as well as write hundreds of short stories and academic articles — not to mention a handful of historical novels somewhat racy for the time. He also brought a collection of antiquities that now form the core of the Hardy Collection on campus. And he brought a passion for sports. Hardy coached the U of A hockey team in the 1920s and remained a great supporter of sports, particularly hockey, for years. He led the hockey team through much of the early glory years and was instrumental in raising the funds for the Varsity Arena, which

opened in 1927 and was in use until the late 1950s. His name is on the Hardy Cup, the trophy western Canadian university hockey teams started competing for in 1951. Hardy once said, “People always ask Left, Classics professor and hockey coach Hardy believed in intelligent why I, a profes- teamwork; Maury Van Vliet coached basketball, and football, and created the U of A’s physical education program. sor of classics, have such an important role in modern society, as it interest in sport. I tell them it is had in ancient Greece. because I am a professor of classics Hardy’s belief in the importance of that I am interested in sport.” Hardy sport and in the value of a balance of believed that sport should play an

athletic and intellectual pursuit was echoed some years later when Maury Van Vliet came to the U of A in 1945 to found an athletics program and the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation. Van Vliet set a high standard of excellence for the new program and believed in educating the whole person — including aspects of academics, athletics and community spirit. Athletic directors since him have held up that standard and have seen the U of A vault to the top rung of Canadian university sports. Van Vliet and Hardy also agreed on the value of teamwork. In a 1925 Gateway article about hockey, Hardy wrote, “in this game, as in most others, the team that plays the hardest and uses the most system and intelligence will usually carry off the laurels.” One example from that year was the men’s rugby team, which won the provincial championship by defeating the Calgary Tigers twice with hard work and crafty coaching strategy. The second of the two games was described as “the finest day in Alberta’s athletic history.” It might have been the finest day at the time, but it was also a sign of things to come. In fact, while it has many outstanding individual athletes, the U of A really sets itself apart from other Canadian universities in terms of team performance. The U of A is the only university to have won a national championship in each of the 11 team sports under the umbrella of Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) competition (formerly CIAU). A variety of U of A teams from the past stand out as particularly noteworthy for various reasons — but most often because they followed Hardy’s dictum by playing the hardest and using intelligence to carry off the laurels of victory. We share some of their stories here.

If we’ve missed highlighting your favourite team, please let us know. We’d love to hear your thoughts about the importance of athletics at the U of A from one century to the next. 12

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2005–06 Pandas field hockey upset With this championship win, the U of A became the only university to have won a championship in each of the 11 team sports competed for in CIS. Coach Carla Somerville, ’98 BPE, took an underdog team and convinced them they could beat the UBC Thunderbirds, a field hockey powerhouse that hadn’t lost in two straight years. Somerville’s Pandas defeated UBC on the first weekend of the 2005–06 season and again when it really counted — in the national final. “From day one we believed we could win,” Somerville says. “If I could figure out what it was that made us believe that, I would take it, bottle it, and sell it — and I’d be a millionaire.” As a star field hockey player for the Pandas in the 1990s, Somerville

enjoyed herself and saw a fair bit of success. But the coaching experience and the first national win was something else. “Things just went well,” Somerville says. “We had good practices, a good pre-season, we clicked as a team. We had to work hard to make that happen but it was also a fun time.” Looking ahead to the challenges of the next few years, Somerville can still say the national win of 2005–06 was “something we will all remember and appreciate for a long time.”

1967–68 Bears hockey unexpected win It was supposed to be developmental year—a number of the players the Bears put on the ice were rookies — but the U of A ended up winning the national championship in an upset. The nail-biter was played in the Montreal Forum in front of 12,000 fans.

The beginnings The first organized practice for a U of A athletic game was a rugby practice on October 22, 1910. The team had a practice match against the Edmonton Eskimos and then travelled to Calgary for their first game against Western Canada College. They lost 28-13 but on November 5 won the first home game, despite the snowy conditions. The women students, who had formed the Wauneita Club, watched the action. In 1922–23, the U of A team played in an inter-varsity series in men’s rugby with U of Saskatchewan. The Evergreen and Gold yearbook of the time notes, “It was a truly historical event for it was the first game ever played with another university, and Alberta had the honour of winning it.”

Above, the 1968 Bears with their unexpected University Cup; John Devaney, co-captain of the ’78 –-’79 team.

The nationals were hosted in Montreal by Loyola University, Sir George Williams University, and MacDonald College. (The first two schools later joined to form Concordia University and the third has been incorporated into McGill.) The Bears had been almost completely discounted as a factor in the tournament, and when they made it to the final against the Loyola Warriors, Montreal fans anticipated a home-team win. The Warriors out-shot the Bears 47 to 27 and would go on to a 4–3 lead at the end of the second period. But in the third period fortunes changed. The Bears tied the game midway through the third when Ron Cebryk, ’68 BSc(Eng), scored, and then with 17 seconds remaining, Cebryk potted the game winner. When the final buzzer sounded, U of A coach Clare Drake, ’58 BEd, ’98 LLD (Honorary), had won his second University Cup in an upset. Making the victory even more special, only five months earlier, he had taken the Bears football team to a College Bowl victory, also in an upset — two national titles in two sports during the same university season.

1978–79 Bears hockey

1993–94 Bears basketball

domination of the competition

first of three national championships

The hockey Bears of 1978–79 dominated Canadian university competitive season and post-season, winning the University Cup that year relatively easily. The playoffs didn’t have the thrill of last-minute goals or dramatic finishes — the Bears won their tournament games with wins of 7-1, 3-1, and 5-1 — but that was mostly because the team of that year was simply extremely strong. In his just-released Bears on Ice (see page 17 for information), Stephen Scriver quotes co-captain John Devaney, ’82 BCom, on the year—“We were unbeatable that year. ... We went into that tournament fully expecting to win.” There were several high-calibre individual players on the team—four of them went along with Coach Drake to the 1980 Olympics (Devaney, Randy Gregg, ’75 BSc, ’79 MD, Don Spring, ’81 BCom, and Dave Hindmarch, as well as Kevin Primeau, ’77 BPE, who played on the previous year’s Bears team) and a few went on to the NHL. To further explain their success, Devaney notes that Clare Drake’s systems were still far ahead of those of many of the other university hockey teams. As long as the players followed the system, they would win.

With the home crowd loud and exuberant, the atmosphere in Varsity Gym during the season was amazing. Some have described it as the high point of basketball in Edmonton. Even with the excitement in the gym and the energy on the court, the Bears were never expected to make it to nationals and win that year. On March 20, 1994, the Golden Bears basketball team became national champions for the first time in the University’s history, defeating the heavy favourites, the McMaster Marauders, by a score of 73–66, in Halifax. Coach Don Horwood, ’79 MA, was then in his 11th year at the helm of the Bears basketball team. He acknowledged that through the season, the Bears hadn’t been considered front-runners at any time, but they were determined. “No, we don’t have the country’s best talent,” he was quoted in a newspaper article of the time, “but we were the most determined. I had a bunch of guys who did whatever it took to win. And it wasn’t me, it was them.” Coach Horwood (above, cutting a net in celebration) has been named CIS coach of the year three times; in 2007 he received a City of Edmonton Salute to Excellence Award and was inducted into the city’s Hall of Fame. AUTUMN 2007

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1994–95 to 1999–2000 Pandas volleyball six straight national wins In 2002, the Pandas volleyball players from the 1994–95 to 1999–2000 seasons were inducted as a unit into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in recognition of their remarkable streak of six consecutive national championships. Coach Laurie Eisler says they all learned a lot from those years, and the ones that followed. Mostly they learned how hard it is to win. “Winning is a really, really difficult thing to do,” says Eisler. “Even if you do all the right things, you don’t always win. But in those six years, that group is still perceived as special. They had a lot of adversity thrown at them, but they beat it.” Adversity like blown-out knees, torn ACLs — a couple of players hobbled their way through key sets—and their coach delivering a baby in the hospital while the players were out on the court playing a game. In the 1998-99 season, five of the six starters were lost to graduation, and they were, says Eisler, “really significant athletes.” Other teams around the division saw a glimmer of hope that the Pandas could be knocked off the top. “They wrote us off, and discounted the new players we had,” 14

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Eisler says. When the Pandas beat UBC for the ’98-99 national championships, it was perceived as a huge upset, she says. You always plan to win as a coach, Eisler says, but win or lose, it is the ability to provide athletes with the opportunity and the environment to do their best that is so rewarding.

1999–2000 Pandas rugby surprise domination Pandas rugby became the U of A’s 19th inter-university program on September 1, 1999, and the team, under coach Helen Wright, ’94 BA, kicked off the program with a surprise showing at the Canada West champi-

onship. Playing against UBC and U of Victoria, Alberta handled the squads from a province with a long history in rugby to qualify for their first trip to the national championships. Coach Wright picked up Canada West Coach of the Year honours. Few people thought the Pandas would be able to make as much noise at the national championships that year, but they did. The Pandas crushed their competition throughout the tournament and defeated host U of Guelph 20-3 in the final. Overall the Alberta team dominated the national championships physically, advancing the ball through superior scrum play. Coach Wright points to a few factors for the team’s success. There was a bit of good timing involved in that several of the players already knew each other through provincial rugby play and were keen to play together on a varsity team. Some of those players were exceptional athletes and, Wright notes, highachieving academics too. When rugby was accepted as a varsity sport at the U of A, it was easier to recruit top-notch athletes who had access to scholarships and the cachet of being a varsity athlete. The U of A was really positive and supportive, Wright says, and the alumni support has been “huge,” she says. “They give out scholarships, work our fundraisers. They’re fabulous.” It was the first of five consecutive national wins for the Pandas rugby team under coach Wright, who now works in administrative aspects of disaster recovery for Landlink Consulting.

1967–68 Bears football a historic win

1972 Bears football national win with dramatic play

Only 15 veterans were on the After a narrow defeat in the 1971 1967–68 football College Bowl, the Bears got their Bears team coached by Vanier Cup the next season when Clare Drake; the rest, they faced Waterloo Lutheran rookies. Some key players (now Wilfred Laurier) in the were lost to injury early in national final, held in Toronto. the season. But as the Gateway The game is remembered by Val newspaper said of the team, Schneider many people for a dramatic play “Some excellent player managenear the end of the fourth quarter ment, the finest college football coachwhen #12, defensive back Dale Schulha, ing staff in Canada and one hell of a ’72 BPE, ’74 MSc, ’74 Dip(Ed), threw a lot of desire combined to give the Bears touchdown pass off of a fake field goal. their first national football champiEven today Schulha, now athletic onship.” The gridiron Bears won the director at the U of A, remembers it 1967 College Bowl in November, clearly.... “The weather conditions defeating the McMaster Marauders in weren’t great and our field goal kicker what is considered by many to be the Jack Schwartzberg [’73 BPE, ’74 first true national championship game Dip(Ed)] had tried a couple of field for Canadian university football. goals and was having trouble hitting Backed by a rushing touchdown them. I noticed that Waterloo from quarterback Terry Lampert, ’68 Lutheran had very poor coverage in BA, Alberta led the game 10–9 with terms of the outside containing unit, less than a minute to go and McMaster so walking onto the field for our third in good shape to win if they completed field goal try, I just said to Gary a field goal. Instead, the Marauders Weisbrot [’73 BPE, ’74 Dip(Ed)], one attempted a pass, which the Bears’ of our wide receivers, ‘be ready.’ He John Wilson, ’71 DDS, intercepted to said ‘what do you mean?’ I just said, seal the victory. In the game, Val ‘be ready for me.’ So I took a look Schneider, ’66 BPE, ’69 MA — later to become head coach and then athletic and they were in the same alignment. director at the U of Saskatchewan — Waterloo hadn’t adjusted so it would received the Teddy Morris trophy as be easy for me to get outside and outstanding player. throw a pass. I didn’t say anything to

anybody. I got the snap back, put the ball down, pulled the ball away... I went to the outside. Gary was wide open so I threw him the pass.” The touchdown pass clinched the game for the Bears, with the final score 20–7. “When I got off the field,” says Schulha, “Coach Jim Donlevy [’59 BPE, ’61 BEd, ’75 MA] was getting interviewed by TV and radio crews, saying the snap was a great call and all that, and the coach walked over to me after the interview and said, ‘lucky it worked, Schulha, it’s a long walk back from Toronto!’ It was really exciting for me to finish my college career like that, having thrown a touchdown pass in a championship game. It was pretty special.”

Esks adopt UA colours From the fall of 1949 to the fall of 1958 inclusive the Bears football program went into dormancy, as there was no competition in the West. The University gave the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League their jerseys, and the Eskimos adopted green and gold as their colours. Peter Lougheed, a member of the 1947 and 1948 teams, went on to play with the Edmonton Eskimos in 1949 while still a law student through 1952 at the U of A.

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Bears soccer 2003–04 breakthrough national championship After having led the Bears soccer team to four previous national final tournaments (in ’88, ’95, ’98, and ’99) only to return to Edmonton without the national title, coach Len Vickery took his athletes to Montreal for the 2003 CIS championship game. It would prove more rewarding. Winning there, says Vickery, was “certainly exciting, and something of a breakthrough after the previous trips to nationals.” The fall 2003 season saw Alberta on a mission from day one. They dominated the opposition in winning their first four games by shutout en route to an 8–2–2 conference record. And then freshman Junior Castrillon-Rendon (who went on to play two years in Europe before returning to the U of A in 2006) took it upon himself to make sure Alberta did not face heartbreak in the Canada West Final Four at Saskatoon, as he scored a hat trick in the opener against UBC, and the conference-winning goal against Trinity Western. At the national championships, which were hosted by McGill University, Alberta used double overtime to defeat Saint Mary’s University 2–1 on Castrillon’s Golden Goal. All that exorcised the demons from the previous year, a coulda-shouldawoulda season in which the Bears, ranked number-one through most of the year, dropped a heartbreaker Canada West game to UBC and didn’t get to nationals.

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2002 to 2005 Pandas Hockey unbeaten streak Women’s hockey has a fine tradition at the University of Alberta, but the CIS didn’t start official ice hockey competition for women until the 1998–99 season. When they did, the Pandas were fast off the mark. Howie Draper, ’91 BPE, was named head coach and within two years had built a program that continues to dominate women’s university hockey. The team is known for a remarkable unbeaten streak of 110 games from the 2002–03 season through the 2004–05 season, but Coach Draper says it’s not all about winning. “It’s easier to say this now of course,” he says, “but had we not won as many games as we did or had we not achieved our goals of winning the national championship in those

years, I still think that our team would have been successful. We really were a team in every essence of the word. I think that that is a far more important indicator of success.” The coaching staff and team psychologist worked to build team unity, and Draper says it was the mature players on the team — he cites Judy Diduck, Carol Scheibel, ’03 BEd, Robyn Rittmaster, ’94 MSc, and Delaney Collins — who drove the concept home. They were outstanding hockey players who, Draper says, “were able to help sell the concept of togetherness, honesty, accountability and commitment to our younger players which really lifted the team to achieve what it did over that period.”

nickname The “Golden Bears” nickname was first considered by the U of A in 1929 because of the dominantly green uniforms with gold trim. The name was first applied to one of the men’s teams in a road game at Winnipeg in 1931, before the home crowd took a liking to the name and made it stick throughout the 1932-33 school year. The Gateway newspaper used the nickname in stories late in 1932 and it soon became the school’s official athletic moniker.

Clare Drake: Undercover Agent of Change hen I asked Clare Drake — ‘Coach,’ as I’ve known him for 30 years — if he would work with me on a memoir about his remarkable career, his immediate rejoinder was: “Why would anybody want to read a book about me?” That was a telling question, not just for what it reveals about Drake’s humility, but also for the way it speaks to the parochial nature of Canadian hockey and its fans. His remarkable accomplishments during 28 years as coach of the Golden Bears, his turn as head coach of Canada’s 1980 Olympic Team, his several seasons as an NHL assistant coach, and his seminal contribution to Hockey Canada’s National Coaching Certification Program — none of this delivers the name recognition of an NHL playing career or, perhaps, an NHL head-coaching resume that included a Stanley Cup. So, indeed, what made Clare Drake ‘book-worthy?’ I believed his life’s work was a story worth telling, but I

knew I needed a definitive answer to the question for myself. After checking with a few hockey people, I got the answer from Ken Hitchcock, onetime coach of the Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers and now the Columbus Blue Jackets, with a Stanley Cup (1999) and an Olympic gold medal (2002) to his credit. I phoned the Edmonton native when he was in Philadelphia and posed him a question and thesis all wrapped in one: Clare Drake, an unsung, yet powerful force in the development of Canadian hockey and originator of many of the tactics and philosophies used in today’s NHL? There was a long pause at the other end of the line before ‘Hitch’ launched into a grand discourse on the Drake legacy. He acknowledged my role as a former Golden Bear trainer and the familiarity with our topic it afforded me, but in the same breath he asserted, “You have no idea just how far Clare’s reach has extended.” He listed numerous NHL coaches who credit Drake as the major source of their knowledge and values. Finally Hitch said of Drake, “The man’s fingerprints are all over the game.” The answer to my question was simple — Clare Drake was among the first of a small group of original thinkers

n commemoration of the many outstanding players and coaches of the U of A men’s hockey teams over the last 100 years and to recognize the contributions of long-time Coach Clare Drake, the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation has produced two books. Bears on Ice by Stephen Scriver details the trials and conquests of the Bears dynasty; Clare Drake: The Coaches’ Coach by Derek Drager is a biography of the inimitable coach that explains his far-reaching impact on the game of hockey.

who changed hockey. The old Coach would argue differently, and did with me over a period of several years as I worked on his biography. That’s because it goes against his genetic code to take credit for anything. But as I interviewed ex-Golden Bear and NHL players, former and current CIS coaches, Hockey Canada officials, and veterans of the international game, recurring themes emerged: abiding respect, deep fondness and profound gratitude for Coach. Drake’s innovative and analytical brain was only part of the formula; his values also helped create a new movement in hockey and helped transform coaching into a profession where teachers, nurturers and leaders could find room to grow and succeed. And the best part of it all? Along with chatting with a who’s who of coaching, I received a one-on-one refresher course in those essential human values that Clare Drake continues to live by. I spent countless hours sitting at his kitchen table, talking with him and his wife Dolly, the lovely, wise woman who played a huge role in his success. And I learned about a life of dedication, dedication to bettering an entire sport, dedication to bettering all the individuals whom this master touched along the way. What a privilege. —Derek Drager, ’81 MA, ’75 BA Proceeds from sales of a special edition set, leatherbound and packaged in a hand-crafted wooden case, will go to support the Golden Bears hockey program or renovation of Clare Drake Arena, and purchasers will be recognized with membership in the Founders Club. For more information on the books, contact Jocelyne Lambert by phone at 780-492-3893 or e-mail jocelyne.lambert@ualberta.ca AUTUMN 2007

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Campus Sporting Excellence

A Golden Opportunity A perfect storm of possibilities — and the lack of a real winter storm — helped put Golden Bears football on the map

t was a most unusual set of circumstances. In 1963 a group of U of A students organized an invitational football game they called the Golden Bowl. On an unseasonably warm November 16 day at Edmonton’s Clarke Stadium, the Golden Bears defeated the top-ranked Queen’s University Golden Gaels to earn bragging rights as unofficial national champions in university football. None of it was supposed to happen. After all, there wasn’t an official national championship held in football at the university level — after two invitational national championships games in ’65 and ’66, the College Bowl for the Vanier Cup would officially begin in 1967 (the Golden Bears won that, too, but that’s another story; see p. 15). There was no provision in the schedule for east and west teams to get together except for a pre-season exhibition game, and no one expected the U of A team to defeat a dominant eastern college team considered by some at the time to be one of the best Canadian university football teams ever. But none of that stopped an enthusiastic group of organizers led by then-

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medical student Robert Lampard, ’64 MD, ’66 BSc, ’67 MSc, who took a ‘why not?’ attitude and carried it all the way through to hosting a game that is considered pivotal in the history of U of A athletics. As Lampard explains, the whole event was based on unusual circumstances. The eastern and western conferences had a rule that a team could play only one game after the season, and that was for playoffs. But in 1963 there was a singular winner in the west and a singular winner in the east, because both the U of A and Queen’s U defeated their closest rival team twice in the season. “We had defeated UBC in Vancouver earlier in the season,” Lampard explains, “and we knew the possibility was coming up when we played UBC again in October. I told the coach, Gino Fracas, [’58 Dip(Ed), ’58 BEd, ’57 Dip(Ed)], before the final game against UBC that if the Bears won, the team would become the singular winner in

(Above) The Golden Bears celebrate a pivotal win with fans. (Left) U of A receiver Ken Nielsen catching a pass.

the west.” So Fracas told the players, “You gotta win this one,” and they won 29-3. After that game, Lampard called the coach of the Queen’s team, Frank Tindall, and asked if he’d be interested in bringing his team to Edmonton after the season for an east-west game. “To my surprise he said yes,” Lampard says. To prepare for the game, coach Gino Fracas and assistant coach Frank Morris went to Toronto to watch Queen’s play in their final game of that season. Though Queen’s dominated that game, the coaches still came away thinking the Bears could beat the Golden Gaels. “We were the underdogs, sure,” says Fracas, “but I felt, along with

Clarence Kachman receiving a pass. (Right) Gary Naylor with the trophy. “We had an awful time trying to find a gold cup,” Lampard says. “We found it at a trophy place in east Edmonton, after phoning around. It was the only gold one, so we had to take it.”

Frank Morris, that we could beat Smith says, “that helped put western Queen’s. We mapped out a game plan university football on the map.” on the way back to Edmonton.” While the Queen’s University campus The plan included a lot of blitzing, newspaper had a decidedly shocked and man-to-man pass coverage on defence saddened tone — over its main story on and a short passing game that negated the game they ran a banner stating simthe Gaels’ pass rush and allowed the ply “Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn” Bears to control the ball for much of — the sports writers on that campus the game. “The kids worked hard all understood the significance. They titled week long, and they carried out the their story “Golden Bears Prove plan to a T,” says Fracas. Western Football Has Come of Age.” The Golden Gaels, The November 19, heavy favourites before 1963, Gateway was Even the weather was on game time, penetrated devoted mostly to stothe Bears end only ries of the game — the side of the emerging twice in the whole write-ups about Smith, Alberta team. On Saturday wide receiver Ken game, and the final score was Alberta 25, Nielsen, ’65 DDS, and afternoon at game time the Queen’s 7. “That’s wingback Clarence pretty good against a Kachman, ’64 BPE, temperature was 39°F. team that had been ’71 Dip(Ed), among By supper it had dropped others, which not only undefeated,” Fracas says. “I’m so proud of conveyed the exciteto 0°F and by Monday the effort of that ment about the event it was –30°F. “We were team,” he says of the but showed an appreGolden Bears. ciation of its imporlucky beyond words,” “Without a doubt that tance. An editorial in was the best intercollethe Gateway stated Lampard says. giate football team ever that the game was sigassembled up to that nificant “to Canada, point. Those players had great ability, to Alberta, and to Edmonton” for tremendous desire, and lots of pride.” three main reasons — for proving that Garry Smith, ’63 BPE, ’74 PhD, the west had arrived in intercollegiate quarterback of the 1963 team, gives sports competition, for proving that credit for the win to the coaches and the “Alberta is not the backwoods of excellent game plan they had devised. Canadian college sport,” and for “All in all it was a satisfying win,” jelling the campus spirit.

Delirious fans attacked the goal posts, which “did not go down without a fight,” the U of A yearbook stated. “A number of these adventurers wore battle scars to class on Monday.”

Even the Edmonton Journal, which previously had given little attention to university sports, ran a story on the game, and CHED radio’s Wes Montgomery did the play-by-play as over 8,000 Alberta fans took in the action, making it by far the largest sporting event in U of A history to that point. “I was told it was ‘close to a financial success,’” Lampard says, “but what really mattered was the success on the field.” That success announced the University of Alberta’s arrival on the collegiate sports scene. But none of it would have happened if the promotions committee hadn’t seized the day and the players prevailed. As Lampard says, “a unique opportunity fell in our laps, we took advantage of it, and we had a group of experienced people to do the work. “There was never anything like it.” —Shelagh Kubish, ’85 BA AUTUMN 2007

new trail

Campus Sporting Excellence

Where Are They Now? As varsity athletes they shone, but where has life after the U of A taken them? We caught up with a few Bears and Pandas from years past. Miroslava (Mirka) Pribylova, ’03 BPE volleyball, 1993–98 “Those were the best years of my life,” Mirka Pribylova says about her years playing volleyball at the U of A. She was named Pandas volleyball MVP in ’94–95 and ’95–96 and was part of the Pandas championship run. But it isn’t the winning that she remembers so much now. “I made friends for life playing volleyball,” she says, “and that’s what’s important. You play and it’s good and you win, but the winning is forgotten. Friends stay.” Born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, Mirka came to Edmonton in 1992. After a year at Grant MacEwan College she came to the U of A and played for four years with the Pandas. A dominant setter on the court, Mirka then practised with the Canadian national team — frustrated by the fact that she couldn’t play any official games until she got her Canadian citizenship in 1999 — as well as in a professional league in Europe for a few years. But then “it was time to move on,” she says, and she retired from volleyball in 2002. “I was getting old and wanted to get a career.” That career is as a firefighter for the city of Calgary. She says her job is “the best ever! I can’t imagine doing anything else,” and likes that it requires her to stay fit and busy.

Ian Newhouse, ’80 BPE, ’83 MSc track and field, 1978–82 Ian Newhouse didn’t specialize in track and field until after his grade 11 year at Strathcona Composite High School, when he was invited to train with the Edmonton Olympic Club. 20

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And then, he says in understatement, “things worked out well.” While running for the U of A, Newhouse set Canadian university records in the 400m hurdles and for indoor distances of 300m, 400m, 500m, and 600m, and was named outstanding male athlete at the U of A in 1982. He also ran on Canada’s national team and competed in the 400m hurdles in two Olympic Games as well as world championships and Pan American games, among many other meets. After doing his PhD in kinesiology at UBC, he got a faculty position at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. “It was a perfect opportunity for me,” he says. “The job ad was for someone to teach sports medicine and

exercise physiology and perhaps do some coaching.” Newhouse did all that and more. He started the cross-country and track and field program at Lakehead and served as its head coach until 1999 when he took on more administrative duties. In 2001 he was named dean of the newly formed Faculty of Professional Schools at Lakehead U. Already the faculty has brought in a master’s of public health program and is dealing with rapid growth in enrollment and Ian appreciates being able to make a difference by being involved in that level of university administration. His competitive running days are over and the father of two now runs — and regularly plays squash, hockey, and golf — only to stay fit.

Mickey Hajash, ’47 BSc(Eng)

Tracy David, ’82 BPE, ’88 BEd

football

soccer

Considering how well he played baseball, football, hockey, basketball and competed in track and field, it’s hard to imagine him excelling even more in sports. But Mickey Hajash insists that without a nagging leg injury — the result of a childhood farming accident — he could have run faster and stronger. As it was, Hajash focused on football (called rugby at the time) while studying mining engineering at the U of A, and he captained the UA football team in 1946. He played one year, 1949, for the CFL Calgary Stampeders, and they lost to Montreal in the Grey Cup. With the help of Gwen McLaws, Mickey recently penned a book about his fascinating life — emigrating from Hungary, growing up on a farm near Brooks, studying at the U of A, and working as a geophysicist with the Imperial Oil Esso/Exxon group, a job that took him around the world. In 1945 Mickey was coached by newly arrived Maury Van Vliet and he says, “We had a good year.” They made up for the shortage of able-bodied men for football in the post-WWII era with good coaching, hard work, and determination and by going both ways, offence and defence, for most of the game. These days Mickey hits the golf course as much as he can and is involved in Rotary and the United Way. He is very supportive of the University and philanthropy in general, providing many scholarships and bursaries for worthy high school graduates. Along with all the great memories from his U of A days, he has a renewed acquaintance with Maury Van Vliet, Jr., his next-door neighbour in Victoria — Mickey first met him when Maury Sr. brought the five-year-old to those formative football practices at the U of A.

Soccer has always been a big part of Tracy’s life before, during, and after her days at the U of A. Her father was among the Sudeten Germans who fled Czechoslovakia when Hitler invaded in 1939. He and several hundred others ended up in Toms Lake, B.C., and in that community, Tracy says, “soccer was it. It was a farming community and we’d all play together all the time, different ages together. I had success in soccer, I think, because I played with boys.” When she came to the U of A to study physical education, Tracy was attracted by the quality of the instruction, not the soccer team — since there wasn’t one. “I never really thought of playing at university,” she says, “since I was set for soccer through playing with the AJAX Soccer Club.” But the idea of a Pandas soccer team started gaining strength, and, as Tracy says, “the U of A is a very progressive university. When they put their mind to something, they do it.” Tracy was part of the first Pandas soccer team in 1983, and continued playing after she left university competition and at the same time started making her mark as a coach. She was head coach of the Pandas from 1985 to 2001, an instructor at Canada’s National Coaching School for Women from 1990–94, and coached Alberta’s under-16 and under-17 girls teams. At the same time, at the U of A she coordinated the women’s intramural program and the Sports Club program and taught in the BPE program. Now head coach of the University of Victoria Vikes, Tracy has great memories of

being at the U of A, and she says the University’s winning attitude and pursuit of excellence will always make U of A sports successful. “They have a drive to succeed. It’s tough to coach against... believe me!”

Joe Poplawski, ’78 BSc football Edmonton boy Joe Poplawski was an exceptional high school athlete — competing in football, track and field, soccer, basketball, and hockey. His athletic talents drew the attention of scouts from several U.S. universities and he was offered, but declined, scholarships to play football, hockey, and soccer. He was determined to attend the U of A and play for the Golden Bears football team where he won the starting positions on the team as a wide receiver and placekicker in his first season. At the end of the 1977 season, he was named a CIAU All-Star receiver and was selected to play for the Canadian University football side against a select team of U.S. All-Stars in the first Can-Am Bowl. After university it was on to professional football where Joe was a star player with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from the moment he took to the field in 1978 until his retirement in 1986. In his first season he won the Jackie Parker trophy as the Outstanding Rookie in the West, the Schenley Outstanding Rookie award, and was named an AllWestern wide receiver. And in 1984 he helped carry the Blue Bombers to a Grey Cup victory. Following his football career Joe plunged full-time into the insurance business with his Winnipeg company, Ranger Insurance. He also worked as a colour commentator on Blue Bomber broadcasts on radio station CJOB. He continues to contribute as a volunteer to his community, winning the prestigious Premier’s Service Award in 1991. AUTUMN 2007

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volleyball, 1966–67 and 1970–72 Fresh out of a small Bonnyville-area high school, where he had played on every school sports team, Tracy Layton planned to become a high school physical education teacher. In a requisite first-year volleyball class he showed enough potential to become a member of the Bears intercollegiate volleyball team in 1965. He played for two years while studying in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, but in the fall of 1967 he decided that a career change was needed and enrolled in a commercial flight training course at the Edmonton Flying Club. A year later he returned to the U of A and entered the Faculty of Engineering. He played on the Bears intercollegiate volleyball team for three more years. After graduating in 1972, Tracy worked as a corporate pilot for an oilfield contractor in northeastern Alberta, flying fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. In 1975, he and his brother incorporated Layton Bros. Construction Co. Ltd., which is a heavy civil construction firm. Heavy oil construction opportunities necessitated moving to Bonnyville in 1979. 22

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Layton Bros. now constructs multiwell drilling pads, roads, landfills and heavy oil plant sites for a number of oil companies in northeastern Alberta. With a core group of approximately 100 key personnel, Tracy is gradually becoming less involved in the day-today operation of a successful construction company.

Debra Covey-Barnett, ’83 BPE, ’89 MA volleyball and field hockey Covey was named U of A’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1981-82 for her talents as a volleyball and field hockey player, but it was in field hockey that she really excelled. “Field hockey was a natural sport for me,” Covey says. “I had played a lot of ice hockey growing up in Jasper. I was also strong and could change direction quickly. So it was a good fit.” In 1984, her first year of trying out, Covey made Canada’s under-21 field hockey team. She was also on the backup squad for the Olympic team in 1988 before taking to the field in Barcelona in 1992 for the Canadian Olympic team, an experience she describes as “amazing.” Her last tournament before turning her field hockey knowledge into a job was the 1994 World Cup in Dublin.

Alber ta Spor ts Hall of Fame

Tracy Layton, ’72 BSc(Eng)

After two degrees from the U of A, Debra worked for eight years with the Alberta Field Hockey Association and coached at the U of Calgary. While at U of C she received the 3M Coach of the Year Award in 1996 and was named CIAU Coach of the Year for ’97–98. From Calgary Debra and her husband, Andy Barnett, moved to Florida, where he worked with an international performance institute, and then a few years ago they settled in New Jersey, close to Andy’s work as strength and conditioning coach with the New York Giants football team. They and their two sons, now eight and five — enjoy the atmosphere of the Garden State. “There are rolling hills, farms, gardens,” says Debra. “They aren’t the mountains of Jasper National Park, but it’s been really nice.” She might get involved in coaching field hockey in her community as her boys get older, but whether she coaches in field hockey or not, she says she took a lot of life lessons from her days as a Panda. “Through sports, you learn about relationships with others. You know what you are like when you are tired, frustrated, and how you react, how to get along with others in stressful situations. You also learn a lot about yourself and about what you’re capable of.”

ber in Western’s Faculty of Health Sciences. His research has focused on government sport policy and how different national sports systems are addressing the issue of resource allocation for high performance sport and how to win more medals. In addition to being recognized for athletic excellence, Darwin has received numerous awards for his academic work and for his contribution to advancing inter-university sport.

Shandra Doran, ’97 BSc, ’05 PhD

Adrianne VanderZalm,

volleyball, 1993–98

’05 BSc(Kin) hockey, 2000–05

A right-side hitter during her volleyball days at the U of A, Shandra Doran holds the 1995 CIAU Championship as her fondest memory. “It was held at the U of A,” she says, “so we were able to win the first ever national championship for U of A women’s volleyball right in our own gym. For me personally it was an amazing experience.” It was even more special for Shandra because she had been really close to not even trying out for the Pandas volleyball team and hadn’t expected to excel. Making the team, being named a starter, winning the nationals — it all taught her a lot about herself “in terms of performance under pressure and relishing that type of stressful atmosphere.” She took that ability to perform under pressure and played volleyball for several more years, including stints on Canada’s national team and a season of professional play in Japan. She also continued a stellar academic career, finishing a PhD in biological sciences at the U of A before starting medical studies at the U of Calgary. The connection between the hard work on the court and in the classroom is undeniable. “Absolutely volleyball helped me on the academic side,” she says. “The discipline, the ability to work as part of a team, the time management, and a general allround confidence about how to carry yourself all help.” Shandra has one more year of classes in medicine before starting residency in July 2008.

Darwin Semotiuk, ’63 BPE, ’65 MA basketball and football A five-year standout for the football and basketball teams at the U of A — he captained both teams — Darwin Semotiuk was named male athlete of the year at the U of A in 1967 and played for Canada’s national basketball team in 1965-66. Since that time he’s made his name in academics and coaching, particularly at the University of Western Ontario. He arrived at Western in 1971 after completing his PhD at Ohio State University in 1970. Along with teaching undergraduate and graduate courses and conducting research (he became full professor in 1987), he coached football, starting as assistant coach before becoming head coach in 1975. With Darwin on the coaching staff, the Mustangs won four Vanier Cup titles. In 1982 he left coaching behind to become the first chair of intercollegiate athletics at Western. He retired from that position in 2002 and has continued as a tenured faculty mem-

In her first year majoring in kinesiology at the U of A, Adi decided to try out for the Pandas hockey team as a walk-on. She made the team that year and played with the Pandas for the next five years, which she calls “the most challenging and fulfilling years of my life.” She learned a lot about herself by being a student-athlete — about pushing the limits and accomplishing more than she thought she could do. “I had never experienced something as demanding before,” she says. “I learned the value of hard work and discipline. Our head coach, Howie Draper, has instilled values of work ethic, determination, family, and the pursuit of excellence in every one of his players. These values, I believe, are the reason for the great success of the Pandas Hockey program.” Recognizing what being a Panda meant for her, Adi does what she can to give back — as a member of the Pandas Hockey Alumni Society, she volunteers at events organized by fellow alumni in support of the current team. Now living in Salzburg, Austria, Adi is playing with the Salzburg Ravens Women’s Hockey Club, playing competitive hockey while travelling Europe “and hopefully learning a little German.” —Shelagh Kubish, ’85 BA AUTUMN 2007

new trail

The Winter’s Tale A grad’s love of the Bard leads to a film shot between the boards t was a cold and stormy day, and Tim McKort, ’92 BA, was thinking about what it means to be Canadian. Sitting in a warm Edmonton restaurant, he found his answer in the outdoor scene of people scurrying by, bundled up against the wind and swirling snow. “Look at this,” he said, “we’re out in a blizzard and we aren’t scared. We exist in a cold-weather climate. We are hardy. We persevere.” The icy roads we drive on are “like a rink. We’re driving on a hockey rink, right?” Talk to him for a bit and you realize the reference to hockey is not unusual. A lifelong fan of the game and still a sometime player, Edmonton-born McKort sees many connections between hockey and life in Canada. Both are fast, sometimes rough, entertaining, complex, full of surprises, and require teamwork. He is interested in the way players in both arenas behave, so Canada’s game was a perfect backdrop for his first feature-length film, which wrapped up shooting in different Alberta locations in late 2006. Sure Shot Dombrowski — produced, written, and directed by McKort — is a comedy about hockey, friendship, life. The cast of characters includes Sure Shot; his best friend, Moose Forget; Joanne Avery (who married both Sure Shot and Moose — at different times); and numerous hockey players. The action unfolds in a series of flashbacks as a busload of fans travel to Mundare, Alberta, to attend Sure Shot’s funeral. Through the movie it becomes clearer that there were two Sure Shots — one public, the other private — and that the rough, tough hockey player is not all there was to the man. It’s a dichotomy McKort understands. He started playing hockey at age five and by high school, he says, “I was the guy who had all these jock buddies but I liked Shakespeare too. I

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was always into sports but I loved literature. It was a weird mix.” With his Shakespeare-influenced analytical eye and a degree in creative writing, McKort set about making films that showcase quirky characters and reflect on people and their moti-

Tim McKort: “Film-making should be by and large a business.”

vations. The four films he’s made through his production companies Western Directives Inc. and A Little Late Films have progressed in length from 20 minutes to 30 minutes to one hour and now to feature length, but they all, he states in a press release, “take a satirical look at humanism within urban boundaries and the extraordinary stories that flow from the streams of human interaction.” Through the films, he has also progressed as a writer. “It all ties back to the U of A, where I took creative writing,” he says. That’s where he learned to tell the extraordinary stories of ordinary people. Professor emeritus Rudy Wiebe, ’56 BA, ’60 MA, set McKort on this path with some direct advice.

“When I finished my four years, I asked Wiebe, ‘Do you think I’ll ever write the great Canadian novel?’ and he said, ‘No way! You don’t have a hope in hell, but you should write for TV and film. You have a way with dialogue, you write solid visual imagery, so try that.’ It was good advice I thought.” He wrote the script for Sure Shot Dombrowski about five years ago, then spent 18 months planning it and shooting it. During that time he shelved his day job producing video projects for businesses. “I didn’t work on anything else,” he says, “just did some small writing gigs and devoted myself to putting the movie together.” With its flashback approach, Sure Shot Dombrowski was not an easy script to shoot. The characters have to age, and the settings have to be true to the times. McKort worked to get it right. Some games are set in Russia, and McKort looked at a lot of arenas to find one like those in Russia, with a large space between the ice and the stands. The arena at NAIT was the only one in Edmonton like that, so those games were shot there. He took the same amount of care casting people who could play hockey. Moose Forget is played by Shane Bodgen, a one-time Edmonton Oilers draft pick, and all the actors playing hockey got on-ice advice from coaches of a junior hockey team. As much as he was concerned about getting the technical and artistic details right, he also made sure the financial end of the project was sound. “Film-making should be by and large a business,” he says, “and if you don’t approach it that way you’re never going to make money, you’ll never get respect, and you’ll never reach that next plateau. By raising more money, you can hire better actors, better crew, and

Above, Tim McKort gives direction to Kelly Taylor, playing Sure Shot Dombrowski, at Rexall Place, and at right, shares a laugh with actors Tracie Gray (Joanne Avery), Shane Bodgen (Moose Forget), and Kelly Taylor.

get better equipment — all these things are crucial in the technical aspects of creating art.” McKort hustled to raise the necessary cash, using all kinds of innovative approaches. After meeting with the mayors of Mundare and Leduc, he got sponsors from the local businesses, and he sold advertising for the rink boards shown during the movie. “You have to be a bit of a negotiator, get lots of stuff for free. Our budget will be around $200,000, which doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but try to raise $200,000 from nothing, not even a bank involved.” With such determination, McKort says he’s taking his project to the Edmonton Film Festival and beyond. “Nobody’s gonna make it easy,” he says, “but I won’t take no for an answer. I’ll get a distribution deal. It’s just a matter of knocking on doors, pushing the project ahead.”

The lessons he learned playing sports have helped in the business arena, too. Hockey, he says, teaches you to be a part of something, to work on a team. “Even if you are in it for fun and recreation, you’re still part of that,” he says. “You have to make three passes to make a goal. It’s still that feeling of satisfaction, being able to pass the puck to your buddy who dekes the goalie and you feel good about contributing to that success. It is very much a team effort, and the people who are most successful are those who are going to be able to dominate in that environment. It is like business.” — Shelagh Kubish, ’85 BA

Sure Shot Dombrowski will have its world premiere on Sunday, September 30, 2007, at 9:00 p.m., at the Metro Cinema theatre located inside The Citadel Theatre, in Edmonton. The premiere is par t of Edmonton International Film Festival 2007. For tickets and more information, visit www.edmontonfilmfest.com Screenings are being planned for Leduc and Mundare, Alber ta, with dates and times to be finalized. AUTUMN 2007

new trail

Campus Sporting Excellence

Dirtshooters A quarter century ago a group of Calgarians dominated the U of A’s intramural sports scene. Today, many are the movers and shakers in Canada’s energy capital n the mid-’70s, a group of Calgarians enrolled at the U of A and took up residence in a house in Edmonton’s Garneau district. Although interested in pursuing careers in a broad spectrum of disciplines from commerce, engineering and arts to law, science and medicine, they had one key thing in common besides their hometown — they loved playing sports. And they were very good. Commerce student Don Cranston, ’79 BCom, ’81 MBA, grew up playing racquet sports. Kevin Hamm, ’79 BSc, ’83 DDS, was an awesome water polo player. Engineering student Bob Lehodey, ’79 BSc(Eng), was an alpine ski racer.

Commerce student Jamie McVicar, ’80 BCom, played many sports well, and Kip Carver, ’81 BPE, ’86 BCom, was once a nationally ranked tennis player. Various fraternity and faculty organizations encouraged the Calgarians to join their intramural teams. And some of them did. But then the group, most of whom were classmates at either Henry Wisewood High School or Western Canada High School, decided to form their own intramural teams. About 15 people were involved initially as the one-time high school rivals became teammates. It was a decision that would enrich their university experience and lead to lifelong friendships. The organizational aspects were formidable. “We spent a lot of time on the phone, organizing teams, delegating responsibilities and making sure we could field a team in each sport,” explains Cranston, who credits the University for offering one of the country’s top intramural programs. The organizational work paid off. The team, called the Dirtshooters — a reference to Calgary’s cowboy roots — spent its first year in the B conference of the intramural program, accumulating 2,068 points to take first spot and earn itself a place in the A conference the following year. Dirtshooters alumnus Donald Cranston with some of the memorabilia he accumulated from his intramural experiences during the late 1970s.

In 1979, the team to beat was the what made their experiences at univerFaculty of Law. It had won the A sity great, they often cite their particiconference the same year the upstart pation in sport, she explains. That’s Members of the Dirtshooters had won the B conference, backed up with research published and now the battle lines had been in 2004 by the National Intramuraldrawn. Points were awarded for both Recreational Sports Association. Dirtshooters loved achievement as well as participation NIRSA researchers concluded that and the Dirtshooters finished that year “One of the most consistent findings sport for all the right atop the standings with 3,154 points in recreational research is that stuto Law’s 3,053. dent satisfaction is highly correlated The intramural program had a sigwith extracurricular involvement, reasons: it was fun, it nificant participation component, and specifically in intramural and recrethat was its real strength, says McVicar, ational sports.” And Hall Dorothy who attended two other universities, adds, “Intramural sports also provide kept participants both unable to replicate the U of A’s students with other learning experiintramural strengths. Furthermore, ences outside the classrooms — ones active, and it was members of the group say the director that they eventually transfer to the of campus recreation back then, Hugh work world.” Hoyles, ’66 BPE, did an exceptional Today, an extraordinary number tremendously social. job of organizing the program and of Dirtshooters alumni — many still encouraging participation. active in sport and most back living “We worked toward a goal and it in Calgary — have gone on to become was fun to see what you could accomsuccessful in their professional careers. plish,” McVicar says. “For me the biggest joy in sport has Cranston accepted an invitation from his uncle in always been the learning curve.” And there were some Medicine Hat to learn the family business, and today he’s pretty steep learning curves in sports such as snooker, president of Nutter’s, a chain of 29 natural food stores archery, three-on-three basketball, curling, field hockey, across Western Canada. Lehodey is a lawyer with Osler, and table tennis. Hoskin & Harcourt LLP in Calgary. McVicar is the chief Nevertheless, someone with the necessary skills always financial officer for Devonian Properties Inc. Jeff Tonken, stepped up to the plate, explains Lehodey, and because ’78 BCom, is president and CEO of Birchcliff Energy Ltd. there were so many naturally talented athletes within the Bill McCaffrey, ’78 BSc, ’82 BSc(Eng), is president and CEO group — which grew in numbers to also include a smattering of MEG Energy Corp., an emerging oil sands company of Edmontonians — they caught on to the basics quickly. with a major stake in developing the Athabasca tar sands. (The actual number of men and women Dirtshooter memJeffrey Kohn, ’79 BA, was chief executive officer of TGS bers varied, but one membership list included as many as North American Real Estate Investment Trust and is now 130 people at the peak of the A conference run.) an independent real estate developer. Graham Bennett, ’81 It was much more than simply learning how to play 30 LLB, is general counsel and corporate secretary with The or so different sports. “It was a great opportunity to socialMancal Group in Calgary. Matt Woofter, ’80 BSc, after a ize and have a ton of fun while attending university,” says successful geology career with a number of companies, is Lehodey, who, along with Cranston and McVicar, still has striking out on his own. Kevin Hamm is a dentist. Jim a lot of the memorabilia from that era — photos, plaques, Thorne, ’78 BSc, ’82 MD, has been involved in sports trophies, membership lists, and Gateway articles chronimedicine for many years and has been the team doctor for cling the Dirtshooters’ exploits. Team Canada at five World Hockey Championships, Members of the Dirtshooters loved sport for all the right including both the men’s senior and junior gold medal reasons: it was fun, it kept participants active, and it was teams in 1997. tremendously social — the group was also organized Many of the Dirtshooters also still move within the same enough to hold formals at the Royal Glenora Club. social and community circles within the city, so they see “These experiences made university fun,” says McVicar. one another frequently. And later this year they’ll have the Even after the original members graduated, the group conchance to swap a few Dirtshooters stories when they get tinued to participate in intramural sports under the leadertogether to celebrate the group’s 25th anniversary. McVicar ship of some of the original members’ younger siblings. says that gathering will likely be held at a bar. Current campus recreation director Leah Hall Dorothy Concludes Tonken: “We had a ball. We drank, we partied, says there’s no doubt the fun and social opportunities that we played some sports and we got an education. We met a intramural sport creates are very important to the overall lot of new friends, and then we came back to Calgary.” university experience. When alumni are asked to reflect on — Michael Robb, ’89 BA AUTUMN 2007

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Campus Sporting Excellence

Personal Best Kevin Tyler is setting the gold standard at the Canadian Athletics Coaching Centre evin Tyler has a unique perspective on Canada’s place in the track and field world. “There needs to be a cultural shift here,” says the director of the Canadian Athletics Coaching Centre at the U of A (the CACC is a legacy of the 2001 World Championships in Athletics held in Edmonton). “What’s happened in the U.S. is they have a very strong high school and collegiate sports program. High school coaches are paid, and a big chunk of their responsibility is tracking athletes throughout the year. But they have 10 times the population of us so it doesn’t matter how good their sports programs are because out of that whole vast American system you’re going to get some Olympic-calibre athletes who fall out of the crowd. We don’t have that population base so we can’t rely on that system. “We have to be more effective with what we do with the athletes,” he continues. “It’s a big jump to go from top 16 in the world to top three. You can get them to top 16 with sweat and some good hard work, but you have to define what you want and you have to adapt your program to bring them further along. What works for the athlete who’s ranked 35th in the world doesn’t necessarily work for the athlete who’s fourth in the world.” What works for Tyler is not only training athletes, but also training coaches so they can offer a better calibre of direction and leadership for the athletes under their care. Applying a shared knowledge of training techniques and styles can improve the quality of coaching across the country and result in both beginner and elite athletes getting better advice on how to improve their results. That’s why

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The two Tylers — coach Kevin Tyler and runner Tyler Christopher — in Helsinki with Christopher’s world championship bronze medal.

Tyler has made sure the CACC has a very dynamic coaching education program (a fundamental reason the centre was started and why it was based at a university), including conferences, publications, and online advice. “We have the best coaching education resources for track and field coaches in the world right now,” he says. The CACC has a vast mandate — encouraging participation and excellence in athletics through mentoring, training, education, competition and research for coaches and athletes at all levels of sport. That mandate has drawn many of the elite Canadian track and field athletes to train with Tyler and the other coaches and trainers at the CACC.

That list of world-class athletes includes Tyler Christopher, Carline Muir, Adam Kunkel, Nicolas Macrozonaris, Keston Nelson, and Brian Barnett, among others, who are bringing a lot of attention to Edmonton, attention that Tyler anticipates will ramp up to a frenzy as the 2008 Olympics draw closer because some of these athletes have an excellent chance of bringing home some hardware from Beijing. “I started coaching Tyler [Christopher] after hours in 2004,” Tyler says. “In six months he was ranked second in the world and won a medal at the world championships. Now we have 10 or 12 top athletes here.” How elite are these athletes? They’re tops in Canada and winning medals at

Sign of things to come? Tyler Christopher medalled at the 2005 world championships shortly after he came to train at the U of A. The CACC hopes to mentor more Canadian coaches to develop high-performance athletes in this country.

international meets. Tyler Christopher won a bronze at the World Championships in 2005. Adam Kunkel won a gold medal and set a new Canadian record in the 400m hurdles at the Pan American Games in Brazil in late July. Brian Barnett was on the men’s 4 x 100m relay team that won silver, finishing second to the U.S. team, at the Pan Am games. Carline Muir, 19 years old, runs both 400m and 200m. “She’s the best in the country,” Tyler says. “She’s got a long career ahead of her and she’s only going to get better.” Luring Muir to Edmonton was something of a coup for the two Tylers. After meeting her at a meet in Pennsylvania, Tyler invited her to come to a training camp in Edmonton. “I liked it a lot,” says Muir. “Tyler and Kevin showed me around, and I talked to other coaches about what it would mean to train with Kevin Tyler.” Muir, who has her sights firmly set on Beijing 2008, even turned down a full scholarship at Texas A & M to train at the U of A.

That offer to Muir from Texas A & M is part of the culture Tyler is fighting against and the reason he’s so proactive about the coaching culture in

“I’m here to win. We’re trying to breed a winning culture around here.”

Canada — the belief that it’s to be expected that our best athletes go to American universities for training. They still run internationally in Canadian clothes and proudly drape

themselves in the Canadian flag at international meets, but it’s the coaches in the U.S. who are training them. And that leaves a hole north of the border, where the Canadian coaches aren’t learning along with their charges what it takes to win. “Doesn’t it make sense to have a strong program in Canada?” says Tyler. “One: it motivates and inspires other athletes. And two: it gives Canadian coaches the experience of working with top athletes as they move through the ranks. It’s a very different experience working with athletes at a world championship final as compared to a Canadian nationals final. It’s a whole other level. But you lose those experiences if you lose those athletes. “I’d like to see six athletes based here go to the Olympics in 2008,” continues Tyler. It’s doable. He currently coaches five elite athletes out of the 10 to 12 at the Centre who have the potential to win at the international level. All five of Tyler’s athletes are carded (Sport Canada AUTUMN 2007

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provides funding through the Athletic Assistance Program — or ‘carding’ program — to athletes who either are or have the potential to be one of the top 16 in the world in their sport.) Having elite athletes on campus as they prepare for international competition is pretty exciting, but it’s only part of what Tyler oversees at the Coaching Centre. On the other end is the community education, which aims to prepare Canadian youth for a lifetime of active living. “There isn’t a single thing we could do that would be a better legacy than to encourage kids in the community to be active,” Tyler says. One of the main programs the Centre delivers for elementary-aged students is called Run, Jump, Throw. And in June the Centre, in cooperation with Capital Health and the City of Edmonton, held the inaugural Little, Big Run. That event saw 3,000 kids from grades three through nine take part in run, jump and throw exercises as well as a 1K run. The rest of the Edmonton community turned out in big numbers to participate in 5K and 10K runs. Although he clearly loved helping to organize and participating in the Little, Big Run, he’s quick to point out that at the elite level, it’s not community-based sport any more. It’s a business with an end goal of winning medals. “If you’re going to be in the business,” he says, “I just don’t understand, why you would do it any other way? I could never be satisfied just going to a world championships and working with a team and saying ‘this is fantastic, I’m on the Olympic team,’ look around, and then go sightseeing afterwards. I don’t get any satisfaction from that. I’m here to win. We’re trying to breed a winning culture around here.” Winning came early to the high achiever who won all three running events he competed in as a fourth grader in regional competition — the first year he was eligible to compete. But when he moved on to the district final, “I got my butt kicked,” he says. So he and his dad shopped around for a running club that fit him, and in grade five he won the provincial finals in the 100m. 30

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“I remember we went out for dinner after the race at Mr. Mike’s Steak House. I had my medal and I was hooked. You were the fastest there is in the whole province at that age and there’s somewhere to go with this. Next year I broke the provincial record.” He kept on with running, becoming a member of the national team and twice finishing fifth at the nationals. At 23, it was borderline whether he could make the national relay team for the ’88 Olympics, so he tried out for the bobsled team — and caught himself a ride in the Canadian sled. After that, school was a priority. “I was actually working on a PhD in Canadian record holder in the 400m hurdles, Adam Kunkel has his criminology,” he says. hopes set on international medals. “That was 10 years what you know and you apply it propago. I really liked working with youth and was involved in young offender erly, you can be very successful.” legislation as well as working in some As for the future, Tyler says he community-based programs with knows where the program at the youth at risk who were coming right CACC is going for the next year, and from secure custody into the commubeyond that he has some definite ideas nity. You learn really quickly with that about where he’d like the state of group that if you’re reactive, then you coaching and training Canadian athare in for a whole mess of trouble. letes to be at three years from now. They cannot handle that kind of “I’d like to see activities similar to behaviour. They need someone who is what we have here in different cities calm. I wasn’t the best at it, but over across the country. Right now the time I started to learn what worked.” University of Toronto has launched a very aggressive plan for their sports That patience and calmness has program — new track, new stadium, worked for him as a coach who’s trustpaying some good salaries to track ed by the elite athletes under his tutecoaches they’re trying to attract. It’s lage. “A lot of it is attitudinal and an going to get a little more competitive. eagerness to teach,” Tyler says about his People,” he concludes, “are getting a coaching style. “That’s what has worked glimpse at what’s possible.” for me. I’m quite laid back with the ath— Shelagh Kubish, ’85 BA letes. If you are patient and understand

travel

Capital of Peace Geneva — Coreen Croskery, ’03 BA, shows us there’s nothing conventional about this city by the lake

still look at the Genevan cityscape with the same appreciation I had when I first saw it. I arrived here from Edmonton three years ago to work in an education program for children and recently decided to settle here permanently with my new husband. What I love most about Geneva is that it offers the best of both worlds — a cosmopolitan city with all the tranquility of nature tucked into one unique package. Right now, for instance, from my downtown apartment I have a view of shimmering Lake Geneva in the foreground with the Jura mountains in the background. Foreign residents make up over 40 percent of Geneva’s population, making it one of the most diverse international communities in the world. Located in a country that would fit into Alberta about 16 times, Geneva is also a city of international headquarters — including the World Trade Organization and

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the European headquarters of the United Nations — as well as the home office for numerous international businesses. It is also, of course, famous for its international banking industry and thus not known for its flamboyance. But as the summer approaches, the fairly conservative city of Geneva seems to tilt its head back and exhale a huge sigh of relief. The flowers bloom and the promenade around the lake fills with people as the city comes to life and basks in the hours of warm, golden light and soft, gentle breezes. This is the best time to enjoy all the charms Geneva has to offer, some of which you must see if you ever visit Switzerland’s ‘capital of peace’ (but not its actual capital, that distinction belongs to Bern). And don’t worry about the ‘French-ness’ of it all if you don’t speak that language as it’s relatively easy to get by with English in Geneva.

Park It Here Lake Geneva and the city’s impressive 140-metre-high water fountain, la jet d’eau, are the trademarks of the city. The Rhone River feeds directly into the lake and both the lake and the river run centrally through Geneva dividing it, like Paris, into left bank (rive gauche) and right bank (rive droit). There are always people strolling, jogging and eating their lunches waterside. As spring arrives, the outdoor terraces open up and the vendors appear. On the left bank there’s even an open-air cinema, giving it an especially lively nighttime atmosphere. But you can still always find a quiet place on the rocks along the shoreline of Quai de Cologny to spend the day taking in the sun and waves. On hot days you can dive right into the water from the rocks, or make your way to one of the lakeside beaches. The Bains des Paquis are most popular for AUTUMN 2007

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their saunas, Geneve Plage for its water-skiing, and Baby Plage for its kid’s park. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, assorted boats are available to rent. And, if you’re not up to taking the wheel (or the oars) yourself, there are dozens of cruises available for short and long excursions. Most people can walk the entire shoreline from one bank to the other in about an hour. But I recommend you take your time and enjoy it since the best part is the picturesque parks. Their impressive size and beauty make the stunning parks in Geneva an inspirational and rejuvenating presence. For instance, the Jardin Anglais and Perle du Lac are both lush green spaces always adorned with immaculately cultivated flowers — you must see the giant flower clock in the English Gardens where, during August’s Fetes de Geneve, the park is a nightly party filled with live music, dancing and international cuisine. Visit Parc la Grange, just across the street from the left bank’s Quai Gustave Ador, to see its rose gardens with over 200 varieties of roses. Parc des EauxVives, another enormous green space and a former private residence, backs onto Parc la Grange making it possible to spend hours walking the trails and enjoying the tranquility of the space. It hosts Musiques en Été, which puts on well-attended and free nightly openair jazz concerts. Another park not to be missed is Parc des Bastions. Also a former private residence, this park includes some university buildings, a town hall — whose courtyard hosts the Musiques en Été open-air classical music concerts — and the historic Reformation Wall, which commemorates Geneva’s central role in the 16th-century Reformation, one of whose leading figures, John Calvin, is the spiritual father of the city. At the entrance to this over-100-metre-long wall you’ll find chess and checker games being played with giant pieces at all times of the day and evening. You can join in the play or just watch from the park’s restaurant. 40

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The UN European headquarters (top) with the giant Broken Chair, installed in 1997 to commemorate the international conference in Ottawa banning land mines, and a view from the Jardin Anglais.

While you’re promenading around the lake you’ll see the Swiss Jura mountains and the French Alps on the horizon. Both these destinations are easily accessible. From city centre to France’s Mont Saleve, for example, takes only about 30 minutes. You can take the bus to the edge of town and

from there walk another 10 minutes to cross the French border and, voilà, you are at the mountain. It’s possible to drive or hike to the top, but I prefer to enjoy the scenic cable car ride up to the mountaintop restaurant where you’ll have a panoramic view of Geneva.

Finding your way around Boat cruises (tickets and departures): Quai Jardin Anglais, Quai Mont Blanc or Quai Paquis; Boat Rentals: Les Corsaires, 33 Quai Gustave Andor Mont Saleve, Bus #34 direction Veyrier, Saleve Cable Car: 74100 Etrembieres, France Bains des Paquis: Quai du Mont Blanc 30 Geneve Plage: Quai de Cologny, Por t Noir Baby Plage: Por t des Eaux-Vives Jardin Anglais and flower clock (Horloge Fleurie): Quai Général-Guisan

Parc des Eaux-Vives: 82 Quai Gustave Ador Parc des Bastions: Place Neuve Victoria Hall: Rue Général-Dufour 14 Le Chat Noir: Rue Vautier 13, Carouge International Red Cross Museum: Avenue de la Paix 17 Museum of Modern Art: Rue des VieuxGrenadiers 10 Art and History Museum: Rue Charles-Galland 2

Parc des Bastions

La Perle du Lac: Rue de Lausanne

Plainpalais market: Wednesdays and Saturdays, Plaine de Plainpalais

Au Carnivore: Place du Bourg-de-Four 30

Parc la Grange: Quai Gustave Ador

La Clémance: Place du Bourg-de-Four 20

Demi Lune Café: 3 Rue Etienne Dumont

Meals and Marts From Place Neuve or Parc des Bastions you can easily wind your way up to the city’s Old Town. Its 16th-to-18th-century architecture provides a unique ambience and plenty of sites to see and visit. It’s always nice to be in Old Town at noon to hear the pealing bells of the cathedral located just behind Place Bourg-de-Four, which is one of the most popular meeting spots in the city and where the terrace of café La Clémance is always brimming with people. Surrounding Place Bourg-de-Four are some great restaurants and pubs. Not to be missed is Au Carnivore for its delectable French cuisine. Or, for a livelier atmosphere, Demi Lune offers both international cuisine and a chic pub atmosphere. There are also a handful of traditional British pubs in the city, including the nearby Flannagans, that cater specifically to that expat community. Old Town also offers an array of boutiques, galleries and one-of-a-kind shops, including an antique bookseller.

Auer: Rue de Rive 4

Flanagans: 4 Rue du Cheval-Blanc

Molino’s: Place du Molard 7

Librairie Ancienne: 20 Grand Rue

Celine and Sebastion’s: Rue des Eaux-Vives 5

Heading down from Old Town you’ll find the city centre shopping district along Rue du Marché, Rue de la Confédération, and Rue de la Croix. Here you can find whatever it is you’re looking for. Ten smaller streets jut out from this main stretch (which the tram line runs on) each with more shops, restaurants, and cafés — notable in this warren of streets are Place de la Fusterie and Place du Molard, with its always popular Molino’s Italian restaurant. I would suggest also venturing into Old Town in the evening to see its lit cobblestone road that welcomes passersby in a multitude of languages. Continue north from Place du Molard and you will come to Rue du Rhone where you’ll find a bevy of luxury clothing and jewellery stores that feature displays of the watches the Swiss are so well-known for. And if you’re interested in open air markets, don’t miss seeing the Plainpalais flea market held in the university area twice a week. There’s something for everyone as this market encircles an

entire field and features a huge assortment of antiques and bric-a-brac. In the winter or fall take the opportunity to have an unforgettable hot chocolate at Auer on Rue de Rive. This is traditional hot chocolate like you’ve never experienced before. With a consistency more like pudding, it has to be tasted to be believed. Switzerland is world-famous for its chocolate so you’ll see a lot of impressive displays in chocolaterier windows. My favourite? Everything and anything that comes out of Celine and Sebastions (including its adjoining patisserie) are so above and beyond delicious that I wonder just what this chocolatier’s house secrets are.

Out and About Parc des Bastions faces a traffic circle, Place Neuve, which is surrounded by Geneva’s major concert hall, opera house, conservatoire and museum, making it the cultural hub of the city, as well as an architectural hot spot. If you enjoy symphonies, operas or theatre, be sure to take in a show in this AUTUMN 2007

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area. I highly recommend checking out the program for Victoria Hall for its exceptional classical music concert series. For something a little more modern, Chat Noir is popular for its pop, world, and jazz concerts. It is located in Carouge, another unique 18th-century district worth visiting. From the more than 40 museums to choose from around the city my personal favourites are the Red Cross Museum (that humanitarian organization was founded in Geneva), the Modern Art Museum, and the Art History Museum.

On-Time Trains

Lake Geneva with its famous 140-metre-high water fountain, la jet d’eau, is the focal point of this famed city.

The bus and tram systems are incredibly useful and efficient. I highly recommend using them and simply walking instead of taking taxis. An all-day pass, available at all the stops, is the most efficient for a full day of getting around. The fare includes the use of the tram, buses, and the yellow boats, mouettes, which shuttle to each side of the lake.

For long and short trips, there’s also the ultra-precise rail system, which, yes, functions with the precision of a, well, Swiss watch. The surrounding cities of Montreux, Lausanne and Annecy make great day trips. Not simply a country of edelweiss and cuckoo clocks — though I actually did hear an alpen-

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horn while hiking once — the array of international people and picturesque places makes Switzerland an amazing place to live. Come in the summer and you will experience Geneva at its finest, when the city often described as “discreet” develops a flair for fun in the sun.

The Adventures of Tom Morimoto Mark Twain himself couldn’t have scripted a more unlikely story than that of one U of A grad om Morimoto, ’49 BSc(Eng), ’52 MSc, has had an unlikely life. Unlikely that someone of Japanese descent should grow up in Fort McMurray, Alberta, when it was still a fur-trading centre. Even more unlikely that someone with those roots would go on to rub shoulders with royalty — both British and Arabic — in the Royal Enclosure at England’s famed Royal Ascot horserace. Unlikely that someone significantly under the minimum requirements for height and weight — and of Japanese descent — should make it into the Canadian army and take part in the D-Day storming of Juno Beach. Unlikely that someone who had traded for muskrat furs on the Athabasca River delta, washed dishes at Yellowknife’s Wildcat Café, and laboured underground in a gold mine should go on to earn an engineering degree. Even more unlikely that he should establish himself as a designer of natural gas plants in Western Canada when most such projects were turned over to American companies. Unlikely, most of all, that one individual should gather up in his life story so many diverse strands of the history of the development of Western Canada: the fur trade and riverboat era; the early days of aviation; the attempts to unlock the wealth of the Athabasca oil sands; the opening up of the North and the northern gold fever of the ’30s; the Second World War and

the subsequent influx into universities of returned veterans; the development of Alberta’s energy industry; and the subsequent export of the hard-won energy-industry expertise. These days Morimoto, who could easily pass for much fewer than his almost-90 years, divides his time between his homes in Kelowna and Arizona and can most often be found on the golf course, where he sometimes shoots under his age. “Theoretically, it should get easier every year,” he chuckles. Recently, Morimoto gathered together his memories into a book. Titled Breaking Trail: From Canada’s Northern

Frontier to the Oil Fields of Dubai (Fifth House; Calgary), the book is part memoir, part history. It details a singular life of adventure and accomplishment set against the background of the larger historical context. It also provides glimpses of everyday life in Fort McMurray in the first third of the past century, Yellowknife during the gold frenzy of the ’30s, wartime England, and Dubai at the beginning of its transformation from an inconsequential backwater emirate to an international hotspot developing at a volcanic pace. Born in Edmonton in 1918, Morimoto moved with his parents to Fort McMurray when he was two years old and the trading centre at the confluence of the Athabasca and Clearwater Rivers was experiencing one of its earlier booms. The heroes of his earliest memories were the men of the river: men known for their ability to pilot a steamboat through the perils of the Athabasca, chop mountains of wood to feed the steamboat fires, or carry prodigious loads on their backs — often more than 200 kilograms — on portages. When aircraft began to insinuate themselves into the Fort McMurray sky, it was the beginning of a new era: the rivermen were supplanted in the imagination of Morimoto and his friends; their new heroes were the men of the air, the daring pilots and the resourceful aero-engineers who kept the ships Tom Morimoto as a baby with his mother and father.

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Above, goalie Tom Morimoto; right, Morimoto poses with his son, Dana, and granddaughter, Ariel, underneath the sign for Morimoto Drive, the Fort McMurray street named in recognition of the contributions made by Morimoto’s father as a pioneer resident. The photograph was taken in 2001; the following year Dana, who was both a friend and advisor to his father, passed away suddenly. His memory is kept alive by his two daughters, Ariel and Danielle.

of the air flying. Morimoto would gain an up-close experience of these worthies when he gave up working in his father’s potato farm and vegetable patch — anything was better than hoeing spuds, he recalls — to become a radio operator with Canadian Airways, the company run by legendary airmen such as Punch Dickins and Wop May (who had been a U of A student before he enlisted to fight in the First World War). In 1936 Canadian Airways moved its northern headquarters out of Fort McMurray to Edmonton and it no longer required an assistant radio operator. Morimoto was out of a job. However, his radio training would continue to shape his future. In the short term it landed him a job that would prove interesting, if not profitable. Bob Fitzsimmons, the president and founder of the International Bitumen Company, a pioneering commercial attempt to unlock the wealth of the Athabasca oil sands, had arranged for Canadian Airways to build a radio station for his company. The station operated on the airline company’s network after hours and Morimoto was selected to be the radio operator. While Fitzsimmons’ plant, located in an isolated location on the Athabasca 44

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River north of Fort McMurray, eventually produced some 1,100 barrels of asphalt and 50 barrels of distillate — which in Morimoto’s eyes makes it the first producer of commercially processed bitumen from the Athabasca oil sands — the abrasive nature of the sand, which quickly wore out the equipment, doomed the operation and the workers received no pay. Morimoto was among those who, lacking any means to pay for passage on a steamboat up the river to Fort McMurray, had to wait until freeze-up to walk the 87 kilometres back home. Morimoto recalls encountering Fitzsimmons a few months after the mid-winter walk up the frozen Athabasca and the latter giving him $50 and some shares of International Bitumen stock — the only pay he ever received for the summer’s work. Morimoto’s next adventure took him even further north, to Yellowknife, which was experiencing a claims-staking frenzy following the discoveries that led to the Con, Negus, and Rycon gold mines. In 1938, as soon as the ice had melted on Great Slave Lake and the planes started flying, Morimoto managed to board a flight north and arrived in Yellowknife looking for work. After

a job washing dishes at the storied Wildcat Café and misadventures staking claims in the bush, he found employment underground in the Negus mine, where his duties included sampling the rock at the face of the mine, keeping the machines in good order and supplying dynamite to the miners. The Negus miners considered themselves the elite of their profession and they were also able to lay claim to superiority in another realm, winning the first hockey championship of the Northwest Territories in 1939–40. Morimoto was the team’s goalie. More than on any skating ability, he relied on his quick reflexes, reflexes he had developed as a boxer, a skill he had taught himself with the help of a book he had obtained when he was 12 for the massive sum — to him, in those days — of $1.00 in response to the occasional bullying of bigger kids who singled him out because of his Japanese ancestry. Determined to join up when the Second World War began to intensify in Europe, Morimoto was able to do so with the judicious “oiling of wheels” by a lieutenant anxious to engage him as a radio operator. Magically (and fleetingly) his height increased by two inches, to bring him to the five-foot-

Morimoto in his Canadian Armed Forces uniform.

four-inches minimum and the doctors decided that there were sufficient grounds to overlook his weight deficiency. “I heard one of them say that I was from way up north and I probably hadn’t had enough to eat,” he laughs. After training in Ontario and Nova Scotia, Morimoto was off to war. “I enlisted as a volunteer during the dark days of 1940, when the German army was overrunning Europe, and I felt that our whole Western World was being threatened by Hitler’s Nazis,” writes Morimoto in Breaking Trail. “Although Japan was not in the war when I enlisted, it became an ally of Germany after Pearl Harbor, thus becoming my enemy as well.” As a radio operator with the Third Canadian division, Morimoto took part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy and was part of the Allied forces that pushed back the German army until its surrender. He says that he encountered “very little racial prejudice” because of his Japanese origins while in the army. However, during “rehabilitation sessions” set up to prepare soldiers for return to civilian life, attempts were made to dissuade him from his intention to attend university — and these were at least partly based on his ethnicity. Always scrappy — he won a boxing medal in the army even though there was no weight category for someone as

light as him — Morimoto didn’t give in and enrolled in the University of Alberta engineering school, earning not only an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering but a graduate degree as well. While working with the Alberta Research Council and completing his master’s degree, Morimoto encountered Karl Clark, the head of the University mining engineering department who was building an oil sands research plant. Morimoto recalls that, once Clark learned he was from Fort McMurray, the professor took a fatherly interest in him and soon became a friend and valued mentor. In 1952, master’s degree in hand, Morimoto began working for Canadian Celanese, which was building its petrochemical plant outside Edmonton. From there his career took him to progressively more responsible positions — at Polymer Corporation in Sarnia, Ontario, and then at Brown and Root in Calgary — before he landed a job as chief process engineer with a new company put together by two legends of Canadian industry. That company, Mon-Max, was a joint venture of Fred Mannix’s giant, Calgary-based construction company and Montreal Engineering, which had been founded by Max Aitken, the future Lord Beaverbrook, and was Canada’s largest engineering firm. Morimoto recalls there being an interesting clash of corporate styles — eastern establishment contrasted with western maverick. Mon-Max was set up to break into the field of engineering and building gas plants in Western Canada. Although it was hard going at first — the practice of awarding design contracts to American firms was firmly entrenched — hard work and perseverance paid dividends and Mon-Max was eventually able to make inroads that saw the company begin to win more and more contracts and Morimoto gain a reputation for his engineering design skill. In 1977, shortly after he had left Mon-Max to begin work as a consultant, a new opportunity presented itself to Morimoto: he was invited to be part of a project half way around the world

in a then little-known Arab emirate. Canadian oilman Angus Mackenzie had convinced the rulers of Dubai that they could make money from the natural gas that was being flared from their oilfields and formed a company, Scimitar Oil, to enter into a joint venture — the Dugas Project — with the rulers of the emirate. Morimoto was brought on as a consultant to oversee the design of the Dugas plant and eventually became a vice-president of Scimitar, responsible for overseeing the engineering and operation of the plant. Before long Dugas was producing in the order of 30,000 barrels a day of propane, butane and condensate (most of it shipped by tanker to Japan), and 150 million standard cubic feet of dry gas. “With production like this, we soon paid off all the debt from our foreign loan, and from then on the profits rolled in for the government and Scimitar Oils… The Dugas Project and Scimitar Oils became the darlings of the financial world,” writes Morimoto in Breaking Trail. Among the many friends that Morimoto and his wife, Kim, made in Dubai was an urbane and polished Palestinian named Omar Assi, who was the right-hand man of Dubai’s crown prince, Sheikh Maktoum. The Dubai royal family was heavily involved in horse racing in England — amongst the three of them, the Sheikh and his two brothers owned some 700 racehorses — and Royal Ascot, the highlight of social events in England during the summer, became an annual event for Morimoto (dressed in the requisite top hat and tails) and his wife, who would join the Maktoum entourage in the Royal Enclosure. Life for Morimoto isn’t quite as colourful or busy these days, but he continues to remain active with a number of involvements — including a gold and platinum property in Wyoming and, of course, his golf — and he treasures the friendships made during a most unlikely life. “I’ve been blessed to have seen a lot,” he says, “and the best part is the good friends who have helped me along the way.” — Rick Pilger AUTUMN 2007

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The Accidental Oilman Life’s a gas for one grad who’s found a creative way to give back to his alma mater

f it hadn’t been for a junior high school principal for whom he occasionally babysat, Glenn Brant, ’51 BSc(Eng), might never have been admitted to the University of Alberta back in the 1940s. His high school math marks were very good; his science marks were solid; but his high school English … well, let’s just say, he failed. Brant initially attended the local rural schools around the family farm where he grew up south of Barrhead, Alberta. Although the teachers were strong in the maths and sciences, many of them were Ukrainian immigrants whose English wasn’t so good, and many students, Brant included, suffered from that lack of language proficiency. Brant also suffered from a lack of farming skills. One day, for example, his father asked him to harness the horses. “I was 13 at the time. I couldn’t tie the knots. I really wasn’t a good farm boy,” he admits candidly. “In fact, I was a major disappointment to my father.” One day his father, in a fit of exasperation, stormed into the house. “Minnie-Emily,” he yelled to his wife, “we’re selling the farm. This boy needs

to get an education because he’s never going to make a living farming.” His father wasn’t kidding. In 1943 the family moved to Edmonton where Brant finished high school, albeit lacking the English skills necessary to at first be accepted to university. That’s when the principal he once babysat for made a submission to the examination board on Brant’s behalf, convincing the board members that the solid student knew enough about the English language to be awarded at least a passing mark. Based on that successful appeal, Brant was admitted to the U of A. A few months later, while riding the trolley across the High Level Bridge to register for classes, he bumped into Art Davison, ’51 BSc(Eng). Brant asked him what he was going to take. “Chemical engineering,” replied Davison. “What about you?” Brant replied that he was going to enrol in pharmacy. The two looked over the admission information for that faculty and discovered English was part of the pharmacy curricula. Uh-oh.

By the time the trolley arrived on the south side of the river, Brant had decided engineering might be the better choice. Around Christmas, following his first term at the U of A, Brant was summoned to the office of the dean of engineering, R.M. Hardy, ’77 LLD (Honorary), where the two had a frank discussion. Hardy asked the young student: “How do you like it around here?” Brant replied that he liked it a lot. He was having a ball. “Well,” Hardy said, “that’s good. But if you don’t pull up your marks, Engineering grad Glenn Brant has made a point over the course of his career of being “consistently inconsistent.”

you won’t be around much longer to enjoy it.” Brant got the message and promised the dean things would change. He cracked the books and buckled down. Three years later, his uncle, Bob Cramer, invited the young student to hop in the car one February day for a ride to look at the site of a new oil well. The newspapers were full of stories about the Leduc oil discovery and as the two stood in a Leduc field looking at Imperial Oil’s operations take shape, Cramer suggested to his nephew that there just might be a future for him in the oil industry. A teacher went to bat for him. His father encouraged him to get an education. A fellow student gave him some sage advice at a critical time in his life. The dean read the riot act to him. And his uncle gave him a glimpse of the province’s — and possibly his — future. Together, those interventions set him on a path that would parallel the province’s development. Brant graduated in 1951 and went to work immediately for Texaco, a company he had worked for during the summers. The salary was $195 a month, recalls Brant. “I had the distinction of being the lowest paid graduate of petroleum engineering. But it was a wonderful place to get work experience. Back then, if you had a problem, you couldn’t rely on manuals. There were none. But Texaco, they sure were stingy.” Brant worked for Texaco for six years before moving to Devon Palmer Oils Limited in 1957, eventually becoming vice-president and general manager. Then, in 1963, he moved on to Prairie Oil Royalties Company Ltd., serving that company as its president until 1966. Then, he shocked his friends by moving from a president’s chair to a consulting chair. “I was never interested in having an office with a couch,” he jokes. After separating from his wife in 1968 (they later divorced), he found that consulting work didn’t pay enough for him to carry out his fatherhood responsibilities for their four children: Jo-Ann, ’80 BA, as well as University of Calgary graduates Rollin, Neil, and

Brenda. That’s when he moved south to join Pennant Oils Ltd., an independent oil and gas company owned by two West Texas oilmen. Following a merger, the company became Pennant-Pump Oil Ltd., with Brant serving as president from 1973 to 1976. He followed that up with the presidency and CEO position for a medium-sized independent oil company in Midland called Flag Redfern Oil Company. In 1989, after his children were grown, he went back to being an oil and gas consultant, and subsequently co-founded Glencoe Resources Ltd. in Calgary. Today, the affable 78-year-old is still working, dividing his time between Midland, Texas, and Calgary. As chair of the board of Glencoe, Brant is excited about the company’s prospects. Glencoe is operating two carbon dioxide treating and compression facilities in the province, capturing about 220,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. The CO2 is compressed, cooled, liquefied, and then injected into older oil reservoirs to enhance the recovery of the remaining oil. Capturing and utilizing the CO2 that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere results in enormous environmental benefits, explains company president Angus Brotherhood. “It’s cutting-edge technology and the way of the future, no question,” he says, pointing out that the technology will have major implications for oil sands operations, which produce a lot of CO2. For his part, Brant says he’s still having fun staying involved. If there was something else to do that was more interesting and that he could do better, he’d do it. But there isn’t, and besides, he admits, “I’m a lousy golfer.” Brant recently visited the U of A campus, met with the dean of engineering, and toured some of the extraordinary facilities developed since he was an undergraduate more than 50 years ago. And he has found a way to support those facilities and the students who benefit from learning in this state-of-theart educational environment by utilizing his Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA), the U.S. equivalent to a Canadian RRIF, to invest in his alma mater. — Michael Robb, ’89 BA

How Glenn’s Gift Works The Pension Protection Act of 2006 in the United States provides charitably minded individuals an opportunity to make gifts from their Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) to a qualified charitable organization and exclude that amount from gross income. In short, turn a nest egg into a golden egg! Glenn is currently working with both the University Development Office and the Faculty of Engineering to maximize his donation’s benefit to the Faculty. Glenn has reviewed his position and feels that a reduction of his IRA value will not hamper his ability to meet income requirements and, more importantly, will enhance a good cause. To Qualify: • A donor must be 70.5 years of age or older • The transfer must go directly from the IRA to the qualified charity • Gifts must not exceed $100,000 US per taxpayer, per year • The gift must be outright • The gift must be made prior to December 31, 2007 • All gifts must be at arm’s length and made directly to the University of Alberta Foundation USA, Inc.

To learn more about how the changes to the Pension Protection Act of 2006 in the United States can enhance your planned giving to the U of A, or to discuss any other charitable giving options with a member of our staff, please contact us. Name:______________________________ Address:_____________________________ ___________________________________ Telephone:___________________________ e-mail:______________________________ Please contact us at: Development Office, Gift Planning 6th Floor, General Services Building Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H1 Telephone: (780) 492-0332 Toll Free: 1 (888) 799-9899 e-mail: giving@ualberta.ca AUTUMN 2007

new trail

R E F L E C T I O N S The University of Alberta has a long and successful history in the field of intervarsity athletics. The list of national championships and ‘Academic AllCanadians’ is both long and a source of great pride for all U of A alumni. But the success of the various athletics programs at the U of A is not measured only in the number of trophies and championship rings that were won. Having had the privilege of being a member of the Golden Bears football team, I can say, undoubtedly, that the lifelong connections forged with fellow teammates and the University is the true measure of the athletics program’s success. Of course, in retrospect, I now know that during my time as a student at the U of A, the future was measured in weeks, not years, and my focus was on how best to balance studies, football and the occasional ‘social’ event from one Monday to the next. Today, my closest friends remain those fellow athletes that I balanced the future with, and the bonds that were forged on those teams continue to strengthen and grow to encompass our families and our professions. Now I must confess that although I wasn’t actually part of a cup winning football team while I played at the U of A (and believe me, I’d have died for a championship ring), it takes but a moment’s reflection to realize that if I had to choose, I’d pick the friendships and connections to the U of A over the hardware every time. After all, it’s those friendships and connections that endure and grow long after the glow from a championship has faded… or so I hear. Jim Hole, ’79 BSc (Ag) Alumni Association President Chair Centenary Committee

Following

the

trails

Footsteps

University

Alberta

Alumni

beautiful thing about art is the ability to create something old from something new. This bust stands in a little café in Naples that is not far from the National Archeological Museum. It looks out the window of the café at Italian life passing by and though it looks like an oldfashioned bust, it’s made from layers of newspaper sheets.

I went to Italy this past summer with a class of 17 U of A Nutrition students, to learn about the Mediterranean diet and Italian food culture. While waiting to get into the museum, we crowded at the counter of this café and drank cappuccino and ate Nutella-filled croissants while one of my classmates played the piano… others perched on rickety chairs and passersby put their briefcases and umbrellas down on the sidewalk and stopped to listen. — Cynthia Strawson-Fawcett, ’95 BA

AUTUMN 2007

new trail

evergreen from floods in Alberta and Manitoba

When Disaster Strikes

When it’s all done the show will

to fires in British Columbia, this plan

offer a glimpse into the past century at

he Alumni Association’s auto and

offers extra security for policy holders.

the University. To bring that past to

home insurance affinity partner,

That’s the kind of service you can

life, Heins has sifted through the col-

TD Meloche Monnex, recently imple-

expect as a member of the U of A

lection held at the Textile and Clothing

mented a new Catastrophe Response

Alumni Association insured with TD

Department at the U of A. She still

Plan to handle unusually high numbers

Meloche Monnex. For more informa-

needs some items and is asking the

of claims caused by a natural disaster,

tion about insurance products avail-

University’s alumni to help. Specifically

such as an extreme weather event.

able to alumni or to get an insurance

the collection would like the following

quote, call 1-888-589-5656 or visit the

items for loan or donation:

What does this mean? In the event of a catastrophe, TD Meloche

website at www.melochemonnex.com

• A blanket used by the Wauneita

Monnex’s claims department will be supported by a dedicated team equipped to deal with unexpected devastation that requires immediate action. Agreements with a variety of

Club (1910–1969) during initiations.

Clothing Call

• Sports clothing and sports equip-

f you have any interesting U of A

ment used while at the U of A.

clothing items from the past that

Donations can be brought to Marijke

claims suppliers — such as car rental

you’d be willing to share, the curator

Kerkhoven, ’86 MSc, ’80 BSc(HomeEc),

companies, appraisers, and restoration

of the University’s centennial would

managing curator of the clothing and

firms — are in place to insure priority

like to borrow them. Lucie Heins, ’05

textile collection at the Department of

and guarantee consistent service levels.

BSc(HumanEcology), is pulling togeth-

Human Ecology. Marijke can be

er items for a show about the

reached by telephone at (780) 492-2528

University’s history.

or e-mail marijke@ualberta.ca

With the increases in catastrophic events over the past few years, ranging

Alumni Events For more information about alumni events, contact the Office of Alumni Affairs by phone at 780- 492-3224 or (toll-free in North America) 1-800-661-2593 or by e-mail at alumni@ualberta.ca. You can also

November 17, 2007 Napa Valley, CA Wine Tasting & Vineyard Tour For more information contact the School of Business at (877) 362-3222

November 27, 2007 Calgary, AB Alumni Night at the Theatre The Mystery of Edmond Drood at Vertigo Theatre Contact: Office of Alumni Affairs

check the alumni events website at www.ualberta.ca/alumni/events.

September 19, 2007 Red Deer, AB Centenary Road Trip Holiday Inn on 67th Street 5 p.m. Guest Speaker: Timothy Caulfield Contact: Office of Alumni Affairs

October 5, 2007 Seattle, WA 7th Annual Reception & Canada Gala Seattle Westin Hotel 5:30 p.m. Contact: Office of Alumni Affairs

new trail

AUTUMN 2007

October 17, 2007 Fort McMurray, AB Centenary Road Trip Sawridge Inn & Conference Centre Guest Speaker: Jonathan Schaeffer Contact: Office of Alumni Affairs

October 27, 2007 Boston, MA Tragically Hip concert reception Join fellow U of A alumni at a reception before the Hip play at the Orpheum Theatre. Contact: Andrew Scholte, ’06 PhD, ascholte@gmail.com

November 25 Victoria, B.C. Afternoon Tea at the Empress Hotel Guest speaker to be announced Contact: Office of Alumni Affairs

November 25 Vancouver, B.C. Alumni Brunch at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club Guest speaker to be announced Contact: Office of Alumni Affairs

November 26, 2007 Singapore President’s Dinner with Alumni Contact: Office of Alumni Affairs

November 29, 2007 Lethbridge, AB Unique Experiences Event Guest speaker to be announced Contact: Laurence Hoye, ’55 BSc, ’56 MSc, hoye@uleth.ca

December 2007 Hong Kong Date to be confirmed UAAAHK Family Christmas Party Note to all alumni: We cannot send event invitations without current addresses. Update your address by calling 780-492-3224 (toll-free in North America 1-800-661-2593) or e-mail alumrec@ualberta.ca.

bookmarks U N I V E R S I T Y O F A L B E RTA

Centenary Homecoming

2008

SEPTEMBER 18 – 21

Call for Class Organizers

he Office of Alumni Affairs is recruiting class organizers for

Homecoming 2008. Invite your classmates to come back, check out your old hangouts, and join the University community as we celebrate the U of A’s centenary. This is a great opportunity for you to help plan your class reunion, and with the support of the Alumni Affairs Office, it won’t take much of your time. We will do all we can to ensure that organizing your reunion is as easy as possible for you. If you or your classmates are interested in volunteering as class organizers, or if you would like more information about Homecoming 2008, please contact Colleen Elliott in the Office of Alumni Affairs. She can be reached by telephone at (780) 4920866 or toll-free 1-800-661-2593 or by e-mail at colleen.elliott@ualberta.ca

Delta Phi Diamond Anniversary Celebration

he Delta Phi Chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon men’s fraternity is

celebrating its 75th anniversary. Dekes are invited to the diamond anniversary ball and reunion weekend on October 12 and 13, 2007. For more information, please contact the 75th anniversary chairman Bro. Jorj Sayde (#960, 2001–02) at 780-722-7029. You can also visit the website at www.dke.ca/75th

The Intrepid Fox Helen Smar t (Liss), ’49 Dip(Ed) The Intrepid Fox is the story of the author’s father, a Polish immigrant who carved a successful farm out of the raw wilderness that was northern Alberta in the early days of the last century. John Liss fought for farmers’ rights against the big grain companies and dairy cartels. When he went off to war in 1941, Helen and her six siblings helped their mother with the farm. This book is a fascinating story of a difficult pioneer life in Alberta warmed by the love of a closeknit family. (Trafford, www.trafford.com) Nahanni David M. Mannes, ’76 BEd, ’82 MEd This adventure novel revolves around legends and mysterious murders that took place in the Nahanni wilderness in the early part of the 20th century. A young woman, with the help of a retired Mountie, goes in search of her missing father and brother. (Saga Books, www.sagabooks.net) Zhorna: Material Culture of the Ukrainian Pioneers Roman Fodchuk, ’54 BSc(Ag) This book chronicles the fascinating but lesserknown aspects of the Ukrainian culture and pioneering experience. The everyday items of these pioneers tell a story of initiative, tenacity, and the close relationship between themselves and nature. Fodchuk focuses on items ranging from clothing, kitchen gadgets and cooking utensils to building techniques and the specialized application of hand-made agricultural tools. (University of Calgary Press, www.uofcpress.com) Searching for Billie: A Novel Freda Jackson, ’76 BEd Jackson’s first novel, Searching for Billie transports readers to late-19th-century western Canada. In 1897, Jane, a young Englishwoman, is sent to Canada to search for Billie Thomm, a home child, one of thousands of orphans and beggars who had been shipped to Canada to find better lives. As Jane searches for Billie she encounters all kinds of people and adventures in northern Alberta. (Heritage House Press, www.heritagehouse.ca)

Redesign the Door Barr y Brooks, ’55 BA, ’57 BDiv Dealing with 38 events in the life of the author, a clergy/ businessman who has a Master of Divinity and an MBA, this collection of short stories explores incidents that challenge us to “redesign the doors” of our thinking and acceptance of other people. Some stories are funny and some are sad. (Lulu, www.lulu.com) The McLoughlin Correspondents Betty Donaldson, ’60 Dip(RehabMed) A love of canoeing drew Betty into studying the fur trade and in this, her first novel, she constructs a fictional fivedecade correspondence between siblings. Set at the turn of the 19th century, the correspondence chronicles the lives of a young woman who enters an Ursuline convent and eventually becomes Mother Superior, and her brother, who works in the fur trade. (Athena Press, www.athenapress.com) Structural Wood Design: A Practice-Oriented Approach Abi Aghayere, ’88 PhD, and Jason Vigil This textbook takes a practical, design-oriented and code-based approach to designing wood structures. With dozens of practical, worked examples, the book strives to present structural components in the context of the entire building, emphasizing how all parts work together in providing strength. Aghayere is a professor of civil engineering technology at Rochester Institute of Technology. (Wiley-VCH, www.wiley-vch.de) Teachers in the Middle: Reclaiming the Wasteland of the Adolescent Years of Schooling John Smyth, ’79 PhD, and Peter McInerney Indicating that there is a profound crisis afflicting secondary schools in most parts of the world and that teachers are “in the middle” in various ways, this book shows how schools, teachers and young people are re-inventing themselves against the damaging prevailing educational policy discourses. The authors provide a critique as well as hope and possibility for schools. Smyth is a professor in the School of Education at University of Ballarat in Australia. (Peter Lang Publishing, www.peterlang.com) AUTUMN 2007

new trail

classnotes

’50s

’53 W. Alan Bell, BA, ’55 BEd, ’67 MEd, was installed as the District Deputy Grand Master for the Lakeland District of the Grand Lodge (Masons) of Alberta in June. Alan, one of 15 district deputy grand masters in Alberta, will hold the office for one year; lodges under his jurisdiction are in northeast Alberta, including Edmonton. Gerald O. Lundgren, BSc(Pharm), of Victoria, recently retired as a pharmacist-owner after more than 50 years of practice. “I enjoyed my career in pharmacy in two provinces, Alberta and B.C.,” Gerald says, “especially the latter years after finally getting on good terms with the bank!” Gerald says that the best moments of his working life were with “the incredible staff I was able to recruit over the years.” He and his wife, Geraldine, became grandparents for the first time recently when they welcomed twin granddaughters. “My son-in-law has taken the position of principal timpanist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, so they will be close at hand for family visits for which we are so grateful.” Tess Trueman, MD, ’51 BSc, of Courtenay, B.C., taught at the U of A in 1959-60 and practised obstetrics and gynecology in Calgary from 1960 to 1975, where she taught at the U of Calgary’s medical school. When she retired, Tess moved to B.C., where she has lived in a few different places but now has settled in Courtenay.

’57 Evangeline Munns, BSc, of King City, Ontario, won several awards when she was on campus including a World University Service scholarship in 1956 and being named to the Golden Key Society in 1956 and ’57. She was on the executive of the World University Service, the Student Christian Movement, and the Varsity Christian Fellowship; was treasurer of the Blue Stocking Club; co-director of Varsity Varieties in 1956; and part of the Wauneita Society, the Gateway, the Psychology Club, and the Debating Society. All this qualified her well to take on the role of class historian in 1957.

new trail

AUTUMN 2007

Alfred E. Harper, ’45 BSc(Ag), ’47 MSc, of Mercer Island, Washington, is now retired from academic life. Shortly after he finished his science studies at the U of A, Alfred completed a PhD in biochemistry at the U of Wisconsin and followed that up with post-doctoral research at the University of Cambridge. He and his wife, Naila Jwaideh, who was a U of Wisconsin graduate student in English when they married nearly 60 years ago, then returned to Wisconsin. Until Alfred retired in 1990, he taught and did research on metabolism and nutrition in the Departments of Biochemistry and Nutritional Sciences at the U of Wisconsin.

Now celebrating 50 years since graduation from the U of A, Evangeline says, “I loved my years at the University of Alberta.” She has not slowed down. Recently retired as the clinical director of play therapy services at Blue Hills Child and Family Services, she is still active giving workshops in play therapy across North America, and services a number of professionals in play therapy. She received an award for making an outstanding contribution to play therapy in Canada, has published a book on Theraplay and written numerous chapters in other books. “I teach skiing and watercolour painting. My husband, Tom, and I have a lovely daughter who is pursuing a psychology doctorate degree at James Madison University this fall.”

’60s

’60 Lawrence A. Mysak, BA, ’61 BSc, Canada Steamship Lines Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at McGill U, was elected president of the International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans (IAPSO) for a four-year term. In July 2009, IAPSO, together with two other associations, will hold a 10-day joint assembly in Montreal, which is expected to attract up to 2,000 delegates from around the world. Professor Mysak is currently serving on the organizing committee for this assembly.

’61 Ellis Treffry, BSc(Ag), was recently honoured by the Alberta Institute of Agrologists with a gold award for 46 years of continuous contribution to the Institute. The gold award emphasizes the years

Of his post-retirement life, Alfred writes, “we moved to Seattle where our two daughters and their families live. I kept in touch over the years with only a few of my U of A classmates and this year the last of them, Robert Buckley, died. In Seattle I was a Visiting Scholar in the Metabolic Unit in the Department of Medicine. More recently I have developed a major interest in the conflict between religion and science and, particularly, with the writings of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris on the subject. In addition, in an effort to delay deterioration from aging, Naila and I continue to be active gardeners.”

of service, promotion of the profession of agrology, foresight towards Institute affairs and professionalism in the agricultural community. “The University of Alberta and the Faculty of Agriculture were indeed the formulating forces in my career and life aspirations which led to this recognition.”

’64 Maxine Hancock (Runions), BEd, ’88 MA, ’92 PhD, and Campbell Hancock, ’65 BEd, recently moved to Nova Scotia where they will live on acreage on North Mountain at the northeast end of the Annapolis Valley. Cam intends to develop a “Grandpa Farm” and Maxine will write. Maxine notes that they will be closer to their daughter Camille Hancock Friesen, ’92 MD, and her family in Halifax and their daughter Heather Hancock, ’93 MSc, and family in Chicago. She writes, “We will still be deeply connected to the West, since I will continue on faculty at Regent College with thesis supervision and some teaching duties and, of course, we have our sons and their families in Alberta to keep us closely connected!”

’66 Albert Karvonen, MEd, ’60 BEd, ’64 Dip(Ed), of Boyle, AB, received an honorary degree from Athabasca U in June in recognition of his films on wildlife conservation. Tony Vander Voet, BSc, ’67 MSc, of Brampton, Ontario, received an Amethyst Award from the Ontario government on June 19, 2007. This award is the highest honour the Ontario public service bestows on individuals or groups. Tony, who got a PhD from the U of Toronto in 1976, received his award for individual leadership in the field of sci-

ence, research and innovation policy, and for his record as a mentor of other public service staff. He is currently director of policy at the Ministry of Research and Innovation in the Ontario Public Service.

’67 Carolyn Debnam, BPE, of Toronto, writes, “please visit my website and write anytime ... would love to hear how you are.” Carolyn’s website address is www.carolyndebnam.com

’68 David W. Leonard, BA, ’69 MA, of Edmonton, received the Alberta Order of Excellence in June 2007 for his role in preserving and understanding Alberta’s history. After studying at the U of A, David worked as an archivist at the Provincial Archives of Alberta and he has made archives his life’s work, breaking from that endeavour only briefly when he got a PhD from the U of Sheffield. He has, at different times during the past three decades, been an archivist with the City of Edmonton, the Northwest Territories, and the Provincial Archives of Alberta, and project historian at the Alberta Historic Sites Service. In the 1980s his interest in northwest Alberta in particular was piqued when he came across a population distribution map and he asked himself why, without a railway in the area, people would settle in the northwest. That question led to several published histories of the Peace River Country.

’69 John Blatherwick, MD, was awarded the Order of British Columbia (OBC) in June 2007 and received the Order of Canada in 1994. He was also awarded the Cam Coady Medal by the B.C.

Medical Association and the George Elliot award by UBC where he is a clinical professor. So with all the awards in hand, he retired as the chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health in August after more than 36 years as a medical health officer in B.C., the last 23-plus as the medical health officer for Vancouver. In retirement he plans to add to his 21 published books (Canadian Orders, Decorations and Medals is in most libraries in Canada), spend more time as honorary colonel of 12 Field Ambulance and, along with his wife, Carol Blatherwick, ’69 MD (who retired from family practice three years earlier), enjoy their grandchildren and travel. Irene Knopp (Grzyb), BEd, retired in 2003 after teaching at Thorsby Elementary School since 1969. “I continue to work as a substitute teacher for the Black Gold Regional Schools. As well, my husband and I and our son operate Thorsby Tire Shop, celebrating 40 years in business on August 1, 2007.” Irene also notes that since 1986, she and her family returned to their farm roots and conduct a small family farm business. “Our daughter is married to a rancher and they reside in southern Saskatchewan. We have six grandchildren.” Keith Tronc, PhD, of Brisbane, Australia, became assistant director of the Mt. Gravatt College of Advanced Education and subsequently associate professor and dean of field studies at Griffith University. Then, in 1990, he changed careers and became a barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland, where he has specialized in criminal law and educational law. He also serves as a consultant in educational administration and has produced over 100 expert reports for courts all over Australia deciding school litigation. Since 1976, he has published 42 books on education, educational administration, education and the law, and a variety of purely legal issues such as advocacy, search warrants and justices of the peace. In 2006, the Australian Council of Educational Leaders presented him with the Headley Beare Award for educational writing.

’70s

’70 Jay Riat, MEng, senior associate engineer at Energy Management CoSyn in Edmonton, was awarded a 2007 APEGGA Summit Award for Community Service. He is co-chair of the Guru Nanak Dev Healing Garden project at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute and is the founding director and a member of the board of trustees for the Guru Nanak Shrine Fellowship (GNSF), a worldwide organization for humanitarian service. As national president of GNSF, Jay has led the community in raising $2 million to create the healing garden, a unique and tranquil environment for patients recovering from heart surgery. Jay’s work in the community near and far extends back decades. In 1969 he sent funds from Edmonton to India for the Bihar Relief Fund, and in 2004 he raised money for the tsunami relief for the Red Cross Society. As part of GNSF, he has helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for donations of medical equipment to India, Pakistan, and Zambia and for earthquake relief in India and El Salvador.

’72 Joseph Gustafson, BSc(Pharm), a pharmacist in Olds, AB, received a 2007 Wyeth Consumer Healthcare Bowl of Hygeia award.

’73 Wayne Moen, BA, of Edmonton, was named regional director for Alberta for the Canadian Real Estate Association. George Webber, BA, of Calgary, received the silver award in photojournalism and photo essay at the National Magazine Awards in June. He won the award for “The Last Days of the St. Louis,” published in Calgary’s Swerve magazine. Also in June George received the community achievement award in arts at the city of Calgary’s awards.

’75 Terrance Chapelsky, BEd, recently received the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta’s Distinguished Service Award. Hal Kluczny, BEd, ’84 MEd, ’98 EdD, of Millet, Alberta, retired in 2004 from Wetaskiwin Regional Public schools after 12 years as superintendent, eight previous years as deputy superintendent, and a pre-

In 1999, Marcel Mercier, ’69 BSc, ’72 MSc, and Elaine Kozak, ’72 BA, left the corporate world to turn their love of the country and good wine into a way of life. They purchased a 100-year old farm on British Columbia’s Salt Spring Island and began the long process of converting it from sheep grazing to wine growing. Over the next three years, seven acres were planted to vine and a winery built. A century-old orchard of apple, pear, plum and cherry trees was rehabilitated to enhance the beauty of the site and retain the diversity of its flora. A stand of magnificent Garry Oaks was preserved and gives the winery estate its name. “Our mission is to make wines we’re proud of, and to have fun doing it,” they note. The website is garryoakswine.com vious 13 years in various roles as teacher and administrator. He also served on CASS provincial executive, becoming president in 2001-2002. From 2004-present, Hal has been employed by Alberta Education as a senior education manager for Zone 2/3 Field Services. He plans full retirement in September 2007. Tim O’Brien, MBA, ’72 BA, of Edmonton, has been appointed senior vice-president of Oilfield Transportation and Tubular Management and Manufacturing, at Flint Energy.

’76 Glen Magneson, BEd, coaches a girls basketball team in Foremost, AB, and the team recently won the provincial basketball championships for the eighth time.

’77 Irene Colliton, MD, ’75 BSc (MedSci), of Edmonton, received the Western Regional Award of Excellence from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada in June in recognition of her leadership in medical roles in the Capital Health Region and for maintaining one of the largest family medicine obstetrics practices in the city. Garry Kissel, BEd, of Glendon, AB, retired in June as principal of Glendon School after 30 years in education.

’78 Susan McDaniel, PhD, is now a professor of family studies and senior researcher at the Institute of Public and International Affairs at the U of Utah. The position is roughly equivalent to a senior Canada Research Chair in international public policy. All Susan’s Canadian research and policy involvements will continue, including her role on the lead team for the newly funded

SSHRC cluster on population change and life course. Susan is editor of SAGE: Major Work on Ageing/ Gerontology (Sage, London, U.K.), a four-volume book to be released in Fall 2007 that focuses on cutting-edge research and theory in ageing and gerontology with a lead essay and connecting commentary written by Susan. She will be part of a delegation of international sociologists to visit sociology departments in India in November 2007 and serves on the scientific advisory board of the new Council of Canadian Academies. Darryl Smith, DDS, ’75 BSc, of Crooked Creek, AB, became president of the Canadian Dental Association in June. Past-president of the Alberta Dental Association and College and the Peace River and District Dental Society, Darryl has served on numerous CDA committees.

’79 David Kastelic, BCom, of Edmonton, has been appointed vice-president, tubular management and manufacturing, at Flint Energy, Gerald Krispin, ’81 BA, who has been a professor of religious studies at Concordia University College in Edmonton since 1987, was recently named president of Concordia. Gerald has a master of divinity from Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and a doctorate in theology from Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis.

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which provides products and services for the oil and gas industry. Advances in monitoring and medical care mean that childbirth is no longer as risky as it was in past centuries, and mothers today have every reason to believe they will deliver a healthy baby. But what about the experience of the mother? Nursing professors emeriti Vangie Bergum, ’86 PhD, (at right in the photo) and Jeanne Van der Zalm, ’73 Dip(Nu), ’76 BSc(Nu), ’94 MSc(Nu), ’99 PhD, put some research on mothering together in one place. Their recently released book of writings about childbirth is called Motherlife: Studies of Mothering Experiences. It contains the writings of 16 contributing authors from across Canada and one from Australia. Proceeds from the sales of the book will be donated to the Lois Hole Hospital for Women.

’80s

Donald W. M. Juzwishin, MHSA, ’77 BA, ’05 PhD, has been appointed chief executive officer of the Health Council of Canada. Most recently a private consultant in health care policy in St. Albert, AB, he also served as the director of health technology assessment at the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. Prior to that, he was with the Ministry of Health in British Columbia. He has held executive positions at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, and at the Greater Victoria Hospital Society in Victoria, B.C.

’82 David C. Bird, PhD, retired last June as principal of McKenzie Elementary in Victoria, B.C., “after many wonderful years and children!” After celebrating the wedding of their youngest son in July, David and his wife, Yvette, travelled to Jakarta for a two-year university teaching assignment.

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Terry Freeman, BCom, recently became the Edmonton-based managing director of Northern Plains Capital — a private equity firm specializing in oilfield services — after 14 years as CFO of Flint Energy Services and its predecessors.

’82 Christos Katopodis, MEng, of Winnipeg, received the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering’s Camille A. Dagenais Award in June 2007. The award recognizes civil engineers who have made outstand-

retired after 16 years with the Pipe Line Contractors Association of Canada and over 30 years in the construction industry. “Most of my time in construction has been spent in the field of labour relations. After several years living in Edmonton I returned to school at the U of A and graduated in 1980 with a BSc. I had originally spent some time in the early ’60s at UBC, so my time at the U of A was brief but one of the most enjoyable of my life — or was it because I married my sweetheart during that period? “No matter. I still travel to Edmonton from time to time as a consultant and feel like one of those people I used to see in airports and wonder what on earth an old guy like that could possibly be doing. I take in an Edmonton Crackercats ball game whenever I can and, of course, the odd Eskimos and Oilers game as well. I currently reside in Oakville, Ontario, with my sweetheart Sandi, our son Ross, who is following in my footsteps and returning to university after several years away (U of T, I’m afraid to say), and our beloved miniature schnauzer Chester.”

Karen Karbashewski/Capital Health

’80 John Corder, BSc, recently

ing contributions to the development and practice of hydrotechnical engineering in Canada. Christos also received (in April 2007) a team government distinction award for work on oilsands projects. Christos works at the Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg, where he oversees regional habitat engineering for the central and arctic region of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. His research work bridges hydraulics and ecology, and he is spearheading

interdisciplinary efforts in hydraulics, hydrology, river mechanics, ecology, biology, ecosystems, fish physiology, migrations and habitat. He contributes to river restoration or enhancement, minimizing or mitigating environmental impacts, estimating ecological or in-stream flow regimes and facilitating fish passage.

’83 Salvatore Amelio, LLB, has been named a partner in the law firm Hendrickson, Gower, Massing, Olivieri LLP.

What trail are you following? Please enclose all old address labels. Revise my address to the one below. I/We receive multiple copies— send one copy only to the address below. Name ________________________________________ Phone ________________________ Street ________________________________________________________________________ City ______________________________ Prov./State __________ Postal code ___________ Fax ______________________ E-mail ______________________________________________ Class Note ____________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Mail to: Alumni Affairs/6th Floor General Services Building/ University of Alberta/Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H1 The personal information requested on this form is collected under the authority of Section 33(c) of the Alber ta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the purpose of alumni and development programs at the University of Alber ta. Questions concerning the collection, or disposal of this information should be directed to: Coordinator, Research and Marketing, 6th Floor General Ser vices Bldg. University of Alber ta Edmonton AB T6G 2H1, ph: 780-492-2515.

’84 Karen Drozd, BEd, of Honolulu, is currently teaching performing arts and multicultural education at the U of Hawaii at Manoa’s Institute for Teacher Education. Karen has also taught courses in music appreciation, introduction to world music, music methods for elementary teachers, jazz history, and applied music in various instruments. She is involved in a Pacific Resources in Education and Learning and National Endowment for the Arts project called “Voices United,” through which she is researching, collecting, and compiling songs for children from Micronesia, Polynesia, and Melanesia to be presented at the Festival for the Pacific Arts in July 2008 in American Samoa. Marty Proctor, BSc(Eng), ’85 MEng, was recently appointed to the executive management team of North American Oil Sands Corporation. He joined the company in 2006 as senior vice-president, Upstream, and has more than 20 years of diverse experience in the oil and gas industry. Marty has worked on successful oil and gas projects in Canada, the U.S., Kazakhstan, and China.

’85 Caroline Hatcher, BSc(Nu), of Calgary, received a 2007 award for excellence in nursing administration from the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta. Susan Kilmister, Dip(Ed), ’78 BEd, and her husband have returned to New Zealand after living in Melbourne for nine years. They’ve built a new house on a lovely five-acre property

north of Auckland. Susan recently undertook training in the fitness area and plans to set up a small personal training business.

’86 Scott Sangster, LLB, of Calgary, has been named a partner in the law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP. ’88 Jo Milne-Home, PhD, ’80 MEd, teaches psychology and is director of the clinical psychology clinic at the University of Western Sydney in Australia. She won the 2006 National Carrick Citation for Teaching Excellence. For more than 10 years the Carrick Institute has awarded citations for outstanding contributions to student learning. Jo also won the inaugural UWS vicechancellor’s teaching excellence award in 2002. She is a Teaching Fellow in UWS’s College of Arts, where she provides leadership in implementing projects in the Learning and Teaching Action Plan. Cathy Carter-Snell, MSc(Nu), ’85 BSc(Nu), who teaches at Mount Royal College in Calgary, received a 2007 award for excellence in nursing education from the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta.

’89 Alex A. Adjei, PhD, of Williamsville, New York, joined the faculty of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in 2006 as chair of the Department of Medicine and senior vice-president for clinical research. The RPCI is in Buffalo, New York.

’90s

’90 Stephen Kane, BCom, and his wife, Tonya Kane (Throness), ’95 BSc(Nu), are living in Houston, Texas. Stephen recently left PricewaterhouseCoopers to join Green Earth Fuels as Controller.

’91 Moshe Elhav, MA, ’90 BA, and his wife, Meytal Elhav, ’00 MA, ’95 BA, recently moved to London, England, where Moshe will take up his appointment as finance director for Knorr Global with Unilever Best Foods UK Ltd. Connie Jensen (Polushin), MEd, ’88 BEd, ’89 Dip(Ed), of Buck Lake, AB, retired after 40 years of teaching and administration at Bluffton School in the Wolf Creek School Division. “I’m looking forward to time travelling, writing, gardening and especially time with my family and friends.” Leon Pfeiffer, BCom, of Edmonton, has been named a principal at Kingston Ross Pasnak chartered accountants.

’92 Brian Drewry, BPE, is now sports editor at the Victoria Times Colonist newspaper. He and his wife, Heather, and two girls, Hannah and Emma, are enjoying life on beautiful Vancouver Island. ’93 Gregory Hadubiak, MHSA, a Caritas Health Group vice-president overseeing the operations of the Grey Nuns Community Hospital and Planning & Development and

At the Sterling Awards in June, Edmonton’s Catalyst Theatre’s production of Frankenstein received eight awards, including outstanding production of a musical. Writer and director Jonathan Christenson, ’89 BA, ’92 BA, ’96 MFA, who is artistic director at Catalyst, won awards for outstanding musical director, score, and new play. Bretta Gerecke, ’96 MFA, resident designer at Catalyst, also won three awards — for outstanding set design, costume design, and lighting design. Nancy McAlear, ’94 BFA, received the Sterling award for outstanding performance by an actress in a supporting role. Frankenstein had a very successful run in early 2007 at the Catalyst and is back by popular demand. It will have a three-week run in February 2008. Tickets are available through TIX on the Square, www.tixonthesquare.ca

’83 Greg Allan, BPE, and his wife, Danielle, of Lunby, B.C., have a Canadian Kennel Club registered kennel called Kemxtus Kennel, where they breed Newfoundland dogs. The website of the company is kemxtusnewfoundlands.com. Support Services, has been named a Fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives. Catherine Heggerud (Ferguson), MBA, ’90 BCom, and Collin Heggerud, ’92 BSc, of Calgary, recently moved again and note that after welcoming three children — Evan, Sean, and Caitlin — in three years, they are looking forward to “fewer sleepless nights and fewer diapers.” Keith Lambert, BSc(Eng), of Calgary, has been named senior vice-president of Production Services at Flint Energy. Allan Sawiak, BCom, has been named a principal at Kingston Ross Pasnak chartered accountants in Edmonton.

’94 Valerie Fong, BSc(Pharm), of Lethbridge, was named 2007’s M.J. Huston Pharmacist of the Year in recognition of her commitment to the profession and excellence in pharmacist practice. Krista Singleton-Cambage, BA, recently accepted a position as an international environment advisor with the Nature Conservancy’s Indo-Pacific Resource Centre in Brisbane, Australia.

’95 Joe Leeson, BA, was recently promoted to corporal with the RCMP and posted to Whistler, B.C., where he will be until the Olympics of 2010 and supervise a watch of five police officers. Doug Thorlakson, BCom, a lieutenant in the Canadian army, recently transferred to Kingston, AUTUMN 2007

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In Memoriam The Alumni Association notes with sorrow the passing of the following graduates:

’30 Alice Eugenie Porteous (Bulyea), BSc(HEc), of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007

’32 Frances Mary Richardson (Fisher), BSc, of Wilmington, Delaware, in April 2007 ’33 Allison Chown (Grant), BA, of Victoria, BC, in January 2007 George Victor Eckenfelder, BSc, of Sidney, BC, in March 2007 ’36 Thomas Patching, BSc(Eng), of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 ’38 A. Franklin Johnson, BSc, ’49 PhD, of Spooner, Wisconsin, in April 2007 Ellen Adelaide Tatham, BA, of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 W. Ivan Jackson, DDS, of Sidney, BC, in May 2007 ’39 Joseph Bugis, BA, ’42 MD, of Edmonton, AB, in June 2007 ’40 Louise Lamplough Marshal, BSc, of Montreal, QC, in April 2007 Alan Marshall Brownlee, BA, ’41 LLB, of Victoria, BC, in May 2007 ’42 Teddy Lee Marfleet, BSc, ’46 MD, of Maidstone, SK, in April 2007 Ralph King Hole, BCom, of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 Gordon Robert Callbeck, BA, ’44 MD, of Duncan, BC, in June 2007 ’44 Bernice Elvira Gibb (Thomson), BA, of West Vancouver, BC, in February 2007 William Treleaven Andrew, BSc, of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 Marion Winnifred Panabaker, BA, of Calgary, AB, in March 2007 ’45 William B. Jackson, BSc, of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 Margaret Docherty, Dip(Nu), ’54 Dip (PHNu), of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 Isabel Freda Kenny, Dip(Pharm), of Calgary, AB, in April 2007 ’46 Mary Marguerite Taylor Boorman, Dip(Nu), ’47 BSc(Nu), of Missoula, Montana, in April 2007 ’47 Andrew Stanley, Dip(Pharm), of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 ’48 Frank Loewen, BEd, ’49 MEd, of Abbotsford, BC, in April 2007 Frances Cleary Finn, BCom, of Calgary, AB, in March 2007 Herbert E. Wahl, BSc, of Whitehorse, Yukon, in March 2007 Bert McDonald, BSc, of Victoria, BC, in May 2007 Robert George Reynolds, BSc, of Edmonton, AB, in June 2007 ’49 William George Robson, BSc(Eng), of Ottawa, ON, in March 2007 William David Usher, BSc(Eng), of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 Adrian Douglas Berry, BEd, of Red Deer, AB, in June 2007 Lionel Avila Page, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in June 2007

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Kenelm Cyrus Miller, BSc, ’51 MD, of Elk Point, AB, in June 2007 ’50 Don McNichol, BSc(Eng), of Calgary, AB, in March 2007 Nickolas Dawson, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 ’51 Michael Lyon Chornopsky, BSc(Eng), of Calgary, AB, in March 2007 Raymond John Ostolosky, BSc, ’53 MD, of Nanaimo, BC, in April 2007 J. Stuart S. Knop, BCom, of Edmonton, AB, in June 2007 V. Lois MacKenzie-Sawers, BSc, ’53 MD, of Vancouver, BC, in May 2007 ’52 Alvin Johnstone, BCom, of Red Deer, AB, in June 2007 ’53 Mildred Margaret Orlick (Whitney), Dip(Ed), ’55 Dip(Ed), ’67 BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in March 2007 Patricia Ann George (Robinson), Dip(Nu), ’82 BSc(Nu), of St. Albert, AB, in April 2007 Nick Lynkowski, Dip(Ed), of Myrnam, AB, in May 2007 ’54 Zan F. Nikiforuk, BSc, ’56 MSc, of Calgary, AB, in April 2007 Marwin Gustav Neumeister, BSc(Eng), of Delta, BC, in March 2007 Mario Isidore Tedeschini, BSc, ’56 MD, of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007

William W. Winspear, BCom, of Sidney, BC, in June 2007 Norman Blamire, BSc(Eng), of Aldergrove, BC, in May 2007 ’55 Harold Fayerman, DDS, of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 ’56 Terrance Roger Mott, BSc(Eng), ’61 BEd, ’71 MEd, ’75 PhD, of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 ’57 Suzanne Alice Stelter, Dip(Nu), of Surrey, BC, in February 2007 Tellex Gallant, BA, ’58 LLB, of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 ’58 Gabrielle Margaret Darimont, BEd, of St. Paul, AB, in April 2007 ’59 Kenneth Clair Webb, BSc(Eng), of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 Russel Robert Jakob, BSc(Eng), of Long Beach, CA, in April 2007 ’60 Carole Irene Comfort (Crosweller), BSc(Pharm), of Calgary, AB, in January 2007 ’61 Sora Mina Shilman (Satanove), BA, of North York, ON, in April 2007 Eunice Irene Kenny, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in March 2007 Stephen Russel Ramsankar, BSc, ’63 BEd, ’89 LLD (Honorary), of Edmonton, AB, in July 2007

’61 Agnes Gladys Buckles-Borchert, BEd, ’68 MEd, of Edmonton, AB, in July 2007 ’62 Jessie Louise Martel, BEd, ’66 Dip(Ed), of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 Lloyd Lawrence Daviduck, BSc(Eng), of Crossfield, AB, in January 2007 ’63 Karen Gertrude Pickard (Bartell), Dip(Nu), of Canmore, AB, in March 2007 Gwen Stephania Polomark, BEd, of Mundare, AB, in April 2007 Barbara Joanne Sykes, BEd, ’81 Dip(Ed), of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 John MacLeod Grindley, BSc, ’70 LLB, of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 Elizabeth Trent Nadon McIntosh, BA, ’65 MA, ’77 BEd, ’83 MEd, of Sherwood Park, AB, in May 2007 ’64 Donald W. Watson, BCom, of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 Vern Klaus Kratzer, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 ’65 Peter Morhaliek, BEd, ’74 Dip(Ed), ’78 MEd, of Edmonton, AB, in July 2006 ’66 Brian van Huystee, BEd, ’84 MEd, of St. Albert, AB, in December 2006 William George McKenzie, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 ’67 Lynda Marion Morgan (Carlyle), BA, of Sylvan Lake, AB, in April 2007

Ice-C As our centenary approaches, we take a look at alumni past who stand out in our 100-year tradition of excellence. larence Campbell, ’24 BA, ’26 LLB, is known for a lot of things. For instance, the former president of the National Hockey League has a trophy named after him that the winner of the Western Conference (formerly the Campbell Conference) is awarded — and that no one on the winning team dare hoist for fear it will curse their chances of going on to win the Stanley Cup. Campbell is also known as the man most responsible for inciting Montreal hockey fans to riot after he suspended star player Maurice Richard for the last three games of the 1955 season, as well as the entirety of the playoffs, for his punching of a referee... and then had the temerity to show up at the Montreal Forum for a game between the Canadians and Detroit Red Wings. After being taunted and showered with debris during the game, Campbell finally left the arena after

someone lobbed a tear gas canister into the crowd that was then forced out of the building where they caused over half a million in damage resulting in 60 people being arrested. Some also see him as being partly to blame for keeping players from organizing a union and receiving fair compensation for their efforts — although he was also responsible for initiating an NHL pension plan with

contributions from the players and the league. Regardless of how he is viewed, Campbell was the most powerful man in the NHL from the late 1940s until 1977 where he oversaw the league tripling in size and the regular per-season team games increased from 50 to 70 (there are now 82). Born in Fleming, Saskatchewan, in 1905, after getting his law degree

Francene Ann Snukal, BEd, of Calgary, AB, in January 2007 Ronald William Hodges, BEd, ’71 Dip(Ed), of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 ’68 Mary Louise Taylor, BA, ’72 MA, of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 Annette Mageau, BEd, ’69 Dip(Ed), ’71 MEd, of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 ’69 Robert Braybrook, BSc(Eng), of Saanichton, BC, in February 2007 Susan Alma Hutchison, BCom, of Calgary, AB, in March 2007 Robert Wadsworth Dean, Dip(Ed), of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 Gretta J. Lundblad, BA, of Heisler, AB, in May 2007 Berislav Steve Marjanovich, BSc(Eng), of Sinac, Croatia, in June 2007 ’70 Dolores Fay Ruttan, BEd, ’76 MEd, of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 Ronald David Pearson, BA, ’71 Dip(Ed), ’78 BEd, of Vancouver, BC, in May 2007 Michael Rehorick, BEd, of Red Deer, AB, in May 2007 Dorothy Quinn, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in February 2007 ’71 Kenneth James A. Plomp, BA, of Edmonton, AB, in June 2007 ’72 Vernon Walter Kumpula, BSc, ’74 MD, of Barrie, ON, in May 2007

from the U of A, he won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, where he also played for the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club and refereed some hockey and lacrosse games. Returning to Canada during the Depression, he landed a job with an Edmonton law firm and began officiating minor league hockey before being hired as an NHL referee in 1936. When war broke out he enlisted as a private in the Canadian Army and would eventually command the 4th Armored Division — although he took a reduction in rank to participate in the D-Day invasion in 1945. Following the war he was appointed the prosecution lawyer for the Canadian War Crimes Commission at the Nuremberg trial of Nazi Kurt Meyer, convicted of executing innocent Canadian prisoners-of-war. He was also awarded the Order of the British Empire and made King's Counsel... as well as being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966, 11 years before he would step down as NHL president. In the end, Campbell would reign as NHL president for 31 years and his time at the helm became the yardstick against which all succeeded presidents would be measured.

Mary Ann A. Kulak, BEd, of New Kiew, AB, in June 2007 Joseph Couture, PhD, of Wetaskiwin, AB, in June 2007 Evelyn E. Lunde, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in June 2007 ’73 Robert Dean Tomlinson, BSc(Eng), of Melbourne, Australia, in April 2007 ’74 Eileen Catherine Klein, BEd, of Saskatoon, SK, in April 2007 Abdul Mannan, PhD, of Bangladesh, in April 2007 Vera Clara Kinoskita, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 ’75 Shirley Irene Paustian, PhD, of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 ’76 Lawrence Paul Yurkiw, BSc, ’78, DDS, of Edmonton, AB, in February 2007 ’78 Naresh Chander Sharma, Dip(Ed), of Edmonton, AB, in June 2007 ’79 Richard Andrew Stollery, BSc, ’80 BSc, ’84 BSc(Nu), of Camrose, AB, in June 2007 ’80 Scott Robertson Wiebe, BCom, of Vancouver, BC, in May 2007 Martin Albert Hausch, BA, of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 ’81 Wendy Edith Downe (Chynoweth), BEd, of Calgary, AB, in March 2007 ’83 Scott Jon Thorkelson, BA, of Edmonton, AB, in May 2007 Diana Louise Brierley, MSc, of Edmonton, AB, in June 2007 ’84 Bonnie Eileen Gable, BEd, of Sherwood Park, AB, in April 2007 June Anne Foster, BEd, of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 Edith Alfansa Wilson (Onderdonk), MEd, of Sherwood Park, AB, in April 2007 ’85 John Samuel, PhD, of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 ’86 Christopher Allan Chichak, BEd, of Whitecourt, AB, in April 2007 ’87 Charlene Elizabeth Bromley, BA, of Edmonton, AB, in April 2007 Barbara Faye Akins, BFA, of Kaleden, BC, in May 2007 ’88 Lynne M.B. Boytzun, BCom, of Calgary, AB, in May 2007 ’89 Fae Angeline Scott, BEd, of Beaumont, AB, in May 2007 ’90 Michele Marie Melik, BSc(Eng), of St. Albert, AB, in March 2007 ’92 Dennis Phillip Trischuk, BEd, of Fort Saskatchewan, AB, in April 2007 ’96 Kirsty Lynne Musselman, BSc, ’02 MSc, of Wetaskiwin, AB, in December 2006 ’00 Susan Louise Bennett, BSc(Eng), of Calgary, AB, in May 2007

*** Alumni interested in submitting remembrances about U of A graduates can send a text file to alumni@ualberta.ca. Tributes are posted on the ‘Memory Lane’ webpage at www.ualberta.ca/alumni/memorylane

Ontario, to take up a position as director of army training. He was awarded a Mention in Dispatches by the Governor General for actions in Afghanistan of August 2006. The presentation took place in Ottawa in February 2007. The Mention in Dispatches was created to recognize members of the Canadian Forces on active service and other individuals working with or in conjunction with the Canadian Forces for valiant conduct, devotion to duty, or other distinguished service.

’96 Loren Andruko, MSc, ’87 BSc(Eng), has been named a principal at Sierra Systems of Edmonton, an information technology and business consulting company. Laurie Mah, BCom, of Toronto, has been named manager of account services at Youthography Inc. Formerly with YTV Canada, Laurie brings to Youthography an expertise in the consumer habits of young Canadians in the areas of health, beauty and fashion. She leads a variety of key internal and client-oriented projects, moderates research groups and manages Youthography’s quarterly trend report, ‘Ping’ – where her love of pop culture, analytical skills and writing abilities allow her to translate youth insight into actionable plans for businesses.

’00s

’00 Patricia Marck, PhD, ’80 BSc(Nu), ’91 MSc(Nu), a professor in the U of A’s Faculty of Nursing, received a 2007 award for excellence in nursing research from the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta.

’01 Jonathan Skuba, DDS, has been elected president of the Alberta Dental Association & College, the regulatory and membership body for Alberta dentists. He is the youngest dentist to assume this role in the 100-year history of the ADA+C. Jonathan is following in his father’s footsteps (Lloyd Skuba, ’72 DDS) who held the same position in 1999–2000. ’02 Sharon Chadwick, MPH, ’93 BSc(Nu), who works with Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry, was honoured at the 2007 College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta Awards. Sharon received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Daniel Wiart, BCom, has been named a principal at Kingston Ross Pasnak chartered accountants in Edmonton.

’97 Ward Hanson, LLB, ’86 BA, of Edmonton, has been named a partner in the law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP.

’98 Mathew Baril, BCom, recently relocated from Ottawa to Hanoi, Vietnam, where his wife will begin a Canadian International Development Agency posting as the first secretary of development in the Canadian embassy there. James Benoit, BCom, has relocated to Mauritius to head up a new corporate and investment bank specializing in Asia, India and Africa business. This follows a 17-year career with the international banking and financial organization HSBC in a variety of countries, including China (Shanghai and Hong Kong), the Philippines, Oman and Mauritius.

’07 Mary Bradley, BSc(Nu), followed the footsteps of her mother, Gillian Bradley (Taylor), ’74 BSc, and her grandmother, Phyllis Taylor (Brewster), ’36 BSc(Pharm), in studying at the U of A. One of 19 pharmacy grads in 1936, Taylor, now deceased, became a research pharmacist, following up her U of A degree with graduate studies at the University of Minnesota, the University of London and the University of California–Berkeley. Gillian Bradley travelled the world as a member of the Canadian military and now makes her home in Calgary.

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Danielle Peers, ’01 BA, won the inaugural Canadian Basketball Outstanding Athlete award in July 2007. Danielle, who plays centre on the national wheelchair basketball team, was named MVP of Canada’s gold medal team at the world championships last summer and was a league MVP when she played in an all-men’s wheelchair league in Europe. She is also an ambassador for Muscular Dystrophy Canada and a motivational speaker. Mark Woltersdorf, LLB, of Edmonton, has been named a partner in the law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP. Ronald Volpi, MBA, is working for NOVA Chemicals Corporation in Joffre, Alberta He describes his job as “supply chain planning where I’m responsible for polyethylene

inventory — basically trying to maximize efficiency and margins while keeping customers happy and with enough resin to run their businesses, all with the least amount of inventory. This place puts out 1.3 billion pounds of plastic per year.”

’03 Martin Poirier, MEd, of Calgary, was appointed coach of

Shane Gauthier, ’04 MEd, ’98 BEd, of Edmonton, has been working for Alberta Children’s Services and recently was promoted to manager of consultation in the Department of International, Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Relations. He’s also, as a distance student, completing a master’s degree in liberal arts from Harvard University. Somehow he has also found time to conceive of and write and produce a children’s book. Patches the Beaver, Welcome to Harmony Woods, is the first in a Patches the Beaver series he plans to produce. This book teaches children that we are “patched together by friendship no matter where we are from, no matter who we are, and no matter what we look like.” Shane recently took his book to the Beijing International Book Fair and is planning to develop it into an interactive game and a cartoon for television. “I’ve been busy!” he says. For more information on his book, visit the website at www.patchesthebeaver.com Aware that studying at the U of A has given him so much, Shane wanted to give a little back and has established two student awards in the Faculty of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology to recognize top undergraduate and graduate papers in the area of special education. Team Canada Debate in April 2006. Under his tutelage, Team Canada won the 2006 Pan American Debate Championships in L.A. in October, the 2006 European Debate Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, in November, and finished fourth at the 2007 World Schools Debate

Championships in Seoul, South Korea, in July.

’07 Anne McLellan, LLD (Honorary), of Edmonton, former deputy prime minister of Canada, has joined New Millennium Capital, a Canadian iron ore development company, as a strategic advisor.

U N I V E R S I T Y O F A L B E RTA

Centenary Homecoming

2008

SEPTEMBER 18 – 21

Alumni Recognition Awards Football Game, BBQ & entertainment Tuck Shop Breakfast on Quad Lectures Faculty Receptions & Open Houses Unveiling of Centenary Legacy Alumni Centenary Dinner & Fireworks If you are interested in planning a class reunion as part of Homecoming 2008 contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at (780) 492-3224, 1-800-661-2593, or alumni@ualberta.ca 58

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Scrapbook 3

1 2

At the Whitehorse alumni event held August 24, 1 Catherine Harwood, Jane Isakson, ’98 BFA, Dave Brekke, ’77 MEd, ’65 BEd; 2 Patricia McClelland, ’89 MSc(Nu), ’80 BSc(Nu), and Lorraine Hoyt, ’66 Dip(Nu), ’63 Dip(Nu). 3 Young alumni at the 2007 University of Alberta Alumni & Friends Dinner in Thailand, July 10. At the Summer Shindig at Edmonton’s Billiard Club July 19 were 4 Maria Hunt, ’01 BSc(Env&Cons) and Chris Yiu, ’00 BEd and 5 Mark Jung, ’94 BSc, who won a $100 restaurant gift certificate courtesy of Alberta Venture magazine. 6 & 7 Alumni kayak trip in B.C., June 2007.

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tuck shop

Face Off These former Bears — seen here waving the Canadian and Japanese flags at a press conference in Tokyo — made a little trip to Japan to play a few games of hockey. The question is, who are they? That’s what we’re asking you. We don’t want to give away too much, so suffice it to say they all had great university careers and some went on to play the game at a higher level, and some even higher still. If you think you have the names that go with the faces, send them to us by November 9, 2007, and we’ll send out a prize to the person with the most correct answers. (We’ll

new trail

AUTUMN 2007

also send out a separate prize if one of their teammates at the time writes in to identify them — after all, that is a bit of an unfair advantage.) If more than one non-teammate correctly identifies all the people pictured, or if there’s a tie, we’ll put the names in a hat and draw a winner. Good luck, and keep your stick on the ice. Send your answers to New Trail, 6th Floor, General Services Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6H 2H1 or e-mail us at alumni@ualberta.ca.

..Thursday, September 27..

..Friday, September 28..

Alumni

Awards Ceremony & Reception It’s a night to celebrate outstanding U of A alumni and their accomplishments! Time: 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.; Place: Winspear Centre Cost: free

Faculty Friday A variety of open houses, tours and receptions hosted by the faculties.

..Saturday, September 29..

Faculty Events, Open House

Campus Tours Time: 12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m. Place: Meet outside of Alumni Lounge, SUB Cost: free Empey Lecture “Is Your Community Weighing You Down?” featuring renowned scholar and researcher, Dr. Kim Raine. Time: 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Place: TELUS Centre Cost: Free

Reunion Dinner Sit with your classmates and enjoy the nostalgia of this evening celebration. This dinner is the marquee event of Reunion 2007 — a celebration of the history of your alma mater and a chance to reacquaint yourself with your classmates! Time: Reception: 6:00 p.m.; Dinner: 7:15 p.m. Place: Hall D, Shaw Conference Centre Cost: $45/person

..Sunday, September 30..

President’s Breakfast For those who graduated in 1957 or earlier. This is your chance to meet President Indira Samarasekera and hear her dynamic and daring vision for the future of the University. Time: 9:00 a.m. – noon Place: Hall D, Shaw Conference Centre Cost: $15/person

For more details and to register check out www.ualberta.ca/alumni/reunion or contact Colleen Elliott, Coordinator, Alumni Special Events at (780) 492-0866 or toll-free 1-800-661-2593 for information.

Please note, pre-registration is required for all events. The registration deadline is Monday, September 24, 2007 depending on space availability.

September 27 – 30

Reunion 2007

It’s not too late to register!