Award of Merit
J. William Ritchie, BSc(Agr)'51
"Macdonald College and McGill have always had a place in my heart over the past 50 years," says Bill Ritchie. "Together they gave me a great start in life and I have always been pleased to try to repay them in the various ways open to me."
And in that regard, he has been generous indeed. The consummate volunteer, Bill has been President of the Macdonald and Halifax branches of the MAA, a regional vice-president of the Atlantic region for the MAA Board of Directors, and has been the chief player in organizing reunions of the Class of '51 at locations across North America every two years for decades. He is still very involved in organizing and hosting events in Halifax, and has been a great supporter of McGill campaigns, including the McGill 21st Century Fund, the McGill Advancement Program, and the McGill Agricultural Campaign. In 1976, the Graduates' Society awarded him a Distinguished Service Award.
Bill is Chairman and Director of Keltic Incorporated and Director of Salter Street Films Ltd., which among other projects has brought Canadians the celebrated news spoof This Hour Has 22 Minutes on CBC Television. His volunteer work is not limited to McGill, and Bill has been an active supporter of arts organizations like Symphony Nova Scotia in his home province, as well as the IWK Foundation which raises money from across the Atlantic region for the Izaak Walton Killam Hospital for Children.
