Award of Merit

Arthur C.F. Lau, BArch'62

If you're looking for a model of what a friend to McGill might be, you need go no further than Arthur Lau. Often working behind the scenes, Arthur has been building important partnerships for McGill for 36 years, in particular with our friends in Hong Kong. His efforts on behalf of McGill have been nothing short of tremendous, and he was instrumental in both the fundraising for and the design of the M.H. Wong Building used by the Faculty of Engineering.

He has a private architectural practice, and in 1969 won a competition to develop the downtown core of Hamilton, Ontario. His firm has gone on to plan and design many other buildings in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta.

His schedule of community work, both for McGill and the Chinese community of Montreal, is so hectic one wonders whether he has time to sleep. He is a past president of the Board of Governors of the Montreal Chinese Hospital, where he is a member of the Board of Directors, and he is the founding President of the Federation of Chinese-Canadian Professionals (Quebec). At McGill, Arthur serves on the Board of Governors, the Senate Committee on Physical Development, the Board of Directors for the McGill University Health Centre, the Architectural Advisory Committee and the Advisory Board of the Faculty of Dentistry. He was instrumental in preserving the Faculty of Dentistry when it was threatened with closure a few years ago. He has been on more than ten other McGill advisory committees since 1994 alone, including the Advisory Board of the Faculty of Research and Graduate Studies and The Twenty-First Century Fund Campaign. Arthur and his wife, Crystal S.C. Soo, BSc'62, MSc'64, have two children, both McGill graduates: Doris Kit Yu Lau, BSc'89, BEd'91, and Benjamin H.K. Lau, MD'93.

E.P. Taylor Award

Rita Shane, MD'42

This award is presented to a volunteer who has demonstrated outstanding service to the McGill Alma Mater Fund. Dr. Rita Shane has served as a longstanding volunteer at both McGill and Sir George Williams University, now Concordia University. She received her BA from Sir George in 1937 and was the only woman in her graduating class. After completing her medical degree at McGill, she interned at the Children's Memorial Hospital, now the Montreal Children's Hospital, and completed her training at the Jewish General Hospital. In 1946, she married Dr. Arnold H. Katz, MD'40, upon his return from service in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps in World War II. After a temporary retirement following the birth of her son, Rita became Medical Director of a rehabilitation centre for addictions. She has been on the Board of Directors of the Association of Alumni at Concordia University for many years, and received their Award of Merit in 1992.

Rita is one of the longest-serving class agents in McGill's history. The keeper of a spectacular collection of hats, she is a regular volunteer for phonathons, where she has been known to don a Robin Hood-style cap when placing her phone calls.

David Johnston Award

Gordon Alastair Maclachlan

Created to honour former principal David L. Johnston, this award is presented to a McGill faculty or staff member who has done exemplary work on behalf of the McGill Alma Mater Fund. Gordon Maclachlan has been a professor of botany and biology at McGill since 1962, and was Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research and Vice-Principal (Research) from 1980 to 1990. In 1990, McGill established the Gordon Maclachlan Award for the best PhD thesis in biological sciences and in 1991, Gordon was awarded an Honorary Life Membership by the Alumni Association. In 1992, he was given the Walter Hitschfeld Prize by the Canadian Association of University Research Administrators. Gordon has been a guiding light in research and teaching, particularly among young researchers. His willingness to seek encouragement for projects large and small prompted him to become Chair of the Faculty and Staff Fund, and he's always there with a smile to remind his colleagues of the importance of keeping up support for new initiatives.

Distinguished Service Awards

Robert Dobson Midgley, MD'60

Bob Midgley earned his MD from McGill in 1960 and was awarded the Keenan Memorial Prize in Clinical Surgery. After doing his residency in plastic surgery at the Montreal Children's Hospital, Bob went on staff at the Royal Victoria Hospital, was director of plastic surgery at St. Mary's Hos-pital, and an associate professor of surgery at McGill. In 1976, Bob and his wife Elizabeth moved to Charlottetown, where they soon met many Island McGill graduates. Bob became president of the local alumni chapter in the mid-'80s. "This was a great opportunity for Elizabeth and me to host many pleasant McGill evenings," says Bob, "and for McGill Islanders to meet such notable people as David Johnston, Derek Drummond, Deborah Buszard, Gavin Ross -- and on one occasion the McGill hockey team!" In PEI, Bob has been on the staff of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital since 1976 and was Chief of Staff from 1982-84. He is an avid sailor, and he and Elizabeth are two of the friendliest and most hospitable McGill alumni you'll find.

Daniel Tingley, BA'63, BCL'63

A native of Winnipeg, Dan Tingley was an active student at McGill who played football while succeeding at his legal studies. He gained an appreciation for the importance of extracurricular involvement on campus -- an idea he later promoted as a criterion in evaluating students for admission -- and was a driving force in the push for greater alumni involvement in student recruitment. In his role as a McGill alumnus, Dan served as a Graduate Governor on the Board of Governors (1992-1996), Chair of the Reunion Class Committee of the McGill Alma Mater Fund (1989-1990), Director and Honorary Secretary of the McGill Graduates' Society (1989-1991). The Distinguished Service Award is given for exceptional contributions to the McGill community and Dan has given selflessly of his time and good-natured advice over the years.

Formerly a partner with Lafleur Brown in Montreal, Tingley was appointed Puisne Judge of the Superior Court of the Province of Quebec in 1992. Judge Tingley lives in Westmount with his wife, Sara Thornton Tingley, and has three children, Nicholas, Chella, BA'91, and Charles, BA'95.

Honorary Life Memberships

Elizabeth (Ross) Midgley

Dr. Elizabeth (Ross) Midgley and husband Robert Midgley have been hosting McGill alumni in their Charlottetown home for years, both Island graduates and those "from away." Elizabeth received her MD from the University of Western Ontario in 1964, and interned at the Montreal General Hospital, where she met future husband Bob. Upon completing her residency, she joined the hospital staff, and was a lecturer in medicine at McGill from 1974-76. Elizabeth is Head of Haematology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlotte-town, and is also the Medical Director of the Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, PEI Centre.

If you pass through Charlottetown and see the McGill flag flying outside a beautiful house on the waterfront, that's the Midgley residence.

David C. Hannaford

David C. Hannaford is Chair of the McGill Associates, an organization of non-graduate business people in Montreal who support McGill by funding numerous projects each year, such as the capacity to hook up to Russian television for the Russian Studies program and, as a special gift to The McGill Twenty-First Century Fund, the statue of James McGill on campus. David's experience with trust companies, securities companies and banks has brought him into contact with all aspects of the financial community. He is a co-founder of ACUMEN Financial Planning/Consilium Financial Planning Group, is a former national director of the Canadian Association of Financial Planners, and writes for magazines like Your Money and Money Saver. David has also kept himself busy as President of the University Club of Montreal, and of the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society, and is a devoted family man. He is on the McGill Friends of the Library Presi-dent's Committee and brings an intuitive, thoughtful ap-proach to his work as a McGill volunteer.

Robert L. Dubeau

Bob Dubeau's contributions to athletics and to McGill wouldn't fit in the space available. Bob has been Director of Athletics since 1976. He joined McGill in 1968 as director of intramural sports and was later program director of the athletics department. In the mid-'70s, Bob served as the director of sports services on the Olympic Organiz-ing Committee as Montreal prepared to host the 1976 Summer Games, and he has been a member of the Canadian Olympic Association since then. Not content merely to organize and direct athletics, Bob has also accumulated many of his own trophies over the years, from Quebec badminton championships in the 1950s to more recent successes as club champion of the Royal Montreal and Owl's Head Golf Clubs. Bob has been a member of the McGill Student Services Committee since 1987, and is on the Board of Governors and Executive Committee at Dawson College. Over the past 18 years, he has been a pivotal player in the $32-million redevelopment of the sports complex, and it is in large part due to his relentless efforts that the new complex is something of which alumni and McGill can be proud.

Anne H. Roussell

Anne H. Roussell has been the Director of Development and Alumni Relations Services at McGill since 1995, and is the Executive Director of McGill's new Recruitment and Liaison Office. Anne came to McGill in 1974. She has worked as the project manager for a major McGill research initiative by the Department of Epidemiology, and as manager in the Admissions and Recruiting Office. She has further served the University as division chair of The McGill Twenty-First Cen-tury Fund and as a member of the University Senate. Outside of McGill, she is the Vice-President of the YWCA Foundation of Montreal. Anne's work in Recruitment and Liaison has taken her to every Canadian province, most parts of the United States, and to Europe and Asia. One of the joys of her work, she says, is that in doing recruiting and development together she can involve alumni in the recruiting efforts, allowing them to "replace themselves." Most recently, she has directed the switch to a new database system -- named James, after McGill's founder -- for keeping track of alumni and friends at Development and Alumni Relations, a $1.5-million project requiring extraordinary patience and stamina.

Branch President of the Year

Heidi (Broun) Allardyce, BA'79

This award is presented to the Branch President who has served with outstanding enthusiasm and leadership. In every way, Heidi Allardyce is fully deserving. Formerly a specialist in compensation with the Steinberg and Domtar companies, Heidi moved to Atlanta with her husband, Gary Allardyce, BEng'74, in 1988. In 1996, she volunteered to take over the Atlanta branch, which had been dormant for 12 years. In a matter of 24 months, she staged seven popular events: among them a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner; the Agatha Murder Mystery night; attendance at an Anne Murray concert; and a pre-Olympic reception with Richard Pound. When Heidi attended the last Alumni Branch Leaders' weekend, she took advantage of an introduction to Principal Bernard Shapiro to ask if he would speak to Atlanta alumni. Few can turn Heidi down, including McGill's Principal who, true to his word, visited Georgia last year. Dean of Medicine Abe Fuks followed this spring. Both McGill and Georgia alumni have benefited from her energy. Heidi and Gary live in Roswell and have two daughters, Kimberly and Melissa.

Event of the Year Award

Ottawa Gala Dinner Dance

On November 8, 1997, over 300 McGill alumni and friends entered the Hall of Honour on Parliament Hill for an evening to remember. The Ottawa Gala Dinner Dance was organized to recognize the achievements of Principal Bernard Shapiro, BA'56, LLD'88, and his brother Harold Shapiro, BCom'56, LLD'88, President of Princeton University. Under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister Herb Gray, BCom'52, the event was an enchanting success. Candlelight from the more than 30 guest tables lent a charming air of mystery to the elegant Hall and the corridors rang with music. Derek Drummond, BArch'62, Vice-Principal, Development and Alumni Relations, provided the introductions, which were followed by speeches from the Shapiros, Mr. Gray and John Roth, President and CEO of Nortel. All had a wonderful time. The Alumni Association would like to extend a hearty bravo to the organizing committee of the Event of the Year: Frances Fleming-Ross, BA'68, MEd'72 (Chair), Doris Bradbury, BA'71 (President, Ottawa Branch), W. James Reilly, BA'60, Betsy Rigal, BA'54, and Robert N.C. Tennant, BA'71.

Branch of the Year Award: New York

The New York Branch of the Alumni Association, headed by President Anton Angelich, BSc'73, continued this year to offer its constituents a wide variety of events. New Yorkers were treated to the annual holiday party, which attracted over 150 participants. The branch hosted the McGill Jazz Orchestra while it was in New York, and an informal Skating Party was held in Central Park, with alumni reminiscing about McGill and Montreal over coffee and hot chocolate afterwards. Events organized for the spring included a Walking Tour of Harlem, a visit to Urban Glass, a glass-blowing studio, followed by lunch at a Yemeni restaurant, and a city beautification day, where McGill alumni and friends cleaned up a little corner of the city and planted azaleas and small trees. Anton and his group of organizers provide interesting, original and elegant events for McGill New Yorkers, and his informal leadership style has encouraged more and more alumni to get involved in branch activities. The group has an infectious enthusiasm and a true dedication to McGill.

Student Leadership Awards

Nishi Elisabeth Aubin

Nishi Elisabeth Aubin, BA'98, is a political science and history student at McGill. She is the 1998 Chair of Class Action, and this year she spearheaded a campaign that raised over $65,000 for McGill faculty projects and managed a team of over 200 student volunteers. As a volunteer herself, she has gone out of her way to get involved at all levels of student life and has been the First Year Orientation Program Coordinator for the Students' Society of McGill University (SSMU), the Director of the Management Undergraduate Society AIDS Benefit Fashion Show, and the SSMU Culturefest Coordinator. In 1997, she was awarded the SSMU Award for Student Excellence, Dedication and Distinction, and was given the Award for School Spirit and Commitment by the Women's Philanthropic Organization -- Alpha Omicron Pi.

Katarzyna Szybiak

Katarzyna Szybiak, BA'98, is a student in anthropology and international development studies. Kat has been involved in the Student Organization for Alumni Relations (SOAR) since 1995, and has been its Vice-President, University Affairs, and Vice-President, Services, over the past two years. She was Coordinator of the Summer Send-off Program in 1997, organizing 20 send-off receptions for incoming students worldwide. In the same year, she was the Exam Care Package Coordinator, and in 1997-98, she inaugurated SOAR's Mentor Program. She was awarded the SSMU Activity of the Year Award in 1997 for the January Frosh Program. Her commitment to McGill and the McGill Alumni Association has truly set a benchmark for future students.

Taryn Tomlinson

Taryn Tomlinson, BEng'98, is an electrical engineering student. She is the President of the Engineering Undergraduate Society and one of the top student volunteers at McGill. She was the student coordinator of over 2,000 volunteers for McGill's 175th Anniversary Open House, and she recruited student volunteers for Homecoming 1997 and for the opening of the M.H. Wong Building. She is the Chair of POWE (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Engineering), has hosted an industry conference for the Faculty of Engineering, and participates in high school recruiting visits. She was given the Award for Most Outstanding Dedication by the Engineer-ing Undergraduate Society in 1997, and the Award for Combined Academic and Extra-Curricular Achievement by the Faculty of Engineering in 1996.

Andrea Wichtler

Andrea Wichtler, BA'98, is a political science student. She has been a member of the Student Organization for Alumni Relations (SOAR) since 1994, and is SOAR's 1998 President, overseeing its expansion this year to six programs of its own and participation in more than 20 alumni events. She has served as a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, as Class Action Chair for Political Science, as a blood drive coordinator for the Students' Society of McGill University (SSMU), and as the Society's Frosh Coordinator, for which she won the SSMU Activity of the Year Award. She is a recipient of the McGill Scarlet Key Award, and this year received the SSMU Volunteer of the Year Award. She is one of McGill's outstanding student volunteers, within both the Alumni Association and the University as a whole.