Geogramme 1998 Get App
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
GE GRAMME A newsletter for geography alumni Fall 1998 many challenges, but we also have some Latin America. President’s accomplishments well. This being said, In the following years, Alf made there is always room for improvement. numerous field trips, often with students, For our division to flourish, we must to the east coast of Mexico, and other Report continue to be actively involved, enthusi- parts of Latin America. His research and astic in our work, and care about and many publications have made him one of Arthur Ng, BA’85 participate in alumni events. Contribu- the leading world authorities on prehis- tions to the Geography Alumni Scholar- toric subsistence agriculture on the ello again fellow alumni. It’s been ship Fund continue strong, but the tropical lowlands wetlands of Mexico. Hanother year already. As I get older, operating budget is a problem. Alf has written and/or edited six books it feels like time goes by that much faster This year’s AGM will be held at mainly on Latin America, ten different and we have more and more work to Cecil Green Park on October 20, 1998. chapters in other books, plus 15 separate accomplish! We will be honouring Dr. Jon O’Riordan, articles in professional journals. Aside from assisting with annual B.C. Deputy Minister of Environment He has received many awards and undergraduate events such as Career with our Distinguished Geographer honors from organizations involved in Night, Graduation Dinner and a Convo- Award, and Dr. John Chapman with our Latin America studies for his leadership, cation reception, a few changes have award for Service to Geography. Please including the Highest Distinction Award been made. The executive discovered that join us to take part in the festivities and from the International Congress of the Geography Dept. has had a web page to say hello to fellow alumni. Americanists in 1991, an organization of for more than two years and that a which he was president in 1995. portion has been allocated to the alumni. Locally, Alf will be remembered for By October you should be able to read 1997 Distinguished his courses on Cultural Geography, for last year’s newsletter, answer question- his interesting local field trips, and for his naires, and e-mail information to us. We GeographerAward encouragement of student photography. look forward to your responses and Alf retired a year ago after 35 years of encourage you to forward articles, lfred H. Siemens spent most of his lectures which opened academic doors to pictures, and the like for future newslet- Aacademic life in the UBC Geogra- geography and other students. For these ters. Our website address is: http:// phy Department, encouraging, leading contributions, we are pleased to name Dr. www.geog.ubc.ca, and our e-mail address and inspiring students. His personal roots Alfred H. Siemens as the recipient of the is: [email protected]. are in the Lower Fraser Valley and his Distinguished Geographer Award for We want to hear more from you and academic research interests, field work 1997. hope that you will respond to the ques- and publications have been mostly in, and tionnaire enclosed in this newsletter. We about, Mexico. want you to be involved with on or off Alf received his BA in Geography AGM campus activities, such as hiking the from UBC in 1956. After a year of Tuesday,October 20,7:30 pm Grouse Grind or canoeing at Pitt Lake. teaching secondary school, he returned to Cecil Green Park,UBC Family is welcome and members can complete graduate work for an MA in exchange past UBC stories and experi- 1960 with a thesis on the Mennonites in Agenda ences. Any ideas would be appreciated. the Lower Fraser Valley. Alf decided to President’s report I will be retiring as president this specialize on Latin America for his PhD Nominations of new Executive Fall at our AGM. After three years at the work in Geography at the University of Distinguished Geographer Award helm, and last year being chair of Wisconsin. Before he could complete his Service to Geography Award Divisions Council, I feel that my alumni dissertation on southern Vera Cruz, UBC 10 and 25-year lapel pins to attending work should come to a close. I will still decided to add Latin America to its geography alumni be involved with alumni and Division regional academic interests. In 1962 the Refreshments and conversation activities; however my workload will be university called back Alf to be the first Drawing for door prizes more manageable. We have gone through regional specialist on the geography of a batch of physical-geography retire- ments whose replacement will be uncer- Donations tain. We will be expected to pursue any opportunities for external funding of J. Lewis Robinson positions. In sum, we can expect the face lease use the enclosed Keep in of geography at UBC to change consider- PTouch insert to send personal or ably over the next decade. professional news for the next Fortunately, we are well placed to Geogramme and to donate cheques for face the expected pressures. We are our two alumni accounts: the Operating considered one of the two strongest Account to meet the costs of producing Department departments in the Faculty of Arts, and the Newsletter, and the Scholarship Fund several events during the year further for three leading third-year geography strengthened our reputation. First, Dave students. News McClung was appointed to the NSERC There weren’t enough donations to Industrial Research Chair in Snow and the Operating Account in the past year to Robert North, Acting Head Avalanche Science, the only chair cover the increasing costs of producing awarded to a geography department in and mailing the Geogramme. We add year ago, Graeme Wynn left for a Canada, and the first chair in Snow and about 100 new graduates each year, for a Awell-deserved year of administra- Avalanche Science in the world. Second, total of about 2500 on the mailing list, tive leave in England — a reward for David Ley was elected to the Royal while the number of donors is only about several years service as associate dean of Society of Canada, the fifth member of 50 people. This past year 49 donors gave Arts. I took over as acting head and it’s the Department to be honoured. Much of $1565. More than half of this came from been an interesting year in many ways. A his time this year was spent managing the three large donations: Doreen Mullins, multi-year salary agreement for faculty UBC/SFU component of the international $500, John Stibbard, $200, Katie Eliot, members introduced an element of Metropolis project, which will bring $2.8 $100. Most of this was donated last fall stability into UBC’s financial planning million into the joint Centre of Excel- after alumni received the Geogramme. for the first time in years. That and a new lence over six years and employ ten We know that most grads do not become president determined to involve the research assistants. Lastly, our present professional geographers but we hope whole university community in the graduate students captured 9 per cent of they are still interested in department planning process, gave us months of all the University Graduate Fellowships news and donating to keep the newsletter visioning and eventually the Trek 2000 awarded at UBC, about double our coming. If not, it seems probable that it document. The Geography Department previous share. Competition for entry is will cease. will be affected in various ways: for fierce: only a fifth of firm applicants On a happier note, your donations to example, we can’t expect all retirements were accepted in 1997-8, exactly half of the Geography Alumni Scholarship Fund to be replaced automatically. Neither Alf them women and a third non-Canadian. have increased greatly over the past two Siemens nor Walter Hardwick has been Among many links with business and years, allowing us to increase the number replaced, and three more retirements are government, one of general interest is the of $900 scholarships to three. From due in 2001 — all on the human-geogra- October 1997 to July 1998, 85 donors phy side of the department. There is also Cont’d on page 8 gave about $9,000 to the endowed Scholarship Fund (from Oct. – Dec. 1996, 51 donors gave $5,000). In the past year, an additional donations appeal was sent out to previous donors from the Dean of Arts office, resulting in in- creased donations. However, this also caused confusion for alumni who di- rected their donation to a new Dept. of Geography Fund (special expenses for guest lecturers, field trips, equipment, etc.), thinking that this was the Scholar- ship Fund. In the past year, 25 donors sent cheques to me, along with their Keep-in-Touch form, and 60 persons donated directly to the UBC Develop- ment Office — which means that I did UBC Geography team at the Day of the Longboat Competition, 1995. Cont’d on page 7 Geogramme Fall 1998 2 Where Are They Now? compiled by J. Lewis Robinson 1940s We continue to receive helpful donations Federal Government Dept. of Foreign Peggy Ward, BA’68, is the ecosystem to both the Operating and Scholarship Affairs and International Trade after mapping coordinator for the Canadian Funds from many of our earliest geogra- more than 32 years of service. He now Wildlife Service on the Little Qualicum phy graduates. A few are noted in the lives in Kanata, Ontario … Robin Lyons, River estuary on Vancouver Island. Her Donations lists (see p.