STEWARDSHIP REPORT
April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024
THE STEWARDSHIP REPORT follows the fiscal year, which concludes at the end of March. The last day of classes and exams follow quickly from there, and then May delivers one of the two loveliest days of the year—Encaenia—with its infectious, buoyant energy. (In case you are wondering, the rival jubilant day is Welcome Day on the first Sunday in September.)
For several years now, I’ve held a “Magnolia Watch” on my social media accounts, documenting the progress of the blooms on the glorious trees in front of Alex Hall. They unfurl from their buds, anticipating the day on which gowned graduates will gather together with their
family and friends to be photographed in our beautiful Quad.
The trees in the King’s Quad are spectacular. There is a rare chestnut and a stupendous example of the ancient ginkgo tree, which must be one of the largest in the province, planted decades ago. But the magnolia is the keeper of the hopeful spirit that returns each spring—no matter what. There is power in this kind of hopefulness; it’s a strain of hope I spoke about as I addressed the graduands at this year’s ceremony. It derives its strength and fortitude from love. That kind of hope is also present in your giving.
It is uplifting to see your names on this donor roll. It is an encouraging manifestation of the goal we share and a reminder that the “King’s experience” is truly a communal endeavour. Thank you for helping the college deliver the life-changing and enjoyable educational journey through which our students become forever friends and come to know themselves and their world with deeper empathy and wisdom.
You set another record for the Annual Fund this year, which surpassed half a million in funds raised and touched every corner of the college. On the following pages, we attempt to give you a small flavour of what your generosity provides. You have helped more students gain access to the King’s experience through financial awards. You’ve helped us provide a beautifully maintained and increasingly accessible campus. You have given our dedicated faculty encouragement as they offer their students the very best of programs. And you have done the same for our staff, who offer our students a rich web of academic, extracurricular and mental health supports.
To you, whose names follow—I offer our enduring appreciation and thanks.
William Lahey President and Vice-Chancellor
P.S. Speaking of Encaenia, if you have not yet read Kaitlyn MacNeill’s Valedictory Address, I encourage you to take the time to do so. King’s valedictorians always amaze—and this is truly one for the ages!
Cover: Photo by William Lahey
Photo by Adams Photography
DONOR ROLL
Please note this report reflects donations made from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. Donations made after this date will appear in next year’s Stewardship Report. Every effort has been made to list names accurately. If your name has been omitted, or displayed incorrectly, please accept our apologies, and notify King’s Advancement Office by post to 6350 Coburg Road, Halifax, N.S. B3H 2A1 or call (902) 4221271 ext. 128 or email Paula.Johnson@ukings.ca.
Explaining the “King’s Crown”: The “blue crown” symbol marks all donors who have contributed consecutively for the last five financial years and the “gold crown” symbol marks all donors who have contributed consecutively for the last ten financial years. And there is an invisible “heart” symbol that marks all of you as King’s!
CHANCELLOR’S CIRCLE
($10,000 and over)
The Alpha Aquilae Foundation µ
BMO Financial Group µ
Kathryn Burton
Larry Holman µ
Susan Hunter
Debra Deane Little & Robert Little µ
Estate of F.C. Manning* µ
Peter Mansbridge Charitable Foundation
Gillian McCain µ
Harrison McCain Foundation µ
Kim McCallum µ
Ian & Johanne (Zwicker)
McKee
Anja Pearre
Beverly (Zannotti) Postl µ
Kathy Pratt LeGrow µ
River Philip Foundation
Benjamin & Roxanna Smith µ
UKC Alumni Association µ
GOVERNOR’S CIRCLE
($5,000 to $9,999)
Acadia Broadcasting Corporation µ
Owen Averill & Heidi Laing
Hope Clement
Compass Group Canada µ
Thomas Curran & Kara Holm µ
Edmonds Landscape and Construction Services Ltd.
Fred & Elizabeth Fountain µ
J. Roderick Fraser
Kevin Gormely & Mary Abbott
Jennifer Inglis & Lew Turnquist
Peter Jelley µ
Tom Kierans & Mary Janigan µ
William Lahey & Kathryn Lassaline µ
Donald Stevenson µ
INGLIS CIRCLE
($2,000 to $4,999)
anonymous (1)
John Adams µ
David & Robin Archibald µ
William Barker & Elizabeth Church µ
Sarah & James Baxter
John Bell
Black Family Foundation µ
Peter & Patricia Bryson µ
Patricia Chalmers µ
George & Tia Cooper µ
Martin Davidson & Jennifer Turner
Robert Dawson µ
Lynne & Bob Delise
Tom Eisenhauer
Christopher Elson µ
Catherine Foote & Arthur Frank µ
Laurie Hay & Douglas Kellar
William & Anne Hepburn µ
Laurelle LeVert µ
John MacLeod
Rowland Marshall µ
Michael & Kelly Meighen µ
J & W Murphy Foundation
Kimber Osiowy
Stuart Pattillo
Neil & Patricia Robertson
Douglas & Valerie (Morine)
Ruck
Fred Vallance-Jones µ
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE
($1,000 to $1,999)
anonymous (4)
Katrina Beach µ
Richard Brown
Brian Brownlee µ
John Casey
Chère Chapman & Gord Cooper
Paul Charlebois µ
Peter Classen
Sarah Clift µ
Terrance Cooke
Monique Couture
Lindsay Cuthbertson µ
Daniel de Munnik & Tasya Tymczyszyn µ
Darrell Dexter & Kelly Wilson
Gordon Earle µ
Graham Flack & Christine Franklin
Marion Fry µ
Kevin & Carolyn Gibson µ
Ben Gowland
Roselle Green µ
The Hornbeck Family µ
Ronald Huebert µ
Stephen Kimber µ
Andrew & Patricia Laing µ
Gwen Lamont
Art & Patsy LeBlanc
Fraser MacDougall
Kenzie MacKinnon µ
Jaqueline Matheson µ
Karl McLean
Elizabeth Miles µ
Joseph Milner & Allison Gerson
Sandra Oxner µ
Elizabeth Pacey
Kelly Patterson & Peter Buckley
Pierre Nadeau Consulting
Ann Pituley µ
Catherine Read
Mary Lu Redden
Elizabeth Ryan µ
Miranda Spence
David Swick µ
Keith Townley µ
Ulrich vom Hagen
Hugh Wright µ
BENEFACTOR’S CIRCLE
($100 to $999)
anonymous (31)
Adriane Abbott µ
George Abbott
Janet & Kenneth Adams
Douglas Adlam
Bob Allison µ
Esther (Wainwright) Amiro
Bruce Archibald
Matt Aronson
Lorraine Atherton
Sarah Atkinson & Ian Spears
Eleanor Austin
Thomas Bailey
Kathleen Bain µ
David Baker µ
Jane Baldwin µ
Paul Baldwin µ
Jennifer Balfour
Janet Balsom
Mary Barker & Ron Gilkie µ
Roberta Barker µ
Keith Barrett µ
T. Frederick Baxter µ
Celine Beland
Jennifer Mary Bell
David Ben-Arie
Gilbert Berringer µ
Julie Bertrand
Andrew Blake
Nancy Blake
Myra Bloom µ
Laura Boast
Charlie Bourne
Mike Bowman
James Boyer
Shirley Bradshaw µ
Daniel Brandes & Dawn Tracey Brandes µ
Lauren Brodie µ
Rebecca (Moore) Brown µ
Jacqueline Bryers & John Butler
Mordy Bubis & Nina Stipich µ
Ronald Buckley µ
Melissa & Jeff Burroughs
David Cadogan µ
George Caines µ
Gordon Cameron µ
Nancy Campbell µ
“We have about 1,000 students here and they’re in and out of this building all the time, so I used some of the Annual Fund money to put in more Wi-Fi access points, which benefits every student who comes in here. ... Having access to a bit of extra money outside of my budget can make things happen for the students—it makes a huge difference to us.”
— Tracy Lenfesty, Librarian
OTHER THINGS THAT UNRESTRICTED LIBRARY GIFTS FUNDED THIS YEAR:
Replaced the worn and broken table lamps on the lower level
Purchased power bars for charging devices
Bought a new projector for the Committee Room
Added floor lighting to the small study rooms, the Reading Room and Rare Book Consulting Room
Judy & Mark Caplan
John Carr µ
Nancy Margaret Carr
Elizabeth Chandler
Peter Cheney
Carolyn (Tanner) Chenhall µ
Nancy (Martin) Chipman
Clare Christie µ
Fred Christie µ
Ian Chunn & Susan Reaney µ
Burdette Coates µ
Peter Colbourne
Peter Conrod
Thomas Coonan µ
John & Ruth Cordes
Brian Cormier
Robert Craig µ
Richard & Marilyn (McNutt) Cregan µ
Tim Currie & Christina Harnett
Ronald Cutler µ
Aleck Dadson
Brian Daly
Audrey Danaher & Richard Heystee µ
Wendy Davis µ
Joan Dawson µ
Peter & Taunya (Padley) Dawson
Mike de la Mothe & Anne-Marie McElroy
Ken Dekker µ
Michelle Deruchie µ
Mary (Coffill) Deveau
Marilyn (Lingley) Dewis
J. Mark & Rachel (Swetnam) DeWolf µ
Kathryn Dingle
Sarah Dingle & Carl Lem µ
Diocesan Synod of Fredericton µ
Susan Dodd µ
Stephanie Duchon µ
Mark Duggan
Terra-Lee Duncan µ
Lynda Earle
Trenton Erickson
Jim Feir µ
Carolle Fernando
Bruce Fisher
David Fletcher
Victoria Foley
Susan Folkins µ
Alexander & Stacey (MacDonald) Forbes µ
Sally & Nick Forrest
Reaghan (Fawcett) Fortin
Brenda & Robert Franklin
Nevin French
Randall Friedland
Dean Fulford
Gillian (Charlton) Fullilove
Sandra Fyfe
Jim & Sally Garner
Edward Gesner µ
Emily Gesner
Clare Gibbons
David & Karen Gibson
Peter Giddens
Dorota Glowacka µ
Anne Godfrey
Paul Gooch
John Gorrill µ
Andrew Graham µ
Nicholas Graham µ
Nita H. Graham
Charlotte Graven Cochran µ
David Gray µ
Ian & Christie Gray
Jennifer Gray
Howard Green & Lynne Heller µ
Vanessa Green
Anne Gregory µ
Gregory Guy µ
John Haffner
Hage Investments Limited
Brenton Haliburton
Sylvia Hamilton & Bev Greenlaw
Elizabeth Hanton µ
George Harding
Andy & Anne (Dorey) Hare µ
Jasmine Hare
Carla & Steve Harle µ
Kathleen Harper
Peter Harris µ
Susan Harris µ
Suzanne Hawkes
Lillie Haworth µ
Marnie Hay
Elizabeth Hayward
David Hazen µ
Douglas Hazen µ
Mark & Shirley (Wall) Hazen µ
Virginia Heffernan
Jennifer Henderson
Wendy Hepburn
David Herbert µ
Jessica Herschman
John Hobday µ
Neil Hooper µ
Dennis & Doris House
James Howison
Michaela Huard µ
Caroline (Bennet) Hubbard
Ian & Catherine Hugill
Dennis Hurlburt µ
Robert Hyslop µ
Erin Iles µ
David Jackson
Simon Jackson
Rhonda Jansen & Brad Faught
Ian Johnson µ
Paula Johnson µ
Nicholas Jones
Tara Kapeluch
Ben Kates
Sonya Katrycz
Doreen Kays µ
Mary (Lewis) Kennedy µ
Glen & Glenda (Cummings)
Kent µ
Andrew Killawee
W. J. Tory & Margaret (von Maltzahn) Kirby µ
George Konok & Renee Kennedy
Phil Kretzmar & Kaarina Baker
Frances (Kuret) Krusekopf
Eric Kushner
Caleb Lawrence µ
Joanne Leatch
Thomas & Barbara (Aikman)
LeBrun µ
Thomas Ledwell µ
Adrian Lee
Tracy Lenfesty
T.C. Leung µ
Alan Levine & Iris Jacobson µ
Ruth Loomer
Bill & Stella Lord µ
Richard Sean Lorway
Tim & Matilde Lownie
Iain R.M. Luke µ
Andy Lynch µ
Margaret Lynch
Andrew MacDonald
Christina Macdonald µ
Lesa MacDonald
Kevin MacDonell
Elaine & Ian MacInnis
Ken & Mary MacInnis µ
David Mackay µ
John MacKay
Judith MacKenzie
Lina (McLean) MacKinnon µ
Donald MacLean
John MacLean
“Thank
you to all those who directed their gifts to Athletics. It’s a challenge for a small school like us to send so many teams to Nationals. You helped provide a big support system for us this year.”
— Ritu Shah, third-year neuroscience student, 2023-24 ACAA Player of the Year and CCAA Women’s Player of the Year
“King’s Athletics achieved a historic finish this year, and so did all of you—our Annual Fund donors! It always manages to cover something that we wouldn’t have been able to do without. It comes in like a superhero! If you could see the looks on the faces of the students; we truly do appreciate it.”
— Neil Hooper, Athletics Director (recently retired)
Stephen & Julianne (Doucet) MacLean µ
Russell MacLellan µ
Dale MacLennan
Rod & Robin MacLennan µ
Jennifer (Bassett) MacLeod
Marli MacNeil µ
Adrienne Malloy
Bob Mann
James Mann µ
Marjory Helen Masson
Heather May µ
Dulcie McCallum
Molly McCarron
Frances (Smith) McConnell
Warren McDougald
Mark McElman & Katie Bowden
Graham McGillivray
Stephanie McGrath
McInnes Cooper µ
Eric & Colleen McKee
Catherine McKenna
Alan McLeod
David Mercer µ
Berry Meyerowitz & Robyn Goren
Mike Milito & Judy Fox
Beverly Miller
Lois Miller & Iain Macdonald
Joyce (Blandford) Millman µ
Eric Mills
Catherine (Rhymes) Misener µ
Doug Mitchell & Simone Pink µ
Janet Mitchell µ
Wilfred Moore & Jane Adams Ritcey µ
Kathryn Morris
Joan Morrison µ
F. W. Orde Morton
Susan & Bruce Moxley
Elizabeth Murray & Gary Powell µ
Stephen Murray µ
David Myles µ
Peter Nathanson µ
Ardis Nelson µ
Andrea Nemetz
Kay Neufeld
Jan Nicholls & Paul Sobanski µ
Elena Nicholson
Billy Nikolaou
Sabine Nölke
Theresa Nowlan Suart
Peter O’Brien µ
Dan O’Connor
Laurie Omstead
Anne O’Neil µ
Charles O’Neil
Maggie O’Riordan-Ross µ
Fran Ornstein µ
Barbara Orser
Jessica & William Osborne
Marco Oved µ
Doug & Marlene Oxner
Sandra (Munroe) Oxner
John Page
Owen & Elizabeth (MacDonald) Parkhouse
Kevin Pask µ
Anne & Pays Payson µ
Charlotte (MacLean) Peach µ
LeRoy Peach µ
Laura Penny
Arthur & Elizabeth (Baert)
Peters
Robert Petite µ
Dennis Phillips
Diane Pickard & Russell Bamford µ
Cynthia (Smith) Pilichos µ
Daniel Pilon
Lori Pope
Helen Powell µ
Morton & Joanna Prager µ
Many wonderful motivations inspire the gifts acknowledged in this Donor Roll. We asked Mordecai Walfish, BA(Hons)’07, (Gold Crown Donor) to tell us his:
What inspired you to give to King’s and where does that generous spirit come from? I know that an experience like I had at King’s doesn’t just come to be—it needs to be resourced. I am privileged to be in a place where I can support the amazing environment that I gained so much in. It’s very much a matter of paying it forward and acknowledging that it was a priceless experience!
How did coming to King’s impact your life?
I would not be who I am today if it hadn’t been for my King’s experience. It taught me how to think critically, while finding joy and meaning in connection with others. It has fundamentally shaped how I approach the world—every conversation, every relationship, every challenge.
Emmanuel & Daphne Pressman
Margo Pullen Sly µ
Christina Quelch µ
Noel & Susan (Pullen) Quinn
Irene Randall µ
Kristen Rector
Ryan Rempel & Joanne Epp
Thomas Rhymes
Kelly Rice
Tim Rissesco
Patrick Rivest µ
Amy Rizner
David Roach & Alex Schofield µ
Trina C. Roache
Eve Roberts
Jessica Roher & Louis Century
Henry Roper µ
Gillian (Bidwell) Rose µ
Michael & Hildy Ross
Helen Anne Ryding
Andrew Sainsbury
Mike Sampson µ
Clare Samworth
Bonnie Sands µ
Myra (Crowe) Scott µ
Sheridan Scott
Aden Seaton & Howard Krongold µ
Sandra Shaul
Kyle Shaw & Christine Oreskovich
Shelley Shea µ
Arthur Shears
Amelia Shepherd
John Sherren
William Sherren µ
Catherine Shiner µ
Don Shipton
Nancy Amelia Simpson
Lynda Singer µ
Katharine Sircom µ
William Skinner µ
Jane Smith µ
Roslyn Smith µ
Stephen Snobelen µ
Peter & Elizabeth (Bayne) Sodero µ
William Sommerville
Andrew Sowerby µ
Leia Spencer
Detlev Steffen
Sarah E. Stevenson µ
Ian Stewart
Erin Stewart-Reid
Thomas Stinson µ
Carmon & Sharon Stone µ
Elisabeth Stones
Geoffrey Strople
Stephen Strople
Ann Surprenant
John Swain
Lisa Taggart µ
Elaine Taylor µ
Lisa Taylor & Peter Kenyon
Moira Taylor & Michael Hooton
R. Brian & Sheila Taylor µ
Kelley Teahen µ
D. Lionel Teed µ
Jerome Teitel µ
Lhadon Tethong
Geraldine Thomas µ
Chelsea Thorne µ
Sarah Thornton
Robyn Tingley
Total Install Video Voice
Data Inc.
Patti Towler
Nicholas Townley
Juliette Valcke & Jérôme Blais
Anna van Blankenstein
Innes van Nostrand
T. Lorraine Vassalo
Jennifer (Thornhill) Verma
Thomas Vincent µ
Nancy (Clark) Violi µ
Anne von Maltzahn µ
Valerie Vuillemot µ
Mordecai Walfish µ
William Wells µ
Kenneth West
Alvin Westgate & Cathy Ramey-Westgate
Tara Wigglesworth-Hines µ
Hugh Williamson
Susan Willmot
Jan Winton µ
James Wood µ
Kathryn Wood µ
Faye Woodman
Charles Wurtzburg
Drew Yamada & Jennifer Adcock
Sue Zinck
CUPOLA CLUB (up to $99)
anonymous (19)
Mark & JoAnn (Sherwood) Alberstat
Gillian Archibald
Kenneth Askew µ
Erin Balser
Joshua Bates µ
Eric Beresford
Carrie Bolton
Timothy Borlase µ
Stephanie Boudreau
Meredith Bullock
Tessa Cernik
Lyssa Clack
Brenda Clark
Alison Clarke
Peter Coffin µ
Sarah (Eberts) Cooper
John Creelman
Veronica Curran µ
Geoff Davies
Lynn Davies
Susan Davies µ
Douglas Davis µ
Ingrid D’eon
Jennifer Duchesne
Michael Dunn µ
Joanne & James Ellis
Edward & Karen English
Kirk Feindel
Alyssa & Matthew Feir µ
Leah Fitzgerald
Nicholas Frew
Fern Friesen
Holly Gilkie
Lori & Bob Gillies
Leslie (Fyfe) Golding
Kimberly Gosse
Elizabeth Grant
Nicholas Harris
Keith Hatfield µ
Annette Hayward
Pamela Hazel
H. Douglas Hergett µ
Kirsten Hill
Michael Hoare µ
Barbara Hodkin
Myra Hyland-Samson
Jane Jessome
Sandra Johnson
Claudette (Callbeck) Johnston
Michael Kaczorowski
Virginia Kairys
Gladys (Nickerson) Keddy µ
Robin Keddy
Mary Beth Knight µ
Simon Kow µ
Diane Kuipers
Ethan LaPlante
Christian Laroche
Nadine LaRoche
Amanda Le Rougetel
Susan LeBlanc
Dylan Leiper
Catherine Lipa
Cory Lunn
Casey Lynch
Jason MacGregor
Kathleen MacKeigan & Chris Gibson
Alyssa MacKenzie
Leslie MacLeod
Ronald Marks
Cathy Martin
M. Garth Maxwell µ
Barbara (Neish) McArthur µ
Emma Metallic
Tara Middleton
Elizabeth Montgomery
Shirley Moore
Simone Newstadt
Andrew O’Neill µ
Richard Ortner µ
Sarah Parneta
Andréa Pilichos
Mark & Carolyn Power µ
Jonathan Powers
Jennifer Rae-Brown
Christopher Richardson
Nancy (Brimicombe) Ring
Sheila (Fenton) Robinson µ
Anthony Rosborough
Naomi Rosenfeld
Jonathan & Emily (Hunter)
Rowe
Daragh Russell
Christine Ryan
Mary & Edmund Salenieks
Sharlene Salter
William Sheppard
Pietra Shirley
Paul Simpson
Antonia Sly Nichols & Cluny Nichols
Heather Speirs Allen
Heather (Christian)
Stevenson µ
Dorian Stuber
Peter Taylor
Edward Thompson
Kelly Toughill µ
Randy & Deborah Townsend µ
Ian Wagschal
Terrance Wasson
John Weeren
Heidi Whipple
Ian & Carla (George) Whytock
Juliet Williams
Laura Young
Nerissa Zhang
Sam Zucchi
*deceased
“Through these (unrestricted) donations coming in we are able to allocate the money in ways that people might not even think of … you might not physically see the effects of it, but you will feel the effects of it. Thank you for helping to make this 100-year-old campus stay beautiful.”
—
Sydney Haines, third-year student and Sobey Family Scholar, Summer Facilities Student Worker (and tender of the Willwerth
Garden)
LEGACY
Estate of F.C. Manning* µ
IN MEMORY OF
Jamie Almeda
Peter Bourne
Teresa M. Casey
Innis Christie
Sheri Clift
Jane Curran
Brian Cuthbertson
Lucy Cuthbertson
Dr. Margaret Dechman
George Earles
Brian Fisher
Alex Fountain
Brock Fraser
John Godfrey
Dr. Marie Waldron Hamilton & Wanda Greenlaw
Geraldine Hamm
Harold Hazen
Peggy Heller
Angus Johnston
Sheila Jones
Walter Kemp
Jack Lawson
John MacDonell
Tom McNulty
Gertrude Nowlan
Barbara Ann (Glendinning)
Smith UKC ’64
Janice Smith
Joy H. and Harry D. Smith
Jenn Stephen
Tom Stephen
Professor Kraft von Maltzahn
IN HONOUR OF
50 years of FYP
Adriane Abbott and her team
Chaplain Support
George Cooper
Tom Curran
Jonathan Downing
Eileen Kleven
FYP Class of 2006-2007
Dorota Glowacka
Jennifer Gray
Roselle Green
Serra Hamilton, 2024
Allison Hill
King’s Student Support Advisor and Residence & Housing Teams
King’s students who created the Wardroom
The great spirit among the Kings community
Bill Lahey
Arthur Matheson
The McKee Family
Gordon McOuat
Gaby Milner
Isabelle Victoria Ortner
Jordan Spears
Michal Stein
Gary Thorne
University Naval Training Division of King’s
SPONSORSHIPS
Bird Mechanical
Blomidon Inn
Castone Construction
Chain Yard Cider
Chartwells
Coach Atlantic
Coldstream Clear Distillery
Duffus Romans Kundzins Rounsefell Architects
Gilbert Canada
Good Robot Brewing Company
Kerr Controls Ltd.
O’Regan’s Automotive Group
Surrette Battery Company
TD Insurance Meloche Monnex
“Here, in the chapel, we wear choir robes each time we sing a service. And over the years as they are passed down from one member of the choir to another, they become a little bit raggedy, buttons fall off. And so, I’m very pleased to say that thanks to your donations we are now able to buy a completely new set of robes. We sing in many ceremonies and events that are fully secular events, like our Encaenia ceremony. We will be looking and singing our very best thanks to your donations.”
— Neil Cockburn, Director of Chapel Music
May Young was awarded the 2023-24 Dr. Rowland Marshall HOST Essay Prize for her paper titled “Transcending human/nature: transhumanism, space-colonization, and questions of justice,” written for Ecology and Religion.
Established by Dr. Rowland Marshall, friend of the university, the prize celebrates the best research essay written in one of three History of Science and Technology classes in ecology and environment.
May wrote to Dr. Marshall and we share her letter as an example of the universal feeling of encouragement and recognition that student assistance provides.
Scan the QR code to learn more about the prize and its past recipients
PETER MANSBRIDGE INVESTIGATIVE WRITING AWARD
In 2023-24, King’s announced that a $100,000 gift from esteemed Canadian journalist Peter Mansbridge would endow a new scholarship to be awarded annually to a student in their second year of the Master of Journalism or Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction program. In order to be eligible, an applicant must demonstrate that their project is investigative in nature, has strong publication potential and that the funds required to complete the research for the project will not be covered by other means.
INAUGURAL RECIPIENT OF THE PETER MANSBRIDGE INVESTIGATIVE WRITING AWARD TO TELL FAMILY’S UNTOLD STORY
SIMONE BLAIS IS VISITING THE Crowsnest Museum & Archives. A community made up of several small towns huddled in the Rocky Mountains, Crowsnest Pass Municipality is a long way from her home of Kelowna, British Columbia. Blais is here on a mission.
The museum’s archivist is more than happy to help, offering Blais full access to the archives. At the turn of the 20th century, Crowsnest Pass was home to a booming coal industry. The town’s archives hold countless ledgers and registers detailing the immigrants who lived, worked and built communities there. Blais knows what she’s after as she parses the boxes of 100-yearold documents. She’s searching for two names in particular: Emilio and Julia Maletta.
After a while, she draws her hands back, shocked. Her fingertips are stained black.
“I couldn’t figure out what the heck was happening, why my hands were turning black,” she recounts. “And then I realized it was coal dust. All of these miners were coming back after a shift and signing this book and leaving coal dust on the pages. Sometimes history is very tangible, you can feel it, it’s tactile.”
Blais, a student in King’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction program, has been researching Italian-Canadians in the first half of the 20th century. During the 1940s, at the height of the Second World War, the Canadian government classified these citizens as “enemy aliens.” It’s a project that hits close to home for her—the Malettas were her maternal grandparents. They lived
through and experienced the direct repercussions of this time.
Crowsnest Pass was home to a large community of Italian-Canadians who built communities around the mines and railroads that stretched west, Blais’s grandparents among them. For the writer searching for something, anything, that might explain why her grandparents were designated as “enemies,” it’s a good place to start.
Today, however, she doesn’t find what she’s looking for.
On the drive home, her husband suggests she sets her sights bigger. Perhaps the provincial archives in Victoria and federal archives in Ottawa will have what she’s looking for.
This is where the Peter Mansbridge Investigative Writing Award comes in.
Blais’s project, The Stone Mason’s Wife: Fear, Fascism and Italian Family in Rural Canada was chosen from among three entrants from the MFA and MJ programs, by a jury consisting of Gillian Turnbull, MFA’17, Director of Writing and Publishing, Fred Vallance-Jones, Director of Journalism and investigative author Jessica McDiarmid, BJ(Hons)’08, MFA’16. The jury “was impressed with the clarity of [Blais’s] purpose, the research plan and the work done to date. It was evident from the application that Blais had developed a focused, realistic plan to unearth long-buried information, through not only searching archives but also using Access to Information and Privacy requests and other investigative tactics,” the jury members said.
Inglis Professor Dean Jobb, Cohort Director of the Creative Nonfiction program, elaborates: “Simone submitted a detailed and ambitious research plan that will enable her to recreate the lives of her grandparents, who emigrated from Italy to Western Canada and became ‘enemy aliens,’ forced to jettison their heritage, during the Second World War. We’re delighted that the Mans-
bridge Award will support her as she tells this timely story of family, migration and belonging.”
Blais said she was surprised, and delighted, to find out she was to be the first recipient of the award.
“I grew up with Peter Mansbridge, he read the news to me and my family every night. He was always a trusted source of information,” she explains. “It’s a huge honour to be the recipient of this award… it feels like standing on the shoulders of giants, in a sense. It’s a huge opportunity, but it comes with responsibility.”
When it comes to research, Blais knows her way around. She holds a diploma of journalism and public relations from Kwantlen Polytechnic University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Simon Fraser University. Working as a journalist and editor for 15 years, she says her favourite assignments were the ones centred around community history and family—especially those that reflect the broader, sometimes untold stories of the Canadian experience.
Drawn to King’s MFA for the way its low-residency format enables her to con-
tinue working alongside the program, Blais says the program has been invaluable to her project’s development. In particular, she cites the help of her three MFA mentors— Lezlie Lowe, BA(Hons)’96, MFA’16, Wanda Taylor, BJ’08, and Ayelet Tsabari—for helping her parse out history.
“Everyone in the program was so helpful. It didn’t matter who I reached out to. The directors were phenomenal, it’s been a really great experience.”
Perhaps the most important thing this project has provided Blais, on a personal level, is a deeper understanding of her own family and what they went through. Her grandparents died before she was born—she learned their story second-hand from other family members.
Asked what she would like to know from them if they met today, she pauses for a moment, gathering her thoughts.
“I think I would want to ask them, ‘What should we remember?’”
Through her project, Blais will find out.
KING’S PRIORITIZES
KING’S NOW OFFERS STUDENTS, faculty and staff the ability to connect with a wide array of resources and expertise available on campus to support their success and well-being. It’s a change that reflects a sense of purpose driven by President William Lahey’s mandate, and one funded by the generosity of University Chancellor Debra Deane Little and Robert Little, her husband.
For the members of staff who serve the community from this space—the Accessibility Officer, Student Support Advisor, Sexual Health and Safety Officer and Equity Officer—the newly minted centre makes a significant difference.
The Deane Little gift in 2023-24 was crucial to creating a space that truly reflects the unique needs and spirit of its new occupants, and one that is ready to welcome the entire community.
“Bob and I have long admired the way the King’s community rallies to support each other. Placing caring for each other
prominently at the forefront of this exemplary college is central to its ethos … and just happens to align with our values too,” adds Chancellor Deane Little. “We are happy to provide the support to realize this wonderful new centre.”
President William Lahey says the process really began about two years ago, when the university began hiring new faculty and staff members whose roles align with the values of equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusion (EDAI).
Lahey believes that by making this significant structural change and bringing together these supports, it demonstrates to incoming students and surrounding communities that King’s is committed to supporting and providing resources, especially for marginalized groups.
“This is high-profile space,” he says. “It’s space that students walk by all the time, it’s where the King’s Students’ Union is located, it’s the hallway between Prince Hall and
Alumni Hall. It makes the availability of the supports that we have in place very apparent to our students in particular. And I think that speaks strongly to our values and the strength of our commitments.”
With a new academic year underway, Lahey says he hopes students will find the space helpful and make use of it. “I hope this space is perceived by current and prospective students and their families as a true reflection of our dedication and commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
ABOVE LEFT: William Lahey, Jordan Roberts, Michelle Mahoney, Katie Merwin, BA(Hons)’11, Isaac Wright, Bob Little and Debra Deane Little hold a red ribbon as Debra cuts it in the new Deane Little Community Support Centre
BLACK VOICES, BLACK STORIES
The Annual Fund made a King’s writing workshop possible, creating a much-needed space for Black writers to tell their stories and share them with the world.
IN SPRING 2024, Wanda Taylor, BJ’08, Adjunct Professor and Mentor in the School of Journalism, Writing & Publishing, ran an exciting new non-credit writing workshop called Black Voices, Black Stories. Thanks to the Annual Fund, all eight participants received bursaries and were able to attend at no cost. We asked Taylor to share some highlights from the eight-week workshop and about the importance of funding programs that champion and support Black writers.
Tell us about the workshop and why you developed it.
Usually, our workshops are for writers wanting to know where to go next, wanting some direction and wanting to talk. But what’s specific to this workshop is that it was just for Black writers. King’s has been doing these non-credit courses for a few years, but this is the first one that’s been specific to writers of colour.
Why is a workshop like this so important for King’s to offer?
Part of the reason why it’s so important is because, for many underrepresented writers, getting a foot in the door can feel almost impossible. Especially when you haven’t proven yourself yet, and you already face additional barriers. King’s offering this becomes a way to get your foot in a door. And I saw firsthand how that propelled participants on to greater things. One participant was inspired
to apply to King’s Master of Fine Arts in Fiction program. Now, she’s in her first year of the program, where she has access to all kinds of mentors and writers, and a community that will be there with her beyond the MFA degree. At the end of the day, that is what it was all for.
Can you speak more about the barriers that people of colour face in the publishing industry?
When we’re talking about writing and publishing, people of colour have not been able to see themselves in books, historically. When I grew up, I loved reading. I read books all the time, but I never saw myself in books. I said to my Grade Three teacher, “There are no Black girls in these books.” And she said, “If you don’t see them, you become a storyteller and you put those people in the books that you’re not seeing,” which is what I did and why I’m an author
today. Now, we are seeing more and more of ourselves and it’s encouraging. It’s inspiring and it tells us that, yes, we are good enough to be in stories and we are good enough to tell stories. But we are coming into an industry that is predominantly white—that means everyone from the acquisitions person to the gatekeeper, editor and publishing house. That’s slowly changing, but it’s still a real barrier. Finances are a barrier. Access is a barrier. I was on the acquisition side, and at the time, I was the only person of colour in the room and I would have to advocate. Often, the comments in the room were “I don’t understand that story,” “I don’t understand this character” or “I don’t understand this place.” I was the person in the room who had to try to advocate, to say, “This is why this character is doing that.” If you don’t have advocates in the room, those conversations aren’t being had.
Was there anything that surprised you about this course?
I did one session on Black joy and talking about resiliency. We don’t always have to talk about struggle. We don’t always have to talk about darkness. We are a community of people who have a lot of other things about us besides just being Black and being in the struggle. So, when we had that conversation about Black joy, I think some of them had tears. It was like, it’s okay to write the great things. And I find, sometimes in publishing, it’s all about “we want your story of trauma,” but we want to push past that and say, “How do we write past that trauma and write the wonderful things?” And how do we then get publishers to say this is also worth publishing? We want to laugh. We want to have fun. We have great families. We’re doctors, we’re lawyers. We want you to see us past the trauma. And so that was a really great and surprising session.
What impact did support from the Annual Fund have on this program?
Without the Annual Fund, I can tell you with certainty, that these participants wouldn’t have been able to be part of the program. I hope the funders and people who facilitate these bursaries realize how much it means to a new Black writer who doesn’t have the finances to be able to get that kind of access. I would say this is one of the best investments I have seen in a very long time, because what those donations did for them will carry through to the rest of their journey. What they learned, what they experienced, you just can’t put a price tag on that, and they never would have gotten that experience if it wasn’t for the Annual Fund.
