Congratulations to MARY (MACKAY) MACMILLAN (’44) as family and friends celebrated her 100th birthday on May 1, 2022 in Toronto, ON. Mary is pictured here with former Acadia Chancellor DR. LIBBY BURNHAM (’60, ’00 HON), who offered a few words during the celebration and reported afterward that the event was a big success. We wish Mary all the best and encourage all members of our alumni audience to applaud this remarkable milestone!

On Aug. 4, 2022 more than 60 Nova Scotians were awarded Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in recognition of significant service to the province. The medal recipients represent a broad cross-section of Nova Scotians who have contributed to diverse fields and organizations, particularly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We are proud to see among those recognized Acadia alum DR. RONALD STEWART (’63, ’65, ’88 HON) of Boularderie East, Nova Scotia. The inaugural investiture ceremony took place at the Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax and Lt-Gov. Arthur J. LeBlanc noted, “Her Majesty’s reign embodies the importance of commitment to one’s community, and the Platinum Jubilee Medal honours those who have demonstrated an unwavering dedication to their professions and the well-being of the province.” Congratulations, Dr. Stewart!

Two generations of Acadia friendships were celebrated at White Point Beach Lodge, Nova Scotia, in July 2022. Class of 1986 grads in the back row LAURIE ELHATTON, JOANNE (PACE) MACGILLIVRAY, MAUREEN WOOD, SUE TREGUNNO, CHRIS (SMITH) MCDONALD and, front row, JULIE BOUDREAU and SUSAN ROBINSON, coincidentally met up with a class of grads between 1965-69. Left to right, in front, are: MARY (TANTON) STONE (’67); ELAINE (WENTZELL) COX (’67); MARIA (TIMPA) GILES (’68); BONNIE (DICKSON) CUMING (’70); LOIS (MCCLARE) DEWAR (’65); and CONNIE (DICKSON) AYER (’69). They sang ‘Stand Up and Cheer’ together for all of White Point to hear, told stories and showed off roommates. Both groups gather yearly to celebrate decades of wonderful friendships that began at Acadia and have stood the test of time.

Congratulations to SANDRA IRVING (’74, ’17 HON) on receiving the Order of New Brunswick, the province’s highest civilian honour. Your community leadership and advocacy in education and health care inspires us all, every day, and you bring honour to #AcadiaU! Learn more: https://bit.ly/3sWGLvh

DR. ELIZABETH CANNON (’82, ’10 HON) was inducted into the Alberta Business Hall of Fame at a Gala and Induction Ceremony presented by ATB Financial on Oct. 6, 2022. Dr. Cannon is president and professor emerita of the University of Calgary after serving as president and vice chancellor from 2010 until 2018. In 1998, Dr. Cannon was selected as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 and in 2006 was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network. Dr. Cannon is a Fellow of the Creative Destruction Labs (CDL) Rockies and member of the CDL Strategic Advisory Board. She mentors entrepreneurs and is an active seed-stage investor, particularly in female-founded companies. (From LinkedIn)

And this update from DRIN LUTCHMAN (Life President, Class of 1984): “Since I left Acadia, I have been working on fisheries issues globally, including at the UN, UK, Falklands, Gibraltar and the Caribbean. Recently relocated from London, UK to Scotland, I work as Program Director of Fisheries Improvement Projects for a Honolulu-based NGO, Sustainable Fisheries Partnerships. My son, Ben Hoggarth, graduated from Acadia in 2020 and I visit Wolfville twice a year, apart from COVID years! I worked on a UK reunion with (former Vice-President, Advancement) Dr. Rod Morrison, and visited Wolfville for a week in September! Acadia is still as awesome as it was the 1980s.” Thanks, Drin! It was great to hear from you! Drin is pictured above with Ben after his graduation.

Three sisters – from left to right: SHELLEY TRACEY (’87), TAMMY TRACEY (’86) and DEBBIE (TRACEY) SUTER (’84, ’88) – from Albany, PEI, attended Acadia together. Shelley and Tammy both live in Ottawa and hadn’t returned to campus since graduation, while Debbie recently moved back to Wolfville, from NYC and Shanghai.

GREG (’87, ’03) and KAREN BOWER ('87) received the Dr. Hugh Noble distinguished service award and the Dorothy Walker distinguished service award for their contributions to school sport in Nova Scotia. Greg and Karen were former teachers and coaches at Middleton Regional High School and are now enjoying retirement in Middleton, N.S.

After 26 years in private practice as a Professional Real Estate Appraiser and small business owner in the Annapolis Valley, TROY DAVIDSON (’89) joined the Nova Scotia Department of Public Works as an Acquisition Officer in the fall of 2018. At the same time, Troy continues his 17-year broadcast career in football as a public address announcer and is the voice of your Acadia Axemen football team. He was also the voice of the CFL’s 2022 Touchdown Atlantic game held in Wolfville this past July. Troy is very proud of his four children: Cameron (’19), Carter (’21), Rayna (’22 SMU); and youngest daughter, Julianna, in daycare. Troy resides in New Minas with his partner, the culinary sorceress, Chef Kerina Dykstra, and their daughter, Julianna.

Here's a neat update! MARK POUND (’04, ’08) has been a Volunteer Medical Responder (VMR) and First Aid Instructor with St. John Ambulance since 2002, and became a first aid instructor in 2008. In 2021, he upgraded his skills to be able to teach Advanced First Responder courses. For his many efforts, Mark received a Priory Vote of Thanks in 2008 and in 2010 was admitted to the Order of St. John as a Serving Member.

JUSTIN OLIVER (’06) has been hired as the interim Active Healthy Living Consultant for the Tri-County Regional Centre for Education, and will be based in Yarmouth, N.S. Congratulations, Justin!

Introducing Barrett Ramsay, ROB and LINDSAY (JOSEPH) RAMSAY’s baby. Both members of the Class of 2010, the family enjoyed a visit on campus last summer and are hopeful that Barrett will be a member of the Class of 2042!

GEOFF GATES (’13) offered this update on LinkedIn in July: “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Creative Director, Social Strategy and Content at Boathouse. I'm thrilled to get started with such a talented group of people. Stoke levels are at an all-time high!” A follow-up statement from Boathouse noted: “Bh welcomes Geoff Gates as Creative Director of Social Strategy and Content. Geoff will be further developing Bh's organic social and content capabilities. Previously, Geoff led the social and content team at the Los Angeles Lakers, overseeing their 66 million-plus followers.” Congratulations, Geoff!

COLIN MITCHELL (’19) posted on LinkedIn in August that “I've accepted a position at Davis Pier Consulting in Halifax! The east coast has my heart and I'm so excited to be back in Nova Scotia. In my new role, I'll be working with a diverse set of clients focusing on the public and non-profit sectors. This is a consulting firm with a soul, and I can't wait to join an innovative team focused on making a difference in Atlantic Canada and beyond.” (From LinkedIn)

Tony Thomson’s debut novel, About Face: A Mystery, was released by Moose House Publications on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022 in the Third Floor Lounge, Beveridge Arts Centre at Acadia University, Wolfville, N.S. The setting is fictitious Sterling County, nestled between Kings and Annapolis Counties in Nova Scotia. The story involves a missing college student and Ian Wallace, an awkward but thoughtful criminologist who teaches at Sterling University College who suffers from ennui and occasionally rides shotgun with Lauren Martin, an RCMP officer with a feminist bent. Together they emerge as an unlikely couple whose sensual way of eating together might lead to something deeper. A plethora of kinky professors present at odd times in Ian’s imagination as possible murder suspects. Family secrets abound and the victim’s cryptic diary leaves clues as to what might have befallen her. The tongue-in-cheek humour will cause many a chuckle. TONY THOMSON taught sociology and criminology at Acadia for 34 years. He has written reams of papers and published two non-fiction textbooks with Oxford University Press. Involved for several years in a project researching rural policing, Tony went on many calls with town police and the RCMP. A popular teacher as well as a researcher, Tony won three Excellence in Teaching Awards presented by the Acadia Students’ Union and challenged many of his students with his own unique, passionate teaching style. Like Ian in About Face, noon-hour often found him playing basketball with the NBA (Noon-hour Basketball Association). Tony and his wife, Heather Frenette, married for 54 years, now live in Halifax. They have a daughter, Julia, and a son, Devon. They delight in playing with their two grandchildren, Kira (8) and Maya (6), who live with their mom Julia and dad Ryan in Medicine Hat, Alberta. For more information, contact Tony at tony.thomson@acadiau.ca or go to his author page on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/Tony-Thomson-Author-103704399040717

MARCIA DAVEY’S (’59) recent book, Tall Tales, is a collection of short stories. “Hey Good Lookin” is a story about a young woman who discovers that she doesn’t have a favourite song. What’s wrong with her? Does everybody else have a favorite song? Is this more evidence of her social awkwardness? She will try to fix it. “Rescued” is about memorials to those we’ve lost. For some, remembering causes us to retreat into an uncomfortable place; to relive the trauma. “The Plowman” is a profile of life in a small village and the dynamics of loyalty and alienation. Check it out: available at Chapters/Indigo.ca and Amazon.com.

Check out Peter Cleveland’s new book, Gobsmacked!

PETER CLEVELAND (’72) is the author of three previous books and a number of articles. He also works as a business strategist residing in Ottawa. He spent most of his career with Ernst & Young, where he gathered experience that greatly influenced the writing of Double Shot of Scotch. Awarded the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award in 2012, he is a Fellow Certified Professional Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner, and former Trustee in Bankruptcy. His 33 years with EY afforded him the insight into many characters both good and bad. Fraud appeared in a number of cases. When he retired, he looked for the commercial crime fiction genre and found very little. It was then that he decided to develop a commercial crime detective character who worked with an unusual eclectic team, drawing on the murder mystery theme at the same time. Here’s a synopsis of his latest novel:

When the CEO of a British supermarket chain notices a sudden and unexplained drop in net income, Ottawa corporate fraud investigator Hamilton St. James is called in to investigate. But what should have been a typical case of corporate malfeasance is derailed when St. James follows a hunch about a murder case that extends from London to Germany and beyond, involving kidnapping, identity theft and betrayal. In his cool, inimitable style, St. James takes over from Scotland Yard, putting noses out of joint as he investigates a crime much bigger than the one he was called in to solve.

To purchase, please click HERE.

From Laura Churchill Duke, award-winning author of Two Crows Sorrow, comes Rooted in Deception, another true-crime story in rural Nova Scotia. A con man is on the move in the early 1900s, spinning stories, turning heads, and lifting whatever is not nailed down. He spins tale after tale into a web that entangles credulous Nova Scotians, until he takes one step too far. Secret identities, deception, and greed escalate to murder. Rooted in Deception follows the career of John Kavanagh from scheme to scheme and lie to lie, from narrow escapes to the prisoner's dock in court. But are his troubles all of his own doing? Or is there a plot by his enemies? Is there a case for mercy for a man who may deserve none? The author draws on newspaper articles, trial transcripts and actual letters from the accused to tell the true story of a crime spree that ends in death. She brings the dry text of the public record to life by creating scenes, encounters, and conversations as they may have happened. Rooted in Deception follows Two Crows Sorrow, which was awarded the 2020 Bronze Award for best creative non-fiction by the Miramichi Reader and has sold thousands of copies since its publication in 2019. Both books are available from Moose House Publications, moosehousepress.com.

JIM PRIME (’69) has written a new young adult/youth book entitled, Ice Dreams, available from Moose House Publishing. It’s the story of the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the USSR, generally thought to be the greatest hockey series in Canadian history. This book is written for a somewhat younger audience, for two reasons. First of all, a whole generation of fans weren’t born when this eight-game series was played. This book makes the whole experience accessible to them and provides the historical context. More importantly, young people will easily identify with the players who grew up to be members of Team Canada. Interviews with Paul Henderson, Ron Ellis, Bobby Clarke and Serge Savard reveal the challenges that each of them had to overcome in order to make it to the NHL and the Summit Series. All kids face obstacles of various kinds, from bullying to shyness to physical issues. The four players mentioned above all had those roadblocks. Henderson’s family was poor and unable to afford hockey equipment. His dad was often distant and stern. Ellis was born with a club foot that required early medical intervention and he also developed a speech impediment. Clarke had Type 1 diabetes and had to prove that he was tough enough to play in the NHL. Savard was always the tallest player on his team. Even as a 12-year-old, the gentle giant towered above his teammates. With advice from his dad, he had to decide what kind of player he wanted to be. They all speak about those early years and the persistence it took to rise above their difficulties. Ellis, an articulate role model who speaks from experience, wrote the foreword for the book. Ice Dreams is a timely book in these days when Canadian hockey is under the microscope for all the wrong reasons. The battles that this team fought and the lessons they learned along the way will help to elevate youth hockey to the place it deserves. The last chapter draws comparisons between the game in 1972 and today. The popularity and quality of women’s hockey, the refreshing new diversity in the NHL, and the lessons learned from the Soviets are all positive signs of progress. The book can be ordered from Jim directly at: jprime1@gmail.com; or through moosehousepress.com.

Check out our Acadia Alumni Book Club

Launched on February 1, 2022, the Acadia Alumni Book Club showcases three titles per year. So far, we’ve discussed Senator Donald Oliver’s (’60, ’07 HON) highly anticipated autobiography, A Matter of Equality: The Life’s Work of Senator Don Oliver, and Jim Prime’s ('69, '71) and Ben Robicheau's fictional comedy, Fish and Dicks: Case Files from the Digby Neck and Islands Fish-Gutting Service and Detective Agency. Our third installment features Two Crows Sorrow by local author and Acadia alum Laura Churchill Duke (’98). To learn more about this excellent fall read as well as locations to purchase it (both in store and virtually), please visit https://laurachurchillduke.ca/ . The next virtual book club meeting is slated for Monday, Nov. 14 from 7-8 p.m. Details HERE. Please note: Book Club members do not have to be Acadia affiliates, and the Club is open to everyone. You can register anytime and participate in the session of your choice. If you would like to join, please e-mail: charlotte.hayes@acadiau.ca.