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ALUMNI QUARTERLY - winter 2008
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Home > McGill News > 2003 > Spring 2003 > Letters

Letters

Winter wow

Winter 2002 cover

I just saw the winter McGill News, and the cover photo by Nicolas Morin is wonderful. Do you happen to know if it is available for sale either as an enlarged photo or poster? Susan Drblik, who is a McGill alumna, and my wife, is the recipient of the publication, and I am a former faculty member (Medicine).

The photo brings back a lot of memories. I have seen the lower campus looking just like that many times. I would appreciate any info as to how to obtain a copy.

Bernard Costello, MD
via email

Ed. note: Dr. Costello was one of many who asked the same question. Nicolas Morin will produce 10x12 prints at the following prices (Cdn): Regular, $60; Archival quality, $75; Special artist's print, numbered and signed, $150, taxes and shipping included. Contact him at nicomori@sympatico.ca. Orders sent after April 5 will be filled in May when Nicolas returns from a trip to Africa.

Talent hunt

Illustration of torch passing

Congratulations on yet another excellent issue of McGill News. I very much enjoyed Daniel McCabe's article "Passing the Torch" about attracting new faculty to McGill. If you adhere to the doctrine that the single sustainable competitive advantage over the long term is having higher quality people than your competitors, the need for disciplined recruitment policies and practices is clearly evident. Professor Ronald Melzack's recruitment efforts regarding Jeffrey Mogil should be applauded; however, this event needs to be more than incidental or "nice to have."

In fact, the need for talent to look for talent should be an actively managed accountability for all members of faculty. In spite of the risks associated with the natural tendency for people to want to reproduce themselves, who better to participate in the recruitment process than those who live and create the culture that is McGill.

Alan H. Desnoyers, BCom'85
via email

Strong issue

I thoroughly enjoy my McGill News and after each issue have felt I should congratulate you and your staff for the good work you do: the wide range of articles, each written to capture and hold the interest of the reader, and the attention paid to the layout in general. This issue was a catalyst to me.

I have heard several presidents complain about topics such as the poor attitude some professors have toward their students but never one like Principal Bernard Shapiro who would let himself be quoted. We were very fortunate to have had Principal Shapiro.

One further example is the last page. Surely this is the work of two strong women: Victoria Lees for writing the article and you for printing it. There is a rather large number of knowledgeable and skillful people whose only fault is that they feel they should be the leader. Perhaps the McGill News has the function of arbitrator as well in its repertoire.

Please continue your good work.

Garnett Stephen, BSc'48, MA'67
via email

Ed. note: We should make clear that Principal Shapiro was referring primarily to bureaucratic red tape when he talked about a less-than-welcoming atmosphere for students at McGill and not about professors' attitudes. As noted in the article about new faculty coming to McGill, the high calibre of students is a major attraction.

Ready for anything

Scan of mentor ad

After quite a few years in the boondocks, I am finally back into the stream of McGill alumni activities (or whatever stream a 79-year-old can handle). The first of, hopefully, many News issues arrived this morning and when I opened it to the "Mentor" page, received a most pleasant surprise. The student being dubbed by Dr. F. Cyril James was Eric Deacon, a friend of mine, and I was close behind. We were both student veterans and I must state that the dubbing started a lot of fond memories from the fields I worked in during the following 50 years. Never in the top bracket of management, but always out front searching for new challenges.

Retirement has itself brought new challenges, and I could share them with the News if you like stories about flying and people. As the stand-up comic says, "I got a million of them." Can also do some mentoring, if a fresh-faced student would listen to a hoary old grad!

The only sad note for me was the loss of Lynn Williams of Ottawa, one of the finest gentlemen ever graduated from McGill and from my class.

John A. Neal, BSc'50
via email

Paging Tadoussac staff

Photo caption follows Bellmen on parade

We would like to tell McGill News readers about a reunion for staff who worked at Hotel Tadoussac between 1940 and 1966, when it was owned and run by Canada Steamship Lines. During these years, hundreds of McGill students had summer jobs at the hotel, working as waitresses, busboys, bellhops, front desk and gift shop personnel and lifeguards.

The reunion will take place at Hotel Tadoussac this summer from June 27-30. Registration will be on Friday afternoon in the lobby. Former staffers will have their meals in the dining room, visit the new kitchens, go on a whale safari, walk the beaches, renew past friendships, share fond memories and perhaps put on some skits and songs from favourite staff shows. There will also be a photo display of staff members, staff shows, water shows, etc.

For more information, interested alumni should contact Benny Beattie (1957) at (514) 482-7717, bennyb@3web.net, or Di Boulton McNeill (1962-63) at (514) 488-3411.

Benny Beattie, DipEd'65
Di (Boulton) McNeill, BA'65
Brian Cornish, BA'63, BCL'66

Montreal, Que.

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