gardens of the mind gardens of the mind - St. Michael's College ...

F R O M G U T E N B E R G T O G O O G L E • T E N D I N G T H E F L O C K • S I R E N S O N G S 

St.Michael’s 

University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto Alumni Magazine 

Volume 48 Number 1 Spring 2009 

www.utoronto.ca/stmikes 

University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto Alumni Magazine 

GARDENS 

OF THE 

MIND 

A former SMC Dean of Students 

masterminds top garden design 

showcase on the St. Lawrence

St. Michael’s 

The University of St. Michael’s 

College Alumni Magazine 

PUBLISHER 

Office of Alumni Affairs 

and Development 

EDITOR 

Mechtild Hoppenrath 

COPY EDITORS 

Fr. Claude Arnold CSB 

J. Barrett Healy 

Fr. Robert Madden CSB 5T2 

CAMPUS NOTES & SNAPSHOT 

Amy Stupavsky 

CONSULTING EDITOR 

Charles Oberdorf 

EDITORIAL ASSISTANCE & 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

Eva Wong 

DISTRIBUTION 

Ken Schnell 

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: 

Fresh Art & Design Inc. 

COVER 

Detail of an exhibition garden 

at Les Jardins de Métis in Québec 

Photo : 2006, Louise Tanguay, 

Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens 

Publication Mail Agreement 

No: 40068944 

Please send comments, corrections 

and enquiries to Ken Schnell, 

Manager, Annual Campaign 

Alumni Affairs & Development 

University of St. Michael’s College 

81 St. Mary Street, 

Toronto, ON M5S 1J4 

Telephone: 416-926-7281 

Fax: 416-926-2339 

Email: ken.schnell@utoronto.ca 

Alumni, friends and students of 

St. Michael’s College receive this 

magazine free of charge. 

Visit our website at 

www.utoronto.ca/stmikes 

Correction: The writer credit under last 

issue’s story Clear Conscience should have 

read, “Sabitri Gosh is co-winner of the 

2008 Canadian National Magazine Award, 

Service – Personal Finance & Business.” 

2 Spring 2009 St. Michael’s 

Contents 

05 

10 

16 

22 

24 

26 

30 

31 

CAMPUS NOTES 

From Gutenberg to Google 

SMC’s Book and Media Studies program attracts 

students to examine the media that carry the message 

BY PHILIP MARCHAND 6T9 

Gardens of the Mind 

A former SMC Dean of Students masterminds 

top garden design showcase on the St. Lawrence 

BY CHARLES OBERDORF 

Triathlons, Drum Sets 

and the Quest for God 

The surprising dimensions of Research 

in Motion’s Chief Operating Officer 

BY GRAHAM F. SCOTT 

Tending the Flock 

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd programs 

encourage children to find their own way to God 

BY AMY STUPAVSKY 

Siren Songs 

Canada’s hottest singer-songwriter tells 

how St. Mike’s taught him to overreach 

BY JUSTIN RUTLEDGE 

HONOURS 

BULLETIN BOARD 

Columns 

04 ZEITGEIST 

Philosophy and the “New Era of Responsibility” 

09 GIVING 

Tribute to Frank Morneau 

15 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 

Upcoming Events 

28 THE VIEW FROM SMCSU 

Surround Sound, Graffiti, Grease and Hair 

29 SNAPSHOT 

At the Kelly Café with Sarah O’Connor 

35 ART ON CAMPUS 

Falcon

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE 

IS INDEED 

a College with a heart! 

STMICHAEL’S 

In this most disconcerting 

year of unprecedented financial 

downturns, spiraling unemployment 

and all of the social angst and 

issues that accompany such a context, there is a message of hope at 

St. Michael’s. 

Late in the fall, one of our recent graduates approached Campus 

Ministry to ask for assistance for one of his clients—a young man who 

had been injured and as a result has become a quadriplegic. This 

young man required a chair lift to be installed at his home. The Campus 

Ministry Social Justice Group enlisted the aid of SMCSU and the 

Dean of Students. Our students contributed their time and talents to 

organize a “Coffee House” during “Chill Week” to raise the funds 

required for the lift. The recipient of the $3,000 raised attended the 

“Coffee House”, where he was made welcome by all present. 

The Friends of the Library conducted their annual, very successful 

Book Sale in the fall as well. Over 130 boxes of the leftover volumes 

were selected by “The International Book Buddy Trust” and sent to 

Malawi as part of an aid package for schools there. 

Susan Martin-Willis 8T6, a teacher at the J. Clark Richardson Collegiate 

in Ajax, founded the Transitions Program. This program 

became a part of St. Michael’s in 2005 and is currently organized and 

delivered by Cheryl Rock. Transitions helps students at risk of dropping 

out of high school to complete their credits on a post-secondary 

campus. These are underachievers with promise. In the new learning 

environment, they are responsible for their own learning in a program 

THE VIEW FROM ELMSLEY PLACE 

Good Works 101 

tailored to the students’ needs. There 

is a balance between course materials 

and the students’ own interests, and 

opportunity for change, initiative and 

growth. Currently, we have a full 

complement of 14 students enrolled 

in this program, which begins in February and ends in June with the 

creation and defense of a thesis project that addresses a concern they 

have about the human condition. As our website proclaims “It’s Cool 

to Stay in School.” 

February brought another opportunity to support student initiatives, 

this time in the shape of a Bake Sale organized to help re-forest Haiti. 

To provide and plant a tree in Haiti costs $2. The Bake Sale raised 

enough to provide 150 trees. The students have a goal of 300 trees in 

mind, so we shall need to stay tuned for the next fundraising initiative. 

In addition to their academic pursuits, I could not even begin to 

list the volunteer activities that engage our students in many areas in, 

around and outside the campus. None of this should surprise us in a 

College whose history of social and intellectual outreach is legendary. 

Such outreach is part of the fabric of who we are at St. Michael’s, 

because we are founded in a tradition that believes that “whatsoever 

you do to these little ones you do to Me.” (Matt.25:40)✦ 

PROFESSOR ANNE ANDERSON CSJ, PRESIDENT, 

UNIVERSITY OF ST. MICHAEL’S COLLEGE 

In January, the Collegium of the University of St. Michael’s College 

announced the appointment of Sister Anne as the University’s 

President and Vice-Chancellor. 

St. Michael’s Spring 2009 3

2008, A SMALL GROUP OF ACADEMICS GATHered 

for the Langan Conference, held at St. Michael’s 

INSEPTEMBER 

College, to discuss the topic “Responding to the Crisis 

of Responsibility: A Philosophical Challenge.” As it turned out, the 

conference theme anticipated U.S. President Barack Obama’s inaugural 

address in January 2009 and his proclamation of a “new era of 

responsibility” in the face of the current global financial and environmental 

crises. What contribution can 

philosophy make to addressing these 

very concrete, real-world events? 

In his paper, University of Notre 

Dame Philosophy Professor Ralph 

McInerny referred to the concept of 

human action proposed by 13th-century theologian Thomas Aquinas as being 

fundamental to responsible behaviour: 

“those actions alone are properly called 

human, of which we are master… 

through reason and will” (Summa 

Theologiae I-II.1.1, 1265–1273). Moral 

responsibility arises because we execute 

our actions with a preconceived end or 

goal in mind. However, the ends we desire and the actions we take 

are a consequence of a larger outlook on life, which may contain 

unexamined and possibly flawed assumptions. 

Several times during the conference, reference was made to the 

current financial crisis as a place where one finds a failure of responsibility 

in an especially acute form. The financial turmoil arose from 

the securitization of U.S. subprime mortgage debt, which then proliferated 

through the global financial system. Determining who is 

responsible is especially difficult, given the number of institutions 

involved: mortgage brokers; credit-rating agencies; investment banks 

who bought the mortgage-backed securities; the regulatory agencies 

with oversight of these institutions; various levels of government. 

Professor McInerny raised a concern about the regulators relying 

on profit-motivated corporations to govern themselves responsibly. 

Interestingly, a month later, this very issue arose in a U.S. congressional 

committee hearing. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan 

Greenspan admitted, “Those of us who have looked to the self-interest 

of lending institutions to protect shareholder’s equity (myself 

especially) are in a state of shocked disbelief.” His assumption that 


ZEITGEIST 

“Whodunnit?” 

Philosophy and the “new era of responsibility” 

BY PAMELA J. REEVE PHD 

investment firms would govern themselves to protect shareholder 

interest had proven to be fundamentally flawed. 

Henry Waxman, the committee chair, questioned Greenspan on 

his own responsibility for the crisis in light of his previously stated 

belief in unregulated free markets as “the unrivaled way to organize 

economies.” Waxman pressed, “You had the authority to prevent 

irresponsible lending practices that led to the subprime mortgage 

crisis. You were advised to do so by 

many others. And now, our whole 

economy is paying its price. Do you 

feel that your ideology pushed you to 

make decisions that you wish you had 

not made?” 

Greenspan prefaced his response 

by defining ideology as “a conceptual 

framework” mediating how people 

“deal with reality,” explaining that 

everyone has and must have such a 

worldview in order to exist. He then 

admitted that his ideology had proven 

wrong: “I found a flaw in the model 

that I perceived is the critical functioning 

structure that defines how the world works, so to speak.” 

What better example to demonstrate the relationship between the 

assumptions (ideology) of an individual whose decisions governed 

the conduct of business in a particular sector and the consequences 

of flaws in those assumptions? The issue of responsibility thus 

addresses not only action and inaction, but includes the worldview, 

or ‘philosophy’, that shapes the thinking behind the action. 

Questioning the validity of worldviews has traditionally been the 

task of philosophy. Nevertheless, this questioning needs to be implemented 

in the world if one is to avoid the critical edge of Marx’s challenge 

that philosophy has only interpreted the world in various ways, 

whereas the point is to change it. ✦ 

Pamela J. Reeve (www.pjreeve.com) holds a PhD in Philosophy from UofT 

and currently teaches Philosophy for St. Augustine’s Seminary,Toronto 

School of Theology. She recently consulted to the federal government’s Expert 

Panel on Securities Regulation and recommended that the new common 

securities regulator have an independent investor advisory body. The Panel 

adopted her recommendation and included it in its draft legislation. 

ILLUSTRATION: ANSON LIAW

SMC HOCKEY TEAM MAKES 

IT FIVE IN A ROW! 

With a 4-2 victory over 

UTM (Mississauga) on 

December 3, SMC's Div 1 Ice 

Hockey team has won its fifth 

consecutive intramural championship! 

The victory avenges a 

heartbreaking loss to UTM 

earlier in the season, when our 

team allowed two goals in the 

last minute of play to tarnish 

an otherwise undefeated season. 

This time, SMC spent 

most of the game relentlessly 

pressuring UTM in their own 

CAMPUS NOTES 

Back row, L to R: Mike Shuryn, Matt Dillon, Brad Poulson, Sean Kavanaugh, Tyler Runnings, 

Rob Wighton. From front L: Davide Pernarella, Liam Callaghan, Tim Corcoran, Ryan Hamilton, 

Will Harris, Mark De Sanctis, Kevin Fawcett, Marc Trepanier. Lying down: Jonathon Elmes (goalie). 

Not pictured: Mike Didur 

end. Honourable mentions go 

to goal scorers Ryan Hamilton, 

Tim Corcoran and Rob 

Wighton, and hearty congratulations 

to the rest of the players 

for bringing home yet another 

championship to SMC! — 

Duane Rendle, Dean of Students 

NEW CROSS TO BEAR 

Last year’s St. Michael’s Easter 

Triduum celebrations introduced 

a new visual focal point 

in the form of an eight-foot tall 

cross. “I get chills when I look 

at it,” says Marilyn Elphick, 

Chaplaincy Director, who 

commissioned the cross from 

Steven Koschuk, SMC’s carpenter. 

The cross is made 

entirely of mahogany, culled 

from surplus odds and ends 

from the Kelly Library. A 

beveled cut along the cross is 

meant to evoke a bodyline, 

while the screw heads, representing 

Christ’s wounds, have 

been filed to look hand-tooled. 

“I wanted to make her 

something simple but elegant, 

something reflective of a poor 

carpenter,” says Koschuk. 

“Creating the cross was one of 

my most creative opportunities.” 

It’s only fitting that a carpenter 

should craft it. “That 

symbolism wasn’t lost on me.” 

KELLY LIBRARY BOOK SALE 

Book enthusiasts at The 

Friends of the John M. 

Kelly Library’s fifth annual 

book sale (October 28- 

November 1) were not to be 

disappointed. A selection of 

fine art volumes, signed first 

editions by Canadian authors 

and books by SMC scholars 

were among the treasures up 

for grabs. The sale raised 

$21,862. “We were delighted 

with the results,” said Friends 

President Caroline Morgan Di 

Giovanni 7T0. The proceeds 

will go to the library’s fund for 


CAMPUS NOTES 

WORLD YOUTH DAY, SYDNEY 2008 

L to R: On a beach in Queensland, 

Australia, SMC students Greg Rupik, 

Opani Mudalige and Adam Lalonde. 

Opani writes: “We are very grateful 

to the USMC Chaplaincy, the Basilian 

Fathers, alumni and all who 

supported our pilgrimage.” 

ARBOR AWARDS 2008 

Top row, L to R: Ann L. Sullivan 7T7, James N. Grace 6T7, Caroline F. (Morgan) DiGiovanni 7T0. 

Bottom row, L to R: Michael Barrack 7T7, Marilyn K.F. (Frutkin) Grace 7T5, 

Richard Hayward 7T0. Not pictured: David G. Broadhurst 6T3 and Dr. Richard Toporoski. 


FAMILY DAY 2008 

Adam Power applies his body painting 

skills to SMC student Thea Kennedy 

as part of the day’s activities. 

books and journal subscriptions, 

new furnishings for the 

student study areas, equipment 

replacement and professional 

development, and towards 

planning for the library’s 

upcoming 40th anniversary. 

The Opening Night 

Reception, a fundraiser and 

sale preview, featured guest 

speaker Michael Enright, host 

of CBC radio’s The Sunday 

Edition. In his address, he 

noted that while he didn't 

attend SMC, he had been a 

student at St. Michael's College 

School in Toronto. He was 

pleased to find himself on the 

university campus at last! 

THE MUSICAL TIES THAT BIND 

October 27, St. 

ONMichael’s hosted 

Sacred Sounds, an ecumenical 

evening of religious music in 

the Madden Hall Auditorium. 

Featuring Christian, Jewish and 

Muslim singers, the event’s aim 

was to foster mutual respect 

and understanding. “It’s part of 

our commitment to dialogue 

among the Abrahamic faiths,” 

said organizer Michael 

O’Connor. “We wanted to 

emphasize the commonalities 

in the religions by focusing on 

the subject of music.” 

Nearly 70 students and 

people from local churches, 

synagogues and Muslim 

associations took up the invitation. 

“It was an enjoyable 

way to gain insight into 

another community — one 

that didn’t involve speeches 

or lectures, but choirs and 

a capella groups,” said 

UofT New College student 

Hanah Zuberi. 

ARBOR AWARDS PHOTOS: LISA SAKULENSKY PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO: STAINED GLASS: MICHAEL ELKAN 

BOOZER BROWN 

The 40th Boozer Brown 

football match in Fall 2008 

saw women again playing. 

The alumni team won 5-3. 

Christianity & the Arts 

Annual Lecture 

The Language of Stained Glass 

Glass artist Sarah Hall, RCA 

Wednesday, April 15, 2009, 7:30 pm 

Alumni Hall, Room 400, 121 St. Joseph St. 

All welcome. No registration required. 

Celebrated Toronto-based stained glass artist Sarah Hall will give this year’s Christianity and the Arts lecture. 

Hall is one of North America's best-known stained glass artists, recently elected into the 

Royal Canadian Academy of Art, an honour achieved by only five Canadian glass artists in the 

history of the Academy. She has produced some of the largest stained glass projects in North America, 

her current project consisting of 33 monumental windows based on the Doctors of the Church for 

St. Catharine of Siena in Columbus, Ohio. She has received numerous awards for outstanding liturgical art. 

She is the author of The Color of Light: Commissioning Stained Glass for a Church 

(Liturgy Training Publications, Chicago 1999) 

APPOINTMENTS 

• St. Michael’s College 

welcomed the return of 

Jonathan Bengtson to his 

new position of Director of 

Library and Archives on 

November 1, 2008. Upon 

the retirement of Professor 

James Farge CSB on 

January 1, 2010, he will 

also assume the role of 

Librarian of the Pontifical 

Institute of Mediaeval 

Studies. Bengtson previously 

served as Chief 

Librarian of the John M. 

Kelly Library, from March 

2004 to the end of 2007. 

• Leslie Belzak was appointed 

Director of 

Development in November. 

Belzak has been with the 

College since 2003, previously 

as Senior Development 

Officer. Currently, 

she is responsible for the 

administration of all 

programs of the Alumni 

and Development Office. 

• The Office of Alumni 

Affairs and Development 

appointed Betty Noakes as 

Donations Manager and 

Stewardship Coordinator. 

Noakes has previously 

worked with UNICEF 

Canada and Toronto 

Centre Rosedale Federal 

Liberal Riding Association. 

She assumed her position 

on January 5, taking on 

many of the duties formerly 

handled by Angela 

Mazza, who, after nine 

years with the Alumni 

Office, moved on to 

Wycliffe College. ✦ 


Urbane Renewal 2 

In Spring 2007, this magazine 

reported the planned renovations 

to the College’s historic houses 

on Elmsley Place. Here, thanks 

to photographer Darrylynn 

McDonald, some glimpses into 

the transformations. 

Elmsley House Donors ($500+) 

Susan Adam Metzler, Joanne S 

Belsito, Maureen Berry, Wanda A C 

Bielawski, Catherine Brayley, 

David G Broadhurst, John P P 

Brown, Robert G Burns, Jim Carson, 

Robert & Anne Cobham, J Paul 

& Nadine Condon, J Martha 

Cunningham, Lisa Damiani, 

F George Davitt, Guy P Di Tomaso, 

Daniel Driscoll, Michael K Dugan, 

Gerald A Flaherty, Bill & Anne Fox, 

Robert W Henry, Joseph C M James, 

Dalia I Jocys, Diane L Karnay, 

David & Elizabeth Kerr, Edward & 

Ann Kerwin, Lefebvre & Lefebvre 

LLP, Kenneth P Lefebvre, Hugh & 

Laura MacKinnon, The Right Hon 

Paul Martin, Erin Metzler, Frank 

& Helen Morneau, Gertrude 

Mulcahy, Edmond G Odette, Louis L 

& Patricia M Odette, Terrence J 

O'Sullivan, Paul T Quinlan, Lennard 

& Starr Rambusch, Alexander 

Reford, Rosanne T Rocchi, Sal & 

Sheila Sarraino, The Estate of Ian G 

Scott, Edward & Marisa Sorbara, 

Norman W Stefnitz, Louise Ruth 

Summerhill, Anne C Trousdale, 

The Estate of Charles W Trunk Jr, 

Edward T Unger, Bernard J Wiacek, 

Wilhelmina M Wiacek 

3 Anonymous 

We also wish to thank all those 

donors who we are not able to list 

here because of the limited space. 

Your participation in this project is 

very much appreciated. 


GIVING

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MORNEAU FAMILY 

12, 2009, THE 

University of St. Mich- 

ONJANUARY 

ael’s College regretfully 

accepted the resignation of Frank Morneau as 

the Chair of its governing body, the Collegium. 

Faith and family are the prime motivators 

in Frank's life. Nothing is more important 

to him. While many people agree 

that these values are worth cultivating, 

Frank lives them. His 

commitment to faith-based education 

is evident in the amount 

of time he has devoted to his 

work for St. Michael’s. He has 

also been actively involved with 

the Archdiocese of Toronto as an 

advisor to the Archbishop, and 

has provided leadership and 

guidance for Providence Healthcare, 

Newman Centre, Knights 

and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre, 

St. Augustine’s Seminary 

and many other organizations. 

Toronto Archbishop Thomas 

Collins, Chancellor of the University 

of St. Michael’s College 

notes that, “Frank Morneau is a truly 

devoted Catholic whose generous service has 

been a great source of strength for the people 

of the Archdiocese of Toronto for many 

years. His creative leadership of the St. 

Michael's College Collegium has been of 

particular benefit to the whole Catholic 

community which is served by the College.” 

In 1999 Frank was honoured by the Holy 

Father for his many services to the Catholic 

community when he was appointed Knight 

Commander in the Order of St. Gregory. 

GIVING 

Tribute 

Celebrating faith, family and the many contributions of 

William Francis (Frank) Morneau K.C.S.G., K.G.C.H.S., D.Litt.S 

BY ANNE ANDERSON CSJ 

This Order is the highest recognition 

accorded to Catholic laypersons for service 

to the Church. 

In addition to his substantial financial 

support of St. Michael's, Frank, as Chair of 

the Collegium, devoted an enormous 

amount of his time piloting the new Uni- 

Frank Morneau and his wife, Helen, at their summer home on 

Georgian Bay with eleven of their twelve grandchildren. 

versity of St. Michael’s Act through the 

Ontario Legislature. This Act changed the 

governance of the University, legislating the 

appointment of external representatives as 

well as representatives of the various constituencies 

the College serves. 

His leadership at St. Michael’s was evident 

from his initial involvement on our Finance 

Committee dating back some eighteen years 

plus. He had significant involvement as 

Chair of the Collegium on many of its formative 

issues under our new governance 

model. The important revision to our Memorandum 

of Agreement and sale of our Bay 

Street lands were but a few of the matters 

necessitating his attention, as well as the vital 

concerns around succession both at the President 

and Chairperson level. His efforts, 

internal and external, will benefit our students 

for generations to come. 

Frank’s involvement with our 

founding Basilian Fathers dates 

back to his early days at Assumption 

High School and St. 

Michael’s College School. Their 

recognition of him was evident 

through the University of St. 

Michael’s College with the granting 

of a Honourary Doctorate in 

1996. From a career perspective, 

Frank has been a shareholder and 

Director of many private and 

public companies, as well as charitable 

organizations. His main 

employment achievement centered 

around his founding of W.F. 

Morneau & Associates in 1966, 

now known as Morneau Sobeco, 

a public entity with over 2,400 staff, on the 

Toronto Stock Exchange and functioning as 

Canada’s largest Human Resource Consulting 

and Actuarial Firm. 

In 2008, Frank moved to Honourary 

Chair and Director of Morneau Sobeco and 

as of this January past, scaled back his many 

charitable interests to devote more time to his 

bride of 47 years, their five children and 

twelve grandchildren. We wish him every joy 

as he alters his life’s plan while continuing to 

care for others. ✦ 


BOOK & MEDIA STUDIES 

From Gutenberg 

to Google 


SMC’s Book and Media Studies program attracts students 

to examine the media that carry the message 

BY PHILIP MARCHAND 6T9 

ARSHALL MCLUHAN, THE CELebrated 

St. Michael’s College professor, 

once stated that the medium was the message. 

His benign ghost—surely he still frequents 

the college he loved so much in 

life—is doubtless pleased to witness the success 

of the College’s Book and Media Studies 

(BMS) program. More to the point, students 

also love the program. Launched in 

2002 as a minor College Academic Program, 

with thirteen enrolments, BMS is 

now a major program with 268 students 

from all across the Uof T campus. 

Nobody predicted this success. “When 

we launched this idea in the spring of 2002, 

we got some pretty strange looks,” recalls 

Mark McGowan, Principal of St. Michael’s 

College and head of the program. “‘Book 

history? Are you crazy? The book is dead.’” 

McGowan pauses and glances at his own 

office, full of books and documents. “These

PHOTOGRAPHY: RENÉE JACKSON 


may have been the same people who envisioned 

the paper-less office. In reality,” 

McGowan points out, “students find the 

book fascinating. They say things like, ‘I prefer 

to have something solid in my hand 

when I’m reading, something that won’t 

crash.’” When Program Coordinator Dorothy 

Speirs asks students about their interest 

in the program, many of them cite their love 

of books as physical artefacts—the way they 

look, and feel, and smell. 

Somewhat to the surprise of Speirs, the 

students are not all from arts or history programs. 

Emily Yu, for example, a former participant 

in BMS as well as a student in the 

human biology program, is living indication 

that bibliophiles can be found in scientific 

disciplines. “I love to read in my spare time, 


utenberg’s 

press was 

born perfect. 

He got it. 

and being able to learn about the books that 

I love and knowing their history really attracted 

me to the program,” she comments. 

Some of the students will enter the book 

publishing industry after university—but 

Speirs emphasizes that the course is not a 

‘how-to’ course in editing, or a form of creative 

writing, or a literature course, or anything 

other than a study of books and other 

media of communication. “We don’t concentrate 

on literature as literature, what we’re 

looking at is the book and the manuscript as 

artefacts,” comments Speirs. “We also put a 

great deal of emphasis on things like the evolution 

of print and the printing press. It’s a 

kind of cultural and historical perspective, I 

would say, more than a strictly literary perspective. 

What we’re trying to do really, 

when it comes right down to it, is give the 

students context. Context is so important 

for them—the fact, for example, that before 

1850 the ordinary person couldn’t afford to 

buy a newspaper or a book. That comes as a 

revelation to them.” 

Speirs and such colleagues as Yannick 

Portebois, who teaches a course on books 

and reading, are building on a great intellectual 

tradition at St. Michael’s College and the 

University of Toronto, a tradition begun by 

such pioneers in media studies as McLuhan 

and Harold Innis. Innis and McLuhan realized 

that various means of communication 

had specific effects on users, quite apart from 

the content of those means of communication. 

Nothing in Plato’s Republic, McLuhan 

observed, was as important as the fact that

students, in a book culture, all had identical 

editions of the Republic, with the same printed 

paragraphs on the same page. This made 

Plato not only more accessible to students, 

but encouraged the rise of linear thinking 

and uniformity in general. 

In the first floor of the St. Michael’s 

College library, I stand with Speirs and 

Portebois beside a 19 th -century printing 

press, a relatively simple mechanism not 

that different from the 16 th -century presses 

that circulated Martin Luther’s writings 

with unprecedented speed and so made 

possible the Protestant Reformation. The 

press weighs 6,000 pounds. “That thing is 

there forever,” Portebois says. “It’s not going 

to go anywhere.” (It is far too heavy to be 

transported by elevators, for one thing.) “It’s 

funny to see the students touch it gingerly, 

as if they’re going to break it,” Speirs adds. 

The cast-iron thing is a brute—but in the 

eyes of Portebois it’s also a thing of beauty. 

“I love these machines,” she says with feeling. 

When asked why, she replies, “I love 

human ingenuity. When you look at these 

machines, some of them, their simplicity is 

absolutely beautiful. Gutenberg’s press was 

born perfect. He got it.” 

Not all of the presses in the St. Michael’s 

library are museum pieces. In the “printing 

room” on the second floor of the library are 

old hand presses and trays of moveable type 

that have been used to print Christmas cards 

for the Principal and the President of the 

College. These mechanisms have also been 

used for special occasions, such as the print- 

All artifacts shown 

on this page 

and other pages 

are from the 

St. Michael’s 

College collection 

of printing presses 

and moveable type. 

ing of invitations for the retirement dinner of 

College President Richard Alway last June. 

Another McLuhan principle seems to be at 

work—yesterday’s technology becomes 

today’s art form. “It’s good for the College, 

it’s good for the presidents and the students,” 

Portebois says of the work of the printing 

room. “It makes everything unique.” 

The BMS program deals with the contemporary 

scene as well as the past. 

Journalist, author and Master of Massey 

College, John Fraser, lectures on newspapers 

in Canadian society for the program and has 

taken students on field trips to the newsroom 

of the Globe and Mail. Mark 

McGowan teaches a course on “Broadcast 

Media and Culture,” and “Religion, Media 

and Culture,” the latter an overview of how 


Labels on trays of 

moveable type 

specify point size 

and the name 

of the font. 

Typesetters kept 

trays holding 

capital letters in 

an upper case, 

trays of small 

letters in a 

lower case. 

religious groups have used the media, both 

print and broadcast. The subject is of particular 

interest to historians of the College—it 

was a native of Hamilton, Ontario, and a St. 

Michael’s College graduate, Father Charles 

Coughlin, who became famous as the “radio 

priest” during the Great Depression, reaching 

wide audiences with his political message 

and forceful delivery. (Unfortunately, 

his message was heavily tainted with anti- 

Semitism, unsolicited political diatribes, and 

denunciations of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 

much to the chagrin of the American bishops 

and the Vatican.) Protestant televangelists 

may dominate the religious airwaves 

now, but they learned their lessons in the 

use of broadcast media from such Catholic 

virtuosos as Father Coughlin and Bishop 


Fulton J. Sheen, a star of early television and 

winner of an Emmy Award in 1952. “Sheen 

was not only a very smart individual and a 

great communicator, but he had that sense 

of the dramatic,” McGowan says. “He knew 

how to use the new medium very effectively, 

by using a very simple set and by playing to 

the camera.” 

Listening to Portebois and McGowan 

discuss the fascinating historical details of 

their subject—whether those details have to 

do with 19 th -century French periodicals or 

1950s American network television—an 

outsider can well understand why the BMS 

program is popular with students. The problem, 

aggravated by the current economic climate, 

is to sustain this interest with adequate 

funds for the program. “It’s been a really 

interesting ride, and our problem now is 

that we just don’t have the resources to sustain 

the growth,” McGowan comments. 

“The number of students from other colleges 

is phenomenal—so we really are serving 

the rest of the university and we’re doing 

it on a shoestring budget.” 

For the present, McGowan helps to 

sustain the program by engaging in what 

he calls “old fashioned horse trading” with 

sympathetic university departments, 

notably French and Italian. Any further 

growth in the program, under these circumstances, 

will come slowly—but it is 

unthinkable that a program of such vitality, 

and with such connections to the 

College’s intellectual traditions, will wither 

from lack of funds.✦

6, THE USMC ALUMNI 

Association Events Committee 

ONMAY 

will hold a beer tasting for 

alumni and friends at the Mill Street Brewery in 

Toronto’s historic Distillery District. Join us for 

a tour of the brewery, led by Mill Street’s staff, 

followed by a tasting and hors d'oeuvres. Those 

with a passion for the flavour of barley and hops, 

bring your best stein and prepare to sample the 

finest craft lagers and ales. Want to show off? 

Drop this little tidbit about Germany’s famous 

Purity Law, the Reinheitsgebot (RINE-hites-guebote.) 

Enacted in 1516 and strictly enforced until 

Christianity & the Arts 

Annual Lecture 

The Language of Stained Glass 

Glass artist Sarah Hall, RCA 

Wednesday, April 15, 2009, 7:30 pm 

Alumni Hall, Room 400 

121 St. Joseph St 

(For more details, see page 7). 

All welcome. No registration required 

Alumni Association Gourmet Event 

Beer Tasting & Brewery Tour 

Wednesday, May 6, 2009, 6 pm 

Mill St. Brewery, Distillery District 

65 Mill St., Building 63 

Toronto, ON 

Registration: 416-926-7260 

Cost: $45 

Annual Book Sale 

John M. Kelly Library 

Tuesday to Saturday 

October 27 – 31, 2009 

For more details, email 

usmc.booksale@utoronto.ca 

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 

A Cool One 

Alumni offer a refresher course—in beer 

BY STEVEN WILLIAMS 9T4, PRESIDENT, USMC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD 

U P C O M I N G A LU M N I EVENTS 

Special Spring Reunion Lecture 

by His Grace Thomas Collins, 

Archbishop of Toronto, 

Chancellor, USMC 

The Catholic University 

in the 21st Century 

Saturday, May 30, 2009, 1 pm 

Charbonnel Lounge 

81 St. Mary Street 

All welcome. Registration: 416-926-2255 

400th Anniversary Celebration 

of the Loretto Sisters 

Corporate Responsibility Workshop 

Saturday, September 26, 2009 

9:00 am - 5:00 pm 

Sponsored by the Sisters of Loretto 

and USMC Continuing Education 

For more details: Angela Convertini, 

416-925-2833 or at maryeileendonovan 

@rogers.com 

Spring Reunion 

May 29 - 31, 2009 

FRIDAY, MAY 29 

11 am 

Class of 5T9 50th Anniversary Mass 

St. Michael’s College Chapel 

(below St. Basil’s Church) 

12 noon 

Class of 5T9 50th Anniversary Lunch 

Charbonnel Lounge 

81 St. Mary Street 

1:45 pm 

The Donovan Art Collection Tour 

7 pm 

St. Michael’s College Alumni 

Association Annual General Meeting 

Sam Sorbara Auditorium, Brennan Hall 

8 pm-12 am 

All Alumni Reception 

Odette Lounge, Brennan Hall 

SATURDAY, MAY 30 

12 noon 

Campus Tour 

Charbonnel Lounge, 81 St. Mary St. 

1993, when European Union laws superseded 

it, the Reinheitsgebot limited German brewers 

to only three ingredients: barley, hops and 

water. What most people don’t know, though, 

is that the original intent was not to keep the 

beer pure. It was to prevent brewers from using 

grains good for baking bread—more buns but 

fewer cheers. 

Beer Tasting and Tour of the Brewery at the 

Mill Steet Brewery at 6 pm, $45 per person. For 

information and registration please call the 

Office of Alumni Affairs at 416-926-7260. Book 

now, before it’s too late. ✦ 

1-3 pm 

Lecture by His Grace Thomas 

Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, 

Chancellor, USMC 

(See details two columns to the left) 

6:30 pm 

Honoured Years’ Cocktail Reception 

Odette Lounge, Brennan Hall 

7:30 pm 

Honoured Years’ Dinner 

Sam Sorbara Auditorium, 

Brennan Hall 

9:30-11 pm 

After Dinner Reception 

SUNDAY, MAY 31 

11 am 

All Alumni Mass 

St. Michael’s College Chapel 

(below St. Basil’s Church) 

12 noon 

Complimentary Brunch 

Sam Sorbara Auditorium, 

Brennan Hall 

For information on alumni events, please call Eva at 416-926-7260 or visit our website at www.utoronto.ca/stmikes 

--St. Michael’s Spring 2009 15

COVER STORY 

WHAT THESE PAGES SHOW ARE NOT WHAT MOST PEOPLE 

would call gardens, but all of them were created by 

young garden designers in response to basic questions 

about the garden. Is it a place to look inward or outward? A place of 

stillness or movement? Part of nature world or an alternative to it? A 

stimulus for the eye, the ear, the body? 

Each year for the last nine years, between eight and 15 small gardens 

like these have constituted the International Garden Festival at 

the Jardins de Métis (a.k.a. Reford Gardens) on the St. Lawrence 

River about 270 km northeast of Québec City. The person most 

responsible for the festival is an alumnus of St. Michael’s—even, for 

eight years, a Dean of Students, Alexander Reford 8T4. 

Reford looked so young in 1987, when he became 

dean—he was working on his Masters in History–that 

some called him the “Teen of St. Michael’s.” Young or 

not, he remained dean for eight years, meanwhile working 

toward a doctorate and writing for the Dictionary of 

Canadian Biography (DCB). 

He was actually researching a DCB entry about a distant 

ancestor when, in a family archive, he discovered a 

trove of material about his great-grandmother’s vast 

flower gardens in Métis, Québec, where his ancestors had once 

owned a salmon fishing camp with a 37-room “lodge” for themselves 

and their guests. Reford decided to go to Métis, to see the gardens 

himself and possibly write a book about them. 

Reford Gardens is still very much what most people imagine a great 

garden to be. Elsie Reford created its 40 acres of flowerbeds and borders 

starting just after World War I. In 1952, when she was 82, she 

gave the property to her son Bruce, Alex’s grandfather, but he was 

unable to maintain the gardens. So, retaining a riverfront farm on the 

property, he put the lodge and gardens up for sale. The province 

bought them and opened them to the public as a tourist attraction. 

Alex Reford had visited Métis two or three times, but as a child. 

(After his grandfather sold them, he says, they took on “a sort of 

‘Paradise Lost’ quality” in the family.) Now, seeing them for the first 

time as an adult, he learned that they might be lost again. The 

province had been losing $300,000 a year on them and was thinking 

of selling them, possibly to a developer. 

Together with two family members and the nonprofit group that 

had been running the gardens’ restaurant, museum and gift shop, 

Reford quickly formed a foundation and wrote a business plan to propose 

to the government. In just over a year, between August 1993 and 

September 1994, he turned what began as a vague academic interest 


Gardens of the Mind 

A former SMC Dean of Students masterminds top garden design showcase on the St. Lawrence 

BY CHARLES OBERDORF 

Alexander Reford 

in his great-grandmother’s garden into a full-time position as its director. 

He quit St. Michael’s and in early 1995 moved to Métis. 

Three years later, touring a garden festival in Chaumont-sur-Loire, 

in France, a light went on for him. At the time, Reford Gardens had 

a relationship with the University of Montreal’s summer school in 

landscape and garden design. Reford had seen how hard it was for students 

to get any of their work built, especially ideas that pushed the 

envelope. A festival like the one in France would give some of them, 

and other young designers, a chance to show their stuff. 

It would also give Reford Gardens greater visibility and encourage 

people to come back. This last was important. About 85 percent of 

its visitors come from inside Québec; most of them summer 

in the region every year. Getting them to make 

repeat visits would be as remunerative as attracting new 

visitors–and easier. 

Now in its tenth year, the International Garden 

Festival has so far showcased 75 gardens by approximately 

200 designers from nine countries. By last December, 

127 design teams had entered proposals for this year’s festival. 

Winners get six weeks to create their gardens and a 

budget of $25,000 —$5,000 for the design and $10,000 

each for materials and labour. After one summer, or possibly two, 

each plot must be returned to its original condition. (Those constraints 

alone rule out the use of most garden staples, such as flowering 

shrubs or perennials.) As for visibility, some design teams have 

been asked to recreate their festival gardens at similar events in 

Canada, France, Italy and the U.K. In December, a book about the 

Festival was the lead item in a New York Times roundup review of the 

most interesting garden books of 2008. 

Alex Reford says that his time at St. Michael’s gave him some 

preparation for his life today. As Dean of Students, he had some 

responsibility for the grounds around the residences, though he’s 

quick to admit that he was never a hands-on gardener like the 

College’s aptly named Fr. Gardner, not to mention those two other 

avid trowel-wielders, Fr. Scollard and Fr. McConica. 

Where the College probably prepared him best, though, he thinks, 

was in its sharply contrasting seasons. “The gardens are the exact 

inverse of the campus,” he says. “St. Michael’s was very intensive from 

September to May, and then nothing. At Métis, it’s just the opposite. 

But in that way, the two environments are really very similar.” 

Alex Reford is not allowed to have favourites among the festival 

gardens, but he agreed to identify several he felt were remarkable for 

different reasons. The comments about them are his.

Core Sample 

North Design Office (Pete 

and Alissa North), Toronto, 

2005, 2006 and 2007 

Pete and Alissa are young 

practitioners of landscape 

architecture and teach landscape 

architecture at UofT. 

They created an elegant 

garden inspired by the core 

samples from mining and 

geology, evoking one of 

the motives that led to the 

exploration of eastern 

Quebec (by geologists 

William Dawson and William 

Logan). 100 tubes sampled 

the local environment, each 

one stuffed with a sampling 

of the landscape, stones, 

cones, leaves, seeds and so 

on. Interspersed with berms, 

the site came to life as visitors 

ambled through the vertical 

forest, intrigued by the 

contents and seduced by 

the effect of the sunlight 

traversing the tubes. 

St. Michael’s Spring 2009 17 

PHOTO : 2006, LOUISE TANGUAY, JARDINS DE MÉTIS/REFORD GARDENS

Sous-terrain 

de jeu 

Cédule 40, Chicoutimi, 

Québec, 2005, 2006 and 2007 

This group of young visual 

artists from Chicoutimi created 

a space where the visitors 

themselves would plant the 

garden—not with a trowel 

and soil, but by interacting 

and using the over-sized 

swing. The movement of the 

visitors on the swing (and 

their enthusiastic enjoyment 

of same) sprinkled seed into 

the beds below, essentially 

planting the garden that 

came to life as the summer 

progressed. The contemporary 

garden is no longer a contemplative 

space, but an interactive 

environment, where the 

visitor is as much a part of 

the garden as the gardener. 

18 Spring 2009 St. Michael’s

PHOTOGRAPHY: PAGE 18: © 2007, MICHEL LAVERDIERE JARDINS DE MÉTIS/REFORD GARDENS; PAGE 19: © 2001, MICHEL LAVERDIERE JARDINS DE MÉTIS/REFORD GARDENS 

Une semaine 

au potager 

Michel Boulcourt, France, 2001 

The vegetable garden is the 

most familiar garden form, 

and one with which even the 

least adventurous of gardeners 

has some familiarity. It is 

difficult to be innovative with 

vegetables—but this French 

designer showed how—creating 

a garden that was at once 

productive and aesthetic. Visitors 

toured a garden divided 

into seven spaces (one for 

each day of the week), each 

of which used painted wheelbarrows 

as the planting beds. 

Each barrow was planted 

with different edible plants 

(herbs and vegetables), carefully 

chosen to be of the same 

colour as the wheelbarrow, 

thereby creating seven chromatically 

organized spaces in 

perfect harmony. The garden 

was thus illustrative of the 

French tradition of ornamental 

gardens, where botany 

and agriculture are perfectly 

combined to create a beautiful 

(and flavourful) garden. 


Blue Stick Garden 

Claude Cormier, Montréal, 2000 

(it is coming back in 2009) 

This garden of 2700 blue and 

orange painted sticks has 

become one of the iconic symbols 

of contemporary garden 

design. It is anchored on the 

principles of garden design, 

and more specifically the 

English or mixed border, but 

uses sticks to provide height 

and colour. Replacing perennial 

plants with blue sticks, it is a 

very contemporary, some might 

say iconoclastic, gesture, particularly 

because the design was 

inspired by Gertrude Jeykll 

(a popular figure from the 

Edwardian period of garden 

design) and my own greatgrandmother, 

Elsie Reford, 

neither of whom would have 

"approved." Many visitors had 

the same reaction, but through 

colour and imagination the 

designer fomented debate, 

and the garden has grown in 

acceptability and popularity— 

even after its demolition. We 

later presented it at Canada 

Blooms, at a Luytens-Jekyll 

garden in the UK, Hestercombe, 

at a garden show in Montreal 

and are re-presenting it this 

summer as a centrepiece of our 

10th anniversary celebrations. 


PHOTOGRAPHY: PAGE 20: © 2000, LOUISE TANGUAY, JARDINS DE MÉTIS/REFORD GARDENS; PAGE 21: © 2007, MICHEL LAVERDIERE JARDINS DE MÉTIS/REFORD GARDENS

Le Jardin des 

Hespérides 

Cao Perrot Studios 

(Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot) 

USA and France, 2006, 2007 

This garden was inspired by 

the quiet colours and forms 

of Vietnam, with a giant lantern 

at the centre of a quiet 

pond. The lantern was saffron 

coloured, like the robes of 

Buddhist monks, and provided 

remarkable reflections in 

the surrounding pool. Visitors 

traversed the pool and the 

lantern, balancing on the 

hidden steps and seemingly 

floating on the pond. Looking 

up, visitors could see the blue 

sky framed by the oculus of 

the lantern. The effects were 

multiple and the incorporation 

of such exotic materials 

and plants (orange trees) in 

the boreal forest was magical. 


ALUMNI PORTRAIT 

LOTS OF SENIOR EXECUTIVES ARE REQUIRED TO CARRY A BLACK- 

Berry smartphone. Don Morrison 7T5 carries three: one for 

checking email and making calls, and two just for testing. 

It’s important for Morrison to know every inch of the popular 

gadgets; after all, the St. Michael’s College grad is Chief Operating 

Officer of the BlackBerry division at Waterloo-based Research in 

Motion, and he’s responsible for the smooth operation of the sales 

network that sells the addictive little devices in 150 countries 

worldwide. 

“I don’t think you could be part of RIM 

without a BlackBerry,” he says. It’s a big job, 

at a big company, and it demands a lot from 

him. But while he enjoys the hectic pace, the 

international travel, having to keep an eye on 

dozens of different projects at once, and the 

high expectations that come with the job, he 

is also deeply spiritual, committed to silence, 

contemplation, and prayer. Both sides of this 

coin—diligent worker, devout believer— 

were minted, in part, at St. Michael’s College. 

The years since Morrison became COO 

in 2000 have been extraordinary for the company: 

Revenues have surged from $85 million to over $6 billion; the 

number of phone companies offering BlackBerry service jumped 

from four to more than 400; and the number of BlackBerrys in use 

worldwide exploded from a few thousand to 14 million. 

While he always gets to play with the latest versions of the gadget, 

Morrison says he’s not particularly tech-savvy himself. His job 

isn’t about tinkering in the lab; he’s responsible for everything it takes 

to get a BlackBerry from the factory into your hands, including sales, 

marketing and carrier agreements. 

“You have to get accustomed to doing 40 to 50 different things a 

day,” he says of his position. He has plenty of experience in telecommunications, 

having worked for Bell Canada and AT&T for almost 

his entire career before 2000, shuttling back and forth between the 

two phone giants in various executive roles. 


Triathlons, Drum Sets 

and the Quest for God 

The surprising dimensions of Research in Motion’s Chief Operating Officer 

BY GRAHAM F. SCOTT 

“Both sides of this 

coin—diligent worker, 

devout believer—were 

minted, in part, at 

St. Michael’s College.” 

Morrison was born and raised in Toronto, and attended Holy 

Rosary Church in Forest Hill. He went to St. Michael’s High School, 

where he says he was not exactly an academic stand-out: “I’m sure I 

would have been voted least likely to succeed when I was graduating 

from high school,” he says now, laughing; “I probably set a record for 

the number of consecutive years in summer school.” But he was 

determined to come to UofT, and St. Michael’s College in particular. 

To do that, he was going to have to bring his average up to 70 per 

cent. His Grade 13 math teacher, “a really 

tough Basilian” named Father Maurice 

(Mo)Whelan, agreed to give him a high 

enough mark as long as Morrison made him 

a promise to “never take math again.” 

And he didn’t—not at first anyway. 

Not knowing exactly what he wanted to 

do, Morrison dabbled in a variety of subjects 

in his first year at St. Mike’s. It was 

during his second and third years that 

he blossomed academically, enrolling in 

subjects that had fascinated him as a 

teenager—comparative religion, theology, 

philosophy and logic. 

The College’s Registrar at the time, Father Harry Gardner, 

made a strong impact on the young Morrison. “Here’s this young 

kid, who was lazy and didn’t know if he was any good, and maybe 

didn’t even know if he was smart, and the Registrar at St. Michael’s 

College takes him under his wing, gives him a job, doesn’t mollycoddle 

him, but treats him with respect, and has expectations that 

put him in a position of responsibility,” says Morrison. “That’s 

what Fr. Gardner did for me. As I was approaching adulthood, he 

was really the first person, who truly believed in me outside of my 

own family.” 

Fr. Gardner advised Morrison to pick his professors first and courses 

later, an approach that led him to a startling discovery—that learning 

could actually be fun. (Ultimately, he broke his promise to Fr. 

Whelan, by taking calculus while doing his MBA degree in 1981.)

Morrison was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity 

while at UofT, but wasn’t heavily involved in extracurriculars. “I was 

a real loner,” he says. That was partly a function of his deep interest in 

his religion. “If you’re studying spirituality and mysticism—and you’re 

in it not so much for the ideas, but you’re in it because you’re fascinated 

by the experience—by definition you have to spend a lot of 

time alone,” he adds. “It’s not that you have to, it’s that you want to.” 

That interest in spirituality and faith has remained a constant in 

his life. “Since I was about 16 years old, I was absolutely fascinated 

by the stories of Christian saints, and then stories of other people 

who had had an intention and a hunger to know and understand 

God in this life, experientially,” Morrison says. “And so I decided to 

make that the principal focus of my studies in university. And it is 

still the single-most important driving need and interest that I continue 

to have today.” 

Morrison likes to write and speak about spirituality, although he 

is not an evangelizer and rejects the notion that he has any definitive 

answers. He talks authoritatively and knowledgeably about theology 

and the Church, but stresses that his only hope is to be an honest 

example to others. flaws and all. “I see myself as pointing at something, 

and not judging other people for whether they do something 

or don’t. As saying, ‘This is something that is worthy of your attention. 

For your own sake, you owe it to yourself to explore this and 

think about it and understand it.’” 

Some see these parts of Morrison’s life—jet-setting high-tech 

executive and religious devotee—as incompatible, but he believes 

it’s just the opposite. All the things that he gets from his faith— 

such as a solid moral code, intentionality, commitment—also contribute 

to his success in business, he believes. “The Christian part 

and the faith part are not antithetical to success,” he says, “but are 

actually the underpinnings of success.”Morrison 

recently turned 56, and having spent the first 

part of his professional life bouncing back and 

forth between Bell and AT&T, he’s happy with 

his role at Research in Motion. “This is it,” he 

says. He intends to stick with RIM for the long 

haul, and, as one friend, Sporting Life President 

David Russell, joked to him, “go out with 

my boots on.” 

Though he could settle comfortably into the 

senior position, working at a high-tech company 

like RIM keeps him on his toes. Partly, it’s necessary 

for his job—selling the latest bells and whistles 

to demanding young customers who want all 

the latest features in their gadgets—but it’s also 

his natural personality. He’s preparing to run his 

first triathlon this year, for instance. 

He still practices the drumming he took up as 

a teenager, and keeps three drum sets at home. 

His preferences lean towards the classic rock of 

the 1960s and later: “Led Zepplin, Blood Sweat 

and Tears, Jimi Hendrix, that sort of thing.” He 

and his son, John, 22, co-own a music store, 

Criminal Records, on Toronto’s trendy Queen 

West strip, and he talks with enthusiasm about 

his son’s budding career as a DJ and musician. In 

contrast, Morrison’s daughter, Heather, 26, is the 

country mouse of the family, and lives on the 

Muskoka river: “Very much an outdoors person,” 

Morrison says. 

“Family’s still number one,” he says of his 

children and his wife Debbie, his high school 

sweetheart who now helps him run their charitable 

foundation. “If you want to see what’s important 

in people’s lives, look at how they make 

choices about how they spend their time.” ✦ 


CONTINUING EDUCATION 


Tending the Flock 

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd programs encourage 

children to find their own way to God 

BY AMY STUPAVSKY 

Kathleen Ennis, Toronto coordinator of the Catechesis of the 

Good Shepherd, with some of the teaching tools in the Atrium. 

PHOTO: AMY STUPAVSKY

BEGAN IN ROME IN 1954, WHEN A YOUNG MOTHER 

asked Sofia Cavalletti, a Hebrew and Scripture scholar, 

ITALL 

to instruct her son in religion. Initially hesitant 

because she knew little about children, Cavalletti soon discovered 

that her experiences with the seven-year-old boy would change her 

life and the face of religious education—she realized that young 

children possess a unique understanding of spirituality and an 

intrinsic connection to God. 

With this relationship in mind, Cavalletti partnered with Gianna 

Gobbi, a student of Maria 

Montessori, to found the Catechesis 

of the Good Shepherd. Rooted 

in scripture and Roman Catholic 

liturgy, the program nurtures 

children’s religious formation from 

birth through adolescence. Applying 

the child-directed Montessori 

method of learning is essential to 

the program’s focus on personal 

spiritual growth, setting it apart 

from conventional religious pedagogy. 

“We used to look at religious 

education as filling the child with 

knowledge, but with us it’s about 

fostering the relationship between 

the child and God that already 

exists,” explains Kathleen Ennis, 

coordinator of the program in the Archdiocese of Toronto. “We’re 

providing a place and time where it can grow.” 

This difference is the cornerstone of the Catechesis of the Good 

Shepherd approach. The program eschews workbooks and the traditional 

student/teacher dynamic, following the Montessori method of 

training the senses and self-education by focusing on concrete rather 

than abstract exercises. The environment for the child’s religious 

activities, called Atrium, is filled with handmade objects designed to 

make Christian themes more readily accessible. 

The first theme presented to a child is a physical representation of 

the “Parable of the Good Shepherd”. Small wooden sheep graze 

inside a corral on a felt pasture, protected by the figure of a shepherd. 

As children interact with the objects of the scenario, they can remove 

the sheep and replace them with figurines of people, driving home 

the connection between the Catholic community and a shepherd’s 

flock. Each child performs at his or her own pace, allowing time for 

reflection on the lesson, bringing the child closer to God. 

The didactic materials’ success at engaging children is the result 

of years of trial and error by Gobbi and Cavalletti. “They are 

linked directly to the scripture,” says Ennis. “The whole purpose 

is to come deeper into the Word. Our words can be few because 

“Cavalletti soon discovered that her 

experiences with the seven-year-old 

boy would change her life and the 

face of religious education— 

she realized that young children 

possess a unique understanding 

of spirituality and an intrinsic 

connection to God.” 

the materials speak directly to the children.” 

Established in Toronto in 1982, the program is active in 14 

parishes. St. Michael’s College has played an important role in the 

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd since the 1980s, when classes to 

instruct adult catechists in Cavaletti’s approach were held in Christie 

Mansion, then part of St. Joseph’s College at St. Mike’s. In 1992, the 

Senate approved a certificate program through Continuing 

Education. A year later, the program—complete with a model 

Atrium—moved to a space in Teefy Hall, where it would blossom. 

Nearly 400 people have com- 

pleted the course since its inception. 

Ennis acknowledges its farreaching 

benefits: “It’s important 

to know that it’s not just for people 

who want to become a catechist 

in an Atrium. It’s for parents, 

grandparents, anyone who wants 

to accompany children in their 

faith journeys.” 

The best way for adults to 

come into this program is trying 

to mimic the ways children learn 

in the Atrium: through self-direction, 

wonderment and openness 

to God. “Often the children surprise 

me because they can see 

things with great clarity that may 

be more difficult for me,” says Ennis. “The child forces the adult 

to slow down. It’s what Jesus meant when he said we should 

become like children. Children under six are great teachers for us 

in their relationship with God.” 

Ennis’s goal for the future is twofold: to involve more parishes 

in the program and to familiarize more people with its approach. 

She compares the program’s day-by-day achievement to the 

Parable of the Mustard Seed. “It grows like a mustard seed; it’s a 

bit of a mystery to see how it’s going to grow. When something 

grows slowly, the roots are deeper.” 

The Certificate Program includes three levels of courses, beginning 

with a ten-session Level I: Foundations Course: The Child 

from Birth to Six Years, providing both an introduction to the 

approach and the curriculum for young children. It also serves as the 

basis for Levels II and III, which address the older child’s needs. For 

more information on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and/or the 

Certificate Program, contact Kathleen Ennis at 416-934-3400 ext. 

511 or kennis@archtoronto.org. For more information on adult formation 

classes and tuition, contact Laurel-Ann Finn, Continuing 

Education Division, University of St. Michael’s College, 416-926- 

2249 or continuinged.stmikes@utoronto.ca. ✦ 


FIRST FLIGHT 

WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO BE WAS A WRITER, AND I GUESS TO SOME 

extent I am; however I wanted to be a real writer. I wanted the English 

language to tattoo everything I did and emanate from my pores like 

booze on a hungover afternoon. I wanted to live a writer’s life, not just study it. 

Reflecting on my years at the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s College, I 

don’t think I would have ever guessed that I would make my living with a guitar, 

but the road is long, and just as strange. 

I must begin with a little caveat: I never graduated from St. Mike’s at UofT. 

Sadly, it is true. However, I had every intention of doing so, and still do. Honestly. 

My years were spent coursing like blood through the hallowed halls of the 

University, and I dreamed of proceeding gracefully towards my PhD. I did have 

lofty ambitions. During the first month of school, I recall scheduling a meeting 

with John O’Connor, an English prof at St. Mike’s. I had been assigned the daunting 

task of writing my first essay at university. I wanted to write about the absence 

of sex and love in T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land. I asked him if I were being overly 

ambitious (I knew damn right that I was,) and he replied, “Isn’t that what you’re 

here for?” That’s stuck with me to this day. 

And then there was Professor John C. Meagher—who held three PhDs and 

spoke 14 languages (so I’ve heard.) He was also the most brilliant man I have met 

and perhaps will ever meet in my life. I had been an avid reader of poetry for some 

time, but it wasn’t until I took his course that I understood the dedication it takes 

to meet a poem on its own terms, savouring it in its glorious entirety. His tests were 

so rigorous that the entire class failed the first one, prompting a valiant outcry from 

us all for him to have pity on our feeble minds and ease up a bit. Sure enough he 

did, and I think he got a kick out of it all. The only A+ I ever received—on e.e. 

cummings—was in his course. I’ve rarely felt as proud since. 

While I never became a real writer, I did become a songwriter. After my third 

year I took a year off to write and create an album of music I could be proud of. 

Unfortunately, it resulted in my not returning to St. Mike’s. Fortunately, though, 

it did eventually lead me to opening for Dolly Parton, playing with Blue Rodeo 

at Massey Hall, a Juno nomination, a collaborative project with Michael 

Ondaatje, and countless other moments I will never forget. Looking back to my 

university days, I know I owe much to those hallowed halls, and to those who 

encouraged my ambition. ✦ 

Justin Rutledge’s latest CD, Man Descending, was released in 2008. Also last year, 

Rutledge was nominated for a Juno Award and long-listed for the $20,000 Polaris 

Music Prize. Some of his music is featured in a Dolly Parton documentary that had its 

premiere at last fall’s Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax and will open in Nashville this 

April. He is currently working on a theatre production with novelist Michael Ondaatje. 


Siren Songs 

Canada’s hottest singer-songwriter tells 

how St. Mike’s taught him to overreach 

BY JUSTIN RUTLEDGE

St. Michael’s Spring 2009 27 

PHOTOGRAPHY: IVAN OTIS

20, 2008, 

SMCSU’s Religious and 

ONOCTOBER 

Community Affairs Commission 

organized “Bringing Brennan Back”, 

an event to celebrate the reopening of 

Brennan Hall’s Odette Student Lounge. 

During the summer, the lounge had undergone 

a makeover that included equipping it 

with a projection screen and a surround 

sound. SMCSU provided fantastic finger 

foods and drinks. Archbishop Thomas 

Collins and Professor Anne Anderson csj, 

Chancellor and President of USMC respectively, 

cut the ribbon; then they and Dean of 

Students Duane Rendle spoke briefly. Archbishop 

Collins blessed the space and emphasized 

the importance of building community. 

The Double Blue Commission, the 

SMCSU branch responsible for sponsoring 

the College’s cultural and social activities, 

organized its annual “Graffiti Party” for 

November 13. Co-sponsored by Rogers 

Wireless and UofT student club Party for a 

Cause (PFAC), the party drew more than 

1,400 students to the Level and Suite 106 

nightclubs, making it St. Mike’s largest 

social event in recent history. Cover charges 

raised more than $5,000 for Right to Play— 

an international humanitarian organization 

that uses sport and play programs to 

improve health, develop life skills and foster 

peace among children in disadvantaged 

areas of the world. 

On an artistic note, SMCSU’s production 

of the Broadway musical Grease ran at 

Trinity College’s Ignatieff Theatre from 

November 28 to 30, including a Sunday matinee. 

Sold-out performances brightened up 


THE VIEW FROM SMCSU 

Surround Sound, Graffiti, 

Grease and Hair 

Students find lively ways to raise and disburse funds 

BY MICHAEL ALVARO, SMCSU PRESIDENT 2008-2009 

those fall days with a little ‘greased lightin’. 

On December 4, SMCSU rounded out 

the semester in Brennan Hall’s Coop with 

the first-ever “Cuts for Christmas” event, initiated 

by Double Blue Commissioner 

Francesca Imbrogno, who has been raising 

funds for cancer for years. “Many people in 

my family have been affected by the disease,” 

she says. “Two years ago, I decided I would 

grow my hair out to give, and I thought it 

would be a great idea to involve more people. 

St. Michael’s has always been such a strong 

Left: Archbishop Collins and USMC 

President Anderson reopen the Odette 

Student Lounge. Below left: Three 

Delilahs shear a charitable Samson at 

“Cuts for Christmas.” Below: Danny, 

Sandy, Betty and the gang strike a 

pose in “Grease.” 

community, I knew my fellow students 

would help out!” Seven brave souls volunteered 

to shave their heads or cut their hair 

for cancer research. Four had hair long 

enough to be made into wigs. We raised 

$1,300 to provide wigs to cancer patients 

unable to afford the cost themselves. 

On behalf of SMCSU, our thanks to the 

College community for its support. We look 

forward to the challenges ahead as we work 

to provide St. Michael’s College with one of 

its most memorable years to date. ✦ 

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SMCSU

AFRESH FACE ON CAMPUS VIA UNIVERSITY 

College, Dublin, Sarah O’Connor, PhD, 

has been a part of the Celtic Studies department 

for the past year. An Assistant Professor on a 

three-year contract, she teaches Celtic Film, Literature 

and Politics, and Contemporary Irish Women’s 

Writing. 

St. Michael’s: What is the greatest difference between 

teaching at St. Mike’s and teaching in Ireland? 

Sarah O’Connor: I find the students here are very 

enthusiastic about learning. They’re always willing to talk. At home, 

they’re a little less forthcoming. I think students want to be here, and 

many seem to have jobs to support themselves. They are more dedicated 

to their studies than Irish students, probably because undergraduate 

education is free in Ireland. The relationship between professor 

and student is also much closer here. It’s more of a friendship, 

more equal. 

SM’s: What made you come to Canada? 

SO: I had lived in Dublin for 10 years and was finishing my PhD. I 

had saved up to take a world trip. I had also applied for this post, not 

expecting to get it, but thinking it would be good for the experience, 

and to see if I was really cut out for academia. I’ve always wanted to 

live in a different country to challenge myself. My brother had 

worked in Whistler in 2001, and I’d visited him there. I thought 

Canada was beautiful. Now I have this dream of herding cattle and 

riding on horseback in the Rockies. 

SM’s: What do you like doing in your spare time? 

SO: I love swing dancing, and I run 15 kilometres every two days. I go 

swimming, surfing and rock climbing. Last summer, I went canoeing 

SNAPSHOT 

At the Kelly Café… 

…with Sarah O’Connor 

in Algonquin Park and was blown away by the 

scenery. I also like snowboarding and skating, 

although I am dreading the Canadian winter. The 

novelty of snow wears off quickly when you’ve slipped 

and you’re sprawled on your back on Bloor Street! 

Cultural life in Toronto is really good. I enjoy 

going to plays, art exhibitions and the various festivals, 

like Nuit Blanche and Caribana, and experiencing 

diverse cultures through those festivals. When 

you’ve lived someplace for a along time, you just 

don’t bother to do these things. There’s no sense of 

urgency, and you think you have loads of time to do them. In 

Toronto, I make time to go. 

SM’s: What are your hopes and goals for the future? 

SO: Academically, I’d love to secure a book contract to rework my 

PhD thesis on women and cultural change in Ireland. I focus on 

bilingualism and translation in contemporary Irish women’s literature. 

I love the way some authors use folklore and bring it to a new 

audience. On the teaching side of things, I strive to simplify my 

lectures. The biggest rookie mistake I make is to cram too much 

information into one class. Personally, I want to complete a 

triathlon and go on a yoga meditation retreat. And I’ve always 

wanted to go skydiving. There’s just something about scaring yourself 

that’s fun and exciting. 

SM’s: How do you take your coffee? 

SO: I’m going to sound like the pickiest person. I take a grande 

decaf, non-fat, extra-hot, no-foam latte from Starbucks. I was 

never one for fancy coffees. North America has done this to me. A 

woman ordered that before me in the queue one day, and I said, 

“That’s exactly what I want.” ✦ 


HONORIS CAUSA 

At St. Michael’s November 8 

Convocation, honorary doctorates—Doctor 

of Sacred Letters— 

were awarded to three educators: 

Janine Langan, Edward J. Monahan 

and William J. Smyth. 

Dr. Janine Langan received her 

degree for her contributions to 

the College as the founder and 

coordinator of its 30-year-old 

Christianity and Culture program 

(she has since assisted in the 

launching of many similar programs 

in the U.S. and Canada) 

and for her profound commitment 

to the College’s mission. 

Dr. William Smyth was honoured 

in part for his achievements 

at the National University of 

Ireland at Maynooth; he helped 

transform that institution into 

one of the premier universities in 

Ireland, served as its first President, 

and later as Vice Chancellor 

of the National University as a 

whole. Possibly more, though, his 

honorary degree recognized his 

long association with St. Michael’s 

Celtic Studies Program, now 30 

years old, where, following his 

ten-year term of office in 

Maynooth, he recently spent his 

two-year sabbatical. (He had 

developed a special fondness for 

Toronto in the early 1970s, when 

he was a postdoctoral visitor in 

Geography.) 

Dr. Edward Monahan 4T9, 

St. Michael’s first lay graduate to 


HONOURS 

Three Degrees of Inspiration 

Top to Bottom: 

Janine Langan, 

Edward J. Monahan 4T9, 

William (Seamus ) J. Smyth 

become a university president, was President of Laurentian 

University in Sudbury, later serving as Executive Director/President 

of the Council of Ontario Universities. Invited to give the convocation 

address, he spoke proudly of St. Michael’s place in the world of 

religious education. “Here I was privileged to receive an academic 

formation that included both philosophy and theology. We read primary 

sources and sought to understand them. Today, this is what 

most students of theology do, and with better research tools.” 

GOLD MEDALISTS 

At the June 2008 Awards presentation, Steven Rathgeber (pictured, 

with then-College President Richard Alway) received one of three 

College Gold Medals, awarded to graduating students with the highest 

cumulative grade point average in Humanities/Social Sciences, 

Sciences, and Commerce and Finance. Rathgeber’s degree is in 

Biological Chemistry. Along with Jimmy Chen (HBSC), he also 

received a Governor General’s Certificate of Excellence for achieving 

the highest academic standing in a Bachelor degree program at the 

College and being among the best students graduating from the 

University in their year. 

The other two Gold Medalists were Janet Chin Fatt (BA, Philosopy) 

and Domenico Finelli (BCom, Commerce and Finance). ✦ 

PHOTOGRAPHY: HONORIS CAUSA; STEVE FROST

Caroline Brooks 0T4 and her 

band, “The Good Lovelies,” have 

just released their first full-length 

album to sold-out venues in 

Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. 

The FACTOR-supported record is 

produced by Les Cooper and 

Adam King and features a new 

generation of Toronto musicians, 

including Justin Rutledge (see 

p. 26). Caroline reports that she 

and “bandmates” Kerri Ough 

and Sue Passmore are performing 

across the continent their unique, 

three-part harmony tunes, swapping 

mandolin, banjo, bass, guitar, 

and glockenspiel on the way 

(www.goodlovelies.com). 

Judy Fowler Byrne 8T8 and her 

husband Terry married in the 

Newman Chapel at UofT in 1997. 

They and their three children, 

Daniel, 9, Sarah, 7, and Colin, 2, 

live in Guelph, ON. Judy has 

resumed her law practice in the 

Waterloo office of Miller Thomson 

LLP, concentrating on civil litigation. 

Since ’03 she has also been 

Chairperson of the Canadian MPS 

Society, a national charity that 

supports patients, and their families, 

who are affected by lysosomal 

storage diseases. 


“Bulletin Board” publishes pertinent information received about 

developments in the lives of St. Michael’s alumni. Thank you for 

the contributions you have made. Please keep the “newsbits” 

coming; the effectiveness of “Bulletin Board” depends on YOU! 

BY FATHER ROBERT MADDEN CSB 5T2 robert.madden@utoronto.ca 

Sharon Callender Byrne 8T2 

lives in Waterloo, ON, and has 

two children: son Ryan, 19, is in 

first year at University of Western 

Ontario, London, ON, studying 

criminology; daughter Caitlin, 18, 

is taking theatre in first year at 

York University, Toronto. 

Alexandra Carmichael 9T8, 

Danny Reda 9T8 and their children 

continue to live in California. 

Drawing upon their computer 

expertise and experience, they have 

recently co-founded a new project, 

CureTogether, which connects sufferers 

from chronic conditions with 

medical/scientific researchers working 

in the areas of their illnesses. 

For more information about this 

project: alexandra@curetogether.com, 

and www.curetogether.com. 

Michael Crawford 6T9 lives in 

New York State, continues his 

cartoon work, some appearing in 

The New Yorker (newyorker.com/ 

online/blogs/cartoonists/michael 

Crawford), but lately has been 

devoting much of his time to 

his painting; his website: 

www.michaelcrawford.org. 

Kathleen O’Connor Diesman 7T3, 

formerly Deputy DA in the Los 

Angeles District Attorney’s Office, 

has completed her first year as 

Judge in California. She reports 

that, although a good deal of 

travel is involved in her new 

duties, her work on the Bench is 

varied, interesting, challenging 

and rewarding. Kathy and her 

husband Mickey continue to 

live in Manhattan Beach, CA. 

Caroline Morgan Di Giovanni 

7T0 recently had a collection of 

her poems published, Looking at 

Renaissance Painting and other 

Poems, by Quattro Press. UofT’s 

Frank Iaccabucci Centre for Italian 

Studies presented a reading by 

Caroline of poems from the volume 

at St. Michael’s in January 

’09. Alberto 7T1 continues as 

Director of Programs at the 

Columbus Centre, and as Director 

of the educational project Centro 

Scuola, travelling to Italy with 

student groups enrolled in the 

increasingly popular Summer 

Credit Courses. He is assisted at 

Centro Scuola by their daughter 

Annamaria 0T6. Daughter 

Franca 0T0 is Executive Assistant 

to a member of the Ontario 

Provincial Legislature. In 2008, 

son Carlo 9T6 and his wife Laura 

Foster presented Alberto and 

Mary Betz 7T4 and her husband 

Peter live in Titirangi, 

Auckland, NZ. Mary is the 

Auckland Coordinator for 

Caritas New Zealand, an 

agency which is part of an 

international network 

that includes CCODP and 

Development and Peace. 

In fall 2008, Mary and 

Peter visited relatives and 

other friends in the USA 

and Canada, including a 

stop in Toronto and at St. 

Michael’s, where she renewed 

many College friendships. 

Mary Betz 7T4 (3rd fr. L) 

with SMC classmates: 

(L-R) Sheila Tierney Milway, 

Maureen Higgins Hill, 

Kathy O'Hagan Richardson, 

Rosemary Fontaine 



Caroline with their first grandchild, 

David Alberto. Caroline, a member 

of the St. Michael’s Friends of the 

Library, plays a central role in the 

annual library book sale, proceeds 

of which support the Kelly Library. 

Thomas Dilworth 6T9, Professor 

of English at the University of 

Windsor, Windsor, ON, has devoted 

a good portion of his academic 

life to the study of the literary work 

of David Jones, a 20th-century 

English poet and painter, whose 

work, although little recognized 

initially, was praised by T.S. Eliot 

and W.H. Auden. The University of 

Wales press has recently published 

Tom’s favourably reviewed study of 

Jones’s work, Reading David Jones. 

Figueiredo Developments: 

Kate 0T2 and her husband, Gregor 

Wallace, have settled, and purchased 

a home, in Toronto; they continue 

their environmental work, and have 

made a nursery in their new 

home for their first child, Eleanor 

Ann Wallace, born January ‘09! 

Joe 0T4 has moved back to Washington, 

DC, where he works for a 

political consulting company. Emily 

0T5 and Phil Murphy 0T4 married 

in August ’08 and now live in 

Markham, ON. Emily is a research 

assistant in a psychology lab in York 

University; Phil is a Medical Lab 

Technologist for the Markham- 

Stouville Hospital. Steve 0T8 moved 

to NYC, where he works for cYclops 

Productions, which produces TV 

commercials. Marie, in third year at 

St. Michael’s/UofT, is spending her 

second semester pursuing her 

Spanish studies in Spain. Sara 0T1 

and her husband, Michael Franca, 

continue to live and work in Toronto. 

Mother Jo Ann (Tierney) 7T5 is 

teaching and father Rui 7T6 is 

working for Xerox; they are “empty 

nesting” it in Rochester, NY! 


Rita Iorfida 7T2 and her husband Walter Harrower live in 

California, where Rita is VP-Products, Liquid Engines Inc. In Sept.’08, 

Rita arranged a mini-reunion of some of her 7T1-7T2 St. Joseph 

College Residence class/room mates: Janet Gardner Harada, Diane 

Johnson Janzen, Anne Murphy, Maureen McKenna, and Sandy 

Sinclair. Besides visits to the COOP, the Kelly Library and the Muzzo 

Family Alumni Hall, they managed to convince the workers transforming 

the Christie Mansion for use by Regis College to let them 

view their former “stomping ground”. The group represented 

Ontario, Alberta and California. 

(L-R) Rita Iorfida 7T2, Diane Johnson Janzen 7T2, Fr. Bob Madden, 

CSB 5T2, Janet Gardner Harada 7T1, Anne Murphy 7T1, 

Sandy Sinclair Merelaid, missing is Maureen McKenna 7T1 

Theresa Moloney Harris 6T9 

and her husband, John 6T7, live 

in St. Catharines, ON. John and 

Theresa are retired, but remain 

active. John, a former teacher, is 

part-time with Coach Canada, 

and Theresa, former Director of 

Education, Brant Haldimand 

Norfolk Catholic District School 

Board, is now the Executive 

Director for the Ontario Catholic 

Supervisory Officers’ Association. 

Daughter Jacqueline is a teacher, 

and son John is about to graduate 

from the Mechatronics Engineering 

program at the University 

of Waterloo, ON. 

Nona Macdonald Heaslip 5T1 

continues the supportive ways 

begun with her late husband, 

William Heaslip, witnessed by 

the newly redecorated foyer of 

the UofT Hart House Theatre, 

now known as the Macdonald 

Heaslip Walkway of Theatre 

History. The Walkway was dedicated 

October ’08; Christopher 

Plummer was among the speakers 

on the occasion. 

Margot Irvine 9T2 and John 

Koch 8T7 live in Toronto with their 

daughters Thèrése, 12, and Charlotte, 

8. Margot’s book Pour suivre 

un époux: Les récits de voyage des 

couples au XIXè siècle was published 

in October ‘09 (Quebec, Editions 

Nota Bene). She was recently granted 

tenure and promoted to 

Associate Professor at the University 

of Guelph, ON, where she teaches 

French and European Studies. John 

is a partner in a Toronto law firm. 

Kevin Janus 9T6, following on his 

“The Comedy Igloo” show, has 

been writer/cast member of a 

weekly political satire show called 

“Shoot the Messenger”, which 

appeared in the Bleeker Street theatre 

in NYC. The show played in 

Minnesota during the Republican 

Convention, and there are plans 

for the show to be in Washington, 

DC, and in Los Angeles. 

Fr. Howard Keon CSB, BSc Egin. 

(UofT) 4T7, STB (SMC) 5T7 was 

the recipient of a 2008 Governor 

General’s Caring Canadian Award. 

The award, presented to Fr. Keon 

by the Governor General in a 

Toronto ceremony, recognizes individuals 

whose voluntary contributions 

provide help and care to 

people in the community. The 

citation notes Fr. Keon’s extensive 

pastoral/parochial work in Lethbridge, 

AB, his involvement in the 

Marriage Encounter programs in 

Lethbridge, Red Deer, Calgary 

and Toronto, and his ministry in 

his retirement to seniors in nursing 

homes. Fr. Keon lives in Cardinal 

Flahiff Basilian Centre in Toronto. 

Rev. Dr. Bill Kondrath, Faculty 

of Theology MDiv 7T4, MA 7T7, 

is Director of Theological Field 

Education and Professor of Pastoral 

Theology at Episcopal Divinity 

School, Cambridge, MA. In July 

’08, his book God’s Tapestry: 

Understanding and Celebrating 

Differences was published by 

Heron, VA: Alban Institute. 

Sr. Conrad Lauber CSJ 5T6, former 

Administrator of St. Joseph’s 

College Residence, will be assisting 

Sr. Anne Marie Marrin CSJ, 

former Dean of St. Joseph’s, in the 

newest project of the St. Joseph 

Sisters’ Fontbonne Ministries. 

“Village Mosaic” will be offering

Archbishop J. Michael Miller CSB 6T9, MDiv 7T4, appointed in ’07 Co-adjutor Archbishop of Vancouver, has been 

appointed Archbishop of Vancouver by Pope Benedict XVI on the retirement of Archbishop Raymond Rousin SM. 

Archbishop Miller, ordained Archbishop in 2003 in St. Peter’s Basilica, was appointed Secretary of the Congregation for 

Catholic Education by Pope John Paul II. He served in that office until his appointment as Co-adjutor. 

services to isolated individuals in 

south Etobicoke (Toronto). They 

are joined by Sr. Elaine Guidinger 

CSJ, an experienced nurse. 

John Madden 8T1 retired from 

the Toronto District Catholic 

School Board; he is teaching 

English as a Second Language 

part time in a private school and 

one ESL essay course at Humber 

College. His wife, Joanne, continues 

to work at the Toronto 

Star Library. 

Frank Margani 9T6 and Kelly 

Parubocki married in ’00; they live 

in Toronto with their two sons, 

Luca Michael Tonino, born ’04, and 

Carlos 7T3 and Gail Ricci Feiri 7T4 with Archbishop Miller at the reception following his installation during a 

Mass of Thanksgiving in the Vancouver Cathedral, 25 January ‘09 

Gabriel Francesco, born ’07. Frank 

is Assistant VP, Real Estate Finance 

Group, MCAP Financial Group. 

Karal Ann Marling 6T7 has 

recently retired from her professorship 

in Art History and American 

Studies at the University of Minnesota 

and moved back to Rochester, 

NY, where she has purchased 

and remodeled a 100-year old 

house, directly across the street 

from her family home. In 2008, 

Karal Ann published two books, 

Minnesota Hail to Thee: A Sesquicentennial 

History (Afton Historical 

Press) and Ice: Great Moments in 

the History of Hard, Cold Water 

(Borealis Press). Her previous latest 

publications were Merry Christmas!: 

Celebrating America’s Greatest 

Holiday and Illusions of Eden: 

Visions of the American Heartland. 

Frank McCrea 6T5 and his wife, 

Anna, live in Oswestry, Shropshire, 

UK, where Frank, former Head of 

English in Oswestry School, teaches 

part-time, is an examiner for the 

International Baccalaureate and the 

Oxford and Cambridge Boards, 

and an occasional inspector for the 

Independent Schools Inspectorate. 

Frank returned to England after his 

SMC/UofT graduation and pursued 

his academic/teaching career in 

London, Bristol, Somerset and 

Singapore. Frank reports, their 

children have presented Anna 

and him with “five beautiful 

grandchildren.” 

Angela Meyler 6T3 lives in 

Buckhurst Hill, Essex, UK. Although 

retired as Head Teacher of a 

Catholic primary school, Angela 

remains active as Director of a 

block of apartments, is coordinator 

of a Bereavement Support Group, 

is involved in local parish activities, 

and helps raise funds for a children’s 

hospice and for a charity 

that assists terminally ill children. 

Elliott Milstein 7T6 and his 

wife, Elyse, live in Novi, MI. Elliott 

is President of Biopelle, Inc., an 



aesthetics subsidiary of Ferndale 

Laboratories. Eldest daughter, 

Carly, is International Baccalaureate 

Coordinator for 

Bloomfield Hills Schools; 2nd 

daughter, Beth, is doing her 

dermatology internship; son Max 

will graduate from University 

of Michigan law school this May; 

daughter Amanda is graduating 

from Western Michigan University 

this April and is interested in 

pursuing graduate work. 

Shauna Nichols 9T8 PhD is a 

licensed psychologist and Director 

of the Fay J. Linder Center for 

Autism on Long Island, NY, where 

she is involved in clinical work, 

research, and in education and 

training related to autism spectrum 

disorders. In November ’08, 

her new book, Girls Growing Up 

on the Autism Spectrum, was 

published by Jessica Kingsley 

Publishers. Shauna and her husband, 

J.P. Grossman (Trinity grad), 

live in Huntingdon, NY. 

Kim Richard Nossal 7T2, Head 

of the Department of Political 

Studies at Queen’s University, 

Kingston, ON, has been appointed 

Sir Edward Peacock Professor of 

International Relations. He and his 

wife, Natalie 7T3, “continue to 

enjoy life on Howe Island in the 

St. Lawrence River.” 

Claudia Olegario 9T8, BSc 

Pharmacy 0T3 lives in Orangeville, 

ON, and works as part-time 

pharmacist for the local hospital. 

Jacki Boyle Orange 6T6 completed 

three terms (the maximum 

permitted) as alumni representative 

on the UofT’s Governing 

Council, the fifty-member group 

that oversees the university’s academic, 

business and student affairs. 


REST IN PEACE 

Agro, Joseph F. 4T5 

Anjo, John W. (Hon.) 4T7 

Atkinson, George E. 4T2 

Bexon, Robert L. 7T5 

Brennan, James J. 5T1 

Campbell, Donald J. P. 

Cartwright, Rev. 

6T0 

Monsignor John 4T8 

Christo, Helen Eleni (Muzos) 7T6 

Cullen, Rev. J. Leonard CSB 4T0 

Czartoryjska, Edyta 

Fellowes, Marguerite 

8T0 

T. (Korman) 4T9 

Fink, Robert 

FitzGerald, Evelyn 

5T4 

M. L. (Critelli) 4T6 

Fitzpatrick, Robert J. 

Forestell, M. Paul 

4T5 

(Hon. Justice) 5T2 

An article on Jacki appears in “All 

about Alumni”, Uof T Magazine, 

Winter 2009. Her daughter 

Michelle 9T8 worked with TVO 

in Toronto and is now pursuing a 

writing career in New York. 

Mark Osbaldeston 9T9 is with 

the legal department of the 

Ontario Provincial Government. His 

book, Unbuilt Toronto: A History 

of the City That Might Have Been” 

(Dundern Press) was launched 

4 Nov.’08, at the Royal Ontario 

Museum; images from Mark’s book 

appear in a ROM exhibition (with 

the same name as his book) that 

features unbuilt Toronto architectural 

projects. Unbuilt Toronto contains 

a chapter on the St. Michael’s 

1929 unbuilt “grand architectural 

plan.” As with Jackie Orange 

(above), an article on Mark appears 

in “All about Alumni”, UofT 

Magazine, Winter 2009. 

Kathleen O’Hagan Richardson 

7T4, Assessment and Programming 

Gallagher, Mary N. 

(MacGuire) 3T5 

Gianfranceschi, Guido R. 4T3 

Godin, Martin J. 7T0 

Kavanagh, James J. 4T0 

Kelly, Patrick M. J. 5T5 

Keogh, Joseph G. A. 6T0 

Majeau, Shirley A. M. 6T5 

Marcaccio, Harry J. 4T7 

Martin, James Francis 6T9 

McCardle, James J. J. 4T3 

Mitchell, William Joseph 5T0 

Molinaro, Lidia P. 

Moroney, Catherine 

5T2 

C. (Richard) 4T0 

Musil, Frank B. 7T8 

Newton, Emmett J. 4T6 

O’Brien, Patricia A. 5T6 

O’Flaherty, Thomas A. 

O'Keefe, Jean 

4T4 

Catherine (Meraw) 5T1 

Teacher with the Toronto Catholic 

District School Board, provides support 

for teachers of and students 

with special needs. Kathi and her 

husband John continue to live in 

Toronto; daughter Annie is a student 

at the University of Guelph; 

son Bill is enrolled at St. Michael’s 

College School, Toronto. 

Karen Volpe 0T1, daughter of 

Norfi 5T9 and Sandra Volpe, married 

Jeffery Lumsden in St. Basil’s 

church 29 Nov.’08. Karen’s brother, 

Andrew 0T3, was a member 

of the wedding party. Fr. Bob 

Madden CSB 5T2 concelebrated 

the Nuptial Mass. 

Peggy Ryan Williams 6T8 was 

the keynote speaker on 24 Oct.’08 

at the Vermont Women in Higher 

Education conference, “Jump Start 

Your Journey”. On 7 Feb.’09 

in Washington, DC, Peggy was 

honoured by The American 

Council on Education (ACE) Office 

of Women in Higher Education 

Olmstead, Francis William 5T3 

Pritchard, Doris (Filgiano) 4T4 

Quinlan, Monika A. (Urban) 7T6 

Quinn, George A. J. 4T9 

Rolff, Michelle A. 8T4 

Sheehan, John M. 4T4 

Sinclair, J. Norman F. 4T8 

Smith, Angela L. (Melady) 5T2 

Smith, H. Neil 5T3 

Smith, John A. P. 5T0 

Solomon, Damian J. 6T3 

Stankus-Saulaitis, Algis 

Stoeckle, Catherine 

7T0 

T. (Aitchison) 5T0 

Vassallo, Laurence M. 7T4 

Walker, Barbara (O’Brien) 6T7 

Walker, Michael J. 6T8 

Wengert, Marina (Pegis) 6T3 

Wilson, John W. 5T0 

Wolchok, Patricia A. M. 5T4 

with the Donna Shavlik Award, 

given annually to “an individual 

whose leadership has demonstrated 

a sustained commitment 

to the advancement of women in 

higher education through actions 

or initiatives enhancing women’s 

leadership development, career 

development, campus climate and 

mentoring opportunities.” Peggy 

is former President of Lyndon 

State College in Lyndon, VT, 

and President Emerita of Ithaca 

College in Ithaca, NY. 

Christina Wong 0T3, last 

August, played a medley of tunes 

on her ehru, and some of her 

photos were displayed, at the 

Gladstone Hotel, Toronto. Also 

last August, a staged reading of 

her Cantonise/English bilingual 

play was presented in Toronto’s 

Distillery District. In December ‘08, 

some of her photography work 

appeared in exhibitions at 

galleryDK, Toronto, and at Nexus 

Art Café, Manchester, UK. ✦

Falcon 

By Richard Bresden 

In this city 

the peregrine 

like all refugees, 

is unknown, unnoticed 

underestimated. 

Once she earned her keep 

as the treasured companion of kings, 

a noble marauder who feasted on pheasant. 

Now she rolls mite-infested pigeons 

in back alleys on the night shift. 

Once, she streaked blinding blue 

through clean mountain sky, 

falling faster than gravity’s wish. 

Now she lives on a cement ledge 

of a condo tower 

in a grey checkerboard hellhole. 

Banded to satisfy the curiosity 

of those who control, 

she wears a cuff and a number 

like a convict or a camp survivor. 

Her only luggage upon arrival: 

old-school work skills, 

like those of a matador, 

half-artist, half-assassin. 

With these she will adjust 

improvise, operate, 

survive. 

In this city 

ex-professors drive cabs, 

ex-shamans flip burgers, 

ex-doctors change bed pans. 

Look 

into the faces 

that serve you. 

Never forget, 

you have stories, 

they have sagas. 

ART ON CAMPUS 

Affectionately called "Great Minds", the bronze sculpture outside 

the entrance to the John M. Kelly Library was created by Canadian 

artist William McElcheran (1927-1999) and installed in 1973. 

Photos courtesy of the President’s Office 

Poem reprinted with permission, Grammateion, The St. Michael’s 

College Journal of the Arts, v. XXXI. Richard Bresden attended 

St. Michael's from 1964 to 1965, completing his BA at Grinnell College 

in Iowa and receiving an MFA from the School of the Art Institute 

of Chicago. He lives in Chicago and earns his living as a graphic 

designer. Of his days at the College Bresdon says, “The theology 

of St. Michael's taught one to look for the beauty and strength in 

every person one encounters.” 


Make a Bequest 

Make a bequest in your 

Will to the University of 

St. Michael’s College 

Help to secure the future 

of students at Canada’s 

premier Catholic postsecondary 

institution 

For more information 

call (416) 926-7286, 

1 (866) 238-3339 or 

email smc.legacygifts 

@utoronto.ca 

Fr. Harry Gardner CSB 5T4 

University of St. Michael’s College 

Office of Alumni Affairs and Development 

81 St. Mary Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1J4

gardens of the mind gardens of the mind - St. Michael's College ...

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