VIU Alumni magazine - Journey, Spring 2011 by Vancouver Island University

For The Alumni And Friends Of Vancouver Island University volume 4

Celebrating 75 years of excellence in education P ub . A greement N o .

40063601

issue 1

spring/summer 2011

Rediscover Your School Spirit VIU’s Alumni Association is working hard to establish a strong, vibrant network of graduates and we need your help.

Do you have time to volunteer? Expertise you’d like to share? We’d like to hear from you. You can make a difference in the life of your fellow alumni and your alma mater:

• Become an Alumni Association board member

• Mentor current students

• Serve as an ambassador for the institution

• Fundraise in support of current and future students

You could also help VIU’s Alumni Association support graduates by organizing alumni events, creating networking opportunities and promoting alumni benefits. Have you purchased your Alumni Privilege Card? For an annual fee of $10, you’ll receive discounts from: VIU Library

VIU Residences

VIU Gymnasium

VIU Bookstore (Nanaimo Campus)

VIU Theatre

Milner Gardens

Discovery Room

Fairwinds Golf Course

Stay connected: Register on our website at www.viu.ca/alumni. Join our Facebook

& LinkedIn

communities.

VIU Alumni Relations Phone: 250 · 740 · 6215 Fax: 250 · 740 · 6491 E-mail: alumni@viu.ca www.viu.ca/alumni

Volume 4 | Issue 1 | Spring/Summer 2011 Publisher Office of Development & Alumni, Vancouver Island University Managing Editor Manager, Alumni Relations David Forrester (Phys Ed ’02, Rec & Sport ’02) Editor & Writer Janina Stajic Contributors Amanda Avender (BA ’13) Linda McDonell Teresa Moore Rebecca Smith (BSc Nursing ’04) Graphic Design Nancy Pagé www.nancypagedesign.com Cover Photo A building construction class with instructor Daniel Egdell, circa 1939. Image Courtesy of VIU Archives Journey is published in the spring and fall by VIU’s Office of Development & Alumni and is distributed free of charge to alumni and friends. All material is copyright © 2011, Vancouver Island University Development & Alumni, and may be reprinted with written permission. Opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of Vancouver Island University. The Vancouver Island University community acknowledges and thanks the Tla’Amin, Qualicum, Snaw Naw As, Snuneymuxw, Quw’utsun, Halalt, Penelakut, Lyackson, Chemainus, and Lake Cowichan First Nations on whose traditional lands we teach, learn, research, live, and share knowledge. We welcome letters to the editor. Please address all correspondence to: Editor, Journey 114 – 59 Wharf Street Nanaimo, British Columbia Canada, V9R 2X3 alumni@viu.ca

Advertising Inquiries David Forrester Manager, Alumni Relations 114 – 59 Wharf Street Nanaimo, British Columbia Canada, V9R 2X3 250 · 740 · 6214 david.forrester@viu.ca Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40063601

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& images pr

tters dian le

Cana

Memorabilia from VIU’s Canadian Letters & Images Project.

features An Evolution in Education . . . . 11-19 Celebrate VIU’s 75th anniversary with a look ..

back at the institution’s colourful past.

History in the Raw . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21

A unique research project preserves soldiers’ stories for future generations.

departments

Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Campus News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10 Alumni in View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-24 Class Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25-29

Home Stretch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

viu communications

SPRING/SUMMER 2011

manager’s message

75th Anniversary Fund Announced In preparation for VIU’s 75th anniversary celebrations I’ve been listening to alumni stories from every decade since the first class began in the fall of 1936. While students from the different decades may have studied in different classrooms, their student experiences are remarkably similar. Alumni consistently of the 1 9 3 6 – 2 0speak 11 benefits found in small classes, of a favourite professor who made an impact on their life or how they met their spouse or significant other on

campus. They also feel that attending the school was one of the best choices they made as their education ultimately led to future career success. As a member of the VIU family, you helped shape our history with your own unique story. Now as alumni you have the chance to support someone else’s educational journey. In recognition of this celebratory year, the VIU Alumni Association is pleased to announce a new 75th Anniversary Fund, created to meet the growing needs of our students. Last year our alumni contributed more than $33,000 to VIU for alumni initiatives, scholarships, awards and bursaries. For our 75th anniversary we have set a target of raising $75,000. To kick start the campaign the Alumni Office will match the first

$5,000 in donations by alumni. No gift is too small as cumulative giving from alumni makes a huge difference! Please see the appeal at the bottom of this page for more information on the 75th Anniversary Fund. You can also visit www.viu.ca/ giving or call 250.740.6214. I encourage you to send in your contribution today! Sincerely, David Forrester Manager, Alumni Relations Vancouver Island University

1936 – 2011

VANCOUV ER ISLAND U N I V E R S I T Y

YES, I want to support the 75th Anniversary Fund

Please detach and return this portion with your gift or call 250.740.6214 to donate by phone. I would like to donate:

$7.50 monthly or make a one-time gift of

$75

$750

Other $__________

I prefer to spread my donation over a fixed time period using post-dated cheques or automatic credit card payments. Please call me to complete arrangements.

My cheque is enclosed.

Name:_____________________________________________ Address:_______________________ ____________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City:_____________________________________________________________________ Postal Code: _________________________ Telephone:_________________________________________ Email:____________________________________________________ Signature:__________________________________________

Charitable Registration No. 88733 3482 RR0001

Please make all cheques payable to Vancouver Island University Foundation. Please mail cheques to: VIU Alumni Office, 114-59 Wharf Street, Nanaimo, B.C., V9R 2X3.

president’s message

History panels on the fifth floor of the library on VIU’s Nanaimo campus.

Powell River students can now attend classes in one central location. These new spaces will allow us to continue our commitment to inspire our students with state-of-the-art learning environments and enhance our connections with local, regional and international communities. Finally, I’m happy to announce the Board of Governors and the Senate recently approved a new institutional vision and academic plan which can be viewed at: www.viu.ca/integratedplanning. As we continue to move forward, we need to remember our roots. That’s why throughout 2011 we’ve planned a series of events around the theme ‘Celebrate the Journey’. We want to recognize the role alumni, students, staff, retirees and our communities have played in shaping the 75 year journey of our institution so that it could evolve into the dynamic educational institution it is today. We recognize that the strength of VIU is its people past and present. Throughout 2011, VIU is celebrating I would like to personally invite all its 75th anniversary and we have a lot alumni and friends to come back and to celebrate! During the past 75 years celebrate with us. Wander up to the fifth the school has transformed itself from floor of the library on Nanaimo’s campus a one-room trades training centre into to view our new history panels, created a dynamic west coast university. to illustrate VIU’s institutional journey. I’ve personally witnessed how the Or visit the new ‘VIU Retrospective’ latest transformation – being granted university designation – has brought fresh website where you’ll find photos, newspaper articles and stories about energy to the institution. Today we have VIU’s history: www.viu.ca/retrospective. a thriving student population with more We also welcome you to share in the than 20,000 full and part-time students official celebration. Mark your calendars expanding their learning horizons at one of our four campuses. We’re also opening for the week of October 11-14, 2011, when we will be planning a week of five new facilities this year including a special events on all four campuses. new campus in Cowichan, which will I would also like to hear feedback hold the distinction of being one of from our alumni and friends. Do you the most environmentally sustainable have an idea on how you can contribute buildings in the region. In Deep Bay we to the celebrations? Would you like to are putting the finishing touches on a volunteer at one of our events? Please spectacular marine field station that will let us know at viewpoint@viu.ca, and be one of the most sustainable buildings I hope you’ll come help us celebrate in Canada when it’s completed. The the past achievements and the exciting Nanaimo campus is now home to an future of Vancouver Island University. Aboriginal cultural and community centre Shq’apthut: A Gathering Place Ralph Nilson, PhD as well as an International Centre for President and Vice-Chancellor Sturgeon Studies. Our Powell River Vancouver Island University campus opened a new trades training facility in January 2011 which means all

Celebrating VIU’s Past and Future

SPRING/SUMMER 2011

campus news

WHAT’S NEW AT VIU? CSR, VIU

Viu researchers investigate new aquaculture species The cockle field research team 2009. (L) to (R): Dr. Anya Epelbaum (VIU postdoctoral fellow), Kate Rolheiser (undergraduate research assistant), Dr. Helen GurneySmith (co-principal investigator), Nadia Plamondon (research assistant), Simon Yuan (VIU technician), at front kneeling Daniel McNeill (undergraduate research assistant).

They’ve been immortalized in song (In Dublin’s Fair City) and consumed by generations of First Nations. Europeans like them pickled, the Japanese use them on sushi rolls and food connoisseurs consider them a delicacy.

Yet cockles – small, beautiful, saltwater clams – have yet to make a splash on B.C.’s foodie scene. That could all change thanks to collaboration between VIU academics, government, Aboriginals and industry. Since 2004, with funding from industry and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, a team of VIU scientists and students has been researching whether cockles could be the next big shellfish aquaculture product on B.C.’s west coast. “Cockles taste great, grow fast, and are culturally important to First Nations, who have used them for thousands of years as a food source, grown them in clam ‘gardens’ on west coast beaches, and used them in cultural ceremonies,” says Dr. Helen Gurney-Smith, research scientist in VIU’s Shellfish Health and

Husbandry Research Program. “There are also multiple markets for cockles, including B.C., Europe and Asia. All of these factors suggest cockles could be a great aquaculture species.” The research is focused on developing a working model for a B.C. cockle aquaculture industry. “We want to be able to tell our industry partners, ‘Here’s how you can develop this aquaculture species in a sustainable way while maximizing economic gain and minimizing risk’.” Researchers first worked to condition cockle brood stock to produce healthy and viable offspring for aquaculture. “We then examined the best diet to promote growth and reduce stress by growing microalgae in the lab and then feeding it to cockles in different rations. We also considered other factors such as which water temperature promoted the most growth, and how many cockles could grow in a defined area.” They then moved out to VIU’s new Deep Bay Field Station to compare intertidal culture (growing cockles on the beach) and suspended culture (growing cockles in trays). “We found cockles grew faster in suspended culture.” The team is also examining different cockle populations around B.C. “We want to establish science-based management protocols for a potential cockle industry. Part of that will include doing a health and genetic assessment of the species. That way we can develop speciesspecific recommendations for industry so cockle aquaculture can be developed in an environmentally and economically sustainable way,” says Gurney-Smith. Although the work is ongoing, the potential for a west coast cockle aquaculture looks promising. Which means one day B.C. diners could be digging into a delicious dish made with local sustainably grown cockles.

campus news

New Aboriginal cultural and community centre opens In January 2011 VIU’s First Nations Student Services moved into the new Aboriginal cultural and community centre Shq’apthut: A Gathering Place, on VIU’s Nanaimo campus. Modelled on traditional Coast Salish buildings, the centre will be home to support services for Aboriginal students, provide ceremonial and display space for traditional arts and events and be a place to share Aboriginal culture, traditions and knowledge with the wider community. Alumna Laura Mann (BEd ‘10)

HISTORY PANELS ILLUMINATE VIU’S PAST VIU’s 75th anniversary celebrations (see story pages 11-19) officially kicked off in November 2010 with the unveiling of eight history panels depicting major events from each decade of the school’s past.

Alumna Laura Mann (BEd ’10) spent three years delving into the school’s archives and interviewing alumni, retirees and current faculty and staff to put together the stories and images for the panels. The panels are on the fifth floor of the library on VIU’s Nanaimo campus and open to the public during regular library hours.

SPRING/SUMMER 2011 7

campus news

DEDDEDA

Dr Patrick Dunae stands on Broad Street in downtown Victoria. The buildings behind him are former brothels.

VIU RESEARCHER WINS AWARD FOR VICTORIAN SEX TRADE ARTICLE Dr. Patrick Dunae, VIU honorary research associate and former VIU professor, was awarded the 2010 best article prize from the Canadian Historical Association for his work entitled “Geographies of Sexual Commerce and the Production of Prostitutional Space: Victoria, British Columbia 1860 to 1914.”

The 44-page article sheds light on what some might consider the murkier side of Victoria’s past – the prevalence of brothels and prostitutes in the capital city at the turn of the 20th century. As Dunae discovered, prostitution, despite the occasional police raid, was flourishing in the capital city, and was considered a very lucrative trade: “I had thought the provincial capital was a rather ‘Victorian’ kind of place, but in fact it was the sexual emporium of the Pacific Northwest.” For more details: www.cliomedia.ca/ Dunae-CHA60.pdf 8

NEW Masters in sustainable leisure management The new Masters in Sustainable Leisure Management will allow students the opportunity to explore and apply innovative solutions to leisure sustainability challenges in the global context. Students will be instructed by VIU faculty, international scholars from the World Leisure Organization and recognized leaders in sustainable development. The 16-month program includes a residency for coursework in Nanaimo, an international field experience and thesis. For more information see www.viu.ca/slm.

campus news Lindsay Wiekenkamp and her grandson Owen Borthwick get up close and personal with a small fish, during a session of VIU’s Grandkids University.

Summer-Marin Hemstalk has stayed in VIU’s residences, studied anthropology, eaten at the campus cafeteria and been granted a degree by President Ralph Nilson. What’s so unusual about that?

Summer is only twelve-years-old and while she was at VIU she shared a dorm with her grandmother, Dianne Loudon. Hemstalk and Loudon were enrolled in VIU’s Grandkids University program, where grandparents and grandchildren spend two days on VIU’s Nanaimo campus experiencing university life. The roots of the program go back to an ‘aha’ moment of program coordinator, Nahanni Ackroyd, who works in VIU’s Centre for Continuing Studies. “I’d heard of a similar program at the University of Wisconsin. After researching it I thought, ‘we have to do this at VIU’.” Her instincts were right – the program is now in its third year and numbers have more than doubled, from 32 ‘students’ in 2008 to 77 in 2010. Loudon believes the program’s success lies in the opportunity it gives grandparents to spend unique one-onone time with grandchildren. “The grandparent–grandchild relationship is very different from the parent-child relationship. You can be friends with your grandchild. And Grandkids University is so much fun – I’ve never experienced a program like this.” Because it was just the two of them, Loudon felt she had a chance to really

connect with her granddaughter. “It also gave me the opportunity to encourage Summer and show her how important education is.” The two-day program takes place in July on the Nanaimo campus. Just like other university students, participants get to choose their major from subjects such as anthropology, earth sciences, and fisheries and aquaculture. Course activities can include digging for animal bones, building edible tectonic plates and meeting the aquatic creatures in VIU’s sturgeon and aquaculture labs. Participants also get to experience student activities like a barbecue and campus tours and in the evening can take part in organized games. Ackroyd expects even more participants this year. “People are now coming from all over B.C. and even the United States,” she says, “and the feedback has just been so positive. Almost everyone wants to come back and do it again and some of the grandparents have signed up for other university courses based on their Grandkids University experience. But by far the most fulfilling part for me is when I hear the kids say: ‘I can’t wait to go to university’.” Registration for the program begins in February. More information is available at: www. viu.ca/ccs/courses/summeratviugku. asp or 1.866.734.6252.

Amanda Avender

GRANDKIDS UNIVERSITY BRIDGES THE GENERATIONAL GAP

SUPPORT VIU STUDENTS WHEN BUYING OR SELLING A HOUSE Are you in the market for a new home or trying to sell your old one? Do you want to support VIU students at no cost to you?

Then you should participate in VIU’s realty referral program. In 2009 Nanaimo realtors Rob Grey (Arts ’83), Dave Hammond (Business ’72) and Ken X. Westfall created the realty referral program to support VIU students. The program works this way: when VIU alumni, staff or faculty buy or sell a house with them or refer family or friends to the program, 25 per cent of their commission is donated to VIU’s student awards program. There are no extra or hidden costs–the 25 per cent comes straight out of their commission. In 2010 the program raised more than $8,000, but Hammond believes it has the potential to raise much more. If you’d like to participate contact Susie Caswell, VIU Development and Alumni: susie. caswell@viu.ca or 250.740.6216. SPRING/SUMMER 2011

campus news

brent dunlop

Men’s soccer team National Champions For the first time since 1983, the Mariners men’s soccer team won the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championships by beating the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in penalty shots. The game, held in Edmonton, was a nail-biter from start to finish with VIU down 1-0 until Brad Crewe tied it up just before the final whistle. Still tied after overtime, VIU’s goaltender Robbie Cochrane made several keys saves in the penalty shootout before a Chris Arnett goal secured the championship for the Mariners.

Linda McDonell (L) and First Nation Early Childhood Education and Care diploma students in Saanich, B.C. (2008).

VIU INSTRUCTOR IS FIRST CHAIR OF ABORIGINAL EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT In September 2010 VIU became the first university in B.C. to have a B.C. Regional Innovation Chair for Aboriginal Early Childhood Development. The new chair, Linda McDonell, has an MA in Human and Social Development from UVic, and is an instructor in VIU’s Early Childhood Education and Care program. She has worked as an early childhood educator for more than 30 years, and with B.C.’s

Aboriginal communities for more than 16. As chair she’ll collaborate with B.C.’s First Nations and Aboriginal communities and organizations as well as practitioners in health and human services who work directly with Aboriginal children. Together they’ll focus on strengthening the health and prospects of B.C.’s Aboriginal children. For more information on the new chair see: www.viu.ca/chairaecd.

Celebrating 75 years

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An Evolution in Education

Nanaimoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fourth Street circa 1946.

On Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 10:30am, students, staff, faculty and community members packed themselves into the theatre on Malaspinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nanaimo campus. Dignitaries, including former Premier Gordon Campbell and President Ralph Nilson, sat on stage. SPRING/SUMMER 2011

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VIU COMMUNICATIONS

The library courtyard on VIU’s Nanaimo campus.

Former B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell at VIU’s university designation announcement.

A hush fell over the audience as Campbell took to the podium to say what some had waited years to hear: “Today is a special day for British Columbia. For today I can tell you that what has been Malaspina UniversityCollege is going to become recognized around the world as Vancouver Island University.” It was a riveting moment in a story that started 75 years earlier in a humble shed in downtown Nanaimo. It was 1936, the era of the Great Depression and unemployment was rampant. Jack Macready, a local mechanic, sought a solution to this unemployment, particularly for Nanaimo’s youth, and with the help of local business owners, opened the city’s first trades school. His one room shed-turned-classroom had no indoor plumbing and was heated by donated firewood smoldering in an old barrel. But this didn’t stop the eight eager students who came to learn the basics of automotive mechanics.

History shows Nanaimo’s citizens were ahead of their time. A year later, in 1937, the federal and provincial governments announced they would sponsor vocational training schools as a way to solve youth unemployment. Now with government funding, Macready moved his classes to an unused school on the corner of Machleary and Campbell Streets in downtown Nanaimo. He hired two more staff members: Daniel Egdell, a local architect, to teach building construction, and Ned Bilton, a retired coal miner, as the tool coordinator. In February 1938 the three men welcomed 47 students to the newly named Dominion-Provincial Youth Training Centre (DPYTC). One of those students was Arthur Baker (Automotive Mechanics ’39). “Things were really tough at that time. We were just coming out of the Depression. I was 17, hot as hell to do something and full of enthusiasm,” recalls Baker. “I immediately signed up

“What has been malaspina university-college is going to become recognized around the world as vancouver island university.”

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The first campus on Machleary and Campbell Streets in downtown Nanaimo, 1940.

“Things were really tough at that time. We were just coming out of the Depression. I was 17, hot as hell to do something and full of enthusiasm for the automotive program.” ARTHUR BAKER

Jack Macready, first principal of the DPYTC.

for the automotive program.” Interest in the school soared as Nanaimo’s youth realized the course could be their ticket to a job. The next year 97 students signed up for automotive and building construction courses and 27 women enrolled in the new dressmaking program. Then, on September 10, 1939, Canada’s parliament declared war on Germany. DPYTC instructors collaborated with army staff to adapt the school’s curriculum to support the war effort. Students began learning their trade repairing army tanks and trucks and women traded in their sewing kits to study automotive mechanics. In Nanaimo, an army training school, Camp Nanaimo, was established at Fourth and Wakesiah Streets – land that would one day be part of VIU’s Nanaimo campus. When the war ended in 1945, the

vacated barracks at Camp Nanaimo were transformed into classrooms for the DPYTC and eventually, as Harry Erickson (Heavy Duty Machinery ’49) recalls, dormitories for students who lived outside Nanaimo. “The dorms were at first in one huge room,” he says, “but the room was soon divided into separate rooms with two beds. The food was terrible. The cooks, who had served in the army, would boil potatoes, and then mash them up without draining the water, so we were basically eating mush.”

One of the first automotive classes poses for a photo in 1939.

SPRING/SUMMER 2011

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Student rec room, 1957.

(Top) Ned Bilton (L) and Jack Macready (R) with two students, 1942. (Middle) Automotive program, 1948. (Bottom) Womens’ automotive class, 1942.

Interest in the school soared as Nanaimo’s youth realized the course could be their ticket to a job. Ten years later those dorms were still being used says George deLure (Heavy Duty Mechanics ’58; Business Management ’72). “The custodian would lock us in at night but occasionally we’d climb out the windows and head downtown.” He also fondly remembers Macready, who by this time was principal of the school. “He was a character. He owned a 1955 Ford Fairlane, bright blue, and every Friday students had to wash and polish the car as part of their ‘training’.” Today two of those army barracks are still standing (one is VIU’s daycare facility; the other, a Navy cadet training building) a tangible reminder of the evolution of the institution from a one room trades school to a regional university. The next chapter in VIU’s story began in 1959 when the province took full responsibility for the school and it was renamed B.C.’s Vocational Training School (VTS). By 1962 the school was thriving, having expanded its curriculum to include classes in practical nursing, general office training, cook training, and beauty culture. However,

there was an increasing demand from B.C.’s booming population for better access to a university education. At this time the only alternatives were UBC and UVic. The government, unsure of how to meet this growing demand, appointed UBC’s president, Dr John B. Macdonald, to come up with a solution. His recommendation was to introduce a new model of education to B.C. – the community college – which would enable more people to complete the first two years of a university degree closer to home at a more affordable rate then move to one of the established universities to complete their degree. Citizens on Vancouver Island were thrilled with the idea and quickly formed a college council with the goal of establishing an island college. With the help of another UBC scholar, Dr. Leonard Marsh, the council created a vision for a college that would not only have two-year university transfer programs but also ‘second chance’ educational opportunities – continuing education and Adult Basic Education courses. It would also have, as Marsh noted, “a new ‘breed’ of teachers…

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“I could hear the MLAs passing the bill for the creation of Nanaimo’s college…it was a great day.” neither high school teachers nor university professors but specifically regional college instructors...with… [an] approach to education that would create a special teaching climate.” The majority of island school districts were behind the idea, but the provincial government, which would fund part of the school, was dragging its feet. So Roy MacMillan, one of the founding members of the college council called Les Peterson, then minister for education. In a 1995 interview MacMillan describes the call: “I told him, ‘the natives are getting restless’. The next day Peterson called from the legislative chamber, and held up the phone. I could hear the MLAs passing the bill for the creation of [Malaspina] college…it was a great day.” “In the first years of the college, there was a spirit of community and the feeling we could be as innovative as we wanted to, so we really pushed the boundaries in many ways,” says David Harrison, who was Coordinator of the Study Skills Centre for the new college. Carl Opgaard, who became the first president in 1969, agrees. An American who had been teaching in the U.S.

college system, he’d been chosen from76 applicants to lead Malaspina, which was, at this point, not connected to the VTS. “Those were heady days. We had growing pains but I’ve never worked with a board like the original college board. These days if you hear the words, ‘we can’t do that,’ things stop right there. At Malaspina we said, ‘well, yes we can,’ and we did.” Opgaard was also known for his ‘can-do’ attitude. MacMillan recalled taking Opgaard to see the old hospital on Kennedy Street, which the college council had agreed to lease until a permanent campus could be found. “We’d had a terrible frost the night before and all the pipes burst. Carl looked the situation over and said, “By golly, this place has potential.” That potential was realized on September 8, 1969, when 638 students poured through the college doors. Administrators had hoped for 300. Roy Wright (BA Transfer ’69’73) was one of the first students. “I’d chosen Malaspina because it struck me as something new and exciting, with a friendly atmosphere. It far exceeded my expectations.”

(Top) Carl Opgaard, Malaspina College’s first president. (Middle) Malaspina College’s first campus. (Below) Logging students, 1969.

SPRING/SUMMER 2011

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(Top) The beer barrel race, popular in the 70s and 80s, had teams rolling empty beer barrels from the old Kennedy Street campus up the hill to Malaspina College’s 5th Street campus.

“I’d chosen Malaspina because it struck me as something new and exciting, with a friendly atmosphere. It far exceeded my expectations.”

Hairdressing students, late 1960s.

The first time an Aboriginal group performed at a B.C. college convocation was in 1971 at Malaspina.

He remembers instructors going out of their way to help students. “They’d invite us home for a meal and tutoring and then swill beer in the bar with us. There was also a powerful feeling in 1969 that the ‘youth could do anything’ so we did things like protest against the price of textbooks at Malaspina by driving to Victoria to buy them. Eventually Opgaard called us to his office and brokered a deal in which the bookstore would drop its prices and the students would stop the boycott. No one argued!” It was also an adventure teaching in the old hospital, as renovations had created a few quirky designs. “We had a small photography darkroom which I think was in the morgue,” says Wright. In the librarian’s office were two big marble ‘out of order’ urinals. Harrison also remembers the story of a student arriving at a class, looking around and declaring, “I gave birth in this room.” Her class was being held in the old maternity ward. Those heady days when staff and students referred to the campus as the “living room” lasted only a few years as the college adapted to meet the needs of growing student and staff populations. Malaspina expanded into Cowichan in 1973, Powell River in 1974 and the Parksville Qualicum area in 1976, first taking responsibility for adult education programs and eventually establishing campuses in all three areas. Diane Deyotte, who was part of the secretarial staff for 30 years, remembers when the first computers were installed in 1976. “They were called Micoms and we were using them to register students. Well, we must’ve done something wrong because after inputting one student’s details the computer said ‘invalid’. In those days

we weren’t up on computer language so we thought something was wrong with the student, that he was an ‘invalid’!” Other challenges proved less easy to handle than computer glitches. In 1971, provincial education ministers developed a pilot-project to study the feasibility of melding vocational schools with regional colleges to, “give students a wider choice of programs, reduce the burden on tax payers and eliminate duplication of courses.” Malaspina College and the VTS were part of the pilot-project and amalgamated in 1971 to test the government’s policy. Despite vehement protests from the Society of Vocational Instructors of British Columbia that the, “meld wouldn’t meet the needs of the students, community and industry at large,” the government declared the pilot-project a success and in 1973 appointed a committee to recommend the best process for finalizing the melding of vocational schools and regional colleges across B.C. Kathleen Brodie, a commercial arts instructor at the VTS since 1963, sat on the committee. “We went across Canada to look at colleges that had melded,” she says. “Generally speaking it was working well. However, there were concerns about vocational courses taking second place to academics as they were focused on training people for specific jobs, which was very different from the focus of academic programs.” In reality, the meld made little difference at first as vocational and academic programs remained on separate campuses. Wright remembers that the, “students didn’t cross-pollinate.” Leila Kennedy, who was chair of social sciences, agrees, saying she was aware of the meld, but it didn’t change her work environment. “It was simply something

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(Left) An artist’s rendition of the Nanaimo campus, 1981. (Right) Former president, Bruce Fraser, shows Queen Elizabeth the Nanaimo campus, 1983. (Below) Former president Rich Johnston.

an acting president and organized the government had decided to do.” Fortunately, right after the pilot project a World Youth Conference that left the university with a crippling debt. began in 1971, the federal government The overturn in leadership and poor decided to sell surplus property on the financial management left employees former Camp Nanaimo site, located with low morale and serious concerns above the vocational program buildings. for the future of the college. The college council, which had been “We needed stability,” says Deyotte, searching unsuccessfully for a new “an insider who was willing to listen to campus to replace the temporary one at everyone’s concerns and ideas and do Kennedy Street, realized the advantage something about them.” That insider of having vocational and academic was Rich Johnston who had been dean programs on one campus. Council ICATIONS VIU COMMUN of the vocational programs and acting members got to work, lobbying the president from September 1981-June provincial government, which had first rights to the property, to buy the land and lease it to the college. More “It was like a family when it started… than two years later, after much political maneuvering, the council was but when the institutions melded it successful – on July 10, 1973, the federal was more complicated.” government signed an Order in Council approving the lease of the land to the 1982. “He had an open door policy college, paving the way for the melded so anyone who wanted to talk to schools to share the same campus. him could – that was how he started After the college opened ‘on the bringing stability back to the school.” hill’ and regional campuses opened Web exclusive: To learn more about the Johnston also recognized how in Cowichan and Powell River, the history of Cowichan, Powell River and much the school had changed since school faced tumultuous times. the Parksville/Qualicum campuses please the early days. “It was like a family President Opgaard resigned in 1978 go to: www.viu.ca/alumni/newsletter when it started,” he says, “but when to take a teaching position at a U.S. the institutions melded it was more college. During the next eight years complicated. We had vocational faculty, Malaspina had two different presidents, SPRING/SUMMER 2011

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As a result of initiative from Malaspina’s Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, the first spawning of white sturgeon occurred on the Fraser River in 1991. Here ‘Big Ralph’ a 40-yearold sturgeon is lifted back to his pond after undergoing tests. VIU DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES & AQUACULTURE

The spirit of the early days gave way to an entrepreneurial spirt.

VIU COMMUNICATIO

(Top) More than 1,000 international students attend VIU annually. (Below) Students listen to current president Ralph Nilson at student orientation.

Student attitudes had also shifted to academic faculty and support staff – embrace the spirit of entrepreneurialism, three groups with different expectations according to David Kruyt (Associate in and working conditions. We also had campuses in Cowichan and Powell River Arts and Sciences, Canadian Studies ’89; Associate in Commerce Dipl. General and were running courses in Parksville/ Management ’89): “We began to see Qualicum. There’s no way we could education as a means to an end, rather keep the same family like feeling.” than education for the sake of education. Johnston took on the role of president It was the ‘greed’ era, when Michael in July 1986. Under his leadership the J. Fox starred as Alex P. Keaton on passionate ‘we can change the world’ Family Ties. We were focussed on how spirit of the early days gave way to an our time in school was going to help entrepreneurial spirit that took its cue us with our careers. It was a departure from the vocational programs. These from the early student radicalism of programs, which had made a name the 60s and 70s. Instead of protesting for themselves internationally during we were in the pub having fun and the 50s and 60s, were dedicated to the in the classrooms working hard.” principle that training must be practical Meanwhile, provincial politics were at and closely aligned with industry. work again. In 1989, Stan Hagen, then For example, in the late 1950s, new minister for advanced education, created pipeline welding technology was being a hybrid educational institution called used in B.C., but Canadian welders had the university-college, which meant nowhere to learn the new techniques. students at colleges such as Malaspina Instead, trained welders were imported could stay at the same school for the from Oklahoma. Macready saw the duration of their degree. At first, degrees gap and started a course in the new technology. By 1964 virtually all of B.C.’s were granted in conjunction with UBC or UVic, but on June 9, 1998, 67 pipeline work was done by Canadians. graduates left their convocation ceremony “Half of Nanaimo was built by clutching degrees granted solely in the Malaspina trades graduates,” jokes name of Malaspina University-College. Johnston, as the institution negotiated The university-college designation public works contracts with the city to launched the institution into a new era. run trades programs on a cost-recovery basis. The policy meant students helped “The student population nearly doubled,” says Johnston. New degree programs build the city’s new hospital, golf in Education, Liberal Arts, Applied courses, school grounds, sports fields, Sciences and International Education houses and commercial buildings.

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The library on VIU’s Nanaimo campus opened in 2005.

JOHN LUND

were developed, the first online courses were offered and provincial facilities grants allowed extensive construction on campus. A First Nations Arts One program was also created, the first of its kind in B.C. Ruth Kroek (BA Transfer ’78-’79), a member of the Cowichan Band, and VIU’s first support staff focused on Aboriginal students felt the program put Malaspina at the forefront of Aboriginal education. “It started in September 1994 and there was a ceremony to celebrate,” says Kroek. “The whole community came; students and faculty were blanketed in the tradition of the Coast Salish and instructed to remember the importance of the day. It was a defining moment in Aboriginal education. We were joining Aboriginal culture with the academic culture.” The student culture also began to change as Cleo Corbett (BA in Tourism Management ’04) recalls. “At first I felt there wasn’t a thriving student culture on campus. But that changed when the Student Union Building, pub and residences were built in the early 2000s. Suddenly we had our own space on campus which was really important as we became more connected to the school and began to feel a really deep sense of pride in Malaspina.” However, Corbett also felt there were vital characteristics of the school that had remained unchanged since Jack Macready opened the doors to his oneroom classroom in 1936. “It still had an intimate atmosphere, with small class

sizes and fantastic teachers who went out of their way to support students.” Today, the school has been wearing its new mantle – Vancouver Island University – for two years. Applications are up 15 percent since September 2009, and staff and faculty are looking towards the future, drafting a new Academic Plan; opening the doors on several capital projects such as the new Cowichan campus, Aboriginal Gathering Place, International Centre for Sturgeon Studies and the Deep Bay Field Station; creating a carbon-neutral campus; enticing new students with unique programs and undergraduate research opportunities, and continuing to build links with local and international communities. It’s impossible to say what the school will look like 75 years from now, in 2086. However, we can hope VIU’s story will continue to unfold with one theme in mind – to engage, inspire and educate everyone who walks through its doors.

Web exclusive: To learn more about the evolution of Aboriginal education at VIU please go to: www.viu.ca/alumni/newsletter

In 2008, VIU was the first B.C. university to appoint an Aboriginal chancellor: Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, a member of the Ahousaht First Nation and National Chief to the Assembly of First Nations. VIU communications

SPRING/SUMMER 2011

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A unique research project preserves soldier’s stories for future generations

History in the Raw “… it is quite an experience lying behind the rocks with 200 lb shells bursting all round you & throwing chunks of rock and scrap iron all round. They threw one unlucky shell into our camp at Sydenburn; it killed 3 & wounded 17….” Robert Rooke, September 18, 1900, Boer War, South Africa 20

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details on family dynamics. On the night before Lieutenant Hart Leech’s troop was going ‘over the top’ during World War I, Leech wrote to his mother: “Cheer up, old dear, and don’t let the newspapers use you as material for a Saturday magazine feature. You know the kind: where the ‘sweet-faced, grey-haired, little mother, clutching the last letter from her boy to her breast, sobbed, ‘e was sich a fine lad’, as she furtively brushed the glistening tears from her eyes with a dish rag…. Your son is a soldier, and a dog-gone good one, too, if he does say it himself… And if he gets pipped it’ll be doing his blooming job.” Leech did get ‘pipped’ the following day – the letter found its way home to his family 12 years later. The wealth of detail in the letters has attracted interest in the online archive from around the world. “The Canadian War Museum uses the memorabilia in exhibits, professional photos and images: canadian letters and images project historians reference letters in papers and books, and the information is used It’s a unique window into the past that t sounds like a scene from a Hollywood you can’t achieve with any other source.” in television and radio documentaries war movie, but it’s actually an excerpt such as the History Network’s, Rolanda Murray (BA in History with from a letter written more than a distinction ’03), who was the first student Canada’s War in Colour,” says Davies. hundred years ago, a letter preserved The online collection holds to work on the project, agrees. “It’s easy on the world’s only online archive approximately 6,000 letters, the oldest to think soldiers are a mass of faceless of Canadian war memorabilia. The

“They have bullet holes in them, mud and water stains, some have been burned.” Canadian Letters and Images Project (CLIP) is the brainchild of VIU history professor Dr. Stephen Davies, who began the project 10 years ago to teach students the importance of using primary source when interpreting historical events. “Primary sources are documents created at the time of the event. They give a first-hand interpretation of events through the eyes of people who were actually there,” explains Davies. He believes this personal interpretation reveals the human side of war, reminding us that casualty numbers in historical documents represent someone’s loved one. “This is history in the raw – it’s exactly as it was at that time. We don’t change or interpret anything; not even the spelling.

people,” she says, “but these letters force you to see them as individuals with lives to lead, lives changed irrevocably by war.” One collection includes the poems of Flight Sergeant Edward Richards who wrote to his infant daughter: “I am not there to see you grow, that happy time has passed. A stranger I shall be to you, when I come home at last.” He lost his life in battle on March 15, 1945, two months before World War II ended. The letters do more than tell personal stories. “Some are a physical manifestation of war,” says Murray. “They have bullet holes in them, mud and water stains, some have been burned.” They also reveal what the times were like, what people felt about war, even

from a Canadian who joined the Union Army in 1861, during America’s Civil War. But there are an additional 6,000 letters that still need archiving. Davies and his team of VIU students are working hard to clear up the backlog. “We’re also gathering veterans’ video and audio interviews and want to make sound recordings of the letters. It would be so powerful to hear actors read the letters and a great resource for the visually impaired.” In the meantime the team is seeking more material. “If you have a shoebox of memorabilia stuffed in your closet, we’d love to take a peek.” For more information contact Stephen Davies: letters@viu.ca; 250-753-3245 ext. 2131. www.canadianletters.ca SPRING/SUMMER 2011 21

alumni in view

Graduates are making a difference here, there and everywhere. G. SCOTT MACLEOD

SISTER ACT When sisters Christine (Associate in Music Dipl. Jazz ’90) and Ingrid Jensen (Associate in Music Dipl. Jazz ’86) walked home from school as children, they knew the warm sounds of sweet jazz would be waiting when they opened the door.

“Our mother always had something on the turntable. She loved the American songbook – Oscar Peterson, Nat King Cole,” says Christine. “She didn’t expect us to become jazz musicians, she simply loved jazz music.” Twenty years later the sisters are both jazz musicians, having carved out successful careers in an industry many find impossible to break into. Ingrid’s trumpet-playing skills are in demand worldwide. She often plays with the industry’s top musicians such as the Grammy-winning Maria Schneider Orchestra, and fills concert halls, jazz festivals and intimate venues with appreciative audiences. She’s also a respected music educator, conducting master classes and workshops around the world. Christine is an acclaimed saxophonist and sought-after composer whose music has been performed by ensembles around the world including Frankfurt’s Radio Big Band. She’s a popular 22

“I realized if I was a composer this is the type of music I would compose,” says Ingrid. “The tune felt natural, like something from home.” She featured it on her 1995 album Vernal Fields which won a Juno for “Best Mainstream Album”. The experience inspired them to collaborate further. In 2006 they formed a band, Nordic Connect, with a Swedish friend and musician, Maggie Olin. The band’s new album, Spirals, will be released in spring 2011. The sisters have also never forgotten how their mother’s love for jazz inspired an appreciation for a musical genre that’s influenced both their lives. After their Ingrid (L) and Christine Jensen mother died in 2003, they established the Karen Cormons Memorial Trust Fund to provide bursaries for young “jazzers” in Nanaimo high schools. instructor in McGill University’s Although they are still involved in jazz program, and leader of the personal projects – Ingrid is writing Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra, an music for her next CD and Christine will award-winning jazz ensemble. soon premiere new compositions with her Both have dabbled in other ensemble –they’ll collaborate till they’re musical forms, but thanks to old ladies sitting in rocking chairs. their mother’s influence, Ingrid “When we’re together, it feels like says, “we’ll always be jazzers.” something magical is happening,” “I’m a rebel,” laughs Ingrid. “I love says Ingrid. “We have this deep the sense of self-expression in jazz, connection. We don’t really have to the freedom to diverge from the score talk – we just create beautiful music and interpret the moment, rather together and it’s effortless.” than playing exactly what’s written. Christine also loves the improvisational nature of jazz. “I can www.christinejensenmusic.com/ use my own voice, take my cue from the www.ingridjensen.com score, then create my own musical ideas, adding my words, thoughts, feelings.” Despite their shared heritage and musical passion, the sisters didn’t

“we just create this beautiful music together and it’s effortless.” play jazz together growing up. “We played everything else – games, dolls – but never music,” says Christine. Then, in 1995, Christine sent Ingrid one of her compositions.

alumni in view

Dr. rick webb

cases of diarrhoeal disease in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization one of every four child deaths each year are the result of diarrhoeal diseases. “Cryptosporidium isn’t killed by common water treatment practices and there are no vaccines or drugs to treat it once it’s transmitted to humans. Fortunately, we rarely detected Cryptosporidium in these animals.” This information was invaluable for MWC. In 2007 heavy rains hit Melbourne and river embankments Roundworm Malaspinema goaten collapsed into the reservoir. MWC considered a boil-water advisory to protect Melbourne’s population, but thanks in part to Jex’s research, the company was able to prove the water was safe to drink. Jex continues to work with MWC and is also researching a wide range of one of the most abundant forms of life parasites including Cryptosporidium. and many cause devastating diseases.” During his research Jex discovered 20 “I’m part of an international team studying Cryptosporidium’s DNA new species and named a few after his mentors. “One is called the Malaspinaema using cutting-edge technologies including the UOM’s new $100 goaten, after Tim and the university.” million super-computer facility.” His PhD completed, Jex went The work is critical, particularly as the on to do a post-doctorate at the United Nations recently declared access University of Melbourne (UOM). to safe drinking water a fundamental There he worked on a project funded human right. Once the team identifies by the Melbourne Water Corporation

DOWN-UNDER PARASITOLOGIST Thanks to a night sipping beer in a Nanaimo pub, parasitologist Dr. Aaron Jex (BSc Biology ’00) has trekked through Australia’s rainforests, poked around in the guts of cockroaches and been recognized for these activities with a plethora of awards.

“After graduating from Malaspina, I wanted to do a PhD at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia, where there’s a dedicated parasitology department,” says Jex. “I’d won a scholarship for two years, but wasn’t sure if I should go. I didn’t want to be stuck overseas without enough money to finish.” Jex confided his concerns to Dr. Tim Goater, one of his VIU instructors. “He bought me a beer, told me not to be stupid and said ‘take the scholarship’.” It was good advice. In January 2002 Jex started his PhD studies at UQ and was eventually awarded a fellowship that allowed him to finish his doctorate. “We studied roundworms in Australian cockroaches,” says Jex. “It may not sound glamorous but roundworms are

“It may not sound glamorous but roundworms are one of the most abundant forms of life and many cause devastating diseases.” (MWC), a state government authority responsible for the city’s water supply. “We screened animals in Melbourne’s water catchment areas for parasites that could be transmitted into the water supply and into humans.” In particular they looked for Cryptosporidium, a waterborne parasite responsible for millions of

the genes they’ll better understand how Cryptosporidium survives in the environment or in their hosts and can look for weaknesses. The hope is this will provide a basis for new drugs or vaccines so one day the right to clean drinking water may be a reality for more of the world’s population. SPRING/SUMMER 2011

alumni in view

BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING

He’s written for some of the world’s most prestigious newspapers, published a non-fiction book, a collection of plays, and numerous short stories. Today he edits London’s biggest online literary journal, and is writing a new book. In short, his career would be the envy of many an aspiring writer.

Yet, Craig Taylor (Fine Arts Transfer ’94-’96) originally thought his creative aspirations would lead to a stage career. “I loved acting in high school so I enrolled in Malaspina’s theatre program,” he recalls. One day between classes he wandered into the office of The Navigator, VIU’s student newspaper. “I started working as entertainment editor and realized the publishing world appealed to me. In fact, sometimes I think my real education began at The Nav.” Taylor completed a theatre degree 24

cover IMAGE: BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING

Navigating a writer’s path

at Bishop’s University in 1998, but couldn’t forget his Navigator experience, so he applied for a magazine internship. Soon he was cycling through Toronto’s streets to the downtown offices of Saturday Night magazine. At that time it was one of the longestrunning magazines in Canada and part of the National Post empire. “I thought I’d hit the big time. It was the glory days in publishing. Newspapers and magazines had lots of advertising dollars and reader support, and, at least at Saturday Night, the freedom to think creatively.” After a successful internship, Taylor was asked to stay and eventually became an editor. While there, he worked on a project researching articles for award-winning writer Naomi Klein, author of the international best-seller No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies. They became friends and one night over dinner, she introduced him to Katherine Viner, a journalist from the UK’s Guardian

newspaper, in town to interview Klein. “It was a great connection. I’d recently won a Rotary scholarship and planned to study journalism at London’s Royal Holloway College. When I arrived I called Kath and we talked about column ideas.” As a result, he spent six years writing weekly columns for The Guardian. One was a series of short plays, some no longer than two lines, on everyday life in Britain. In 2009, the plays were published as a collection: One Million Tiny Plays About Britain. It garnered rave reviews and has been performed at venues across the UK and North America. Despite his success, Taylor is aware the publishing industry is in flux. “The old model is broken. No one knows what the new model will look like. The key is being able to shift and take opportunities as they come.” Taylor has already started taking those opportunities. In 2008 he founded Five Dials (www.fivedials.com) an online literary journal, which counts personalities such as Arundhati Roy and Noam Chomsky as contributors He’s also given up his Guardian column and is immersed in his next book. “I wanted to take an intimate look at Londoner’s lives. I made a list of verbs – cutting, buying, cleaning – and interviewed people who embodied those words. For the verb ‘dominating’ I interviewed a dominatrix; for the verb burying, a funeral director.” Taylor fans, old and new, can look forward to it hitting London bookshelves in September 2011; US bookshelves in spring 2012.

“For the verb ‘dominating’ I interviewed a dominatrix; for the verb burying, a funeral director.”

Let us know about your new job, promotion, wedding, family addition, travels, or further academic achievements at alumni@viu.ca.

class notes

1930 s Arthur Baker (Automotive Mechanics ’39) was one of the first students in the Dominion Provincial Youth Training Centre’s automotive program in 1938. During World War II he served as a flight engineer on a Canso amphibious aircraft and was on a team responsible for the security of Canada’s Pacific Coast. When the war ended he tried his hand at a number of businesses, before taking a position as service manager at Nanaimo’s General Motors dealership. In 1955, Baker was one of the first employers in Nanaimo to break through racial barriers when he hired a Chinese student, Albert Wong, to work at the dealership. Today, at 90, Arthur golfs every morning with one of his lifelong friends.

1940 s

Harry Erickson with his wife Margaret, at the launch of Harry’s book.

After graduating, Harry Erickson (Heavy Duty Mechanics ’49) started working for the Ladysmith Comox Logging and Railway Company maintaining steam engines and locomotives. In 1992, after 43 years with the same company, he retired to Ladysmith. Last year he published a book about his career: Hills to Harbour: A British Columbia Forest Industry Story, which is available at Nanaimo Maps & Charts; Salamander Books in Ladysmith; from publisher Shirley Blackstaff, vimarmot@shaw.ca; and at the Vancouver Island Regional Library.

1950 s George deLure (Heavy Duty Mechanics ’58) apprenticed for three years at Nanaimo Bulldozing Company before being hired by Cummins Diesel Sales, where he worked as a mechanic, field service person, sales representative and branch manager in towns across B.C. including Dawson Creek, Vancouver, and Victoria. When the company shifted ownership in 1969, deLure decided to start his own business, Independent Diesel Sales Ltd. In 1987, he started a second business, Island Freightliners Truck Sales. Today three of his four children manage the companies and deLure has retired to Youbou where he volunteers for a number of local organizations including the local Fire Protection Commission and the Cowichan Lake & River Stewardship Committee. Bill Tuomi (Automotive Mechanics ’56) apprenticed at a Ford dealership in Victoria after graduation, before studying at UBC for a shop teacher’s certification. For the next 35 years he taught in B.C.’s educational system, starting as a shop teacher in junior and senior high schools in Prince George, teaching elementary classes across the Lower Mainland, and taking on the role of principal in a rural school in B.C.’s interior. His final job was teaching correspondence courses to students in the Okanagan. He retired in 1995 and now lives in Ladysmith where he spends time tinkering with old cars including a 1926 Model T Ford Runabout and a 1953 Studebaker. SPRING/SUMMER 2011

class notes

1960 s Don Hubbard (Heavy Duty Mechanics ’66) started his career at Lafarge Canada (Hub City Paving) in 1965. He worked his way up through the ranks to the position of general manager, which he held until retiring in 2009. He’s now a student at VIU, pursuing a lifelong dream to study anthropology. An active community volunteer, Hubbard is involved in a number of organizations including VIU’s Alumni Association board, VIU’s Foundation board, Ducks Unlimited, and LiveSmart B.C.’s Citizens Conservation Council on Climate Action. In November 2010 he was appointed board chair of Vancouver Island Health Authority.

The Myhrer family

1980 s Gunnar Myhrer (Phys Ed Dipl. ’84) was on the 1983 Mariner’s soccer team which was inducted into Nanaimo’s Sports Hall of Fame in September 2010 for capturing the school’s first Canadian College Athletics Association’s National Championship. He completed a BEd at UVic in 1989 before returning to Nanaimo to teach and coach at Woodlands Secondary School. In 2005 he started a soccer academy program for the Nanaimo School District. Myhrer is married to Lisa Oakley (Business Management ’91), a former Mariner basketball player. They have two children.

1990 s

Tomm Stewart

1970 s Tomm Stewart (BSc University Transfer program ’71-’73) completed his BA in Zoology at the University of Washington in 1978 and an MA in Educational Leadership at Seattle Pacific University in 2001. He has worked in education, both as a teacher and administrator, for 26 years. In 2005 he and his brother, John, founded a nonprofit organization – the Educational and Entrepreneurial Foundation for Developing Countries (EEFDC). They work in a number of developing countries – Kenya, Ecuador, Ghana and Togo – supporting educational initiatives and providing micro-loans for people trying to start small businesses. In 2012, they will be organizing a medical mission to bring much needed healthcare and medical supplies to rural villages and inner-city areas in Ghana and Togo. www.entred.info

Lynda Milne (Associate in Arts and Science Dipl. ’90) completed a BA at UVic and an MA in Counselling at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. She has had a private counselling practice in Nanaimo for 13 years. Steve Pilcher (ABE courses ’96-’97) is the service manager at Inuktun Services Ltd, a company that designs and manufactures remotely operated vehicles and modular robotic systems to use in confined spaces and hazardous environments. When he is not working, he likes to mountain bike, play guitar and rock climb.

LANCE SULLIVAN, CONCEPT PHOTOGRAPHY INC

class notes

From 2005-2007 Brit Podolinsky (Cook Training ’99) and her husband ran the Filberg Tea House in Comox B.C. before deciding to take a trip across Canada. They ended up in Port Williams, Nova Scotia where Podolinsky now runs a catering business specializing in personal chef services and teaches cooking classes at Acadia University. yourpersonalchef@bellaliant.net. Darryl Sturmey (Microcomputer Electronics Technician Cert. ’96) is an information technology trainer for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). He travels across Canada teaching IT professionals how to use and support the CRA’s computer systems.

2000 s Geri Bemister (BA in Criminology ’09) is pursuing an MA in Criminal Justice at the University of the Fraser Valley. She’s also an RCMP research analyst and manages a 40-bed residential drug treatment centre for women. There, she runs a one-of-akind Canadian pilot project where women at the centre are allowed to have their children stay with them. Bobbie Buckle (BBA in Accounting ’07) works in sales administration and also owns her own business: Elite Gaming Entertainment. Her company provides entertainment casino nights, casino equipment rentals and beginner group poker lessons for events and parties. She also tutors VIU students, volunteers with Operation Red Nose, the Salvation Army Christmas Hamper Program and kettle drive and is a VIU Alumni Association board member. An avid poker player, she placed in the top ten per cent in her first World Series of Poker tournament in Las Vegas in 2010. www.elitecasinonights.com

J’net (August) Cavanagh (BA First Nations Studies ’00) represented VIU at the installation ceremony for Dr. Patrick Deane, when he became the new President and ViceChancellor of McMaster University on November 19, 2010. Cavanaugh lives in Toronto and is the partnership facilitator for the Association for Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts. www.andpva.com Chris Densmore (MA in Business Administration ’08) has recently started a full-time assistant coach position for the UBC Thunderbirds men’s volleyball team. He hopes one day to move into an athletic director position. Prior to that he was the Mariners head volleyball coach for eight years. Jake Etzkorn (BSc in Biology ’08) and Yvonne Laczkowski (BA in English and Biology ’08) met during a biology class at VIU. Married on November 6, 2010, they now live in Sointula, B.C. Jake is a marine planner for the Living Oceans Society, a non-profit dedicated to sustainable conservation on B.C.’s coast. Both are involved in the, “I Have A Name Aid Society”, a non-profit that helps nongovernmental organizations overcome social injustice. www.ihaveaname.org Carrie Friend (BA in Liberal Studies ’02) is teaching English as a Second Language in downtown Vancouver at the Canadian College of English Language. She specializes in academic English and writing.

SPRING/SUMMER 2011

class notes

Genevieve Johnson (Esthetics Cert. ’09) is an esthetician in Tigh-Na-Mara’s Grotto Spa in Parksville. The mother of five-year-old twins, she teaches contemporary creative dance at VIU and Pilates in Nanaimo and performs at dance festivals locally and nationally. Sean Krause (BA in Tourism Management ’01) owns the largest independent sporting goods store on Vancouver Island, ReAction Source for Sports, located on Wellington Road in Nanaimo. He is married with two children. www.reactionsports.ca

MATHIEU RIVARD

Jan Kretz (BA in Tourism Management ’04) is the owner and founder of Adventuress – Wilderness Adventures for Women, a Parksville-based company started in 2001 that runs multi-day kayaking trips for women. She also works with schools and the local community giving kayaking lessons and taking groups on day tours. Kretz is a member of the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of B.C. www.adventuress.ca

In 2006, interior designer Leah Rourke (Applied Arts Dipl. ’03) was invited to design the B.C. Cancer Foundation’s Lifestyles Lottery House. Today, she’s an award-winning designer and works in the greater Victoria area. Recently she opened her own home furniture store on Victoria’s Fort Street: Relish Home Furnishings. www.rourkedesign.com Sara Skotarek (BSc ’05) completed an MSc in Equine Parasitology in May 2008 at the University of Lethbridge. She’s now an anatomy technician in the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, where she procures animal specimens, prepares dissections, and assists with teaching. Her research was recently published in Issue 172 of the scientific journal Veterinary Parasitology.

Laura Strachan (BA in Anthropology and Geography ’00) has done extensive research with the nomadic Hwaitat Bedouin tribes who live in and around the Wadi Rum Protected Area in Jordan, studying how conservation and tourism development has affected them. From 2007-2009, she lived with Bedouin families interviewing community members living in villages and in tents in the desert. Her research resulted in a book, This is the Life: An Archive of the Historical Life Ways of Wadi Rum’s Bedouin Tribes, published in 2009. In April 2011 she’ll defend her PhD dissertation which investigates the evolution of conservation and development in local communities. Shawna Swan (Cert. in Practical Nursing ’04) is a nurse for the B.C. Interior Health Authority. She also works closely with the Secoya, an indigenous tribe who live in the jungles of Ecuador, where she’s been involved in numerous grassroots community projects including raising funds for rain water collection tanks and advising and helping with community health issues.

After graduating from VIU, Lea Thuot (BA in Tourism Management ’08) completed an MSc in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability at the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden. In September 2010 she became manager of the Sustainability Commission in Rossland, B.C. where her responsibilities include communications, community engagement strategies and strategic planning.

class notes

Melissa Wallinger (BA in Global Studies ’08) graduated from the London School of Economics in 2010, with an MSc in Local Economic Development. She now works for the Cornwall Development Company attracting EU investors into the region, and promoting Cornwall as an innovative knowledge economy. In her spare time she enjoys exploring Cornwall’s beaches, cooking local seafood and relaxing in yoga classes. Meldy Wilton (BA in Liberal Studies ’00) is a successful playwright and one of the founders of the Wilton Broad Players, a new theatre group based in Nanaimo. In October 2010 her play At Wilton’s General Store was part of The Port Theatre Studio Series, and played to a full house.

2010 s Nolan Porther (Advanced Dipl. in GIS Applications ’10) is a Geographic Information Sciences Analyst for Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Energy. He creates geological maps, analyses CO2 emissions of the country’s major industries and provides support to other ministry divisions.

In 2010, artist Lara Scarr (BA in Visual Arts and Psychology ’10) exhibited her work in several group and individual shows, won awards and scholarships, and garnered rave reviews from art critics and the public. She’s currently working on a new series called the “Thread & Paint Revolution” which combines textiles, paint and images. www.larascarr.carbonmade.com/about

beacon by Laura Scarr

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWS The Festival of Trees Online Alumni Auction

raised more than $13,000 for alumni initiatives and student scholarships, bursaries, and awards.

Thank you to all of our 2010 alumni donors: Megan Bailey (BA in Business ’09) – Vancouver Island University Colin Brost (BTM ’04) – Tourism Sun Peaks Ro Davies (BTM ’00) – Whistler Golf Club Val Davies (Continuing Studies ’01) – Retired Rob DiCastri (Commerce Transfer ’88-’89) – Aviawest Resort Group Warren Erhart (Hotel and Restaurant Management ’76) – White Spot Restaurants Terence Fitzgerald (Fine Arts Dipl. ’92) – Writer/Producer Leeanne Fitzpatrick (BTM ’02) - The Adventure Group Whistler Don Hubbard (Heavy Duty Mechanics ’66) – Hub City Paving Colleen Thiessen (Hospitality Dipl. ’02) – The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Curtis Wilson (BA in First Nations Studies ’03) – Artist

Call for Nominations VIU’s Alumni Association is accepting nominations for board member positions. Alumni must nominate a candidate or self-nominate by 4pm on April 1, 2011. Please include the following with your nomination: • A short bio of the candidate • A statement of interest (why the candidate would like to be considered for a board position) Send nominations to David Forrester, manager, Alumni Relations at alumni@viu.ca. The 10-member Alumni Association board represents more than 45,000 alumni through leadership, advocacy and service.

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AN UNEXPECTED CAREER As a student Rebecca Smith (BSc Nursing ’04) had never heard of an Organ Donor Specialist, a job she’s now grown to love. Looking back, she credits VIU’s nursing program for preparing her to handle a role requiring medical know-how and the ability to work compassionately with people who are mourning the loss of a family member, and others who are witnessing their loved ones getting a second chance at life.

The bittersweet miracles I witness in my work stun me. When my pager goes off my heart simultaneously sinks with sadness and sings for joy. Each page represents someone’s death and a grieving family. But it also opens a door for one of the more than 350 people who are on the organ donation wait list. Some have been waiting for more

than six years for a suitable organ as age, weight, gender, even the molecular makeup of the organ, must be considered before a transplant is made. That’s why I also cheer when a suitable organ becomes available at the last minute. I’m an Organ Donor Specialist, although my husband describes me as “the air traffic controller of organ donation”. When my pager goes off it means a doctor in B.C. has a patient who is a potential organ donor. The next 24 hours of my life are spent coordinating a series of complex steps to ensure the donor’s organs find their way to an appropriate recipient as quickly and smoothly as possible. Each organ has its own team of specialists and I communicate with all of them to determine which organs are healthy and viable and which recipient is the best match. I also meet with donor families to talk them through the organ donation process, book operating

rooms, phone surgeons, find flights, and organize the transportation of the organs. It’s complicated because many details must happen simultaneously and some circumstances, like bad weather grounding flights, are beyond my control. There are also many misunderstandings around organ donation that I have to address. I’m not surprised, as the subject is still cloaked in mystery. For example, I’ve heard people say they believe health care providers won’t try to save someone’s life if he or she is a registered organ donor. That’s simply untrue – organ donation is never an option until it’s determined any more life-saving efforts are futile. Organ donation is also a personal choice. Families whose loved ones have passed away are never coerced into participating in the program. I simply present the option to them, fully aware there are many social, personal, and religious reasons they might not wish to participate. If families feel it’s not for them, my job stops there. If a family decides to participate, the most rewarding part of my job begins – meeting with donor families. I’ll always remember one mother who had lost her adult son. She decided to participate in the program because her child was always helping others. “He would have wanted to save as many lives as possible,” she said. I leave meetings with donor families feeling humbled – they are strong and selfless. In their most tragic circumstances, they’re able to step outside their grief to give someone else the gift of life. I’m privileged to play a part in this process, a process that starts when my pager goes off. For more information see www.transplant.bc.ca or call 1.800.663.6189.

1936 – 2011

meet. mingle. stay in touch. VIU Mariners Golf Tournament April 8, 2011 Nanaimo Golf Club Nanaimo B.C. www.gomariners.ca Business Breakfast March 10, 2011 VIU’s Nanaimo Campus Spring Convocation 2011 June 6, 2011, 2:30pm June 7, 2011, 10am Port Theatre, Nanaimo VIU Business Program Reunion June 11, 2011 VIU’s Nanaimo Campus Keynote speaker, seminars, barbecue, campus tours, gala dinner www.viu.ca/businesshomecoming/

calendar of events

1936 – 2011

VANCOUV ER ISLAND U N I V E R S I T Y

75th Anniversary Events October 11, 2011: Cowichan Campus Celebration October 12, 2011: Powell River Campus Celebration October 13, 2011: Nanaimo Campus Celebration October 14, 2011: Gala Dinner in Nanaimo Arts and Humanities Colloquium Series Fridays from 10 to 11:30 VIU’s Nanaimo Campus, Library Boardroom March 4, 2011: Transforming History into Relevant, Entertaining Musical Theatre April 1, 2011: Graphic Matters: Women Making Comics

SPRING/SUMMER 2011