Mark Your Calendars

// Directors and choreographers for stage and screen, the Kuperman Brothers — Rick Kuperman ’07 and Jeff Kuperman ’08 —

provided fight choreography and stunt work for actor Paul Rudd on the season finale for the Netflix show Living With Yourself, where Rudd’s character has an epic battle with his clone. Their choreography for an off-Broadway musical, Alice by Heart, earned them the Joe A. Callaway Award for Outstanding Choreography. The siblings also recently lent their choreography talents to Cyrano, a musical starring Peter Dinklage with music by The National.

IN PHOTO (LEFT TO RIGHT): Jeff and Rick

Seeing Canada Differently, which is under contract with Palgrave Macmillan, and is in the second term of her role as an elected faculty member on the University of New Brunswick’s Board of Governors.

A stunning modern design of the new joint “super library” for the Ottawa Public Library and the Library and Archives Canada was unveiled by codesigners Diamond Schmitt Architects, the firm of Donald Schmitt O .C . ’70, and KWC Architects. The building’s design, with a stone and wood exterior, draws from Ottawa’s rich history and natural beauty with a dynamic form reminiscent of the nearby Ottawa River. “They’ve become the cathedrals of our age,” Donald told the Globe and Mail. The $193 million project is expected to break ground next year.

It’s a superkül world, for designers Meg Graham ’89 and Andre D’Elia. Their firm, superkül, was named 2020 Designer of the Year by Designlines magazine in Toronto for its innovative passive houses that achieve near-zero emissions and reduced environment footprints, as well as its contributions to the public realm. See the cover story on page 8.

LITERARY NEWS

Robert Armstrong ’65 has published his third book, La télévision au Québec: Miroir d’une société, (Presses de l’Université Laval, 2019). This essay on the history and current affairs of Quebec television explores how the digital revolution transformed television in the province and how the medium still persists as a mirror of society.

Summerwood/Winterwood, two linked fantasy stories by author and illustrator Elaine Chen ’94, made the CBC list of 30 Canadian young adult and middlegrade books to watch for in fall 2019. The stories focus on a 12-year-old girl’s dangerous journey into a magical land called Summerwood to save her sister, and how it comes back to haunt her three years later.

Paul Tough ’85 released his fourth book in September, called The Years that Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us. See the feature story on page 14.

Interested in joining the Branching Out program to mentor senior UTS students? Contact Rebecca Harrison for more details: rebecca.harrison@utschools.ca.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24 UTSAA Annual Alumni Dinner

Join us for a grand celebration of our vibrant alumni community at the Annual Alumni Dinner, honouring graduation classes ending in zeros and fives. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel, with dinner at 7 p.m.

To RSVP, go to www.utschools.ca/rsvp or contact alumni@utschools.ca. For further information, please call 416-978-3919.

Julia Gaudio (née Romanski) ’12, and her husband, Joseph Gaudio, welcomed their son Luca Leonard Gaudio into the world on November 11, 2019.

BRANCHING OUT

Several young alumni volunteered for the Branching Out mentorship program, sharing their experiences and advice about university with S6 (Grade 12) students, through 25 mentoring partnerships.

Thirteen young alumni came back to UTS to provide speed mentoring and lead panel discussions about applying and transitioning to university life. Five members of the Class of 1949 came together for a reunion luncheon at 371 Bloor Street West in January, over seven decades after graduation day! Jim Fleck, C .C . ’49, P ’72 wouldn’t miss it for the world; he joined via video-call from Florida. The Class of 1952 celebrated their 67th anniversary at the farm of Ron Garlick. The bucolic setting of the reunion came complete with a sheep herding demonstration by one of Ron’s neighbours!

TOP: The Class of 1952 and the sheep herding demonstration at Ron Garlick's farm. BOTTOM: The Branching Out mentorship program in action at UTS.

Show Your UTS Spirit!

utschools.ca/shop

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Class of 1954; Class of 1959 reunion organizer Tibor Szandtner, with spouse Elizabeth Szandtner; Class of 1959’s Barry Graham, with spouse Bonnie Graham; Homecoming 2019 (two pictures); alumni volleyball event; Class of 1961 left to right: Doug Adamson, Michael Tinkler, Jon Johnson, Michael Schwartz, Norm Flett, Owen Moorhouse and Bob Vernon (Paul Manley also attended); Class of 1978 with teachers Ornella Barrett and Don Boutros.

Under sunny skies, 25 members from the Class of 1954 gathered to celebrate their 65th anniversary of graduation from UTS at classmate Gord Duncan’s farm. Those who were unable to attend sent in letters which were read out to delight and applause by the class!

In September, 17 members of the Class of 1959 marked their 60th anniversary at the Thornhill Golf and Country Club. Another cause for celebration was their successful Building the Future campaign project, which raised $100,000!

Eight members of the Class of 1961 reunited for a lunch at the historic Arts and Letters Club in Toronto this past November to reminisce about their days at UTS, and how it shaped their lives.

Holiday merriment was in abundance as a dozen members of the Class of 1978 — David Allan, Steve Craig, Penny Harbin, Neil McLean, Doug Rankin, John Robson, John Rose, Tim Sellers, Paul Wang, Kemp Watson, John Wilkinson, Michael Wright — celebrated at Toronto’s Wallace Gastropub in December. Teachers Ornella Barrett and Don Boutros also attended.

The night before the Alumni Dinner, the Class of 1979 reunited to celebrate the good times at the Madison Pub in Toronto, organized by Andrew Hainsworth ’79.

Calvin Kwok ’12 organized an alumni volleyball game over the holiday season, attended by 13 alumni from the classes of 2011 to 2017, as well as an S6 (Grade 12) student and two “friends of UTS.”

It’s good to come home for the holidays! Over 65 members of the Class of 2019 joined staff at homecoming in December at the UTS Library at 30 Humbert Street.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Alumni at branch events in Waterloo, Montreal, London and Hamilton.

BRANCH EVENTS

UTS goes to university: Thanks to Diana Skrzydlo ’01 who launched the 2019–20 UTS branch event season by hosting UTS alumni at the University of Waterloo! It was such a good idea that we visited alumni in Montreal at McGill University, Hamilton at McMaster University, and London at Western University.

IN MEMORIAM

J . BLAIR SEABORN C .M . ’41 1924–2019 A renowned diplomat, dedicated public servant, and family man, J . Blair Seaborn C .M . ’41 passed away in Ottawa at age 95.

In the 1960s, Paul Martin Sr. referred to him as one of Canada’s “ablest diplomats.” Regarded as an expert on communism, Blair spent 22 years in the foreign service with postings in The Hague, Paris, Moscow and Saigon, the latter as Canadian Commissioner for the International Commission for Supervision and Control. In 1965, he was hailed on the cover of Maclean’s magazine as the “Vietnam trouble shooter” for his work, which included a covert mission during the Vietnam war.

Shifting to domestic public service in 1971, Blair enjoyed 19 years in senior federal positions. Promoted to deputy minister at Environment Canada in 1975, his capacity to bring people together instilled a strong sense of corporate identity and mission in the department. From 1985 until he retired in 1989, he was effectively one of Canada’s top spies, as the Intelligence and Security Coordinator for the Privy Council Office.

He was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2000.

UTS was a family affair for Blair, following in the footsteps of four of his older brothers: Jack ’27, Bob ’28, Charlie ’33, and Ted ’35 Seaborn. He went on to study political science and economics at the University of Toronto’s Trinity College, where he also obtained his M.A. after a three-year army stint. At Trinity, his met his wife, Carol, who passed away in 2011. He leaves behind his son Geoffrey, daughter Virginia, three beloved grandchildren, who affectionately called him “J.B.,” and two great-grandchildren. Adapted from the Globe and Mail, November 21, 2019.

KAREN O’CONNOR ’81 1963–2019 I first met Karen at UTS in 1975 in Grade 7. I was drawn to her vivaciousness — the way she swooped back her hair, her laugh and frequent hugs. Karen had a way of making people feel good about themselves which attracted many to her. She remained my bestie throughout UTS. As co-chairs of the dance committee (and without the assistance of iTunes), we used math class to curate four hours

of dance music. Karen did not like discord. She was even-tempered and free of malice, often reminding us of our hidden biases. That didn’t mean she didn’t have opinions. She did, and fiercely so, of people, restaurants, and books — especially books. Karen may have been the fastest reader I ever met, devouring everything from airport bestsellers to Nobel Prize winners. Later at University of Toronto’s Trinity College, while some of us became involved in acting, Karen stage-managed plays, foreshadowing her career in the hospitality industry. A stage manager is the director’s right-hand, and oversees all backstage activity. To be successful, you have to be conscientious, selfless, and somehow likeable too — Karen to a tee. Karen was extremely generous, and her home was always warm and welcoming. She was an avid traveller with her parents Lenore and Kelly, a loving big sister to Jackie (Stuart) and Joe (Alli) and a doting aunt to Caroline, Sarah, Emily and Luke. A beautiful friend and person through and through, she will stay in our hearts forever. – Amalia Jimenez ’81

NICOLE STEF ’16 1998–2019 It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of our beloved daughter, sister, and friend Nicole. She was 21 years old. Words cannot describe the extraordinary person she was and the blessing she brought to our lives. Nicole spent six years at UTS, graduating in 2016. During her time at UTS, she was passionately involved with DECA, athletics, SHOW, and visual arts. Her high school years were some of the most fulfilling of her life and there she met her greatest friends. After graduation, Nicole had plans to pursue medicine but had to withdraw from university in the first month due to illness and was unable to return.

The last four years of her life she suffered from severe chronic pain, but never gave up her interest in neuroscience, psychology, and activism. She stood up for animal rights, climate and social justice. Perhaps most impressive was her drive to create. She was a talented artist and her art is rich with emotion and beauty. Her dream was not to turn her great talent and passion into a great career, but rather to do something meaningful and help others with it. A show with her art is being curated for the Keys Gallery at UTS. She was inspirational, not just in her creativity, but also in her strength and ability to communicate raw emotion.

Nicole will be remembered as a shining light in our hearts as she shaped the lives of everyone around her with her passion, humour, and kindness. She will be greatly missed by many.

– Alisha Atri ’16 and Alexandra Birkenshaw ’16

DEREK BATE ’44, P ’71, ’73, ’75, GP ’16 1926–2020 Please see the tribute in the Advancement Report on page 5.

What will you do?

To designate UTS in your will or as a designation for memorial gifts, please contact Martha Drake, Executive Director, Advancement. 416-946-0097 mdrake@utschools.ca

LOOKING BACK

Among his UTS claims to fame, including teaching generations of UTS students biology, chemistry and physics (1954–1987), Fred Speed was a prolific artist . He wrote or co-wrote nine textbooks, many of which included his illustrations . Outside of academia, Fred produced sketches, watercolours and cartoons . This collection was featured in UTS: The First Fifty Years, produced in 1960 . Fred passed away in 2008 but, thanks to a labour of love by his daughter, Claire, was the Spring 2019 Keys Gallery artist . From the fine lines of his lithographs to the friendly laughter that lingered in his classrooms, Fred’s memory lives on in the works he produced and the joy he inspired .