Winter 2008 - St. Francis Xavier University Alumni

Frank Muller ’84 cheers on the X-Men at the Homecoming football game.

StFX AlumniNews 

St. Francis Xavier University l Antigonish l Nova Scotia l Canada 

7 

In This Issue 

6 StFX Among The Best 

Globe and Mail Canadian 

University Report puts StFX at 

the head of the class 

7 New Home For Music 

and Fine Arts 

StFX brings teaching and 

learning facilities up to high 

standards for the future 

20 

22 

10 The Magic of 

Coming Home 

The wonderful truth about 

Canada’s best Homecoming 

20 Meeting Grandpa 

How a trip to StFX provides 

unexpected bonding 

moments 

22 Honouring Allan J. 

A rock of Nova Scotia 

25 Classics for the Classics 

Here’s your chance to come 

back to the classroom! 

ON THE COVER: Special touches. That’s what 

a StFX Homecoming is all about. Here, Keith 

MacDonald (left) from Mabou, this year’s house 

director of House International, and Rankin 

MacInnis, also from Mabou, resident assistant 

in Lane Hall, pipe the X-Men football team onto 

the field before the afternoon classic. 

6 

25 

10 

Regular Features 

President’s Message 5 l Alumni Association News 29 l The Word From Our Chapters 30 l News Exchange 36 

StFX Alumni News l Winter 2008 1

From the editor l Helen murphy ‘08 

That intangible something 

tFX alumni often speak about the strong pull to 

S come back to campus, in some cases after 50 

years or more. At Homecoming, the attraction 

of alma mater is something that’s easy to recognize, 

but hard to put into words. 

We’re often asked by folks at other universities about 

the “secret” to StFX’s incredible alumni support and 

spirit (as you know, StFX is widely recognized as having 

the most loyal alumni in Canada). But really it’s no 

secret at all, and it’s not something you can orchestrate 

through a new program or policy. Those alumni bonds 

are firmly rooted in the student experience. 

Many of you spent three or four years living on 

campus. During that time, StFX was your second family. 

It was a close-knit, supportive family; a place where 

fellow students, faculty and staff helped you through 

the tough times and celebrated with you the good 

times. The friendships forged during those years have 

withstood the test of time. 

As alumni, when we see another X-Ring we know 

we share something special with that person. There’s 

a shared understanding that we’ve spent three or four 

wonderful years of our lives at a truly special place. 

In this issue we delve deeper into the magic of 

Homecoming and that pull to return to alma mater 

– an attraction that is perhaps stronger at StFX than at 

any other university in Canada. 

Each year we tweak our Homecoming schedule a 

little. This year we added Homecoming Inn pub nights 

after our dinners on Friday and Saturday nights, which 

were very well received. We were also very pleased to 

have 55- and 60-year class reunions for the first time – a 

new tradition we think is here to stay. Another exciting 

development this year was the enthusiasm and strong 

turnout for our 10-year reunion. 

We’re also very pleased to see more and more alumni 

come back to Homecoming regardless of whether they 

are celebrating a milestone reunion year or not. This 

year’s Homecoming was another record-breaker for 

both those celebrating special anniversary years and 

other alumni. 

We’re already working on Homecoming 2009. We’ll 

be rolling out the red carpet for all alumni and friends 

October 2nd to 4th, especially our 50-year class from 

1959 and the 25-year class from 1984. 

Whether you’ve been a regular at Homecoming, 

or maybe never participated before, we’ll hope you’ll 

make plans to experience what promises to be another 

magical weekend back home at StFX. 

Hail and Health, 

Helen Murphy ‘08 

Director, Alumni Affairs 

Display with Pride 

Degree and photo frames 

Display your StFX diploma and grad photos and those of your Xaverian 

children proudly with custom-designed StFX frames. These make an 

ideal gift for new grads. Each official StFX frame comes with a blue acidfree 

mat featuring the university crest in gold foil. Your 

degree or photo can be mounted in seconds – no wires, 

screws or complicated assembly. Save shipping and 

handling charges by buying directly in the Alumni Office 

year round Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. 

To purchase frames online, 

visit www.alumni.stfx.ca 

AlumniNews 

st. francis xavier university 

MANAGING EDITOR 

Helen Murphy ‘08 

Email: hmurphy@stfx.ca 

Phone: 902-867-2243 

Assistant EDITOR 

Shelley Cameron-McCarron 

Email: sacamero@stfx.ca 

Writers 

Shelley Cameron-McCarron 

Photo EDITOR 

John Bastin 

Email: jbastin@stfx.ca 

PRODUCTION & DESIGN 

Angela Penney 

Email: apenney@stfx.ca 

NEWS EXCHANGE EDITOR 

Glenda Bond 

Email: gbond@stfx.ca 

PHOTOGRAPHS 

John Bastin 

COVER DESIGN 

Angela Penney 

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES 

Glenda Bond 

Phone: (902) 867-2186 

Fax: (902) 867-3659 

Email: alumni@stfx.ca 

upcoming deadlines 

spring Issue 

copy deadline February 20 for 

April mailing 

Summer Issue 

copy deadline May 20 for 

July mailing 

AlumniNews is published by St. Francis Xavier 

University Alumni Affairs and Communications 

three times annually for alumni and friends of 

the university. Views expressed are those of 

the individual contributors or sources quoted. 

Contents, copyright © 2008 by St. Francis Xavier 

University. Subscriptions to AlumniNews are 

available to the public for $21 a year, single copies 

$7. Letters to the editor are welcome. Address 

correspondence to: 

AlumniNews 

St. Francis Xavier University 

PO Box 5000 

Antigonish, NS 

B2G 2W5 


Phone: 902-867-2186 

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CANADA’S PREMIER 

UNDERGRADUAT E EXPERIENCE 

WWW.STFX.CA 

letters 

X-Ringers on the Great Wall: l-r Jake MacDonald ‘07, Colleen Turlo ‘07, Jesse 

Withrow ‘06 and Emily MacIsaac ‘06 

Looking For StFX WWI 

Memories 

My fellow Xaverians, 

I am a 4 th year history honours 

student working to complete an 

undergraduate thesis. I have chosen 

to write a history of StFX during 

the First World War. 

As I delve deeper into my research 

I am quickly discovering that 

my thesis will be largely dependant 

Donald L. Anderson ’38 

on primary documents – personal 

letters, newspapers, magazines, 

photographs, and pamphlets of 

the period. Consequently, I must 

ask a favour: if you happen to have 

any such documents, I would be 

deeply indebted if you would permit 

me to borrow them, or perhaps 

make copies. 

I promise to treat all documents 

with the utmost respect keeping in 

Dear Ms. Murphy, 

My father, Donald L. Anderson, 

was a 1938 graduate of 

StFX. He passed away in August 

and I wanted the StFX community 

to know how much his time 

there meant to him. 

He always spoke fondly of 

StFX and all that he gained academically, 

socially, and through 

sports. 

After graduating from StFX 

he went on to get a degree in 

mining engineering at the University 

of Illinois, which he used 

to build a career. But his gratitude 

toward StFX was reflected when 

he wrote that the University of 

Illinois gave him a job, but that 

StFX gave him an education. 

During WWII he was a lieutenant 

with the Canadian Army 

Engineers in Europe, and meeting 

fellow StFX alumni overseas 

during those trying times was 

special. He received the Croix 

de Guerre from the French for 

“exceptional war services during 

operations”, and although 

this was several years removed 

from his time at StFX, alumni 

directory (Rev.) F.J. Smyth sent 

a kind letter of congratulations, 

writing “it came as no surprise 

to me that Donald’s work was 

outstanding, because he was a 

superior man here at StFX where 

I knew him well.” 

Dad was proud to have attended 

StFX, writing that StFX 

was, and is, a prestigious institution. 

My brother and twin sisters 

knew of his feelings so this is a 

letter of recognition and thanks 

for what StFX gave to him as a 

young man. The experiences, 

growth in character, and insight 

gained during those formative 

years influenced him throughout 

his life. May StFX always offer such 

a positive, enduring experience! 

– Steve Anderson 

Port Angeles, Washington 

mind that they may be family heirlooms. 

In particular, I am looking for 

personal letters of StFX students 

serving overseas or in Canada during 

the war. In addition, there was 

a magazine entitled Camouflage 

produced by the StFX No 9 Stationary 

Hospital Unit while in-theatre in 

France. All copies of this magazine 

are believed to be lost; however, 

I am hopeful that someone out 

there may have a copy. 

Thanks to all, 

Scott Matheson, ‘09 

15 James St, Apt 3 

Antigonish, NS B2G 1R6 

x2005ewt@stfx.ca 

Pay it forward 

Dear Editor, 

Here’s a story that makes me 

proud to be a Xaverian. I was 

rushing to be somewhere when 

I realized I was out of gas. I had to 

quickly stop to fill up. I went to grab 

my wallet… but it wasn’t there. 

I had left it in my yoga bag, now 

sitting in my front hallway. 

I made my way over to the 

counter, nervous, embarrassed, 

panicked, feeling like a total idiot. 

As I walked toward the counter, 

another customer called out to me: 

“Hey! Nice ring!” 

I think, ‘Oh God, not now!’ I say, 

“Thanks! You too!” 

“I’m Joe,” he says. “Hi Joe, I’m 

Emily.” We chat and I find out he 

graduated in ’88. As Joe finished 

his transaction, his friend walks in. 

“Check out this girl’s ring!” he says. 

I quickly celebrate yet again our 

loyalty to our school. As the two 

friends chat I make my way over to 

the clerk. His response is not good. 

I began to panic: “What Do I Do!?” 

May StFX always offer such a positive, 

enduring experience! 

Steve Anderson, Port Angeles, Washington 

At that point my fellow Xaverian 

stepped in and asked about the 

problem and if he could help. I am 

beyond mortified but I tell him, 

“Oh no, no it’s nothing. I just forgot 

my wallet. ”Without hesitation, Joe 

paid for my gas. I was shocked and 

almost in tears at the amazing act 

of kindness. I asked how I could 

repay him. Could I send a cheque? 

Did he have an address? Something. 

Anything. “Pay it forward,” 

was all he said. 

To me, this represents a true 

commitment to the pursuit of 

“whatsoever things are true, noble, 

good, and worthy of praise.” Joe: 

thank you. You have inspired me to 

be a better Xaverian, to be a better 

person. You are a walking example 

of the Xaverian commitment. As a 

way to pay it forward, a donation 

has been made in Joe’s honour to 

our alma mater, StFX. Thank you! 

– Emily Asbell ‘07 

Bill and Barbara (Palmer) Shaw 

Rocks, Rings, Romance & X! 

In 1945, Bill Shaw and Barbara 

Palmer met at StFX. Bill was a senior 

and received his X-Ring that year, 

Barbara graduated and earned her 

ring in 1948. The two fell in love and 

married in 1950. In the 1950s while 

living in Trinidad, Barbara’s X-Ring 

was lost. Bill’s ring lasted 60 years, 

but finally wore thin, possibly due 

to the handling of so many rocks 

in his career (Bill is a retired StFX 

geology faculty member). This 

past winter the Shaw children (all X 

grads), Harry, Margaret, Joanne, Bill, 

Liz and Edie gave their father a new 

X-Ring. Then Bill promptly went out 

and got a new one for his Barbie - 

who celebrates her 60 th anniversary 

from graduating this year! 

– Margaret Shaw Chernosky 

2 StFX Alumni News l winter 2008 StFX Alumni News l Winter 2008 3

President’s page l dr. sean e. riley ‘74 

StFX Legacy Circle 

Plan to Make A Difference 

The new StFX Legacy Circle is being launched to recognize the 

commitment of alumni and friends who have confirmed a legacy 

gift to StFX in their estate planning. 

Legacy gifts from alumni and friends are important and will ensure 

StFX continues to offer the highest quality undergraduate education 

to future generations of students. 

A legacy gift to StFX offers a number of benefits: 

• You can participate in the education of generations of students by 

supporting a university which has been important in your life. 

• It offers the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy in the name of 

a loved one, a friend, or in your own name. 

• It enhances your lifetime relationship with StFX. 

• It can create a tax benefit for you or for your estate. 

• You decide how the gift will be designated. Your gift can be used for 

scholarships, bursaries or awards, special projects, academic chairs or 

for another purpose that is important to you. Unrestricted gifts are 

most welcome as they can be used for the areas of greatest need. 

• Members of The StFX Legacy Circle will receive a membership 

certificate, a welcoming gift and an annual newsletter, and will be 

listed with their approval on The StFX Legacy Circle honour roll. 

If you have already made 

a gift to StFX in your will, 

please let us know and you 

will be included in the StFX 

Legacy Circle. To become a 

member, contact: 

StFX Legacy Circle 

Planned Giving Office 

PO Box 5000 

Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5 

(902) 867-3380 

mhartery@stfx.ca 

T 

Sharing the Spirit 

he X-Spirit has been alive and well 

this past fall. Without fail, our alumni 

came out in strong numbers to fill the 

sidelines and stands with blue and white in 

Lethbridge, where our rugby X-Women fought 

hard at nationals and took home silver medals; 

in Quebec City, where our outstanding crosscountry 

teams, Atlantic champs, excelled at 

the CIS championships and the X-Men finished 

second; and in Halifax where our football X-Men 

fought to the last seconds in an exciting Loney 

Bowl championship, ending with a close 29-27 

loss to St. Mary’s. 

In fact, it’s not uncommon for the Blue & White 

to outnumber hometown fans when StFX is the 

visiting team. And it gives our varsity teams a real 

boost on the court, in the field or on the ice. 

That kind of spirit has a big impact in other 

areas as well, especially in recruitment. When I ask 

new students what brought them to StFX, they 

often talk about an enthusiastic alumna/us who 

influenced their decision. Sometimes it’s a relative, 

a teacher or a recent graduate, but the common 

element is their passion for the StFX experience. 

One student from Vancouver made the 

decision after meeting a recent grad who was 

working as a recruiter and visited her high school. 

“She was just so excited and passionate about her 

own StFX experience,” the student told me, “that 

I knew there must be something very special 

about this place.” 

We’ve welcomed many of our top young 

scholars and student leaders because of such 

encounters. And of course our alumni feel good 

about connecting a promising student with one 

of Canada’s finest universities. 

On campus, we’re working hard to ensure that 

the StFX experience continues to be everything 

it should be. This year we’re enhancing the 

international experience of our students by 

bringing the Coady Institute to the heart of 

campus. We’re also making significant progress 

on plans and fundraising for the new Gerald 

Schwartz School of Business and Information 

Systems. 

I encourage you to continue to share your StFX 

experience with our next generation of students. 

Alumni Affairs and our Recruitment Dept. have 

developed materials to help in making referrals 

to StFX. (Visit www.alumni.stfx.ca for more 

information.) 

At a time of increased competition in postsecondary 

education, we know our 30,000 

alumni and our unwavering commitment to 

the undergraduate together constitute our 

competitive advantage. 

I want to thank all of you who share your StFX 

experience with future university students. In 

ways small and big, you’re not only helping build 

a stronger StFX, but also helping many promising 

young adults to achieve their potential. 

Warm regards, 

Dr. Sean E. Riley’74 

StFX President 


NewsFlash 

What’s New on Campus and in the StFX Community 

Globe and Mail Canadian University Report Again 

Recognizes StFX Among The Best In Canada 

F 

or the second straight 

year, StFX has aced The 

Globe and Mail’s university 

report card, and has been again 

recognized as one of Canada’s very 

best universities. 

The annual Globe and Mail 

Canadian University Report released 

Oct. 23 says that no one scores better 

than StFX for academic reputation, 

campus atmosphere, extracurricular 

activities, class size, most satisfied 

students, and quality of education. 

StFX was also among the very top 

schools in student-faculty interaction, 

campus technology, quality of 

teaching, career preparation, and 

student services. 

This is The Globe and Mail’s 

seventh exclusive national survey of 

undergraduate student satisfaction. 

The survey has grown this year to 

more than 43,400 students, allowing 

the Globe to grade the performance 

of no less than 55 universities. As 

the single largest publicly-available, 

undergraduate student-satisfaction 

survey in Canada, the report asks 

students to rate their own campuses 

on about 100 distinct elements of 

university life. In lieu of the rankings 

system, the Globe rates universities 

with letter grades, and groups them 

into separate size categories based on 

enrolment. 

“It’s very gratifying to see StFX 

continue to be recognized as one 

of the premier undergraduate 

experiences in the country,” says StFX 

President Dr. Sean Riley. “We’re proud of 

the experience we offer our students, 

and that it continues to be seen as 

among the very best in Canada.” 

One of the unique aspects 

of the StFX experience is its rich 

residential experience combined 

with a complete focus on the 

undergraduate. The benefits of a StFX 

education are featured prominently 

in one of the report’s articles, No 

Commute, No Crowd, No Worries, 

http://globecampus.ca/in-the-news/ 

globecampusreport/no-commuteno-crowds-no-worries/. 

StFX grad named Minister of Natural Resources 

StFX grad Lisa Raitt, elected as the Member of Parliament 

for Halton, ON, in 2008, was appointed Minister of Natural 

Resources by the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, on October 

29, 2008. Until her election, she was president and chief executive 

officer of the Toronto Port Authority (TPA), responsible for leading 

the Canadian federal corporation that manages commerce, 

transportation (including the Toronto City Centre Airport) and 

recreation in the Toronto harbour. In 2008, she was elected chair of 

the Association of Canadian Port Authorities. She had previously 

served as the TPA’s chief counsel, and Harbourmaster. Minister 

Raitt pursued education first in science, graduating with a B.Sc. from StFX, and a M.Sc. in chemistry, 

specialized in environmental biochemical toxicology, from the University of Guelph. She then 

earned her LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School. Upon her call to the bar in 1998, she was honoured 

as a Dr. Harold G. Fox Scholar and trained with barristers in the United Kingdom who specialized in 

international trade, commerce, transportation and arbitration. The youngest of seven children, she 

grew up in Cape Breton, where her father was first a mine worker, who loaded coal onto ships, and 

later a union leader and elected town councillor, and her mother was a small businesswoman. Minister 

Raitt is married, with two young sons. Her husband Dave is an award-winning writer/comedian and 

an alumnus of the world-famous Second City comedy troupe, and is a small business owner. 

For a complete summary of StFX results, visit 

www.globecampus.ca/navigator/st-francis-xavier-university/ 

Dr. Jock Murray ‘59, ‘89 has 

received the 2008 Order of 

Nova Scotia. Dr. Murray, former dean 

of medicine at Dalhousie University 

and past director of its Multiple 

Sclerosis Research Unit, is widely 

respected as a teacher, administrator, 

neurologist 

and researcher. 

In the early ’90s, 

he launched a 

series of innovative 

programs 

that dramatically 

c h a n g e d t h e 

face of Dalhousie 

Medical School. 

He is founder and 

first president of 

the Dalhousie Society for the History 

of Medicine, and Professor Emeritus 

in the Humanities at Dalhousie 

Medical School. 

newsflash l what’s new on campus and in the stfx community 

Olympic Widget Success For X Grads 

B 

randon Kolybaba ’02 

and his colleagues at 

Norex, an 18-member 

Halifax-based web design and 

marketing firm he runs with 

Xaverians Matthew Rudderham 

’02 and Farlan Dowell ’02, took 

the Beijing 2008 Olympics by 

storm, via a dashboard widget 

they created to keep tally of medal 

standings. 

“We looked at the Internet and 

couldn’t find one,” Brandon recalls. 

isitors to StFX’s music and 

fine arts departments on 

Oct. 2, 2008 had many 

‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ and positive 

comments as they toured the 

halls of the departments’ new 

homes – the result of $5 million in 

renovations conducted over the 

summer months. 

Over 70 people, including 

government officials, project 

contractors, and members of 

StFX’s board of governors and 

alumni board, attended the official 

opening celebrations. 

“I want to congratulate faculty 

on building these programs over 

many years. We needed to bring 

the teaching and learning facilities 

up to a high standard for the future. 

Art and Music now can focus 

on the future with confidence,” 

noted StFX President Dr. Sean 

Riley, adding, “We are grateful to 

the province for support.” 

Gilmora Hall 

renovation 

dramatically improves 

space for music 

program 

Gilmora Hall, originally a fourstorey 

residence built in 1938, is 

now the newly renovated home 

to the StFX music department. 

The $3.05 million renovation 

includes new and renovated 

“We couldn’t believe nobody had 

thought to make it. We had an 

idea and ran with it. We made it 

happen in a very short period of 

time.” 

Within three days of putting 

the computer application online, 

it became the number one 

download on apple.com. The 

widget’s link to Norex’s website 

proved a marketing boon. “We 

had millions of hits to our website,” 

Kolybaba says. “I was extremely 

StFX music and fine arts have 

new facilities to call home 

V 

classrooms, faculty offices, and 

teaching and practice rooms. A 

new elevator, washrooms and 

lounge space makes the building 

more accessible and comfortable 

for use by faculty and students. 

The renovation was made possible 

in part from funding received from 

the provincial government under 

the Nova Scotia Crown Share 

University Infrastructure Trust. 

Immaculata Hall 

renovation provides 

inspiring space for fine 

arts program 

The fine arts department has 

relocated to the newly renovated 

first floor of Immaculata Hall. 

Now bathed in natural light, 

the old heating plant has been 

transformed into an open concept 

drawing and painting studio. Old 

classrooms have been given new 

life as general studio areas, and 

some are outfitted with exhaust 

systems and computer equipment. 

New offices, research labs, and 

lounge spaces have given the 

faculty and students spaces to 

promote creativity and a sense 

of community. The $1.93 million 

renovation was made possible in 

part from funding received from 

the provincial government under 

the Nova Scotia Crown Share 

University Infrastructure Trust. 

surprised. We never expected 

that kind of exposure. It’s not a 

revolutionary piece of software.” 

As luck would have it, business 

partner, former Olympian Julia 

Rivard, was in Beijing at the time. 

The Halifax-based marketer 

was able to capitalize on the 

connection, and Norex now may 

have “interesting opportunities” for 

the 2010 Games in Vancouver. 

Looks like an Olympic case of 

right time, right place. Brandon Kolybaba ‘02 

StFX students taking music and fine arts now have great new 

facilities to call home thanks to $5 million in renovations done 

in Gilmora and Immaculata Halls over the summer. 

Fine Arts 

Program Facts 

# of Faculty: 2 full time, 17 part time 

# of Courses Offered: 30 

# of Students Earning Credits: 764 

Music 

Program Facts: 

# of Faculty: 12 

# of Courses Offered: 35 

# of Students Earning Credits: 642 

# of Classrooms: 5 

# of Practice Rooms: 12 

# of Combo/Ensemble Rooms: 4 




A Ripple Effect 

K 

risten Roe knows how 

to make waves. And how 

to help women in Africa. 

In July 2008, the StFX master’s of 

adult education student (she’s 

in the community development 

Coady stream) swam a grueling 30- 

kilometre double crossing of the 

Northumberland Strait between 

New Brunswick and PEI, in under 15 

hours, to raise money for the Stephen 

Lewis Foundation and Farmers 

Helping Farmers, an organization 

that assists women farmers in 

Kenya. Her motivation? “In 2005, I 

completed a single crossing of 

the Northumberland Strait for the 

Stephen Lewis Foundation. I raised 

$25,000. The idea was to continue 

with “making a ripple effect,” to 

challenge myself to do a double 

crossing, and to challenge the 

community to raise more money.” 

She is now at about $40,000 with 

the goal being $100,000 by the end 

of 2008. On Oct. 9, Stephen Lewis 

was in Charlottetown to speak for 

her campaign, which focuses on 

African women within the agricultural 

sector and women affected 

by AIDS. Funds are split evenly 

between the two foundations. In 

2006, Roe spent six months living 

in South Africa. While there she 

became the first Canadian to swim 

from Cape Town, South Africa to 

Robben Island, in a fundraiser for 

women living with HIV-AIDS. For 

more, please see, www.kristinroe. 

com 

Golden X’s in Europe 

David O’Brien (Class of 1980) and Jason MacKenzie (Class of 2008) struck 

up a conversation after spotting each other’s rings in Europe this past 

August. Here, they are shown sporting their Golden X’s outside the Yacht 

Club de Monaco, on a sunny day in Monte Carlo. (Photo: Linda O’Brien) 

Imperial Oil Foundation, StFX 

bring the fun and fascination 

of science to students 

S 

tFX’s science outreach program, offered on campus and in schools 

throughout northeastern Nova Scotia, is being enhanced and expanded 

thanks to a 2008 $200,000 four-year investment from the 

Imperial Oil Foundation. “We in the chemistry department are delighted 

with this announcement,” says chair Dr. James Cormier. “Outreach has 

been an important part of the department for many years, due mainly to 

the work of Dr. Truis Smith-Palmer. It contributes to the education of the 

participating StFX students and allows us to expose students of all grades 

to science in ways that would otherwise be unavailable in this area.” Here, 

Imperial Oil Foundation president Monica Samper joined StFX President 

Dr. Sean Riley, Dr. Cormier, Dean of Science Dr. Bill Marshall, StFX and St. 

Andrew Junior School students at the announcement. 

Dr. Martin van Bommel 

named one of Atlantic 

Canada’s best teachers 

C 

omputer science professor 

Dr. Martin van 

Bommel has been 

recognized for his excellence in 

teaching, receiving the 2008 Association 

of Atlantic University 

(AAU) Distinguished Teaching 

Award Sept. 17. “My first reaction 

was ‘no way.’ It just floored me. I 

am very flattered,” a humble and 

excited Dr. van Bommel said. 

Others were quick to sing his 

praise. StFX President Dr. Sean 

Riley, faculty members and former students wrote glowing letters 

in a nomination package for the award, based on an educator’s 

overall demonstration of knowledge, their ability to engage students 

and inspire a lifelong interest in learning. The news marks 

the second consecutive year a StFX faculty member has won the 

award. Human kinetics professor Dr. Angie Thompson received 

the honour in 2007. 

Pope honours 

Archbishop Currie in 

Vatican City 

Most Rev. Martin Currie ‘64 with Pope Benedict 

T 

he Most Rev. Martin Currie ’64, the Roman Catholic Archbishop 

of St. John’s, was in Vatican City in June for a prestigious honour. 

Pope Benedict conferred The Pallium on Archbishop Currie on 

the Feasts of Saints Peter and Paul. The Pallium is bestowed by the Pope 

on archbishops and bishops having metropolitan jurisdiction, as a symbol 

of their participation in papal authority. Rev. Currie is considered the 

metropolitan bishop of Newfoundland and Labrador, and has supervisory 

authority over the bishops in the dioceses of the province. The Pallium itself 

is made of white wool, to be worn around the neck at major ceremonies. 

The wool comes from lambs blessed in Rome on the feast of St. Agnes, 

and symbolizes the lost sheep that is found and carried on the shoulders 

of the Good Shepherd. Pope Benedict conferred the Pallium on 42 other 

metropolitan archbishops, including one other from Canada. 

X grad Hendrickson rocks Piping Live! 

Picks up international win 

2008 music grad Peter Hendrickson has won a prestigious snare 

drumming award in Scotland. The Edmonton, AB native took first 

place amongst a world field of snare drummers, including 

representatives from Canada, the U.S., Australia, and 

Denmark, at the second annual Lord of the Todd 

Challenge which played to a full house at the Lord 

Todd Bar at the University of Strathclyde in August 

2008 in Glasgow, Scotland. The invitational 

competitions for snare, bass and tenor 

drummers kicked off the Piping Live! 

festival held during the World Pipe Band 

Championships. Hendrickson won a 

new Premier drum and £500 in cash 

and vouchers. 

Robyn Tingley, a 

1996 psychology 

graduate, has been 

appointed vice-president, 

human resources and 

communications (Europe, 

Middle East and Africa) 

at Ingram Micro Europe, 

the European division of 

Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: 

IM), the largest global 

wholesale provider of 

technology products and supply chain management services. 

Tingley joins Ingram Micro EMEA from Bell Aliant, where she 

served as vice president of communications and public affairs for 

the last five years. Tingley will be located at Ingram Micro’s EMEA 

headquarters near Brussels, Belgium. 

X-Women hockey grad earns 

prestigious international 

internship appointment 

C 

ommonwealth Games 

Canada has appointed 

former X-Woman hockey 

grad Alexis Lemmex to the Canadian 

Sport Leadership Corps (CSLC) international 

internship program for 2008. 

The program uses sport to address social 

issues such as HIV/AIDS education, 

gender equality, and opportunities for 

people with a disability, in developing 

Commonwealth countries in Africa 

and the Caribbean. 

“The value of sport is often underestimated,” says Lemmex, 23 of Ottawa, 

who graduated from StFX with a B.Sc. in human kinetics. She also has a 2008 

international masters in adapted physical activity – a joint degree from the 

University of Leuven in Belgium and the University of Limerick, Ireland. 

As a youth development officer, her mandate is to offer services to promote 

the ongoing improvement of society in St. Kitts & Nevis. 

Good Piping! 

Piper Andrea Boyd ’06 recently 

won the Silver Medal Competition 

at Scotland’s prestigious Argyllshire 

Gathering 2008, the pre-eminent 

piping competitions in the world. A 

native of Antigonish, Andrea moved 

to Ireland and then Scotland after 

graduating from StFX to pursue 

senior solo piping competitions 

and complete her master’s degree 

in political communication from 

the University of Glasgow. 


on the cover 

magic 

The 

of 

coming home 

Thousands back on campus. 

A magical combination of 

conversation, music, friends, food 

and football. The wonderful truth 

about Canada’s best Homecoming. 

By Shelley Cameron-McCarron 

On the 50 th anniversary of her StFX 

graduation, Toni (Mazerolle) Mac- 

Donnell ’58 cleaned her Antigonish 

area home for company, took a trip 

dress shopping, baked two tourtières, two 

pumpkin and two chicken pies, and planned 

a wine and cheese reception. “I’ll be ready for 

everything that happens,” she said just before 

the big weekend. 

Five months pregnant, C.J. (Jamieson) Healy 

’98 left her two older kids at home in California 

with their dad, boarded a plan to Calgary to 

meet friend Sarah Williams ’98, and then took 

the red-eye straight on to Antigonish where 

she planned to meet more friends, grab a slice 

of donair pizza at The Wheel, buy X-gear for her 

kids, watch a pick-up basketball game between 

former and current X-Women, and take in every 

Homecoming event she could. 

Why? What makes StFX alumni go out of their 

way to attend Homecoming? 

“Something happens here that’s hard to put 

into words, but I know I haven’t seen it anywhere 

else,” muses Helen Murphy ’08, Director 

of Alumni Affairs. 

Homecoming guests agree: That special 

something is why StFX has one of the most 

successful Homecomings in Canada. 

“We get queries and questions from all over the 

country on how to replicate it, but it really goes 

back to the student experience our alumni had on 

campus, and the ties that were established here.” 

Murphy says StFX grads feel that connection 

in their hearts and are excited to come back 

home. “There’s something deeply meaningful 

and satisfying about reconnecting with old 

friends and faculty from StFX.” 

Each year thousands of faithful alumni, from 

“It’s hard to beat a beautiful blue sky on a fall day in 

the bleachers on Homecoming Saturday and you’re 

chatting up a buddy that you haven’t seen in years 

but yet, it just feels like yesterday.” 

Mary Fauteux ’82 

California to Florida and from New Zealand to 

Newfoundland, flock back to campus in early 

October to celebrate the Xaverian experience. 

Coming back to alma mater appeals for various 

reasons. Alumni meet old friends, but also 

have an opportunity to witness campus renewal. 

It’s a chance to reminisce, while also seeing the 

future unfold on campus. 


on the cover 

X-Spirit was out in full force during Homecoming. 

StFX rolls out the red carpet for its alumni 

each fall, providing a weekend sure to bring back 

golden memories and create new ones. 

Recent years have seen the evolution of the 

Welcome Home Dinner, featuring the Alumni 

Awards of Excellence, which is now the premier 

reunion event of the weekend. The football 

game is always jam-packed and is almost always 

guaranteed to provide edge-of-your-seat 

excitement. The Hall of Honour is inspiring; class 

reunions and dinners across campus provide the 

pleasant buzz of animated conversation, laughter, 

music, and inevitably a trip to the Golden X 

Inn. This year comedians Bette MacDonald and 

Maynard Morrison spiced up Friday’s Homecoming 

Inn pub night. 

There’s so much to enjoy, from the Homecoming 

Mass to the farewell brunch at Morrison Hall, 

from campus walking tours to the new Coffee 

with Coady event. In between there are soccer 

and rugby matches, a reunion for Mount St. 

Bernard alumnae, and other big events in the 

life of the university. 

Homecomers over the years have also had 

the chance to participate first-hand in StFX history. 

There’s been the dedication of Confusion 

Square, when the-ever eloquent, former StFX 

president Dr. Malcolm MacDonell spoke of the 

early beginnings of StFX. Others have gathered 

to toast Harry W. ‘Buddy’ Sweet, a loyal and longtime 

supporter and former owner of The Wagon 

Wheel. There were tours of the impressive labs 

and classrooms in the new Sciences Centre and 

next year Homecoming alumni will be among 

the first to tour the new Coady International 

Centre at the heart of campus. 

Over and above these kinds of exciting events, 

Golden Grads had the chance to dance 

the night away. 

almost everyone will tell you of the deeply personal 

connection that brings them back to alma 

mater. 

“Homecoming, for me, means going back to 

the place where I spent the best four years of 

my life,” says Mary Fauteux, who graduated with 

a BA in 1982. 

The PEI native, now living in Dartmouth, NS, 

like so many alumni met her spouse at StFX. She 

and Jules ’81 married in the StFX Chapel in 1983. 

Their daughter Julia is now in her third year and 

“loving every minute of it.” 

For the Fauteux family, Homecoming weekend 

is always circled on the calendar. It’s a 

given that they’ll be heading to Antigonish for 

the weekend or, at the very least, for game day 

Saturday. Each year Mary eagerly anticipates who 

she will meet there and who is going to surprise 

her by showing up. 

“It’s hard to beat a beautiful, blue sky, fall day 

in the bleachers on Homecoming Saturday and 

you’re chatting up a buddy that you haven’t seen 

in years but yet, it just feels like yesterday.” 

Fauteux says StFX has a good thing going with 

its alumni. 

Grads from across the country give of their 

time and talent to maintain alumni chapters and 

keep that ‘family’ spirit alive. They promote the 

university within their communities, support its 

varsity teams, recruit new students, and the list 

goes on. 

“We are reminded in the newspapers and 

magazines of StFX successes in research, its 

high standing in university rankings and its 

world-wide recognition as a leader in social 

justice and outreach. So, not only do we reunite 

at Homecoming to celebrate all that the university 

is about today, but we’re also celebrating 

all those yesterdays that made StFX what it is 

today…What better cause for celebration?” 

That kind of X-Spirit among alumni impacts 

recruitment. 

“One of the things that’s important when you’re 

considering StFX for a university is how strong 

the alumni support is,” says C.J. (Jamieson) Healy. 

“Everyone brags about it. To me, that meant a lot, 

that people still maintain their identity. 

Katie Fleming Award receipient Dawn Mokgautsi 

“I still wear my X-Ring every day, though no 

one out here knows what it is, and I still feel very 

strongly tied to the university.” 

For Toni MacDonnell, the connection comes 

from the closeness of students. “We did everything 

together. We got to know each other very well.” 

In the days leading up to Homecoming, Toni 

was eager to see friends and classmates. 

“When your children are young, you don’t 

have time, but then when they have grown 

up, then old friends become very important 

again. At one of our last reunions one of our 

classmates said to us, ‘I think about you guys 

all the time.’ And it’s true. You’re in each other’s 

minds. 

“It’s just the feeling that we have. When we’re 

together, we’re 20 years old again, not 70. The 

feeling never dies. In our hearts, the dreams 

never die.” 

Kevin Deveaux ’83, now principal at Sydney 

Academy, was another grad anticipating being 

back in the atmosphere of campus to celebrate 

his 25 th anniversary. 

Though he’s been back to campus fairly 

frequently – he’s dad to three current students 

“It’s just the feeling that we have. When we’re together, 

we’re 20 years old again, not 70. The feeling never dies. In 

our hearts the dreams never die.” 

– he hasn’t always had the chance to return for 

Homecoming. 

“It’s an opportunity to see people from my class, 

some from 25 years ago. Even to get the emails, 

to have re-established that contact is great.” 

Deveaux says the sense of community the 

university establishes is like no other. 

“I took two kids here as frosh and I’m incredibly 

impressed with how the university creates 

an atmosphere. As soon as you’re there, you’re 

a Xaverian. That’s part of your identity. I always 

have that great feeling for StFX.” 

“I’m very much looking forward to seeing 

friends I haven’t seen in awhile,” agreed classmate 

Rick Benson ’83, who graduated with a BA in 

theology. “It will be great to touch base and catch 

up on the last 25 years.” 

Did you know? 

• Each of the last few years has broken records 

in terms of Homecoming attendance. This 

year the number of registered guests was up 

by 16 per cent. 

• StFX Homecoming is increasingly appealing 

to all alumni, not just those celebrating milestone 

anniversaries. This year the number of 

Fr. Malcolm MacDonnell ‘38 

Dr. Leo P. Chiasson ‘38 

Toni (Mazerolle) MacDonnell ’58 

Benson, a class life officer who served as StFX 

Dean of Students for eight years in the 1990s, 

says the weekend really is a homecoming in that 

it offers a wonderful combination of interaction 

between alumni, students, faculty and staff. 

Arriving from Saint John, NB for the weekend, 

he was looking forward to checking off all on his 

must-do list: attending his class dinner, going to 

the Hall of Honour, looking up faculty members, 

and as a former rugby player, catching up with 

the current team. 

“One of the things I’m looking forward to,” 

he says, “is seeing my oldest son, Brendan, who 

is a student at StFX now. It’s a full circle. It’s the 

combination of being there with my fellow 

classmates, and my son, and to see that connection.” 

X 

guests not celebrating a special anniversary 

year increased by 25.45 per cent. 

• In 2008, two new class reunion celebrations 

were held for the first time: grads celebrating 

their 55th and 60th anniversary. It looks like 

those two milestone anniversary celebrations 

are here to stay! 

Agnes MacLellan ‘29 

Jack Madden ‘32 

70-year grads given piece of StFX history 

Two special guests at the Welcome Home Dinner on Oct. 3 were honoured on the occasion of 

their 70th anniversary of graduation from StFX. Former StFX president Fr. Malcolm MacDonnell 

and former chair of biology Dr. Leo P. Chiasson of the Class of 1938 were each presented with a 

piece of StFX history: a brick from Somers Chapel, built in 1911. These bricks, available because of 

renovations taking place at Somers Chapel as part of the Coady International Centre construction 

project, were engraved with an X and bear a message of congratulations. Their classmate, Rev. 

James MacLean of Sydney, was also awarded a brick from Somers Chapel during the StFX Day 

celebration in Sydney on Dec. 2. 

Somers Hall bricks were also presented during Homecoming to two of our most elderly 

alumni, Agnes MacLellan from the Class of 1929 and Jack Madden from the Class of 1932. 


Homecoming 2008 

A record-breaker 

1 

homecoming 

Renewing Connections: One of the best things about StFX Homecoming is the chance to catch up 

with old friends. Shown here, this group of alumni gathered for dinner together following the football 

game. Pictured l-r, are Greg MacEachern ‘96, Jay Donlevy ‘92, Phil Markovich ‘85, Steve Shields, Angela 

Lerikos Shields ‘91,’92, Krista Lake Settle ‘90, Dave Bernatchez ‘85, and Jen MacDonald Williamson ‘91. 

Class of 1958 For more class photos, see pages 34 and 37. 

2 3 

S 

StFX Homecoming broke records with 

close to 700 guests on campus Oct. 3-5, 

ballooning to several thousand during 

the Homecoming football game. The number 

was up from 600 registered visitors in 2007. 

Alumni flew in from as far away as California, 

from Florida to Newfoundland, to find a number 

of new, exciting events on the schedule along 

with old favorites. Grad years ranged from one 

year out to 79 years since graduation with 1929 

alumni Agnes MacLellan. 

StFX annually rolls out the red carpet for members 

of its ‘Golden Grads’ class, and this year was 

no different for the 50-year grads. The Class of 

1958 enjoyed a number of special events including 

a bus tour to Cape George, lunch at Crystal 

Cliffs, the Golden Grads class dinner, a wine and 

cheese reception, and a reunion of the popular 

’50s campus band, X-Men of Note. 

New to the schedule this year were two Homecoming 

Inn Pub nights including the Friday night 

highlight appearance of Cape Breton comedians 

Bette MacDonald and Maynard Morrison. 

Coffee with Coady, campus walking tours, the 

Homecoming football game, Mount St. Bernard 

Tea, and Hall of Honour ceremonies were among 

other weekend highlights. X 

Above: The Hall of Honour 2008 induction ceremony, Hall of the Clans, Angus L. Macdonald Library. 

Below: StFX President Dr. Sean Riley; Hall of Honour inductees David Barry ‘66 and Irene MacDonald 

‘73; Mairi MacKinnon, daughter of inductee, the late Dr. Ken MacKinnon; Faye Murrin, wife of inductee, 

the late Dr. Joe Brown ‘68, Alumni Association President Ed McHugh ‘79, and StFX Chancellor, Bishop 

Raymond Lahey. 

Bottom left: This year’s Alumni Recognition Award winners were introduced to StFX Alumni during the Hall 

of Honour ceremony: (l-r) StFX President Dr. Sean Riley; second-year student Jamie Roberts representing 

fourth-year winner Danielle Thow; first-year winner Sheralynne Deveaux; third-year winner Ian Arbuckle; 

second-year winner Emily Love; Alumni Association President Ed McHugh ’79; and StFX Chancellor, Bishop 

Raymond Lahey. Each award is valued at $1500. 

4 

5 6 

1. Roger Boudreault ’58 takes a classmate for a 

twirl on the dance floor 

2. Joe Curry ’63 cheers on the football X-Men. 

3. Leigh Ellen Walsh, lecturer at the Gerald 

Schwartz School of Business and Information 

Systems at the Homecoming Fun Run. 

4. Alumni join the Chapel Choir. 

5. Janet MacDonald ’59 and Barb Munroe ‘57 

6. Brunch at the Keating Centre. 


homecoming 2008 

special report 

7 

8 

Editor’s Note: The following excerpts come from the Globe and Mail’s Canadian 

University Report, in an article entitled No Commute, No Crowds No Worries 

7. Richard Pyne ’58 holds the ball as Danny 

Graham ’83 prepares for the ceremonial kickoff 

before the Homecoming football game. 

8. The annual Katherine Fleming Award for a 

student of the Coady International Institute was 

presented during the Coffee with Coady event 

on Saturday morning. Pictured here are (l-r) Dave 

Bernatchez ‘85, friend and classmate of the late 

Katie Fleming and Coady volunteer; bursary 

recipient Dawn Mokgautsi from Botswana; and 

Katie Fleming’s daughter Madeline Zutt. 

9. John Angus MacNeil ’53 and Doug MacMaster 

’53 share memories at their 55-year reunion. 

11 

13 14 

9 10 

12 

10. Alumni Association board member Morag 

Graham ’68 presented the Young Alumnus 

Award of Excellence to Celtic musician Troy 

MacGillivray ’02 during the Welcome Home 

Dinner on Oct. 3. 

11. Friends from the Class of 1988 catch up during 

their 20th reunion. 

12. Alumni Association Past President Bill Kiely ’67 

and Fr. Paul MacNeil share a Xaverian greeting 

after Bill presented the former StFX Chaplain 

with the Friend of StFX Award. 

13. StFX Professor Emeritus Jack O’Donnell ’58 was 

presented with the Distinguished Alumnus 

award by Alumni Association Vice-President 

Austin Hawley ‘67. 

14. Troy Stanley ’95 was presented with the Chapter 

of the Year Award on behalf of the London, ON 

alumni chapter by board member Paul Fraser ‘82. 

I 

No Commute, 

No Crowds, 

No Worries 

As sprawling, research-intensive urban campuses 

struggle to serve their customers, thousands of 

students are finding many good reasons for 

choosing universities that put undergrads first. 

KATHERINE LAIDLAW 

n August, 2007, Jessi Fry left the small town of Castlegar, British Columbia, 

with as many belongings as she could pack into two suitcases 

and a bad case of nerves. Just 17 years old, she was hopping a plane 

to start business studies at a university on the other side of the country, a 

school she had read about and talked about, but never seen. While she was 

in high school, Montreal’s McGill University was her dream destination. But 

a recommendation by her sister, followed by an encouraging alumni phone 

call, sent her on her way to St. Francis Xavier in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. 

Ms. Fry is one of thousands of Canadian students attending what are 

dubbed “undergraduate universities”— schools with an intense focus on 

the undergraduate experience and few, if any, graduate programs — set 

in small towns and concentrated for the most part on the East Coast. 

Along with receiving high grades for their quality of teaching and education, 

the schools are also lauded for their overall excellence in student 

satisfaction. In this year’s survey, St. Francis Xavier and Mount Allison each 

received an A, while St. Mary’s and Acadia followed with grades of A- for 

overall university satisfaction. 

Boasting vibrant residence communities, small classes and strong 

student-professor interaction, they offer an alternative to large, urban, research-driven 

universities, which critics say often penalize their undergrads’ 

experiences in favour of revenue-generating graduate programs. 

… its international focus and sense of worldliness drew her back for her 

second year. “Here, there’s a huge sense of belonging to something that’s 

bigger than me, and that’s good,” she says. “I encountered people who are 

just really good people, people I really respect.” 

More than 90% of the university’s faculty members have PhDs, and the 

school does not employ teaching assistants, meaning professors’ teaching 

abilities play a big role in their recruitment. “We expect professors to be in 

their offices and available throughout the week, throughout the term,” says 

school president Sean Riley. “We tend to 

attract people who realize we’re focused on 

our students, we’re focused on teaching.” 

“We’re really the direct opposite experience 

that the majority of Canadian students 

have, which is a large, commuter 

school,” he says. “At any particular time, 

we have about 50% of students living 

on the campus. The experience is really 

much more of a total immersion experience, 

and that has impact on the 

relationships among students and 

the relationships between students 

and faculty.” 


School’s In 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T 

StFX welcomes students with support, fun, and MTV! 

he StFX campus came alive over the 

Labour Day weekend as the student 

body arrived for another academic 

year. Students found a warm welcome, a personal 

greeting from university president Dr. 

Sean Riley, academic support – and this year, 

MTV cameras! 

MTV was on campus Tuesday, Sept. 2 in their 

quest to find the “coolest school” in Canada. The 

competition – narrowed down to four schools, 

StFX, the University of Ottawa, the University of 

Manitoba, and the University of Saskatchewan 

– is part of MTV’s “Maclean’s ranking – MTV Style,” 

which documents First Week activities. 

“We have one of the best frosh weeks going 

and now we have the chance to share the 

experience with the country,” says Jeff Paddon, 

Student’s Union vice-president of activities and 

events. 

“It’s really exciting when you consider this is 

our opportunity to show that our school is the 

premier undergraduate experience we already 

know it is.” 

Alex Gosselin, the Union’s vp of student relations, 

said the spirit, enthusiasm and Xaverian 

pride was like nothing she’d seen in her three 

years at StFX. 

“Frosh week was amazing! Having MTV present 

really added to the excitement of the whole 

week.” 

Alex says it was especially impressive that 

nothing could deter the students from events, 

not even the rain. 

“One event that will always be in my memory 

was the cheer-off on the first day the students 

arrived. It was pouring rain and all the students 

came parading into the main gym. It took 40 

minutes to get their attention because they 

were cheering so loud. It was awesome. That’s 

the spirit that makes this school the best.” 

A key component of First Week is a series of 

welcoming, entertaining and reassuring events 

designed to help students make friends and 

get acquainted with their surroundings. Arrival 

on campus is a big event for first year students 

and their parents. It can often be overwhelming 

and a make-or-break event for their university 

career. 

“What our focus has been for the past few 

years is how we are able to engage students 

during First Week in ways that ensure a successful 

transition into university life generally 

and StFX specifically,” says Dean of Students Joe 

MacDonald. 

“We reinforce what is special about StFX and 

how that experience guarantees that each student 

made the correct choice in coming to X.” 

StFX President Dr. Sean Riley made it a point to 

meet each and every student and their parents 

on the first day during the President’s Welcome 

and Parents Orientation session. 

Other highlights included the Xaverian 

Welcome Ceremony and Shinerama, the annual 

fundraising event for Cystic Fibrosis. Classes 

began September 4. X 


alumni profile 

Q&A with a Xaverian 

Meeting Grandpa 

By Mark Reynolds 

M 

y father and I were in Antigonish, 

NS, when we discovered my 

grandfather had another woman 

in his past. 

We had made the trip up from Halifax to find a 

photo of my grandfather, Tom Reynolds. Dad said 

he had seen it years before on the walls of one of 

the buildings on the St. Francis Xavier University 

campus; Tom had graduated from there in 1924. 

We didn’t know exactly where it was, but as my 

dad is retired and I was on vacation, we had time 

to waste, wandering from building to building 

on a pleasant afternoon. 

The trip was my idea - I was moving to France, 

thanks to my wife’s work. I didn’t know how long 

we’d be overseas, so many of my activities over 

those past few months were imbued with a tint 

of sentimentality. When I suggested to my dad 

that we do the two-hour drive to Antigonish, 

I suppose I was looking to create some violinscored 

bonding moment. 

My dad had little opportunity for that growing up. 

My grandfather died in 1960, when my father was 14. 

Tom had early-onset Alzheimer’s, which was 

then so little understood it must have seemed 

like madness to his family. Dad’s memories of his 

father are few, and many relate to his disease. 

With Tom unable to work, my grandmother 

went back to teaching. As most of his siblings 

were working, too, my dad ended up spending 

a lot of his time looking after his father - a huge 

responsibility for a young teen. 

As a result, when my father had children, he 

was operating with only a hazily remembered 

and incomplete template for fatherhood. He 

tried his best; as a kid, I remember him patiently 

teaching me “man skills” – how to throw a 

baseball, how to pour a beer. 

However, it’s little surprise that as I moved 

into my teens, dad and I found it hard to 

communicate. He had been the youngest son in 

a raucous household of six where circumstances 

He was as much a 

mystery to my father as 

to me. What we found, 

neither of us expected. 

forced him to deal with life largely on his 

own. Relating to a sullen, suburban, teenaged 

boy wasn’t easy. For my part, I could never 

understand why he seemed to expect me to be 

so tough. 

In this way, Tom, in his absence, had a major 

effect on my upbringing. As we drove up to 

Antigonish, I saw he was just as much a mystery 

to my dad as to me. With nothing but youthful 

memories and his brother’s tales, my dad had 

built an image of Tom coloured by myth. 

Dad was fairly certain the photo he’d glimpsed 

years before had shown Tom with the StFX 

hockey team. He believed Tom had been in the 

boxing club, too, although he had not been 

a brawler by nature: He preferred the more 

contemplative pursuit of fly-fishing. The image 

building in my head was of a sportsman who 

never let his physicality overcome his essential 

sobriety. When Tom went fishing, my dad 

assured me, he did so in trousers, never jeans 

or, God forbid, shorts. 

It was a surprise, then, when the woman in 

the university’s alumni office who found Tom’s 

picture in the 1924 class yearbook looked at me 

in my T-shirt and jeans and declared, “My God, 

you look just like him.” 

There he was, younger than I am now, the 

black and white of the photo showing the 

white vastness of forehead and jutting ears to 

nice effect. I conceded there might be a slight 

resemblance, cursing that I hadn’t worn a hat. 

Tom’s influence had expressed itself in other 

ways. I fell into freelance writing through my 

university’s student newspaper, a vocation I try 

to blend with my love for the outdoors. With 

the assistance of a helpful woman from the 

university archives, we discovered Tom had 

contributed several articles to the Xaverian, the 

student paper. These included a self-deprecating 

account of a camping trip in Algonquin 

Provincial Park (on describing his performance 

at a campfire sing-along: “Billy leaned over to Phil 

and I heard him remark: ‘Better make that chap 

cut that, it will draw the wolves.’ “) 

Dad was determined to find the hazily 

remembered sports photo. We searched the 

yearbook, Dad rushing to the sports clubs 

section while I scanned each page more 

carefully, finally catching my surname on a 

page describing the activities of the amateur 

dramatics society - another activity Dad and I 

had dabbled in during our respective college 

days. 

I read, eagerly. The play, called Stop Thief!, 

told the story of a husband and wife, partners 

in crime, who wanted to pull off “one last score” 

before going straight. 

A difficulty, in 1924, was that St. Francis Xavier 

was an all-boys school. 

According to the write-up, my grandfather 

played Nell, the female lead. I interrupted Dad’s 

perusal of the hockey club’s season to point out 

what I’d found. 

Watching his face, as he added a frock to his 

mental picture of his father, was something I’ll 

never forget - wonder, disbelief, amusement, 

back to disbelief. Finally, he looked at me. 

“We must never speak of this again,” he said. 

I’ve been teasing him mercilessly ever since. 

And we never did find that hockey photo. X 

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the Globe & Mail Facts 

& Arguments: THE ESSAY on July 7, 2008 

Meet 

Harris 

Fricker 

I 

n September 2008, Xaverian 

Harris Fricker ’86, a Rhodes 

Scholar and martial artist, 

an entrepreneur and investment 

banking specialist, originally 

from Ingonish, Cape Breton, was 

appointed president of GMP Securities 

L.P., a leading, publicly 

traded Canadian investment dealer 

with offices in Toronto, Calgary, 

Montreal, London and Geneva, employing 

approximately 400 people. 

GMP trades on the Toronto Stock 

Exchange. Prior to joining GMP in 

2002, Mr. Fricker held a variety of 

senior managerial positions in the 

North American financial services 

sector. He holds an MA from Oxford 

University, which he attended as a 

Rhodes Scholar, and an honours 

BA in political science from StFX. 

We took a moment to chat. 

StFX: Congratulations on this new 

appointment. Could you give a brief 

overview of your new responsibilities? 

What’s a typical day like? 

Harris Fricker: Thanks. Honestly, 

a typical day is never typical. As 

an investment banker I do a lot of 

mergers and acquisitions advisory 

for clients wanting to buy or sell 

companies and this takes me all 

over the world. As the head of 

our European business, I am typically 

in London for a couple days a 

month. Finally, as president I liaise 

on a daily basis with other members 

of our executive committee, 

especially our CEO, to discuss and 

address any number of strategic, 

corporate, financial or personnel 

issues pertaining to GMP. 

StFX: Is there anything in particular 

about your experience at StFX that 

influenced you or helped you in 

your career? 

Harris Fricker: My experience at 

StFX was very grounding in that 

the campus was as conducive to 

learning about oneself as one’s 

curriculum. I just came out of there 

with a stronger belief in who I was, 

what mattered most and where I 

hoped to take my life. 

StFX: From what we hear, you never 

intended to work in the financial 

world. Your studies at Oxford were in 

politics, philosophy and economics. 

What got you hooked? 

Harris Fricker: The first hook was 

that I was poor kid who had been 

in school for seven years and so 

I needed a good paying job. The 

second hook was meeting Peter 

John Nicholson of Bank of Nova 

Scotia and going to work for him 

in the chairman’s office at BNS in 

Toronto. He was a wonderful boss 

and used his diverse and deeply 

impressive academic background 

to great benefit in business. The 

rest as they say is history. 

StFX: In light of your experience, 

what advice would you offer a student 

entering university today? 

Harris Fricker: Try to learn as much 

about yourself as your given curriculum. 

You do that by meeting 

as many different types of people 

and seeking out as diverse a set 

of experiences as possible during 

your time on campus. Another 

thing to recall – your youth is a precious 

gift and while it is important 

to bring your best to whatever it 

is you are doing, you must ensure 

that you are also fully enjoying 

and experiencing one of the most 

precious and formative periods of 

your life. My final advice is to learn 

to properly speak and write the 

English language – you would be 

shocked by the number of highly 

accomplished graduates who are 

still writing at a high school level. 

StFX: You are a former member of 

the StFX Board of Governors (retired 

2006). Why is it important to 

stay involved with alma mater? 

Harris Fricker: For me, membership 

on the board was a way to 

lend support to and affirm the 

vision of Sean Riley. To be honest, 

I did not do a great job as the 

demands of my job at GMP had to 

take priority and that impacted the 

regularity and quality of my input. It 

will be fun to do again when I have 

the ability to give it my focus. 

StFX: You’ve been a lifelong supporter 

of StFX, most recently with 

a generous $250,000 donation to 

the Coady International Centre. 

What motivates you to play such a 

leading role philanthropically? 

Harris Fricker: Well I have been 

blessed with financial success and 

Sean Riley was instrumental in 

working with me on how to best 

give back to StFX. The $250,000 to 

Coady was given in honour of my 

dear friend, Kate Fleming ’85. 

StFX: Financial markets, particularly 

in the U.S., have seen their share of 

challenges of late. What do you see 

for the future in Canada? 

Harris Fricker: Canada has been 

propped up by the demand for 

raw materials in Southeast Asia and 

years of good fiscal management 

in Ottawa. That said, our manufacturing 

base is in the midst of painful 

adjustment to a slow U.S. economy 

and strong Canadian dollar. Plus 

there is no end in sight to the 

global credit malaise arising from 

the unwinding of the securitized 

credit market in the U.S. (Note to 

file: The simple problem with securitization 

is that is separates the guy 

who makes the loan from the guy 

who, via its sale through securitization, 

comes to hold it on his books. 

Is the lender really going to do as 

rigorous a job of adjudicating the 

credit if he knows he is going to 

sell the loan to someone else in 30 

days?) Overall, I think 2008 will be a 

very tough year in the markets but 

am hopeful that we will see some 

life by spring of 2009. 

StFX: And finally, what does wearing 

the X-Ring mean to you? 

Harris Fricker: I still have my X-Ring 

and think it is a wonderful symbol 

of our community at StFX. X 


Alumni 

Happenings 

It’s not about the bike l MacEachen honoured l Alumni tour to Celtic Colours l and more! 

Peter McCormick ‘81 (l) and John Dobrowolski ‘78. Inset - Lance Armstrong. 

Editor’s Note: The following excerpts come to us from Buzz from Burbs, a column written by Alumni 

Association president Ed McHugh. 

It’s Not About The Bike – 

X alumni pedal towards a cancer cure, meet Lance Armstrong 

H 

ere is your assignment: get on a 

bike and ride it from Halifax, NS to 

Austin, Texas. You leave the morning 

of October 14th and arrive 10 

days later. You will have to get people to sponsor 

you before you can head out. Sound reasonable? 

Quite a tall order, but that’s what approximately 

65 people did including StFX alumni John Dobrowolski 

’78 and Peter McCormick ’81 as part of 

The Cycle for Life, Celebrate Life event. The bike 

riders travelled 4,300 km to raise money for the 

Tony Griffin Foundation, www.tonygriffinfoundation.com, 

which raises funds for prostate, pancreatic 

and ovarian cancer research. Originally 

from Cape Breton, John is a life-long educator 

and community volunteer who currently is 

vice principal of St. Margaret’s Bay Elementary 

School. Peter was raised in Moncton and also 

has a stellar record of community involvement. 

He works with the Owens MacFadyen Group 

in the financial sector. “Our group will get the 

opportunity to meet Lance Armstrong and be 

part of his Livestrong Challenge in Austin, Texas 

on October 25th,” Peter says. “The plan is to get 

Lance to autograph all of our bike jerseys and 

then auction them off at some point to raise 

more money for the fight against cancer. I am 

very excited to be a part of this challenge and 

journey and I hope people can help us out.” John 

noted that his sister had beaten cancer 33 years 

ago and remains cancer-free. “It is up to all of us 

to try to make a difference.” X 

StFX alumnus Allan J. MacEachen ’44 rose from humble roots in rural 

Cape Breton to become one of this country’s most distinguished politicians. 

His home community of Inverness gathered to salute the man, the 

legend, by unveiling a monument in his honour on October 18, 2008. 

The monument was erected with the support of Allan’s friends across 

Canada and a committee of the Inverness Development Association. 

Here are excerpts of the editorial that appeared in the Thursday, Oct. 23, 

2008 edition of The Halifax Chronicle Herald describing the event. 

Honouring Allan J. 

A rock of Nova Scotia 

T 

he laird of Lake Ainslie. The Celtic Sphinx. 

Or, around home, just Allan J. Former 

deputy prime minister Hon. Allan J. 

MacEachen inspired a few epithets in four 

decades as MP for the Cape Breton Highlands, 

heavyweight minister in the Pearson and Trudeau 

governments and Liberal leader in the Senate. In 

all these roles, Allan J. had two consistent claims to 

fame. He was a rock of the Liberal party, as a social 

reformer and unmatched parliamentary tactician. 

And he was a rock of his native Cape Breton, 

applying the philosophy of Father Moses Coady 

and the resources of government to address the 

economic and social needs left by the decline 

of coal and steel. So Mr. MacEachen, now 87, 

could not have a more fitting tribute than the 10 

tonnes of Grit‐red rock unveiled in his honour (and 

presence) Saturday in his hometown of Inverness. 

More than 200 people came to dedicate the 

marble monument to the miner’s son from 

Beaton Street who guided some of Canada’s most 

important social welfare programs. 

Hon. Allan J. 

MacEachen stands 

by the plaque in his 

honour, unveiled 

in his home 

community in 

Cape Breton. 

AUS Team Wins Kehoe 

Golf Classic 

Atlantic University Sport team 

The Atlantic University Sport team with members from Halifax and Antigonish took home top low gross 

honours (55) as the tournament champions. The team consisted of captain Phil Currie along with John Keefe, 

Ryan Power, Ron MacDonald and Paul MacDonald. 

Wayne Synishin’s team 

Second low gross honours (59) went to Wayne Synishin’s team from Antigonish 

Ron Lirette’s team 

The first low net winners (39) and recipients of the Irene McFarland Memorial trophy was Ron Lirette’s team 

from Halifax. Joining Lirette were Derek Martin, Steve Sarty, Wayne Johnson, and Louis Deveaux 

StFX Athletics team 

The StFX Athletics team led by Leo MacPherson took home second low net honors (45). 

T 

he 17 th annual Father Kehoe Golf Classic took place Friday afternoon, 

July 25 at the Antigonish Golf & Country Club. Twenty-nine teams and 

approximately 145 golfers participated in the five-person scramble, 

which honours the legacy of StFX alumnus and former athlete, coach and 

athletic director, Father George Kehoe. The Atlantic University Sport team with 

members from Halifax and Antigonish took home top low gross honours (55) 

as the tournament champions. The team consisted of captain Phil Currie along 

with John Keefe, Ryan Power, Ron MacDonald and Paul MacDonald. Second 

low gross honours (59) went to Wayne Synishin’s team from Antigonish. The 

first low net winners (39) and recipients of the Irene McFarland Memorial 

trophy was Ron Lirette’s team from Halifax. Joining Lirette were Derek Martin, 

Steve Sarty, Wayne Johnson, and Louis Deveaux. The StFX Athletics team led 

by Leo MacPherson took home second low net honors (45). The tournament 

is an annual fundraiser for the StFX Department of Athletics. In addition to the 

golf tournament, a dinner, and silent and live auctions were held at the StFX 

Keating Centre on Thursday evening. 

X 

Alumni on the road again. 

Alumni tour to Celtic Colours 

There’s always one weekend when Cape Breton’s brilliant fall 

colours are at their peak. We were very fortunate to hit that 

weekend for our first alumni and friends tour to Celtic Colours, 

the internationally acclaimed music festival, Oct. 16-19. 

Xaverians boarded the StFX motor coach on Thursday, Oct. 19 

and made a stop in Whycocomagh before landing at the Inverary 

Inn in Baddeck, where we stayed for three nights. That first evening 

the StFX tour group took in the Guitar Summit concert in Judique 

and visited the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre. The next day 

included a tour of Glenora Distillery and a concert in Big Pond. 

On our final day we took in a milling frolic at the Gaelic College 

in St. Anne’s and the Celtic Colours finale, a tribute to Rita MacNeil 

at the Marine Terminal in Sydney. 

This was our second alumni and friends tour aboard the StFX motor 

coach. The first was to Maine and Boston for St. Patrick’s Day weekend in 

March of this year. Both trips were lots of fun and a chance for Xaverians 

to enjoy the company of friends old and new. 

We welcome suggestions on future alumni and friends tours, 

both the destination and time of year. Please email your suggestions 

to Helen Murphy at hmurphy@stfx.ca 


Alumni Happenings 

M. Colleen 

Kennedy Bursary 

established 

Colleen Kennedy 

A 

new StFX student bursary 

has been established by 

members of the Technology 

Support Group (TSG) in memory 

of friend and colleague Colleen Kennedy, 

who passed away on April 4, 

2008 after a long and courageous 

battle with cancer. 

As training and communications 

coordinator, Colleen was a valued 

member of the TSG, and provided 

technology training to much of the 

campus community. 

To help fund the M. Colleen Kennedy 

Memorial Bursary, members 

of the TSG and Campus Store are 

taking part in fundraising activities. 

StFX alumni, staff and anyone interested 

can also make a pledge to the 

bursary by contacting Linda Henke, 

lhenke@stfx.ca; (902) 867-5017. X 

he legacy of two recently 

retired StFX history professors 

will make a lasting 

impression with new generations 

of StFX students thanks to a new 

endowment and recently renamed 

student history prize. 

In recognition of their contributions 

to the department of history, 

the graduation award has been 

renamed the Hogan-Phillips History 

Prize in honour of longtime history 

professors Dr. Pat Hogan and Dr. 

Paul Phillips, both retirees of 2007. 

Dr. Hogan and Dr. Phillips each 

taught at StFX for nearly 40 years. 

StFX Athletics Announces 

2008 Sports Hall of Fame Inductees 

I 

L-r: Director of Recreation and Athletics Leo MacPherson, Bill Kiely, Richard Bella, 

Mickey Oja, Pat Jancsy and StFX President Dr. Sean Riley 

Hogan-Phillips History Prize Established 

T 

1993 X-Men Basketball team. Back row (l-r): StFX President Dr. Sean Riley, Todd 

McKillop (assistant coach), Blair White, Aristide Nguilibet, Mike Clarke, Sean 

Clarke, Leo MacPherson (director of recreation and athletics). Front (l-r): Jason 

Hirtle, Richard Bella, Steve Konchalski (head coach), Brian Lee, Merrick Palmer, 

Joe Odhiambo. Missing: Mark Corrigan, Guy Mbongo, Sean McLean, Kyle Walsh 

(manager) and Dave Gordon (trainer) 

Dr. Hogan has been much beloved 

as a professor for her enthusiasm 

and extensive knowledge of medieval 

history. She received StFX’s 

Outstanding Teaching Award in 

1991. Dr. Phillips has been a very 

productive scholar throughout his 

tenure at StFX, having published 

multiple and well-regarded books 

on British history. He received the 

University Research Award in 2002 

and holds the StFX designation 

“Senior Research Professor.” 

The Hogan-Phillips History Prize 

of $100 recognizes outstanding 

achievement in history and 

is awarded to a full-time senior 

history student with the highest 

average in history courses over the 

final two years of study. 

Anyone interested in making 

nductees into the StFX Sports 

Hall of Fame this year included 

three athletes, one builder 

and one team. 

The three athletes receiving 

the entry include X-Men hockey 

sniper Dr. Mihkel (Mickey) Oja ‘71, 

X-Men football defensive all-star 

Patrick Jancsy ‘85, ‘86 and X-Men 

basketball standout Richard Bella 

‘93. Being inducted into the builder 

category was long-time StFX Athletics 

supporter William (Bill) Kiely 

‘67. Entering in the team category 

is the 1993 CIAU (now CIS) national 

champion X-Men basketball 

team. 

The StFX Sports Hall of Fame 

was founded in 1976 and exists 

to honour those individuals who 

have contributed significantly to 

StFX sports as athletes, teams or as 

builders. Those chosen inductees 

have exemplified the spirit and 

ideals of Xaverian athletics in their 

professional and community lives. 

Induction ceremonies take place 

every two years. X 

Photos by Emery Gbodossou, StFX Athletics 

Dr. Paul Phillips and Dr. Pat Hogan 

a donation to the Hogan-Phillips 

History Prize, please contact Linda 

Henke at lhenke@stfx.ca or toll-free 

at 877-367-7839. X 

Alumni Happenings 

Classics for the Classics 

An Invitation to All Alumni: Come Back to the 

Classroom – but Without Examinations! 

T 

his summer you are invited 

to continue the best 

part of your life at X: your 

intellectual life. Six professors in 

the Faculty of Arts would like to 

spend a week with you to read 

and to discuss Plato’s Republic. 

We’d like you to come to campus 

July 13 – 17, 2009, with the option 

of staying in beautiful Governors’ 

Hall. Dr. Steven Baldner, Dean of 

Arts and professor of philosophy, 

will take you through the Republic, 

and five professors (in philosophy, 

history, art, literature, and religious 

studies) will lecture on topics such 

as: the Homeric background to the 

Republic, the Peloponnesian War, 

classical Greek art; the literary structure 

of the Republic, and the history 

of later Platonism. The goal of this 

Classics for Classics 

Want some intellectual stimulation 

this summer? Come back to campus 

and study Plato! 

No exams, we promise. 

Topic: Plato’s Republic 

Dates: July 13-17, 2009 

Faculty: Led by Dean of Arts, Dr. Steve 

Baldner, with related lectures from 

professors in Philosophy, History, Art, 

Literature and Religious Studies. 

Cost: Free for alumni, $100 for non-alumni 

($100 deposit from alumni is reimbursed 

after course); nominal cost for outings 

during the week. 

Accommodations: Available in beautiful 

Governors Hall at discounted rate 

Register by contacting 

Helen Murphy, 

Director, Alumni Affairs, 

hmurphy@stfx.ca 

902-867-2243 

week of study will be to appreciate 

and to enjoy one of the great classics 

of our civilization – and to do so 

in a way that is serious, but friendly 

and relaxed. No essays, no grades, 

but you will be assigned sections 

of the text to read and to prepare 

for each day’s class meeting. We’ll 

study the text every morning, with 

a mixture of lecture and discussion, 

and a different member of faculty 

will provide a stimulating lecture 

each afternoon. You will have to 

spend some time every day to 

prepare for the next day’s class, but 

we’ll leave some time for getting 

to the beach; and the Highland 

Games are held at week’s end, if 

you wish to stay. Alumni Affairs will 

also be planning an outing or two 

during the week. 

The Name? 

We’re calling this program “Classics 

for Classics”, because we’re 

studying those great works that 

only improve with age, and we’re 

teaching them to those great 

alumni who only … well, you get 

the point. 

Tuition? 

We will charge a modest tuition fee 

of $100, but this fee is waived for all 

alumni. You do a lot for us; we’d like 

to do something for you! 

Residence and meals? 

Upon request from course participants, 

rooms will be reserved 

in beautiful Governors’ Hall at a 

special discounted rate of $70 per 

night. Information on meal options 

on campus will be provided. 

Dr. Steven Baldner 

You are also free to make other 

accommodations and meal arrangements, 

if you wish. 

Date? 

July 13 – 17, 2009. This is the 

week before the Highland Games 

in Antigonish. We expect that you 

would arrive on Sunday the 12th, 

because the first class will be at 9:30 

a.m. on Monday the 13th. 

Limits? 

We may have to limit enrolment 

to keep the class size optimal for 

discussions. It would be advisable 

to reserve a place early. 

Reserve a Place? 

Please call Helen Murphy in Alumni 

Affairs to reserve a place in Classics 

for Classics, 2009: hmurphy@stfx.ca, 

902-867-2243 (tuition deposit of 

$100 to reserve a place is refunded 

to alumni after completing the 

course). 

More Information? 

If you want information about the 

course, get in touch with Dean of 

Arts, Steve Baldner, 902-867-2165, 

sbaldner@stfx.ca. 


on campus 

Gaels Gather! 

StFX plays host to two pre-eminent 

Celtic events 

V 

isitors to StFX’s Keating Millennium 

Centre and Oland 

Centre July 24-26 may well 

have imagined they stepped into a 

wonderful Celtic stronghold. 

A chorus of voices, led by internationally-known 

Gaelic songstress 

Mary Jane Lamond, floated down one 

corridor. A floor below Mary Janet Mac- 

Donald enthusiastically put a group 

through a square set while in the next 

door classroom Scott Williams offered 

beginner piping classes. 

Back upstairs, fiddle instructor Shelly 

Campbell offered words of wisdom 

over one tune. “It’s just like waves in 

the ocean, it has that ebb and flow,” 

she told her students. “Like an older 

person talking in the upper register, 

‘yes…yes…yes.’ Just imagine that in 

your head.” 

The scenes were all part of Cruinneachadh 

nan Gaidheal, or the Gathering 

of the Gaels, the first international 

Gaelic celebration of its kind to be 

held outside of Scotland. It featured 

in-depth workshops with expert 

instructors on the Gaelic language 

and song, fiddling, piping, stepdancing, 

and storytelling. It also brought 

participants together to celebrate the 

language and heritage. 

“This is certainly a one-of-a-kind 

event for Nova Scotia, perhaps unique 

world-wide,” says organizer and StFX 

Celtic Studies professor Catriona 

Parsons. “The scale of the project also 

presents an opportunity to further raise 

the profile of Gaelic culture in Nova 

Scotia.” 

Rannsachadh na Gáidhlig a 

resounding success 

Over 90 delegates from as far away 

as Scotland, Wales, the U.S., the Isle of 

Man, and Japan converged on StFX July 

21-24, 2008 to attend Rannsachadh na 

Gáidhlig, a premier academic Scottish 

Gaelic research conference held for the 

first time in Canada. 

“It’s been an excellent conference,” 

enthused Celtic Studies chair and 

organizer, Dr. Ken Nilsen. 

“It has truly been an international 

event, with academics from all the 

universities that have Celtic programs. 

Papers have been presented on all 

aspects of Gaelic culture, on every 

possible research topic. It’s been wonderful.” 

Among those presenting papers 

were several StFX grads, including 

Michael Linkletter, who completed 

his PhD at Harvard and is now on staff 

in the StFX Celtic Department. His talk 

focused on the history of Gaelic at 

StFX. Fellow alumni Lindsay Mulligan, 

now a grad student at the University 

of Aberdeen, and Tiber Falzett, a grad 

student at the University of Edinburgh, 

also presented. 

“Our students have done us proud, 

and it’s nice to have them come back,” 

Dr. Nilsen said. 

The four-day conference saw a 

number of social and cultural events 

including a trip to the Highland 

Village in Iona, Cape Breton, a wine 

and cheese hosted by the town of 

Antigonish, a lobster boil at Crystal 

Cliffs and a closing banquet and youth 

ceilidh. X 

Upcoming Events 

Check out www.alumni.stfx.ca for a 

complete listing of upcoming events and 

up-to-date event details. 

Keep the following dates open in 2009: 

Florida, March 7, 2009 

Annual gathering – contact Kathy 

Achorn at 813-962-3549 or mkachorn@ 

msn.com or John T. MacDonald at 941- 

966-1574 or janjon@comcast.net 

Toronto, May 19, 2009 

Toronto Annual Golf Tournament 

Where: Kleinburg Golf & Country Club 

Contact: Bill McDonnell ‘77 

william.mcdonnell@jonesheward.com 

Montreal, June 5, 2009 

Annual Montreal Golf Tournament 

Where: Candiac Golf Club 

Contact: Gerry Roy ‘50 at 450-653-2045 

StFX Alumni Family Fun Weekend! 

July 31, Aug. 1 and 2, 2009 

Alumni, spouses and children 

welcome, Dundee Resort, Cape 

Breton, NS. Open to ALL alumni. 

Space is limited!! Contact John 

Shaw at johnshaw@alumni.stfx.ca 

StFX Day widely celebrated: 

Vancouver, November 22 

Truro, November 24 

Montreal, November 27 

St John’s, November 28 

Moncton, November 28 

Bermuda, November 28 

London, ON, November 29 

Fredericton, November 30 

Antigonish, December 1 

Sydney, December 2 

Calgary, December 3 

Prince George, December 3 

Ottawa, December 3 

Amherst, December 3 

Sudbury, ON, December 3 

Jasper, AB, December 3 

Halifax, December 3 

Saint John, December 3 

Hamilton, December 4 

Toronto, December 5 

Ft. McMurray, December 5 

PEI, December 6 

Northern California, December 7 

Mississauga, December 7 

England, December 7 

Edmonton, December 7 

Nursing Centennial 

Distinction 

Award of 

In honour of its upcoming centennial celebrations, the College of 

Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia has introduced a unique, once-ina-lifetime 

award, the Centennial Award of Distinction, to recognize 

the accomplishments of 100 current/former registered nurses. These 

individuals will be nominated for their significant influence on the 

advancement of college initiatives, nursing practice and/or the nursing 

profession. Ten recipients will be selected from each of the 10 decades 

leading up to the centennial. The awards will be presented during the 

Centennial launch on May 13, 2009. 

Nomination forms can be downloaded at www.crnns.ca. Electronic or 

hard copies may also be obtained by contacting the College’s executive 

assistant at 491-9744, ext. 223 (toll-free NS 1-800-565-9744) or sf@ 

crnns.ca. 

NOMINATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED AT THE COLLEGE BY 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2009. 

Nominations may be submitted by mail, fax or e-mail. Please submit 

to the attention of: Chair, Centennial Award of Distinction Selections 

Committee, c/o Executive Assistant 

Mailing address: 

College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia, 

600-1894 Barrington Street, Halifax, NS B3J 2A8 

Fax: 902-491-9510 


on campus 

Aquinas walls yield lost 

wallet after 48 years 

I 

n late July I received a message 

from Jennifer Gillies from the 

Dalhousie Alumni Association 

who said she received an e-mail from 

the StFX Alumni Association saying 

that in recent renovations to Aquinas 

Hall they found a wallet that belongs 

to me. When I called back, Jennifer 

said I should contact StFX directly 

as they couldn’t pass on my contact 

information without my permission. 

As an “X” student from 1960-63, 

(engineering diploma), who went 

on to Nova Scotia Technical College 

(integrated as part of Dalhousie in the 

past five years), to graduate in 1965 as 

an electrical engineer, it was impressive 

that both StFX and Dalhousie 

were able to locate me. 

To be sure this wallet, found by 

Leon MacLellan on July 22nd in the 

walls of Aquinas Hall, was mine I 

called Jessica Smith at StFX and in 

return received a call from Glenda 

Bond following my e-mail. Glenda 

advised that there were papers (regrettably 

no money - but alas I was 

a poor student!!) that confirmed this 

was indeed my wallet. Glenda offered 

to send it to me and it arrived three 

days later. 

John Wright ‘63 

with his wallet 

I was amazed at the excellent condition 

of the wallet. It was embossed 

with “Compliments The Halifax Herald 

Limited” which I received as a paper 

boy in high school at Shannon Park, 

Dartmouth. I found it contained papers 

that included my StFX Students 

Union ID with picture (the only thing 

that deteriorated was the Scotch 

tape holding it), my StFX Meal Ticket 

No.156 for 1960-61, StFX Students’ Cooperative 

Society No. 6428 and StFX 

Engineering Society Membership 

for 1961. There were also two keys, 

one was my post box key and the 

other my room key from Aquinas Hall. 

Beyond the StFX documents it also 

contained my memberships to the 

Shannon Park Teen Town and Coca 

Cola Hi Fi club of CJCH radio station 

(920 AM), a blood type identification 

card from St. Martha’s Hospital dated 

Sept 25th, 1960 and a picture of my 

girl friend from Shannon Park High 

School. 

Needless to say it was a trip down 

memory lane and I have recounted 

the tale to many people who are 

amazed at the story. The only missing 

piece of the puzzle is that I can’t recall 

how the wallet ended up in the wall 

of my dormitory. I was living on the 

third floor with two roommates and 

can’t figure out how or when I lost it; 

but finding it and then tracking me 

down by the two alumni associations 

probably surpasses anything a professional 

CSI team could accomplish. 

Many thanks to Dalhousie and StFX 

Alumni Associations for their efforts: 

the wallet has made me reflect on the 

great years I had at StFX and the many 

students and faculty that helped me 

in the pursuit of my education. X 

– John Wright, Engineering ‘63 

Never worry about changing 

email addresses again! 

With the use of StFX Email Forwarding, you can 

establish a lifetime email address which does 

not change. You can give this address out to 

family, friends and associates without worrying 

that it will be altered in six months to avoid 

spam or because you relocate or change jobs 

or Internet service providers. 

alumni association update l ed mchugh ‘79, President 

Homecoming Inspires 

H 

omecoming 2008 is in 

the books. Each one has 

its own unique feel and 

memories. 

The fact that we had our first 

separate celebration for a 60th anniversary 

class (Class of 48) speaks 

volumes about the link X has with 

some of our more experienced 

alums. 

The Saturday night of Homecoming 

is special for Shelly (’80) 

and me as we visit every nook and 

cranny of the campus (and sometimes 

the town) to visit every class 

gathering that evening. Obviously, 

the 25th and the 50th are special 

events with terrific turn-outs, but 

every room is full of great conversation 

and loud laughter. 

It was especially joyful this year 

to honour Jack O’Donnell (‘58) at 

our Friday evening dinner with our 

Outstanding Alumnus award. Jack 

was my first professor at X and his 

teachings influence my life to this 

day. He is a gifted teacher, administrator, 

conductor and musician. His 

outstanding work with the Cape 

Breton-based coal miner choir The 

Men of the Deeps is legendary and 

stretches back to 1966. 

Saturday morning is wonderful. 

The Katie Fleming ceremony honours 

a current Coady student who 

is truly making a difference in the 

world. This is immediately followed 

by the Hall of Honour ceremony 

which was created by the Class of 

1991. 

Inducted this year were David 

Barry (’66), Joe Brown (‘68), Irene 

MacDonald (’73) and Kenneth 

MacKinnon (’41). These are people 

who have combined the concepts 

of building one’s own life while also 

focusing on the needs of others 

along the way. 

A few years ago we decided to 

add the reading of the winning es- 

Fun at the Inn: (l-r) Tim Hynes ‘86, Shelly McHugh ’80, Ed McHugh ’79, Fr. Danny 

MacLennan ’85 and Francis LeFort ‘84 share good times at the Golden X Inn 

during Homecoming weekend. 

says from the Student Alumni Recognition 

program. Four students 

get to express the impact that X 

has had on their lives. They are truly 

moving. It also convinces you that 

today’s students are a very talented 

and gifted group of people. 

One essay from the many submissions 

truly moved me last year. 

It was very impactful. Anthony 

Cotter is a science student from 

Delta, BC. He wrote about the 

X-Ring as “…the recognition of a 

sturdy heart, an open mind and a 

commitment to whatsoever things 

are true.” 

He went on to note that “…I 

have met extraordinary people in 

common circumstances and seen 

common people become extraordinary 

because of the passionate 

spirit that saturates this school…I 

have recognized that ability is 

nothing without opportunity. StFX 

has laid so many paths before me 

that my path has become a field. 

The trust, confidence, and pride 

that this university shows in its 

students is first class and inspires 

the performance and growth that 

we are recognized for across the 

globe. 

“Through my involvement at 

X, I have been a doctor, a lawyer, 

a professor, a politician and a 

chemist and I can’t even rent a car 

yet! …Eventually I want to study 

medicine and be involved with a 

children’s hospital but I know even 

the best laid plans can go astray, so 

Ed McHugh at Homecoming ‘08 

I make plans lightly and go heavy 

with the moment. 

“As a Xaverian graduate, I will 

not be static. I will move to pursue 

truth in my studies. I will move to 

spread communion through my 

relationships. I will be grateful for 

the opportunity and leave the 

windows wide open for those who 

follow behind me. I will embrace 

the kaleidoscope of perspective 

I encounter. I will carry strength 

of heart and flexibility of mind 

through all my challenges and I 

will never, ever, forget this place.” 

It is the time of the year to reflect 

upon December 3rd and the true 

essence of the meaning of the X 

Ring. 

I can’t say it any better than 

Anthony. Hail and Health!! X 

Here’s how it works: 

You create an email address in the online alumni community 

by providing a name (yourname@alumni.stfx.ca). This address, 

however, is not a “real” email address with an email box and email 

server. Instead, when emails are sent to that address, they 

are automatically forwarded to the real email address 

you have on file in the online community. Each time your 

email address changes, you simply update your personal email 

address on file, and all email reaches you without you having to 

inform everyone of the change. 

SIGN UP FOR LIFETIME EMAIL TODAY AT 

WWW.ALUMNI.STFX.CA 


Edinburgh, Scotland 

chapter news 

calgary 

Some of the Calgary-and-area frosh at the annual student send-off picnic in June 2008. 

Chapter 

news 

New and growing chapters – Chapter development is an 

ongoing priority of the StFX Alumni Association and Alumni 

Affairs. This year a new chapter has been established in StFX’s 

hometown of Antigonish. The Antigonish-Guysborough chapter 

held a kick-off event at Crystal Cliffs this past summer and 

recently held a founding meeting. Efforts are also underway to 

establish new chapters in Mississauga and Hamilton, starting 

with StFX Day events. Interest has also been expressed in 

starting new chapters in Winnipeg and the South Shore of Nova 

Scotia. We welcome your ideas on starting new chapters and 

strengthening our existing ones. Please don’t hesitate to contact 

Jessica Smith, our programs coordinator, with your suggestions 

on chapter development: jasmith@stfx.ca, 902-867-3760. 

Edinburgh, Scotland 

Pictured here in Edinburgh, Scotland, is the group of 31 

who toured Scotland with StFX alumnus Father Vern 

Boutilier recently. They group had just finished dinner with 

Keith Patrick Cardinal O’Brien, the Cardinal Archbishop of St 

Andrew’s and Edinburgh. The Cardinal is a 2004 honorary 

doctorate recipient from StFX. 

Moncton, NB 

The Moncton chapter of the StFX alumni recently held their 

annual student send-off. Seven new students, two returning 

students and parents from the Moncton area joined 

X alumni near the Petitcodiac River for a barbeque. Helen 

Murphy from the alumni office was there to calm the first 

year jitters and prepare both new students and parents on 

what to expect the first day and frosh week. 

Jack Lamey ‘95 ‘99, Claudia MacLean ‘92 and Richard 

MacGillivray ’77 participated at the Saint John chapter 

golf tournament and student send-off in Hampton this 

year. The Saint John event was fantastic and was a very 

nice way to spend some time with students and alumni. 

Congratulations to the Saint John alumni group for the 

success of their event. 

– Jack Lamey ‘95, ‘99 and Claudia MacLean ‘92 

CALGARY 

The alumni chapter in Calgary had a very busy summer. In 

June, alumni and current students welcomed the newest 

members to the Xaverian family at the annual Student 

Send-off Picnic. About 25 first-year students learned more 

about their new home for the next few years. Mark Kolanko 

‘05 from the Admissions Office spoke about the academic 

stream and what to expect. Calgary-area students continue 

to head to Antigonish in growing numbers. Among those 

heading to Nova Scotia are Rachelle Ramsay ’12 and Jaclyn 

Wright ’12, the newest recipients of the prestigious Dr. Ed 

O’Connor Scholarship. Rachelle and Jaclyn receive $5,000 

a year toward their studies. 

Joining Rachelle and Jaclyn is Kristen Osterling ’12, the 

recipient of the Calgary chapter’s alumni scholarship. Kristen 

impressed the selection committee with her ability to balance 

academic proficiency with her athletic and extra-curricular 

activities. And she’s not alone. StFX offered entrance 

scholarships to 25 Alberta students. Congratulations! 

With one of the biggest alumni chapters in Canada, the 

Calgary chapter is planning events for local alumni and 

Xaverians who may venture into the area on 

business. The first came October 10th, when the 

hilarious Gerry Dee ’94 brought his comedy act to 

Calgary. Gerry finished third in the fifth installment 

of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing”, and is currently 

touring with his “Last Canadian Standing Tour.” On 

December 3rd, alumni celebrated the feast day of 

St. Francis Xavier with a Mass and reception at the 

FCJ Christian Life Centre in downtown Calgary. 

Grads reconnected with other alumni and shared 

stories about the day they received their X-Ring. 

Looking ahead, mark a big ‘X’ on March 7, 2009 

to remind you to hire the babysitter and make 

sure you’re in town: the chapter is throwing its 

Alumni Party. How can we possibly match the 

tremendous show put on by ‘Fraid Knot last 

year? The local chapter is planning the first-ever 

“Xaverian Welcome to Calgary.” The intent is to 

allow a formal setting for recent grads to network 

over a pint or two, and find out first-hand about 

their new home with local alumni. Look for the 

“Xaverian Welcome to Calgary” in the summer 

or fall of 2009. As more Xaverians move to the 

area, the Calgary chapter is updating its contact 

list, especially among recent grads. Stay on top 

of all the chapter news by registering with the 

“X-Ring” at alumni.stfx.ca! You can also find the 

chapter on Facebook! Finally, the Calgary alumni 

chapter welcomes Jay Donlevy ’92 as the new 

president of the local chapter. Jay replaces Kelly 

(MacEachern) Benson ’97, who has stepped into 

an advisory role. Thank you Kelly for your tremendous 

leadership that is definitely worthy of the 

Xaverian spirit and legacy! 

The Calgary alumni chapter is pleased to congratulate 

local alumna Irene MacDonald ’73 who 

was inducted into the StFX Hall of Honour at this 

year’s Homecoming. A passionate educator in 

the Calgary Separate School System for years, her 

work with L’Arche in Calgary and with the Canadian 

Women for Women in Afghanistan shows us all the 

true Xaverian spirit. We are very proud and pleased 

that she has been recognized so. 

– Oliver Munar ‘98 

VANCOUVER, BC 

The St. Francis Xavier University Vancouver chapter 

alumni hosted its 7th annual student send-off 

barbeque at Jericho Beach in Vancouver. The 

purpose of the event is for all new and returning 

students to feel welcome in the Xaverian community 

before heading to Antigonish. The event 

was a tremendous success as over 80 current students 

and alumni attended. The day included the 

barbeque where ‘Veteran Grill Master’ AJ Beaton 

treated the attendees to great food, a raffle of a 

number of prizes kindly donated to support the 

annual scholarship fund, and of course some fun 

in the sun in true Xaverian spirit. The event was 

somewhat nostalgic in that our alumni chapter 

president Jim Bowne announced he would be 

moving back to Cape Breton. Jim is the pioneer 

of the StFX alumni here in Vancouver and is in 

my view the very definition of a classy individual. 

Jim will be greatly missed, his contribution never 

forgotten and with the help of the rest of the 

chapter alumni his legacy kept strong here in 

BC. We would like to thank the alumni office as 

the day also included a visit from Neil Stephen. 

For those of you who have not met Neil he is 

an impressive young man recently taking on 

the position of networking office, admissions 

and recruitment at StFX. He delivered a great 

speech and put in a tremendous effort ensuring 

all the new and returning students felt welcome. 

Special thanks go to our president Jim Bowne, 

vice president Candace Mackenzie, Suzanne 

Anderson, events coordinator for Renaissance 

Hotels & coordinator of the annual scholarship 

fund, AJ Beaton, Paul Richards president & CEO 

of Canfor Pulp & Paper, Van City, Labatt, Glendora 

Distillery and Precious Blood Catholic Church. 

At press time the chapter had just hosted a 

President’s Reception on November 22. 

– Matty Johnston 

StFX Vancouver alumni chapter president 

SYDNEY, NS 

August 6th saw our first Student Send-Off and 

barbeque for new students and their parents at 

Rollie’s Wharf in North Sydney. The students and 

parents had a chance to talk to current students 

and recent graduates over steamed mussels, 

hamburgers and hot dogs. Bill Kiely, past president 

of the Alumni Association worked the room 

making people feel welcome and comfortable. 

After the food there were short presentations on 

areas of importance to the new students. Elena 

vancouver 

Sydney 

Elena White Robertson, Class of ‘99, shares tips with 

new Xaverians at the student send-off in Sydney, 

NS last summer. 

White Robertson ’99 gave pointers on money 

management and how to handle student loans. 

Anthony MacPherson ’08 Natasha O’Rourke ’08, 

both with excellent academic backgrounds 

spoke on study tips, where to get academic 

help, the reading centre and joining subject 

groups. Sam MacKinnon ’09, house director of 

Lane Hall and Ashley Heffernan ’09, president of 

Governor’s Hall, with the voice of success and 

experience, talked about managing the mix of 

the academic and social. They also emphasized 

that getting involved in activities, sports, social 

activities, getting to know the other students 

and forming life-long friendships is one of the 

many advantages of the residential experience at 

X which is not available at many other Canadian 

universities. Showing true Xaverian spirit, Ashley 

drove over 600 km from Digby to help with the 

event. Helen Murphy, director of Alumni Affairs, 

as the parent of a current student, gave some 

tips to the parents. Three admission advisors, 

Jennie MacDonald, Emily McKenna and Kristin 

MacLellan explained what they do and offered 

their help to the students once they got to 

Antigonish. The event closed with drawing for 

prizes brought by Helen Murphy, the admissions 

officers and some donated by local alumni. 

MONTREAL, QC 

On September 13, Montreal alumni, friends, fans 

and parents of the X-Men football team watched 

as they challenged the UMontreal Carabins but 

sadly they lost the battle. After a great afternoon 

watching the X-Men, roughly 120 people gathered 

at the Baton Rouge (Decarie) restaurant to meet 

and greet the team and old friends. On Thanksgiving 

weekend both the X-Men basketball team 

and the X-Women rugby team competed in the 

greater Montreal area. X-Men basketball played 

in a Concordia tournament Oct. 10-11. They finished 

up the weekend with an exhibition match 

on Sunday Oct. 12 against McGill. The X-Women 

rugby team played in Ottawa on Oct. 10-11 and 

then challenged McGill on Oct. 12 for the McEwen 

Cup. X-Women basketball competed in a Laval 

tournament Oct 24-26. X-Women hockey was in 

Montreal November 21-22. Efforts are being made 

to create a revised email list and Facebook page 

to keep everyone informed. Those wishing to add 

their email address to the Montreal chapter please 

email kevin.macsween@mcgill.ca 

– Kevin MacSween ’89 


Warning: Wording of disclaimer must be expanded if performance data is 

chapter news 

chapter news 

London, ON 

The London chapter of the StFX alumni 

association gathered on Saturday, June 14 for its 

annual Golf Day & Student Send-Off Barbeque. 

The day began with nine holes of best ball golf 

at the Hickory Ridge Golf & Country Club on 

a beautiful day perfect for the occasion. Prize 

winners for the event went to Dan Hickey, Ellen 

Handley, Gerard Hatchette, and Jim MacDougall. 

This was followed by a lovely barbeque dinner 

at the home of Tracy and Drew Smith ’90. There 

were several new and returning students in 

attendance who had the opportunity to listen to 

stories from alumni, as well as provide updates 

on campus activities. We were fortunate to have 

a special guest in attendance; Neil Stephen 

from the StFX Admissions Office was on hand 

to provide information to new students and 

give out prizes. Bernie Gilmore provided the 

The X-Women Volleyball team was recently hosted for 

a team dinner in Halifax by Kevin Ryan (Class of 1970, BA) and his 

wife Mary (seen with the team in the attached photo, along with 

family dogs Annie and Belle). Their daughter Katherine is in her 

first year at X (BA) and is a member of the team. Son Emmett is 

also an X student in his 4th year. Katherine is the granddaughter 

of the Late Senator Finlay MacDonald (X student in 40’s) and the 

niece of Finlay MacDonald (Class of 66). 

London, ON 

wonderful entertainment for the evening and 

had many of the crowd up and dancing to our 

favourite East Coast tunes. Thanks to Tracy Smith 

and Pat Lowe who did an exceptional job at the 

barbeque! Thanks to Sleeman Brewery, Taco 

Del Mar London, and the StFX Alumni Office, 

and StFX Admissions Office for their generous 

donations, and special thanks to Tracy and Drew 

for hosting us once again this year. As always, a 

great time was had by all! Plans are already in 

progress for our annual StFX Day event, which 

will be taking place on Saturday, November 30 

at Scots Corner, located at 268 Dundas Street in 

downtown London. 

– Troy Stanley ‘95 

FLORIDA 

On Saturday, March 1, 2008, 74 Xaverian alumni 

met for a get-together at the Heritage Oaks Golf 

and Country Club in Sarasota. 

We were fortunate enough 

again to have Father Tony 

MacDonald ’60 say Mass for us. 

After Mass we had a excellent 

lunch starting with a very tasty 

salad followed by a choice 

of Norway salmon, chicken 

picata or vegetarian. This 

was accompanied by wine 

for those who wished. For 

dessert there was a wedge 

of cheese cake and tea or 

coffee. After the meal and 

lots of talking to renew old 

friendships and make new 

ones, Dick Dumais ran a CD 

showing some aspects of 

today’s students with special 

greetings to our Florida 

reunion. Helen Murphy, director 

of Alumni Affairs and 

managing editor of the StFX 

AlumniNews, brought us up 

to date on happenings on the 

campus. This was followed 

London, ON 

by a 50/50 and an auction of a StFX jacket. The 

highlight was the auction of two airline tickets 

to anywhere in continental North America donated 

by American Airlines which was won by 

the Granvilles. Because of this we were able to 

send a cheque of $1,250 to the university. As the 

university advised, we put the money in the fund 

for students in need. We are asking that this be 

in honour of Jim Kenney ’43, one of the founders 

of our Florida alumni. Don’t forget next year’s 

reunion will be, as always, on the first Saturday 

of March (March 7, 2009). Many thanks to John T. 

MacDonald, F. Marie MacDonald, J. J. MacDonald, 

Kathy Achorn, Dick and Rosemary Dumais, Carol 

and Owen Granville, Janet Kennedy and Dave 

and Barbara Parker for their work in preparation 

of this year’s reunion. 

For further information please contact Kathy 

Achorn at 813-962-3549 or mkachorn@msn. 

com or John T. MacDonald at 941-966-1574 or 

janjon@comcast.net 

– Owen Granville 

OTTAWA, ON 

On Sunday August 17th, the Ottawa alumni 

chapter hosted its annual Student Send-Off 

barbeque to 30 guests, including students and 

their families. The Britannia Yacht Club, on the 

Ottawa River, was the setting for our picture 

perfect day. Students got a chance to meet each 

other and mingle, discussing their programs and 

places of residence. Many thanks to the students 

and their families who attended and we wish 

all the best to the new students heading off to 

StFX this year. Thanks to Kelly-Ann Chisholm and 

Trevor Shannon for their contribution in helping 

put this event together. The Ottawa chapter 

extended an invitation to all alumni in the area 

to join them in celebrating StFX Day / Feast of 

St. Francis on Wednesday, Dec 3rd. The chapter 

had the extreme pleasure of welcoming Antigonish 

Diocese Bishop and Chancellor of SFX, 

Rev. Raymond Lahey, who joined them in this 

year’s celebration and led Mass on Wednesday 

December 3rd, 4:30 p.m., St. Patrick’s Basilica (281 

Nepean Street, at Kent St.) A wine and cheese reception 

followed in the church hall, with Bishop 

Lahey giving a special X-Ring blessing. 

– Karri Cameron ‘92 

Antigonish-Guysborough 

This past summer, over 200 local alumni and 

friends boarded the StFX bus for Crystal Cliffs 

for a family picnic to help kick start the new 

Antigonish-Guysborough Chapter. Guests were 

entertained by young, up and coming musicians, 

pony rides, lots of games and activities, and a free 

barbeque. Thanks to the hard work of several 

volunteer committee members, the picnic was 

a huge success. The chapter hopes to make 

this an annual and free event. The chapter also 

held a first ever student send-off for freshmen 

from the Antigonish and Guysborough area. A 

barbeque was held on the front lawn of the Keating 

Millennium Centre with a Q&A session with 

recruitment & admissions staff and prizes. 

On November 13 th , the chapter held its first 

general meeting in the Keating Millennium 

Centre. During the meeting the following were 

elected as the new executive: President – Nicole 

Proctor `91, VP, Antigonish – Sheila Runnalls 

`98, VP, Guysborough – Christopher West `79, 

Treasurer – Heather Murphy `07, and Secretary 

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invitations are sent via email, if you would like to 

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Homecoming 2008 

Class of 1948 Class of 1953 

StFX Alumni Weekend at 

Dundee Resort 

Class of 1963 

Class of 1973 

Class of 1968 

Class of 1978 

T 

ogether with the Sydney and Area 

Chapter, Alumni Affairs is planning a 

family fun weekend for StFX alumni 

and friends at the Dundee Resort & Golf 

Club on the beautiful Bras d’Or Lakes of Cape 

Breton. This is a perfect place to spend time 

with family and catch up with old friends 

(and new)! 

With so much to do and see at Dundee, 

we’re sure you and your family will have a 

weekend to remember. Besides the 18-hole 

championship golf course, Dundee also 

has indoor and outdoor pools, a recently 

expanded resort spa, a large supervised 

children’s playground, and lakeside activities 

(boat tours, paddleboats, 

kayaks, 

canoes, tennis, 

volleyball, beach 

swimming, snorkeling 

and water 

trampoline). 

The date for this family fun weekend is July 

31-August 2, 2009. Plans for this weekend have 

just begun and at this time we want to gauge 

alumni interest. If you’d like to include a StFX 

Family Fun Weekend at Dundee Resort on your 

family’s vacation calendar, then drop us a line 

at jasmith@stfx.ca or 902-867-3760. Please also 

get in touch with us if you’d like to help us plan 

activities for this weekend. 

SAINTS 

Wanted! 

T-shirts 

Hoodies 

Jackets 

Golf Hats 

Accessories 

And More! 

Shopping for premier X-gear just got easier! 

Alumni, family, and friends can now purchase quality 

university merchandise online. 

Most items can be crested with your 

choice of the StFX University or Alumni 

logo, making the perfect gift for anyone! 

Visit often to discover new items 

as they are added to our store. 

• Ship directly from manufacturer 

• Easy and hassle-free returns 

• Secure website for credit card 

transactions 

www.alumni.stfx.ca/xgear 

Class of 1983 

Class of 1988 

X alumni leaders of Catholic education in eastern Ontario – In June 2008, 

StFX was well represented when administrators from CDSBEO, a rural Ontario school board that 

serves 14,000 students outside the city of Ottawa, gathered for their year-end retreat. Many 

X grads have chosen this board as a place to start their teaching careers. It’s a place, they say, 

that has inspired many Xaverians to discover “whatsoever things are true...” Pictured from left 

to right: principal Robert Hannigan ’96 ‘98; principal Bev Bellfeuielle ‘86; director of education 

Bill Gartland ‘85; principal John Cameron ‘90; vice principal Chris Oldford ‘96/‘98; and principal 

Michael Crossan ‘92. Missing is vice principal Karen MacKinnon ’84 ‘85. 

For more than a decade, the mentoring 

program at StFX has provided assistance to 

students seeking advice on career choices. 

SAINT (Students and Alumni IN Touch) is an 

email-driven program that matches third- and 

fourth-year students with X grads in the workplace, 

in all fields of endeavour. 

Many alumni have volunteered to participate 

in this program each year and I am grateful for 

the support and enthusiasm you have shown in 

giving of your time and talents to assist others. 

I am asking for your support again this year as 

we begin a new term with the program. I have 

a significant number of grads in my database 

but am always looking for more. 

You can reach me at my home email: austin. 

hawley@ns.sympatico.ca; or go to the StFX 

website and sign up there. My sincere thanks 

for your continued support of our mentoring 

program! 

Austin Hawley, ‘67 

Coordinator, SAINT 


news exchange 

Girls from the class of ‘68 – friends for 40 years – they met at StFX and continue to meet every five years. 

Dylan James, July 2004 

Daryl Patricia, January 2008 

Madeleine Erica, Oct. 20/06 

Send News Exchange items to Glenda Bond, Alumni Affairs Office 

St. Francis Xavier University, PO Box 5000, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5 

Phone: (902) 867-2186 • Fax: (902) 867-3659 • Email: alumni@stfx.ca 

Gathering in Houston, Texas 

Joan Muir ‘48, ‘50, Dr. Bernie 

Hicks ‘54 and Fraser Muir ‘52 

X-Spirit at Flyers game 

Jack Coughlin ‘56 with 

grandson Sean, age 10 

Vautour family gathering 

Mary Clare Vautour ‘84, Lise (Vautour) 

Booth’ 74 and Marc Vautour ‘ 76 

‘60s 

Joe Ronco ‘64 retired at the 

end of 2006 in Colorado, 

USA. He would like to hear 

from any 1964 graduates. 

He can be reached at joe@ 

halzel.com (please note: the 

wrong email address was 

listed in the summer issue.) 

John Gorman ‘68, lawyer 

in Ontaro – 10 years, 

builder in Okanagan – five 

years, realtor and property 

manager in B.C. – 15 years, 

now in Toronto as a property 

manager where four kids 

and eight grandkids reside. 

John’s home! 

Jane Rush Cummings from 

Maine attended Mount St. 

Bernard from 1965 - 67. 

She would love to hear 

from old friends especially 

Nora Roderick, Jeannie 

McCarten, Linda Heffernan, 

Judy Gaultois, and Judy 

Quinn. She can be reached 

at janec@fairpoint.net 

‘70s 

Margaret “Joan” 

MacDonnell ‘73 has 

recently retired from work 

with the Chignecto Central 

Regional School Board 

after 30 years of doing 

private work part-time. 

She is now involved in a 

full-time private practice 

in psychology. 

Anne Emery ‘74 has 

signed on with ECW Press 

for three more books in her 

mystery series featuring 

Halifax lawyer/bluesman 

Monty Collins. The first 

three novels are Sign 

of the Cross, Obit, and 

Barrington Street Blues. 

Visit Anne’s website at 

www.anneemery.com. 

Elaine (MacLeod) MacNeil 

‘74 began a two-year term 

as provincial president of 

the Ontario English Catholic 

Teachers’ Association 

(OECTA) in July 2007, after 

serving four years as first 

vice-president. OECTA is 

the union that represents 

37,000 elementary, 

secondary and occasional 

teachers in the publiclyfunded 

Catholic school 

system in Ontario. 

Richard Leach ‘79 died on 

Nov. 7, 2008. He became 

a professor of English after 

obtaining his Masters 

degree from McMaster 

University in 1988. His 

love of teaching took him 

to Asia where he also 

began a writing career. He 

coauthored “The Writing 

Process” while teaching in 

Beijing and wrote several 

articles on environmental 

and political issues. 

‘80s 

Donald Rodgers ‘80 has 

accepted a position with 

the Alberta Securities 

Commission as public 

information officer as of 

February 2008. 

Kelley O’Rourke ‘81 

and her husband (Gregg 

Thomassin) are living in 

Baie D’Urfe, Quebec, along 

with their five children. 

K e l l e y r u n s a s m a l l 

landscaping business with 

two of her daughters. She 

would love to hear from 

her old StFX friends. She 

can be reached at kelley. 

orourke@videotron.ca 

Michael J. Ross ‘81 is 

currently teaching high 

school English and history 

in Frontier, Saskatchewan. 

Mark MacNeill ‘82, 

received a LLB from the 

University of Edinburgh 

School of Law in November 

2007 and completed an 

LLM from the University 

of Miami in May 2008. He 

is also a December 2008 

candidate to receive an 

LLM in Environmental & 

Natural Resources Law at 

the University of Denver. 

His 2007 paper entitled 

“G a i n i n g Command & 

Control of the Northwest 

Passage: Strait Talk on 

Sovereignty” was a winner 

of the American Bar 

Association Section on 

Environment, Energy & 

Resources law student 

writing competition and 

has been published in the 

Transportation Law Journal. 

Mark was nominated in 

March 2008 as the NDP 

candidate for the riding 

of Cape Breton-Canso. He 

has resided with his wife 

and two children near 

the Glenora Distillery in 

Inverness Co. since 2004. 

His children sing locally as 

Gaelic singers and his son 

Donovan acted as Calum’s 

grandson in the feature 

Gaelic film ‘Wake of Calum 

MacLeod’. Mark is looking 

forward to hearing from 

friends & fellow alumni of 

the 80’s. He can be reached 

at macneillmark@hotmail. 

com 

Bill Gorman ‘84 has 

been appointed a Crown 

attorney in the New 

Glasgow office of the Nova 

Scotia Public Prosecution 

Service. Throughout his 

legal practice in the private 

sector, the Antigonish 

native focused on criminal 

law and civil litigation. 

He has prosecuted cases 

in Pictou, Antigonish, 

Inverness, Colchester, 

Cape Breton and Halifax 

counties. 

Mary Vautour ‘84 is 

teaching in the business 

administration department 

at the New Brunswick 

Community College in 

Moncton. Life is busy with 

two teenaged sons. Alex 

is going into Grade 12 

and Marc is just starting 

high school. An “X”-cellent 

family picture of me (1984), 

Lise (Vautour) Booth (1974) 

and Marc Vautour (1976) 

last year during a family 

gathering in northern NB 

is also in this issue. 

Daphne Klemme ‘84 has 

been living in New Haven 

for almost three years now 

and is still enjoying working 

in the physics department. 

Her children are doing well 

and growing fast! 

Nicole Tupper ‘85 is the 

executive director of the Dr. 

Everett Chalmers Regional 

Hospital as well as the Oromocto 

Public Hospital. She is 

currently the administrative 

director of the Healthy Aging 

and Rehabilitation program 

for River Valley Health. 

Then 

Back (l-r): Mary (Leahey) Crilly, Alice (Hughes) West, Marg (Wilson) Wright, Isabel (Curley) Christian, Eileen (Hornby) O’Neill, Anne 

(Beaton) Beaton, Doreen (Coolen) Burke, Morag (Macdonald) Graham. Front (l-r)Sheila (Buckle) MacNeil, Elaine (MacDonald) Tyler. 

Nicole is a registered nurse 

who received her bachelor 

of science in nursing degree 

from St. Francis Xavier 

University and a masters 

of nursing from Dalhousie 

University. Nicole began her 

career as a staff nurse at the 

Oromocto Public Hospital. 

She has since obtained extensive 

clinical and administrative 

experience in acute 

care, rehabilitation and long 

term care settings. She has 

held positions as clinical 

instructor and lecturer with 

both the University of New 

Brunswick and Dalhousie 

University. 

Marty ‘89 and Karen 

(Chisholm) ‘92 Corsten 

currently reside in Ottawa 

where Mar ty recently 

accepted the position of 

chairman of the department 

of otolar yngology at 

the O ttawa Hospital. 

Friends can reach them at 

mjcorsten@yahoo.ca 

‘90s 

Major Tim Barter ‘90 has 

deployed to Kandahar, 

Afghanistan for an eight 

month tour. Waiting for his 

safe return is his wife, Dr. Jill 

Now 

Bulman and their children 

Gavin, Lauren and Bronwen 

(ages 10, nine and eight). 

Joseph Odhiambo ‘94 has 

changed jobs in the federal 

government, moving from 

the Office of Greening 

Government Operations 

to Environment Canada 

where he is a senior policy 

analyst for the International 

Affairs Branch (Climate 

Change). H is area of 

responsibility is Australia/ 

Asia-Pacific. Joseph was 

also recently chosen as 

one of 10 Canadians for the 

Canada Meets Germany 

Trans-Atlantic Exchange 

Programme sponsored by 

the Canadian and Germany 

Embassies. Joseph was also 

recently in Beijing (shown 

here) to represent Canada 

at an international climate 

change meeting hosted by 

the Chinese government. 

Dale Brown ‘96 

and Damian Buzugbe 

Class of 1998 at Homecoming 2008 

‘00s 

Kyle Harrietha ‘00 has recently 

moved from Ottawa, 

ON to Fort McMurray, AB 

to start work as a program 

manager with the Cumulative 

Environmental Management 

Association. He can 

be reached at harrietha@ 

gmail.com 

Sharon MacDonald ‘03 

After graduating from StFX 

in 2003, she took part in a 

Coady Youth Internship to 

Ethiopia, following which 

she moved to Iqaluit, Nunavut 

to experience Canada’s 

North. She has been there 

since 2004 and has made 

it her home, for now. She is 

working for the Iqaluit Fire 

Department as a firefighter 

and emergency medical responder. 

She is gaining some 

great experiences there. 

Kari White ‘96 

and Jeffrey Davison 

Feb. 16/08 

Deanna (Andersen) ‘97 

and Jeff Burbine 

Rebecca Violet, March 12/08 

Kelley Beth (Baltzer) 

and Hector Fraser ‘99 

Anthony Joseph, Jan. 27/08 

Lora and 

Chris ’98 Witzel 

Sadie Beatrice, Aug. 1/06 

Noah (3), TJ (3 months) and 

Lauren (5) MacDougall 

A visit to Neeta’s classroom 

Emily Estelle, April 22/07 

Macy (3), Ainsley (1), & Kendra (5) 

Haley (4) and Hannah (2) 

Lily Cai Qin, 2007 

July, 14, 2007 

Nov. 8/03 

Corbin Frances, May 7/08 

Jennifer Larsend 

and Brent Dakai ‘86 

Lana Dinn ‘91, ‘92 

and Troy MacDougall ‘91, ‘92 

Neeta Kumar-Britten ‘92 ‘06 and 

Premier Rodney MacDonald ‘94 

Lisa (MacDonald) ‘93, ‘95 

and Michael MacDougall 

Michelle (Rose) McDonell ‘94 

and Ian (Eli) McDonell ‘94 

Sheila (Long) ’98 

and Sean Runnalls 

Mary Ellen and 

Paul Breneol ‘99 

Kristin Vessey and 

Ryan Casey ’99, ’01 

Colleen MacKenzie ‘00 

and Andrew Colville ‘00 

Colleen MacKenzie ‘00 

and Andrew Colville ‘00 


Hannah Kathleen Monica, May 19/08 

Lori (Chisholm) ’00 

and Ryan Connors ’03 

August 7/04 

Terri (Parsons) ‘01 

and John MacDonald ‘01 

June 14/08 

Carla (Nauffts) ’02 

and Derek Battist 

July 7/07 

Jessica (McLaughlin) ‘04 

and Bob Parker ‘02 

June 25/07 

Jeremy Clowater ‘07 and Jasmine 

Graham ‘07 with X-alumni at 

their wedding in New River 

Beach, New Brunswick 

July 14/07 

Meghan Lynch Briand ‘01 

and Lawrence Briand 

July 6/04 

Alyson (Wister) ‘01 

and Raoul Rozier ‘01 

Isabella Josephine, March 17/08 

Nadia Berardelli ‘02 

and Lorne MacIsaac ‘99, ‘02 

Iqaluit Fire Department 

Sharon MacDonald ‘03 – Annual 

Canada Day Firefighter’s Obstacle Course 

X-Alumni at the wedding of Jennifer MacIntyre ‘06 

and Trevor Sheppard ‘05 

July 5/08 

Julie (LeBlanc ) ‘06 

and John Richmond ‘05, ‘08 

August 2/08 

Stella Smith, October 7/07 

Shona Bowes ‘01 

and Ryan Smith 

Maya Pamela (5) and 

Theo Simeon (Nov. 7/07) 

Alyson (Wister) ‘01 

and Raoul Rozier ‘01 

August 2/08 

deceased 

Rt. Rev. Cyril H. Bauer ‘34 and former 

faculty/administration 

Sr. Irene Doyle ‘35 

Donald L. Anderson ‘38 

James A. “Fred” Brothers ‘42 

Rev. John R. Williams ‘45 

Rev. Murdoch J. MacLean ‘46 

Vincent P. Allen, QC ‘47 

Dr. William Gardiner ‘48 

Malcolm MacNeil ‘48 

Daniel Almon ‘49 

John “Ralph” Dorsey ‘49 

Howard E. MacIntyre ‘49 

Maurice V. Connolly ‘50 

Hugh J. Douglas ‘50 

Bernard J. Kilbride ‘50 

Aubrey Kyte ‘50 

Blaise B. Cameron ‘51 

James M. “Buck” MacDonald ‘51 

Msgr. John A. MacIntyre ‘51 

Dominic T. Marrocco ‘51 

Michael Myketyn ‘51 

Mary Ann (Hemeon) Sears ‘51 

Francis Albert Godin ‘52 

Raymond A. “Buddy” Keating ‘53 

James G. Butler ‘56 

Dr. Frederick A. Murdoch ‘57 

Daniel J. Tremblay ‘58 

T. Bert Hanratty ‘61 

David B. MacIntosh ‘61 

Luke Raymond, July 5/07 

Sheri (MacDonald) ‘05 

and Ray Burns 

StFX alumni at the wedding of 

Kendra Martin ‘ 07 and Christopher Buxton-Carr 

Allan “Al” Keith ‘64 

Francis “Frank” McKenna ‘65 

Sr. Teresina McNeil ‘66 

Lt. Col. Douglas A. J. Belliveau ‘67 

John G. Churchill ‘67 

James E. Merchant ‘68 

Emmanuel “Manny” Boudreau ‘69 

Alexander J. “Sandy” Morrison ‘70 

Prof. John McKendy ‘71 

Joseph A. “Joe” Borden ‘73 

Robert A. “Bob” MacNeil ‘75 

Delores F. “Dee” McDowell ‘75 

Avice M. (Lewis) Matheson ‘77 

Margaret C. (Gillis) Turnbull ‘77 

Richard A. Leach ‘79 

Cynthia F. (MacDougall) MacAdam ‘79 

Donald Hugh James MacLennan ‘79 

Marion Hollohan ‘83 

Diane J. (MacEachern) MacDonald ‘84 

Christy Ann (Lomas) MacKenzie ‘99 

Heather Hamilton ‘00, ‘02 

Thomas Bata, Hon. Deg. ‘02 

Pte. Douglas J. Pierce ‘03 

Beverly Lynn (Bowen) Benoit ‘04 

Ifeoma S. “Ify” Obi ‘07 

Melissa Leslie, 1st year student 

Rachael Duffley, 2nd year student 

Justin Manser, BEd student 

Charles “Chuck” Brister, former staff 

Richard T. Nash, former faculty member 

December 31/07 

Kirsten (Mattie) ‘07 

and Neil Stephen 

MacQuarrie Family Alumni 

Clockwise fr. lwr. left: Clare ’01, Heather 

‘98, Neil ‘06/’08, Aaron (son-in-law) ‘98, 

Melanie ‘97 and Cameron ‘80 

obituaries 

Rev. Murdoch 

MacLean 

The StFX community 

was saddened to learn 

of the death of retired 

education professor, 

Reverend Murdoch 

MacLean. Dr. MacLean, 

88, taught at StFX for 34 

years. He taught in the 

psychology department 

for a short time and 

then taught educational 

psychology, measurement 

and evaluation and a graduate course in guidance. 

Father MacLean was born in Bay St. Lawrence, Cape 

Breton. He graduated from the Nova Scotia Normal 

School (Teachers’ College) in 1939 and from StFX in 1946. 

He attended Holy Heart Seminary in Halifax and was 

ordained in 1950. He received his Ph.D. from Fordham 

University. 

He loved his students and had a wonderful sense of 

humour. A lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan, he endured 

much teasing about this errant affliction. 

Funeral Mass took place at the StFX Chapel August 22, 

Bishop Raymond Lahey presiding. 

Rt. Rev. Cyril H. Bauer 

The university community was saddened to learn of 

the death on Tuesday, September 9, of Rt. Rev. Cyril 

H. Bauer, C.P., B.A. at the age of 94. Monsignor Bauer 

held many positions at 

StFX. He was professor 

of German, dean of 

studies, executive vicepresident 

and dean of 

arts, administrative vicepresident 

for student 

ser vices and awards 

officer. He retired from 

the university at the age 

of 70, but was a familiar 

face on campus until just 

a few years ago. 

For many years Father 

Bauer was director of 

theatre at StFX. He directed many plays and musicals 

and often took these student productions on tour from 

Sydney to Moncton. The Bauer Theatre was named in 

his honour to recognize his long service to the cultural 

life of StFX and the community. 

Father Bauer was born in Sydney on May 5, 1914. He 

received his B.A. from StFX in 1934 and attended the 

Sulpician Seminary in Washington, D.C. from 1935-39. 

He was ordained in 1939 and served parishes in Iona and 

Bras D’Or. In 1943 he joined the staff of the university. 

Visitation and Prayer Vigil took place at the University 

Chapel. The Funeral Mass was held at the University Chapel 

Friday, Sept. 12, Bishop Raymond Lahey presiding. 

Photos courtesy of StFX Archives 

StFX mourns the passing of three student 

members over the past year. The Chaplaincy 

department held a Celebration of Life in 

September to honour their memories. 

Melissa Leslie 

Melissa Leslie of Dieppe, 

NB, was in the first 

year of a BA when she 

became ill and returned 

home for treatment. She 

was a resident of MacIsaac 

House. Melissa was 18. 

Rachael Duffley 

Rachael Duffley had 

completed her first 

year in human kinetics and 

was from Kiersteadville, NB. 

She was a member of the 

varsity rugby team and 

lived in TnT. Rachael was 

killed in an accident in July. 

She was 18. 

Justin Manser 

Justin Manser was from 

Musquodoboit Harbour, 

NS. He graduated with a 

BA in 2007 and completed 

one year in the B.Ed 

program. He was an RA at 

Governor’s and Lane. He 

died suddenly on July 20. 

He was 23 years old. 

Calling all 

X-Women Hockey Alumni 

We are meeting in March at the CIS Hockey Nationals at StFX. Come on back to campus 

and cheer on the Current X-Women to a National title. Twenty players are confirmed 

to date and we are planning on a dinner as well as volunteering at 

the tournament. More events are being planned and we are open 

to ideas and suggestions. For more information contact Colleen Wall 

‘05 at cwall@oldscollege.ca 

Lost 

& 

Found 

Lost 

Woman’s ‘81 

Man’s ‘81 




Man’s ‘91 

Man’s ‘91 


Man’s ‘01 







Man’s ‘04 

Man’s ‘05 

Man’s ‘05 

Man’s ‘06 

Man’s ‘07 

Man’s 07 

Found 

MSB ring ‘55 

2009 CIS Women’s Ice 

Hockey Championship 

March 19-22, 2009 

Hosted by StFX University 

Tournament passes 

now on sale 

Adult: $40 

Senior/Student: $30 

Student: $30 

Youth: $20 

Keating Centre Box Office 

Phone: 1-866-259-8169 

(toll free) 

or locally 1-902-867-3304 


Update 

Have you moved, changed 

careers, been promoted? 

We’d like to hear about it. 

Full Name: _______________________________________________ 

Class Year: ______________________________________________ 

Spouse’s Name: __________________________________________ 

Is spouse an ‘X’ alum? ____________ Year: _______________________ 

Address 

Street: __________________________________________________ 

City: ___________________________________________________ 

Province/State: _____________ Postal/Zip Code: ________________ 

Phone: (________) ________________________________________ 

Fax: (________) ___________________________________________ 

Email: __________________________________________________ 

Homepage: _____________________________________________ 

Employment Information 

Company: ______________________________________________ 

Position: ________________________________________________ 


City: ___________________________________________________ 


Phone: (________) ________________________________________ 

Fax: (________) ___________________________________________ 

Email: __________________________________________________ 

Homepage: _____________________________________________ 

Employment Information for Spouse 

Company: ______________________________________________ 

Position: ________________________________________________ 


City: ___________________________________________________ 


Phone: (________) ________________________________________ 

Fax: (________) ___________________________________________ 

Email: __________________________________________________ 

Homepage: _____________________________________________ 

Who can always reach you? 

Name: _________________________________________________ 

Position: ________________________________________________ 


City: ___________________________________________________ 


Phone: (________) ________________________________________ 

Fax: (________) ___________________________________________ 

Email: __________________________________________________ 

Homepage: _____________________________________________ 

Information you would like to have published in the ‘News Exchange’ 

section of our Alumni News. 

_______________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________________ 

Return your X-Update to: 

St. Francis Xavier University, Advancement Records 

PO Box 5000, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5 

Phone: (902) 867-5327 • Fax: (902) 867-3659 

Toll-free: 1-888-739-0031 


Update online at 

www.stfx.ca/alumni/ 

update-info.htm 

Date: ___________________________________________________ 

X-ring story l Alumni Office 

Friendship is Pure Gold 

A 

fter encountering difficulty immigrating 

to the United States, my 

newly wedded husband and I and 

took a quick look at the Canadian map, and 

randomly chose a city where I would reside 

until my green card showed its stubborn 

head. Arriving in Calgary, I began the job 

hunt. Through a fellow alumni’s suggestion 

I found myself working at a posh seniors’ 

residence as an events manager. One can 

only imagine how displaced I felt…a new 

city, a new job, a new (long distance) marriage, 

and now…seniors. I didn’t know a 

thing about entertaining seniors. I was at a 

loss. Until one day I stumbled upon a man 

who taught me that being senior, as cliché 

as it sounds, is truly a state of mind. 

His name is Bill Gormley. I served him a 

drink at the senior’s residence bar. Bill took 

his drink, placing it gingerly on the table, and 

then reached out for the gold ring on my 

hand. He asked me with a thick east coast 

accent, ‘Where’d you get that ring?’ And 

before getting the words out of his mouth, 

he answered, saying, ‘I graduated from StFX 

in 1955 – didn’t buy a ring though, was too 

expensive, a whole $18. ’ This was the beginning 

of a beautiful relationship. 

I would see Bill in the hallways and he 

would wink and scold me on the days I 

forgot to put on that ring. As our friendship 

blossomed, I learned much about this 

man with the sparkling blue eyes; Bill was a 

teacher and a principle in Pictou for many 

years. He had obtained his BSc in 1954 and 

his B.Ed in 1955. 

“This man doesn’t 

wear an X on his 

finger, but carries 

an X in his heart.” 

One time, Bill experienced a fall which 

left him with a broken arm. He shook his 

head at me, expressed how silly he felt falling, 

and then in the next breath, informed 

me that he booked a room with a buddy of 

his at the Claymore Inn as he – a man well 

into his 70s – would be returning to Antigonish 

to celebrate Homecoming this fall. 

As he told me of his upcoming adventure, 

I longed to join him. I wanted to share this 

Sarah Rutherford and Bill Gormley 

experience with him, sitting down in the 

Golden X Inn, buying him and his buddies 

a round. This man had become dear to me, 

in a way that I considered as family. 

Today my residents threw me a goingaway 

party. They gathered in the main dining 

room, and we shared cake and coffee. 

In the midst of the goodbye, Bill stood and 

grabbed the microphone explaining, that 

he and I are more than friends, because we 

share the Xaverian family. He told of how 

50 years after his graduation, I had mine, 

and how we exchanged stories of days 

gone by, and compared dreams we had 

at StFX. He then did the most unexpected, 

and presented me with what he referred 

to as a “hand-me down,” unraveling a blue 

StFX sweatshirt. He held it for the room to 

see, and passed it to me as if it were gold, 

saying, ‘remember me.’ It was like no other 

award I had ever received. I was beyond 

honoured. I wished I could present him 

with the ring he never bought, but always 

wished he had. 

It was in this moment that I realized 

that the mark of a Xaverian is more than 

our shiny gold rings, but the way we embrace 

each other as strangers, and leave as 

friends. This man doesn’t wear an X on his 

finger, but carries an X in his heart. 

– Sarah Rutherford ‘05 

40 StFX Alumni News l winter 2008

The X-Ring Celebration: Keating Centre, 4:33 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3 

More on X-Ring 2008 in our spring issue.

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Winter 2008 - St. Francis Xavier University Alumni

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