The Alumni Magazine Dalhousievol.22 no.3 winter 2006 Courage in the most unlikely places Promoting healthy living A parent's journey O n t h e I n s i d e GENEROUS GIFTS A WEALTH OF OPPORTUNITY alhousie law graduate Don Oliver is passionate about Dempowering Canada’s youth. His friend Hugh J. Maccagno supports that passion, and has established the Senator Donald H. Oliver Bursary for Black Atlantic Canadians at Dalhousie University. Our awards, scholarships and bursaries – coupled with acclaimed faculty and unique learning centres on a modern urban campus – ensure Dalhousie students graduate with a foundation for success. Call us to discuss establishing your legacy: 1.800.565.9969 The Alumni O n t h e I n s i d e DalhousieM a g a z i n e vol. vol.18 22 no. no. 31 spring 2001 winter 2006 On our cover Peter Dalglish (LLB’83) is pictured with Shankar Nepali, a boy he found living and working on the streets of Kathmandu in 2002. Today, 14-year-old Shankar is preparing for studies at the InterCommunity School of Yen Vincent Photo: Zurich on a full scholarship. Little wonder that he’s known as “the luckiest child in Nepal.” Award-winning architecture Shankar is holding his Japanese Spitz, named 4 Kobe. (Photo by Chirkagee Maharajan) Features Departments 10 14 A helping hand for the world's poorest Decision time for students and parents 2 Guest Editorial children Been there, done that. Parents, alumni and Advocate Peter university staff are fielding questions from 3 Campus Profile Dalglish (LLB’83) potential students about how to make the shares his experi- right decision when choosing a univer- 4 Upfront on Campus ences from Kath- sity. Where to go? What to do? Cathy mandu, where he MacDonald invites us along for her journey 20 Dalumni Photo: Dalglish Photo: continues his life’s as a parent as she and her daughter get to work with impov- know Dal better. 22 Class Notes erished children. by Cathy MacDonald Over the last two decades his journey has 32 At Last taken him around the world, to such loca- 16 tions as the Sudan, Zambia and Nepal. Kicking the habit by Carol Moreira A cheeky awareness campaign is changing perceptions about smoking for young peo- ple. Nancy Hoddinott (BScHE’90) is a grad- uate of the Health Education program – recently renamed the Photo: Abriel Photo: Health Promotion pro- gram as part of its 25th anniversary. Hoddinott is changing how we live by promoting health and wellness to Nova Dalhousie, The Alumni Magazine Scotians every day. Dalhousie is the official periodical of the Dalhousie Alumni Association and appears three times a year. Editorial dead- by Keri Irwin (BA’98, BCom’01) line for the next issue is March 21, 2006. w i n t e r 2 0 0 6 1 The Alumni G u e s t E d i t o r i a l DalhousieM a g a z i n e vol. 22 no. 3 winter 2006 The resilience of children around the world has been the focus of several initiatives engaging the talents of the Dalhousie EXECUTIVE EDITOR community. JUNE DAVIDSON Photo: Abriel Photo: Our cover features Peter Dalglish (LLB’83), who has dedicated EDITOR the past two decades of his life to working with the poor- AMANDA PELHAM E-MAIL: [email protected] est children in the world. Peter shares a personal reflection from his current base in Kathmandu (see “Courage in the most unlikely places,” DESIGN AND PRODUCTION pages 12-13). JANE LOMBARD, Dalhousie Design Services Closer to home, the first Lloyd Shaw Lecture and Symposium on Public Affairs ASSISTANT EDITOR/ADVERTISING MANAGER raised awareness of children’s issues. Stephen Lewis, the United Nations special KERI IRWIN E-MAIL: [email protected] envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa, is constantly struck by the “almost supernatural TEL: (902) 494-6039 FAX: (902) 494-1472 strength of children,” whether they are orphaned by AIDS or scarred by the ravages of civil war. “Children are so astonishingly resilient and they’re so determined to PRODUCED BY cut through the miasma of horror that surrounds them,” he told a packed house at DALHOUSIE ALUMNI RELATIONS Dalhousie during the inaugural lecture (see “Taking Centre Stage,” pages 20-21). ISSN 1185-4014 TEL: (902) 494-2071 1 (800) 565-9969 He believes that the early years are a crucial time for fortifying children in crisis with FAX: [902] 494-1141 the coping tools that can influence the rest of their lives. YOUR REMARKS TO: In an effort to determine why some children survive and even thrive in adversity, Dalhousie Magazine Dalhousie has been spearheading The International Resilience Project (www.resil- Communications and Marketing ienceproject.org). This innovative global study is gathering insights from children 218 Hicks Building, Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia and youth who succeed in spite of such threats to their well-being as poverty, war, homelessness, abuse, cultural disintegration and mental health issues. Since they ADDRESS CHANGES survive against all odds, these young people are helping societies around the world TEL: (902) 494-6857 1 (800) 565-9969 learn to take better care of other children in turmoil, by developing more effective E-MAIL: [email protected] community supports and interventions. Alumni Records, Macdonald Building Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia Dr. Michael Ungar of Dalhousie’s School of Social Work leads the team of research- ers from 25 communities on six continents; they include faculty and doctoral stu- dents, social workers, child advocates and others. They have been examining the sur- Our contributors vival capacity of 1,500 children living at risk in 14 sites, from Halifax to Hong Kong Marla Cranston dove right into her new post as editorial manager with the Communications and Tampa to Tanzania. The group is finding similarities in how children withstand and Marketing team with a batch of Up Front unhealthy environments, regardless of their background or situation. Strong family stories and Alumni Spotlights. Marla has support is universally important, but not necessarily a prerequisite to success. Other more than 15 years of experience with The Daily News and NSCAD University. She’s an positive factors include good schools, safe communities, mentors and role models, avid abstract photographer and budding oil painter. peer support and strong cultural identity. The researchers are also finding many dif- ferences and variations across cultures and social contexts. The collaborative studies Keri Irwin (BA’98, BCom’01) becomes the assistant editor and advertising manager are funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Nova with the magazine, filing her first feature story Scotia Health Research Foundation. This research is already leading to meaningful on health promotion. Active herself, she over- policy changes and action around the world. saw the successful Junior League charity fund- raising tour Homes for the Holiday in 2005. From grassroots activism, to raising awareness on campus, to research collaboration Cathy MacDonald invites us along on her journey as a that enables change, members of the Dalhousie community continue to make a dif- parent, as she and her daughter get to know Dal better. Cathy ference for children. I hope you enjoy the emphasis on young people in the winter is a regular writer for the magazine, filing her stories from her edition of your magazine. home near Halifax. Freelance writer Carol Moreira works out of her home in St. Sincerely, Margaret’s Bay, N.S. Her work has appeared in many Canadian and international publications, including The Chronicle- Herald, The Daily News and The Globe and Mail. TOM TRAVES 2 dalhousie alumni magazine Campus Profile Making Fortune's top ten list overfishing, climate change and other con- servation issues. Photo: R. Kindl-Myers The world is in massive denial about the big fish species, which are destined to soon go the way of the dinosaurs if current UST ONE CANADIAN appears on Fortune of the dramatic decline of large fish spe- fishing levels persist, warns Dr. Myers. magazine’s list of Ten People to Watch: cies from the world’s oceans since the Their survival depends on international JDr. Ransom Myers. advent of industrialized fishing. Fortune agreements, drastic and immediate quota The American business journal lauded him and Dalhousie for “working to cuts, enforced fishing limits and the cre- ranked Dr. Myers third on the list in its develop new and better ways to husband ation of ocean preserves to allow sea life to special 75th anniversary issue (September the wealth beneath the sea.” grow and multiply. 2005), for providing “startling evidence” The editors chose people who won’t The ongoing depletion doesn’t just necessarily be household names affect fish stocks and the people whose in the next 75 years but whose livelihoods depend on them, but will ulti- work will have a lasting influ- mately cause a complete reorganization of ence. The Dalhousie marine marine ecosystems with unknown global biologist appeared between consequences, Dr. Myers suggests. It’s U.S. Senator Barack Obama unfortunate that universities and biolo- and the founders of Google. gists didn’t have a stronger presence 15 to “They have a verb in every 20 years ago, before much of the damage language – to google,” Dr. was done. Myers says of the fourth-place “We could have avoided a lot of chaos,” finishers, keeping his own he says. As scientists, “it’s also our respon- fame in perspective. sibility as citizens to speak up. We have the He’s pleased the business right skill set, the knowledge base and the community has recognized his research capability.