Community Builders
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COMMUNITY BUILDERS FALL 2015 46.3 PUBLISHED BY THE TRENT UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 8 STEPHEN STOHN ’66 COMES FULL CIRCLE 15 TUAA ANNUAL REPORT 21 UNLEASH THE POTENTIAL CAMPAIGN 30 LEADING BY EXAMPLE This year’s Head of the Trent Regatta people braved the cold, huddling along the and Homecoming Weekend attracted Otonabee to cheer their teams and crews athletes and alumni from across Canada on. Here, the women’s soccer team prepares and around the world for a celebration of to take the field against the University of athletics and university spirit. Thousands of Toronto Varsity Blues. TRENT is published three times a year in June, September and February by the Trent University Alumni Association. Unsigned comments reflect the opinion of the editor only. Trent University Alumni Association Alumni House, Champlain College Trent University Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8 705.748.1573 or 1.800.267.5774, Fax: 705.748.1785 Email: [email protected] trentu.ca/alumni EDITOR • MANAGING EDITOR Donald Fraser ’91 COPY EDITOR Jenna Pilgrim, Megan Ward DESIGN Beeline Design & Communications CONTRIBUTORS Donald Fraser ’91, Lee Hays ’91, Kate Weersink, Jenna Pilgrim, Ryan Perks ’08, Marie Walford-Palmer ’88 Cover Story 8 EDITORIAL BOARD Marilyn Burns ’00, Donald Fraser ’91 Lee Hays ’91, Terry Reilly ’69, Kathryn Verhulst-Rogers Stephen Stohn ’66 and Degrassi cast members at the Emmys. Photo courtesy of Epitome Pictures PRINTING and BINDING Maracle Press, Oshawa TUAA COUNCIL HONORARY PRESIDENT T.H.B. Symons PRESIDENT 21 Robert Taylor-Vaisey ’66 PAST PRESIDENT Adam Guzkowski ’95 VP, CAMPUS AFFAIRS Charlene Holmes ’85 27 30 VP, GOVERNANCE Jess Grover ’02 VP, MEMBER SERVICES 4 | Editorial John Igiebor-Isoken ’98 5 | A Message from the President and Vice-Chancellor COUNCILLORS Teresa Bugelli ’92, Pat Carson ’74, Wei Lynn Eng ’99 6 | Alumni Director’s Notes Vidal Guerreiro ’01, Adam Hopkins ’03, Terry Reilly ’69, 12 | What’s New at Trent Jessica Lee ’05, Diane Therrien ’10 15 | TUAA Annual Report BOARD OF GOVERNORS REPRESENTATIVE 20 | Student Column Steve Kylie ’72, Robin Sundstrom ’78 21 | Unleash the Potential: $50 Million Campaign SENATE REPRESENTATIVE Jess Grover ’02 27 | Profiles: Three New Alumni on the Board of Governors CHAPTER PRESIDENTS 30 | Alumni Profiles: Community Builders Maile Loweth Reeves ’79 (York Region) 34 | A Jamaican’s Tribute to Trent Leaders Caleb Smith ’93 (Niagara Region) Laura Suchan ’84 (Oshawa/Durham Region) 36 | Sunshine Sketches/Alumni Pursuits Lorraine Bennett ’72 (Vancouver) Derrick Farnham ’83 (Montreal) 37 | New Bachelor of Social Work Program Hits Home David Wallbridge ’96 (Halifax/Dartmouth) 38 | Vancouver Chapter Activities Steve Cavan ’77 (Saskatoon) Gordon Copp ’76 (British Isles) 37 | TUARP: The Pasture Patrick Lam ’86 (Hong Kong) 41 | Looking Back DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AFFAIRS Lee Hays ’91 Follow us on Twitter @trentalumni, and at the Trent University Alumni Association group on Facebook and at LinkedIn. ALUMNI SERVICES COORDINATOR Sue Robinson ON THE COVER: Stephen Stohn ’66 The Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame inductee looks back ALUMNI AFFAIRS ASSISTANT Sylvia Hennessy to the place where it all started. The co-founder of Arthur and Trent Radio reminisces about his student years. Photo: Micheal Cullen ’82 Trent Magazine 46.3 3 EDITOR’S NOTES TRUSTING YOUR GUT DONALD FRASER ’91 ot knowing how to do This new project soon became The reason we launched our something shouldn’t get in Trent Radio, which is still operating to podcast—two podcasts, really, the Nthe way of trying. OK, there this day. Stephen went on to become Trent Talks and Trent Voices—was to are probably some exceptions to the executive producer for projects showcase alumni who were leaders this rule—such as bomb disposal. Or that include Degrassi and The Juno in creating positive change in their brain surgery. In those cases, practice Awards. He’s become a giant in communities. Coincidentally, that is definitely makes perfect. both entertainment production and the theme of this issue: Community But when it comes to pioneering entertainment law. Not bad for a guy Builders. new projects, we should be who had never seen a studio before. Within these pages, we’ve shone encouraged to follow our intuition There are times working with the light on “Community Builders” and gut. The skills needed for the Alumni Affairs when I feel a little like who are helping to shape our world task will either be learned or provided Stephen Stohn in those early Trent in their own unique ways. We’ve by partners, colleagues, or fellow days. Here at Alumni House, we’ve featured political leaders, religious stakeholders. been creating podcasts, building new leaders, financial leaders, and social social media streams, and slowly innovators—as well as alumni named dragging our communications into to Trent’s Board of Governors. We’ve the 21st century. We’re doing things also featured Stephen, who is a that have never been done before at leader in so many ways to the Trent Trent—and sometimes breaking new Community. ground for alumni organizations in All of these esteemed alumni Canada. have one thing in common. At some “Do you actually know how to point or another, they’ve all done produce a podcast?” I was asked things that they didn’t know how to do during the communications planning beforehand, like being a city councillor, process. chief economist, or becoming an “Sure!” I replied. The “in theory” Aboriginal diplomat. And they have all part was left silent. succeeded as a result. Take media creation as an One season later, I can Leadership, it seems, is all about example. In the late 1960s, when comfortably say that we now know stretching your comfort zone. alumnus Stephen Stohn ’66 teamed how to produce professional sounding As for those brain surgeons and up with some fellow students to create broadcasts—and that most people bomb disposal experts, they can stay a new radio station, they did not allow probably didn’t know that we were exactly where they are, starting off as their lack of technical knowledge to making things up as we went. Special comfortably as humanly possible. get in the way. thanks to my student assistants, Katrina Enjoy your autumn edition of “We had absolutely no idea of Gormley and Jenna Pilgrim for all of TRENT Magazine. what a real station was or how we their help in the process. I invite you were supposed to do things,” he all to check out the shows at recalls. “We didn’t know how to be trenttalks.podbean.com announcers and we had no clue how to use the equipment. But we went for it anyways.” 4 Trent Magazine 46.3 A MESSAGE FROM THE EIGHTH PRESIDENT & VICE-CHANCELLOR A SEASON OF RENEWAL: Where Professional Programs Meet the Humanities rent’s Symons Campus is Other developments that challenge was far beyond their control, but they stunning in the summer. the way we think are tied to trends in flourished by adapting to it. TIn July it is a memorable post-secondary education. One of At Trent, there are many ways Canadian landscape, melding the most fundamental is the migration to manage the current trends in together the river, the cedars of students away from traditional higher education. If we manage our in the forest, and our famous disciplines and towards programs development carefully, I believe that architecture. associated with particular careers. they will allow us to maintain core In August the mood changes In some cases moves in this programming in the humanities and as we anticipate the start of the direction have been extreme. In Japan social sciences at the same time fall term. Before one knows it, last month, the education minister that we emphasize interdisciplinary September arrives and ushers in asked all of Japan’s national universities professional programs that are fully the energy of a new academic to take active steps to abolish their integrated with the arts, and the year. social science and humanities development of new programming Fall is a harbinger of renewal. programs. Close to half have decided that combines all our disciplines in Over a few short years, Trent to comply. ways that are clearly relevant to the is introducing $100,000,000 In Ontario, government moves issues of today. of capital improvements have not been so drastic, but every Even if one focuses on career in Peterborough: four new year we witness a further decline in success (only one element of a residences; a new Student Centre; the numbers of students enrolling in good education), education in all the and, in partnership with the City of programs that are not tied to specific disciplines we teach is highly valuable Peterborough, a state-of-the-art careers. and worthwhile. In the case of the baseball diamond and sports field, What does this mean for Trent? traditional disciplines in the liberal arts and a twin pad ice arena. We are a university that boasts and sciences, they are not preparation These changes will transform impressive professional programs for success in a career, but preparation student life on the campus while that prepare our students for careers: for success in any career. providing sports facilities that will most obviously, in Social Work, One can see this in the careers of make us a recreational hub for all Nursing, Business, Forensics and the successful alumni who are profiled of Peterborough. Education. We are, at the same time, and noted in this issue of TRENT In the longer term, we an institution with a proud tradition Magazine. Their majors: Economics, hope to make our partnership that is founded on programs in the English, Indigenous Environmental with the City of Peterborough traditional disciplines associated with Studies, Philosophy, Psychology, Native a basis for other transformative the humanities, social sciences and Studies, and Biology.