NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release Office of the Premier 2002OTP0013-000463 Intergovernmental Relations May 17, 2002 10 PEOPLE TO RECEIVE ORDER OF BRITISH COLUMBIA VICTORIA – The province's highest award for outstanding achievement, the Order of British Columbia, will be presented to 10 people this year, Lt.-Gov. Iona Campagnolo announced today. The recipients for 2002 are: • John (Jack) Patrick Blaney of Vancouver, post-secondary education leader. • Gathie Falk of Vancouver, sculptor, visual and performing artist. • Garde B. Gardom of Vancouver, 26th lieutenant-governor of B.C. • Patsy George of Vancouver, anti-poverty worker and immigrant and refugee supporter. • Irving Allen Guttman of Vancouver, founder of the Vancouver Opera. • H. Martin Kenney of Mission, musical pioneer, bandleader and volunteer. • Norma I. Mickelson of Victoria, educator and chancellor of the University of Victoria. • K. George Pedersen of Vancouver, education leader, chancellor of the University of Northern B.C. • Gian Singh Sandhu of Williams Lake, lumber company founder, charity supporter. • Ernest Alvia (Smokey) Smith of Vancouver, Victoria Cross holder. "The Order of British Columbia recognizes excellence as an inspiration to all of us," said Campagnolo. "By rewarding the accomplishments of outstanding British Columbians who have made a difference to the lives of thousands of people in our province, we further strengthen our shared heritage. It is a great honour to commend them and to welcome them to the order." This year's recipients were chosen by an independent advisory council chaired by British Columbia Chief Justice Lance Finch. The council also includes Claude Richmond, Speaker of the legislative assembly; David Turpin, University of Victoria president; Hans Cunningham, president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities; Andrew Wilkinson, deputy minister of the Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat; and two previous recipients of the order, Judith Forst and Beverley Nann. Awards will be presented in a ceremony at Government House on Sept. 19. Since the Order of British Columbia was introduced in 1989, 179 people have received the honour. Information about these people is available at http://www.protocol.gov.bc.ca/ on the Internet. -30- For further information contact: Heidi Elliott, 250 356-2891 -2- BACKGROUNDER – 2002 ORDER OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Jack Blaney, Vancouver In 1997, Dr. Jack Blaney was named Simon Fraser University's seventh president. He pioneered the SFU downtown campus and designed the fundraising campaign that raised $65 million to build the facility. He has served on many boards and is currently president of the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education. Blaney received the Distinguished Educator Award from the University of Toronto for his leadership qualities, and is also the recipient of the Lieutenant-Governor's Medal for Excellence in Public Service, given by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. Gathie Falk, Vancouver Artist Gathie Falk's career as a visual and performing artist and sculptor has spanned 37 years. Falk has completed commissions for the Lester Pearson Building (Ottawa), Canadian Embassy (Washington, D.C.) and Canada Place (Vancouver). Her works are in permanent collections in the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina and the Vancouver Art Gallery. A major retrospective titled Gathie Falk, organized and circulated by the Vancouver Art Gallery in partnership with the National Gallery of Canada, is currently touring Canada. In 1997, Falk was named a member of the Order of Canada. Garde B. Gardom, Vancouver Garde B. Gardom, QC, practised law in Vancouver until 1966 when he was elected as a member of the legislative assembly. He was re-elected five times and served in several cabinet positions. In 1987, after retiring from politics, Gardon was appointed agent general for British Columbia in London, England. In April of 1995, Gardom was appointed the 26th lieutenant-governor of British Columbia. Gardom is a Knight of St. John and the honourary colonel of the British Columbia Regiment. Patsy George, Vancouver Patsy George is a social worker who has worked with low-income groups, supported the anti-poverty movement, promoted aboriginal development and encouraged community development. George is a founding member of the Vancouver Society of Immigrant Women and was vice-president of the National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women. She was a founding member and chair of the Pacific Immigrant Resources Society. The federal government appointed her to the refugee appeal board, where she served for three years. Irving Guttman, Vancouver Dr. Iving Guttman graduated from Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music in 1952 and was active in the development of opera in Eastern Canada in the 1950s and '60s. In 1960 he helped launch the Vancouver Opera, which put Vancouver on the map in the international opera community. Guttman has mounted productions for singers including Luciano Pavarotti, Beverly Sills, Joan Sutherland and Placido Domingo. In 1992, he became a founding director of a non-profit society, Friends for Life, which helps people living with AIDS and cancer. Today, this organization serves over 1,200 West End residents of Vancouver. He is a member of the Order of Canada and a member of the Canada Arts Council advisory committee. H. Martin Kenney, Mission Dr. Mart Kenney started his band in Vancouver in 1931 and for 70 years has brought big band music to Canadians from coast to coast, including performing concerts for the Armed Forces during the Second World War. Kenney is also known for his volunteer work for his country, province and the town of Mission. This year he celebrates his 91st birthday and is currently advising the First Nations community on developing the archeological find in Hatzic. Kenney was awarded the Order of Canada in 1980 and has garnered many other awards over the years. -3- Norma Mickelson, Victoria Dr. Norma Mickelson was a teacher, scholar, academic dean and advocate for equity at the University of Victoria, and the first female dean of education in Canada. In recognition of her contribution to the status of women in Canadian universities, she received the first Sarah Shorten Award in 1991. Her research resulted in 140 publications, books, articles, poems and educational videos that enriched the field of children's verbal learning and literacy evaluation. Following Mickelson's retirement from UVic, she was appointed to the board of governors and in 1997 was elected the first female chancellor of the University of Victoria. In 1998, she won the YMCA's Women of Distinction Award for lifetime achievement. K. George Pedersen, Vancouver Dr. George Pedersen's career in public education has spanned 49 years. He has been president of Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Western Ontario; interim president of the University of Northern British Columbia; and founding president of Royal Roads University. In 1998, Pedersen became the chancellor of the University of Northern British Columbia, a position he currently holds. He has also been active in community, provincial, national and international organizations. Pedersen served twice on the executive of the Association of Commonwealth Universities and twice as vice-president (Canada) for the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education. Pedersen was appointed an officer in the Order of Canada in 1993 and appointed to the Order of Ontario in 1994. Gian Singh Sandhu, Williams Lake Gian Singh Sandhu founded Jackpine Forest Products Ltd. in 1987, now the 12th largest lumber producing company in B.C. with nearly 300 employees. Under Sandhu's guidance, Jackpine has been a leader in embracing new technologies and creating value-added products for domestic and foreign markets. The company makes a point of hiring men and women from diverse backgrounds and of employing companies owned by First Nations people. Jackpine has grown steadily through a time when many forestry companies are shrinking. Sandhu supports many charities, matches his employees' donations to several charities, created two bursaries to help high school students pursue post-secondary education and provided funding for Williams Lake to build a crematorium. Jackpine is also a major sponsor of this year's B.C. Winter Games. Ernest Alvia (Smokey) Smith, VC, Vancouver E. A. (Smokey) Smith is the only surviving Victoria Cross holder in Canada. He was born in New Westminster in 1914 and served with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada during the Second World War. Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross for exceptional bravery shown in Italy at the Savio River in 1944. After the war he returned to New Westminster. At the outbreak of the Korean War he re- enlisted in the permanent force, from which he retired in 1964. After returning home from the Korean War, he established the Smith Travel Agency in Vancouver. In 1995, Smith was appointed to the Order of Canada. -30- Visit the province's Web site at http://www.gov.bc.ca/ for online information and services..