by Lynda Chambers, editor
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Similar but never the same!
Wide grins . . . babies cuddled . . . clutches of cohorts bursting with joy not to mention clever poses that show off Hatley Castle to advantage. It’s all part of convocation and, here, the expression on Jessica Hall’s face says it all. She graduated with an MA in Leadership on June 19.
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"Perfect moments" are rare in a lifetime but evident everywhere during convocation at Royal Roads University. Wide grins . . . babies cuddled . . . clutches of cohorts bursting with joy not to mention clever poses that show off Hatley Castle to advantage. And for every perfect moment, it seems, there is a digital camera recording it.
That was the scene again here on June 19 when students from across Canada and around the world converged on campus under the signature white marquee by Esquimalt Lagoon. The occasion, this time, was spring convocation and, like every convocation before it, there were ceremonies, gowns, reunions and speeches as well as a myriad of "perfect moments" captured in pixels or, sometimes, simply in the mind's eye.
For all that convocations appear to be similar, though, none are ever the same.
This spring, for example, the first
Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Tourism was presented and MA degrees were conferred for the first time in three new programs:
The university conferred a Doctor of Laws,
honoris causa on former federal Conservative cabinet minister
Mary Collins, (
top left) an RRU Fellow and now director of the Secretariat of the B.C. Healthy Living Alliance. And it conferred a Doctor of Laws,
honoris causa on
Peter Legge, (
top right) an RRU Fellow and co-founder, chair and chief executive officer of Canada Wide Media Limited.
Hudson Mack, (
bottom) news director and senior anchor of
A Channel News, was honoured with a Chancellor’s Community Recognition award for his tireless support of community initiatives.
And the university conferred its first posthumous degree.
“Our dad died very unexpectedly of a stroke last July while enrolled in the Conflict Analysis and Management program at Royal Roads. His studies were a clear highlight of his life, and this thoughtful recognition brought a measure of reflection and celebration to many,” says Trevor Maber, himself a graduate of RRU’s MA in Leadership Training program (now MA in Leadership Studies).
Maber returned to RRU - with his sister Andrea Wuetherick - to accept a Master of Arts degree for their father, Dr. Barry Maber.
An accomplished Saskatoon-based physician, Dr. Maber had served as a medical officer with CFB Moose Jaw and in private practice. He was also a clinical associate professor with the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan where now his son is a sessional lecturer in the Edwards School of Business.
“Dr. Maber was well-respected and admired by his colleagues at Royal Roads and we were honoured to be able to recognize such a distinguished learner,” says Allan Cahoon, RRU president.
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Smiles trumped tears
Trevor Maber holds a ceramic hen while (left to right) Mark Hyslop, Christiana Stevens and Mercedes Watson join him in enjoying an inside joke dating back to his father's first residency at RRU. "The tree planting ceremony was one of those rare perfect moments I'll carry with me for endless years to come," says Trevor.
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. . . at memorial tree-planting
Cody Woitas (foreground) was in the same cohort as Dr. Barry Maber and, with John Cathro, organized a post-convocation tree-planting ceremony to honour their classmate who passed away last year. He is pictured here with (left to right) girlfriend Holly King and fellow cohort member Cristy McLennan.
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It was following the formalities that Dr. Maber's family members experienced their “moment”. That was when they gathered in the Japanese Gardens with fellow graduates from their father’s MA in Conflict Analysis and Management program and with faculty – including Jim Bayer, Greg Cran, Fred Oster and Nicole Beazley – to plant a Katsura tree in his memory. Bright yellow in the fall, the Katsura has dark blue-green foliage that is uniquely candy-scented!
The poignant but buoyant tribute was organized by cohort members Cody Woitas and John Cathro and culminated in the placing of a plaque which reads:
In memory of Barry Maber's impish smile and twinkling eyes.
With love and respect from his friends, family, faculty and classmates of
MACAM 2006
"That was our 'perfect moment," says Trevor. "It's one that we will carry with us for endless years to come."
Organizer John Cathro agreed. "From the site selection and the tree species to the foundry for the plaque and the waiting buckets with shovel, dirt and water, the entire program was seamless - and the weather behaved!"
The Royal Roads University Foundation has received a cheque for $25,000 from Dr. Maber's family. It will go towards an endowed student award that will benefit MACAM learners who pursue research in areas that were significant to him. For more information, please contact Julie.Barlow@royalroads.ca
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THE INSIDE JOKE
Acutely aware of the vociferous emanations of the RRU peacocks, Len Dafoe, Barry, and myself began an online exchange of potential peacock recipes. I must say that Barry’s were likely the most creative and he went as far as to do a very plausible wine pairing with his peacock recipe. Delicious! - Cody Woitas
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