The Legend, April 2012

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V O L U M E 11

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ISSUE EIGHT

A personal connection

the UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

In 1967, four days in Waterton set U of L on its course

Horns’ Terrence Blake hits the rap charts with debut single

Burke honoured for helping bring science to the community

Calderwood still exploring boundaries The U of L Legend is published monthly during the academic year by the communications unit within University Advancement. Submissions, comments and story ideas are always welcome. The Legend reserves the right to refuse any submitted advertisement. The Legend can be found online at issuu.com/ulethbridge. A DV E R T I S I N G For ad rates or other information, contact: legend@uleth.ca CREDITS Editor: Trevor Kenney Designer: Angelsea Saby CO N T R I B U TO R S: Amanda Berg, Bob Cooney, Kyle Dodgson, Jane Edmundson, Rumi Graham, Erica Lind, Jesse Malinsky, Suzanne McIntosh, Kali McKay, Rob Olson, Stacy Seguin, Jaime Vedres, Katherine Wasiak, Richard Westlund and Jamie Woodford

University of Lethbridge 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4 www.ulethbridge.ca

Dr. Tom Droog honours the memory of his late wife Emmy with a landmark gift to the Faculty of Health Sciences.

BY KALI MCKAY

F

or southern Alberta businessman Dr. Tom Droog (LLD ’06), there is no secret to success – it is simply the result of hard work and determination. “For years, every morning I get up and tell myself to become what I’m meant to be because I truly believe that I have a purpose to fulfil,” says Droog. “If you’re fulfilling your purpose, you’ll have an awesome life because nothing will ever seem like work.” It was that drive that made Droog so determined to make something of himself when he immigrated to Canada in 1972. “When I left Holland, I had lead in my shoes,” says Droog, who arrived with $125 in his pocket. “I had something to prove because I didn’t want to be the guy with the big yak who had to go back with his tail between his legs.” And prove something he did. Droog, along with his wife and business partner Emmy, vaulted to the forefront of consumer snacking success in 1990 when they introduced Spitz, a line of roasted sunflower seed snacks. The couple worked together to build their business while raising two children, daughter Christy Strom (BN ’03) and son Randy. In 2008, the Droogs sold Spitz to PepsiCo. “Now I’ve got to do something with it,” says Droog, who admits he

has been blessed beyond measure. On Mar. 15, the University of Lethbridge Faculty of Health Sciences announced a $2 million endowment enabled by a $1 million donation from Droog and his family. The gift is in honour of Emmy, who lost a long battle with cancer in 2010.

“I believe that ideas come from ideas and I think this has awesome potential.”

DR. TOM DROOG

“When doctors mention the word cancer, people stop listening,” says Droog, who was devastated by his wife’s diagnosis in 2006. Over the next several years, the couple worked together investigating various health-care options that would help improve Emmy’s quality of life as she battled her illness. “Emmy really believed in the alternatives,” says Droog, who was Emmy’s strongest advocate. “All she ever asked for was that I lovingly support her decisions. I didn’t always do it lovingly, but I always supported her.” Droog’s donation will allow the U of L to establish the Emmy Droog Professorship in Complementary

and Alternative Health Care, enabling evidence-based research to explore the issues and care practices associated with complementary and alternative medicine. “I believe in education and alternative healing and I’m happy to be able to support them both through this gift,” says Droog. “I believe that ideas come from ideas and I think this has awesome potential.” Dr. Christopher Hosgood, the dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, is looking forward to the opportunities afforded by this significant gift, which will benefit all programs in the Faculty. He adds that as the largest individual donation to health sciences programming at the U of L, Droog’s gift represents a vote of confidence in the Faculty and helps set the stage for future growth. “It is very encouraging for our Faculty to know that we have such a strong, committed individual working alongside us. We are honoured to have been chosen as the recipient of this gift and are committed to using the resources we’ve been entrusted with wisely,” says Hosgood. The U of L will look to hire someone for the Professorship position in 2014. In the meantime the funds will be used to fund the creation of research partnerships between scholars and practitioners in the field of complementary and alternative health.


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