Honorary Degree and Order of the U of C recipients for June Convocation

Honorary degree recipients

Harri Holkeri - June 9

Over the past 40 years, Harri Holkeri has built a distinguished career as a statesman, diplomat and international businessman.

Holkeri was the prime minister of Finland for five years until 1991, a mediator during the Northern Ireland peace process in the late 1990s and president of the United Nations General Assembly in 2000-01.

Born in Helsinki in 1937, Holkeri started his journey into Finnish politics as secretary of the National Coalition Party, spending seven years in that capacity starting in 1965. In 1970, he was elected to the Finnish Parliament, where he remained until 1978. In 1971, Holkeri became leader of the National Coalition Party and held that post until 1979.

In 1978, Holkeri added the role of businessman to his portfolio, becoming a member of the Board of Governors of the Bank of Finland, the country’s central bank. He stepped back onto the national stage in 1987 when he headed a coalition government to democratic victory and became prime minister of Finland.

Holkeri’s role in international diplomacy began even earlier than his work in national politics. He served as a member of the Finnish Delegation to the UN General Assembly from 1963-65. Then, in 1975, he became a member of the Nordic Council, vice-president of the European Free Trade Association Parliamentarians from 1974-75, and president of that organization in 1976.

In 1995, Holkeri became a member of The International Body, a group established by the United Kingdom and Ireland to lead the decommissioning of illegal weapons in Northern Ireland. He was also one of three chairmen of that region’s multi-party peace negotiations. For his contributions as a consensus builder in the Northern Ireland peace process, Holkeri was made an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1999.

Until the end of 2002, Holkeri served as chair of the Board of Directors of Finnair, the national airline company of Finland and is on the boards of several other Finnish industries and organizations.

Tom Jackson - June 10

Tom Jackson is a multi-talented artist who strives to achieve greater heights not only for himself, but also for those around him.
The musician, actor and humanitarian was born on the One Arrow Reserve near Batoche, Sask. Jackson left school at age 15 and spent seven years living on the back streets of Winnipeg. This experience built the foundation of his character – tenacity, leadership, determination and an altruistic capacity to care for others.

As a singer and songwriter, Jackson has released 10 albums, the most recent being I Will Bring You Near. Two of his albums have received Juno nominations.

As an actor, Jackson became famous across Canada for his role of Chief Peter Kenidi on the long-running series North of 60. He is currently delighting children with his portrayal of storyteller Hector Longhouse in Longhouse Tales airing on CBC, TVO and APTN. He also starred in movies such as The Diviners, Grizzly Falls and the soon-to-be-released Water Giant. Jackson has been nominated for, and received, Genie and Gemini awards.

Jackson has also made a significant impact through his humanitarian efforts. He created the Huron Carole Benefit Concert Series, an annual cross-country concert tour that donates all money raised to the Canadian Association of Food Banks. After 15 years, the Huron Carole has raised $3 million.

Jackson also organizes the Dreamcatcher Tour, an annual tour of reserves and urban locations dedicated to youth empowerment and the eradication of suicide.

Jackson has received many awards for his work including the David Crowchild Memorial Award, the Country Music Association C.F. Martin Humanitarian Award; the Saskatchewan Country Music Association International Humanitarian Award, and a National Aboriginal Achievement Award.
In 1999, Jackson was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Margaret Elizabeth Lick Newall - June 11

Margaret Newall’s career is driven by the virtues of education and healthy communities.

On Newall’s graduation from high school in Davidson, Sask., she studied piano at Regina College, receiving an Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto in 1955. To earn enough money to attend university, she traveled weekly to a small Saskatchewan town to teach piano lessons.

In 1958, Newall graduated, with distinction, from the University of Saskatchewan. Married the next year to Ted, they moved to Montreal and started their family. Her community activism also began there. Faced with the loss of the traveling library that regularly visited her community, she worked with a small group to set up the first permanent library in the Montreal suburb of Roxboro. She later successfully lobbied school boards to allow the transfer of taxes so that the family’s children could attend French school.

While in Montreal, Newall studied at McGill University, receiving her diploma in education in 1972, then taught in elementary school, and continued teaching after the family moved to Toronto in 1981. It was this experience that taught her about the harmful effects of family violence on children. The Montreal massacre of December 6, 1989, amplified that concern.

Upon moving to Alberta, Newall at first volunteered with the Alberta Coalition Against Pornography, an organization that sought to combat violence in the community. She then became a founding member and key volunteer for the Prairieaction Foundation. The foundation has raised more than $5 million to ensure that research continues across the Prairies into issues of violence and abuse.

As well, music still plays an important role in Newall’s life. She has been a supporter of both the Esther Honens International Piano Competition and the Calgary International Organ Competition.

Newall has not forgotten her rural roots. She and her husband established $1 million endowments at both the U of C and University of Saskatchewan to support the studies of young people from rural communities.

For her community efforts, Newall was awarded an honorary degree in 2001 from the University of Manitoba and a Rotary Club of Calgary Paul Harris Award in April 2003.

James Edward Newall - June 12

Ted Newall is one of Canada’s successful business leaders.

In 1957, Newall worked for DuPont Canada Inc., in Toronto, as a summer student. In 1958, after graduating from the University of Saskatchewan with a

Bachelor of Commerce degree, he rejoined DuPont Canada and rose steadily through the ranks. By 1979, he was the company’s chairman, president and CEO.

In 1991, Newall returned to the Prairies, to NOVA Corporation as CEO.
Newall is chair of Canadian Pacific Railway and a director of several major companies, including Alcan Aluminum, BCE Inc., Bell Canada, Maple Leaf Foods, and the Royal Bank of Canada.

In 1996, Newall was appointed chair of U of C’s Board of Governors. In his five years at the helm, partnering with the U of C president and board, Newall led the U of C through the early stages of the university’s strategic transformation.

His service to the university is only one aspect of Newall’s service to his community. He is co-chair of the United Way’s Calgary Children’s Initiative, and he and his wife, Margaret, have supported the Sheriff King Women’s Shelter, and the Prairieaction Foundation.

Newall has served on the Conference Board of Canada, the Business Council on National Issues and as the first chairman of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee on the Business/Government Executive Exchange Program.

He was recognized by the Public Policy Forum for his contribution to cooperation between government and private sector groups in public policy formulation. In 1996, he was given the Canadian Business Leader Award by the University of Alberta. He was chosen Chief Executive of the Year in 1993 by Financial Post magazine and the Caldwell Partners; International Business Executive of the Year by the Canadian Council for International Business; and a Fellow by the Institute of Corporate Directors in 1998. In 1994, Newall was named an Officer of the Order of Canada and, in 2001, he was admitted to the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.

Joane Marguerite Cardinal-Schubert - June 13

Joane Marguerite Cardinal -Schubert is recognized for her continued contribution to the visual arts in Canada and to her community.

As a multimedia artist, lecturer, poet, writer, freelance curator and volunteer, Cardinal-Schubert has challenged and transcended pre-existing local, national and international boundaries of art and culture. For the last 20 years, her writing has been published and her work cited in numerous publications. Cardinal-Schubert’s art is also the subject of many articles, texts and critical reviews. She has also donated her time and work to numerous charities and arts organizations.

Cardinal-Schubert was born in 1942 in Red Deer, Alta., the fourth child in a family of eight children.

Graduating as an ‘adult student’ from the U of C in 1977 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, she became the assistant curator at the U of C Art Gallery in 1978 and the Nickle Arts Museum from 1979-85. In 1986, she was elected as a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. From 1992-95, she served as a member of the U of C Senate. She received the Commemorative Medal of Canada in 1993 and the Queen¹s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002.

Twenty-two solo art exhibitions of her work and 40 group exhibitions have appeared in cities across Canada as well as in Europe, the U.S., Guatemala, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Australia.

She has held eight artist’s residencies and been a keynote speaker across North America – including at the Smithsonian as a “Master Native Artist of North America.”

Cardinal-Schubert has been a charter member of the Banff Aboriginal Film and Video Arts, SCANA and the Calgary Aboriginal (Arts) Awareness Society.

She has served on the Canada Council Aboriginal Secretariat as the visual arts representative.
Cardinal-Schubert’s work is in selected private, consular, corporate and public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Museum of Civilization, Carleton University, the University of Lethbridge, Indian Art Centre and Art Bank.

She continues to live in Calgary, addressing her family’s place in the history of southern Alberta.

Order of the University of Calgary recipients

Rhonda Williams - June 9

Rhonda Williams is a recognized leader in the field of university governance in Canada and a valued citizen in campus volunteer initiatives.

As director of the University Secretariat, Williams has been an advisor to four presidents of the U of C, five chairs of the U of C Board of Governors, 17 vice-presidents and approximately 200 board members.

Williams joined the university in 1979 when she was appointed secretary to the board. Later, she also served as associate secretary to General Faculties Council. In 1994, she led the amalgamation of two administrative units to create the University Secretariat. In total, Williams coordinates the activities of 24 groups on campus and is the primary liaison among the various levels of governance. In this role, she has skillfully undertaken many special assignments, policy development initiatives, and diplomatic missions.

A graduate of Queen’s University, Williams also holds a Certificate in University Management from the Centre for Higher Education, Research and Development at the University of Manitoba. She is a member of Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education.

Williams has been very active nationally in developing the role and profile of her profession. A charter member of the National Association of University Board Chairs and Secretaries as well as the Council of Western Canadian University Board Secretaries, she has been selected for roles as conference, program and workshop organizer as well as guest speaker.

A dedicated volunteer on campus, Williams has served as convocation marshal since 1979, including a four-year term as chief marshal. She has developed and taught seminar courses on aspects of her profession for senior support staff. She was appointed to serve on key university committees, past and present, including the organizing committee for the university’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

Williams is a strong supporter of the U of C and a member of the Chancellor’s Club, which supports entrance scholarships.

Apollonia Steele - June 10

The library is often considered the heart of any university. Apollonia Steele has worked tirelessly over the past 30 years to ensure that the U of C Library has the strongest heartbeat possible.

Steele, librarian and manager of Special Collections, helped the university establish a world class special collection, all the more remarkable given the U of C’s young age.

The library’s special collections unit is home to the manuscripts and personal papers of many of Canada’s most eminent writers, including Mordecai Richler, Earle Birney, W.O. Mitchell, Rudy Wiebe, Robert Kroetesch and Alice Munro. The collection also includes a page from a Gutenberg Bible, the 11,000-item Margaret P. Hess collection, and the recent acquisition of one of the largest collections of early science fiction magazines in existence.

Through her diligence, professionalism and compelling presence, Steele has managed to build the collection into a showpiece for the university.

Steele also has 23 publications, two exhibits and numerous grants to her credit. As well, she also volunteers her time on activities both within and outside the university. She has served the Archives Society of Alberta as member of its advocacy committee, the Archives Network of Alberta task force and the task force on electronic publishing. She is a member of the Association of Canadian and Quebec Literatures, Association of Canadian Archivists, Association of Canadian Studies, Foothills Library Association, and the Library Association of Alberta.

Steele served as a reviewer of grant applications for the Social Science and Humanities Research Council in 1995. She is a member of the Editorial Board of NeWest Press and the University of Calgary Press. She is on the review panel for the Charles Steele Essay Prize in Canadian Studies. She is also a member of the PhD program review for the Department of English.

Mary Lynn Driscoll - June 11

Mary Driscoll has been ensuring the welfare of animals at U of C for 28 years.

As a community representative on the University Animal Welfare Committee, Driscoll has spent countless hours developing the guidelines that guarantee that animals at the university are treated in a humane and respectful manner. Driscoll has volunteered on the committee since 1975.

The Animal Welfare Committee and the associated animal care committees are some of the most active committees in the university. These committees develop the policies and procedures related to all respects of animal use at the university, as well as review animal experiments on an ongoing basis to ensure that the animals are properly cared for.

Driscoll has been an active member of Calgary’s animal welfare community and the Calgary Humane Society, including serving as the society’s president for ten years. She has also served on the board of the Canadian Council of Animal Care and the Canadian Federations of Humane Societies and as a trustee of the Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada.

Her role on the animal welfare committee led to Driscoll being a spokesperson to media and government on animal welfare issues both at the university and nationally. She regularly conveys to university personnel the public’s concerns about animal based research and ensures that these concerns are answered. Driscoll has also brought her knowledge and compassion to other institutions by participating in seven Canadian Council on Animal Care site visits.

In addition to her work with the university, Driscoll has volunteered tirelessly with the Calgary Meals on Wheels organization and other groups assisting the elderly. She has also made major contributions to the dog showing community of Calgary, organizing and producing many events for the Alberta Kennel Club.

Donna Ferrara-Kerr - June 12

Over the past 25 years, Donna Ferrara-Kerr has contributed significantly to the university as a student, faculty member, Senator and supporter.

Ferrara-Kerr graduated from the U of C with a Bachelor of Arts degree, then went on to obtain her law degree from the University of British Columbia, being called to the Alberta bar and qualifying as a lawyer in 1985.

She returned to the U of C in 1986 as an instructor in the Faculty of Management for six years, receiving consistently high teaching evaluations, and mentoring countless students.

Ferrara-Kerr was seconded to be the university’s first Sexual Harassment Adviser from 1990-92. In this role, she handled many difficult cases with wisdom and diplomacy. In addition, she was responsible for education of the campus community, and was the official spokesperson for the university, logging over 100 media interviews across the country, and speaking at a number of national conferences. Ferrara-Kerr was a pioneer in this work, establishing a solid and respected presence for the university in a new and controversial field.

When Ferrara-Kerr left the university in 1992 to launch her own consulting practice on the issue of diversity with a nation-wide clientele, she was elected to the U of C Senate, where she served for six years. As a volunteer, she chaired the senate’s honorary degrees and nominating committees; was a member of the executive committee; and was vice-chair of a Chancellor Search Committee, amongst many other responsibilities. Ferrara-Kerr became famous within the senate for never missing a meeting and always serving with humour, intelligence, insight and integrity.

Ferrara-Kerr still remains involved with the university, including active membership in the Chancellor’s Club, which supports university scholarships. She also provides her time and insights to numerous other community and professional activities.

Peter G. Glockner - June 13

Peter Glockner is a founder of the Faculty of Engineering. Participating in building this faculty and institution and in making them known around the globe was a prime component of his nearly four-decade-long Calgary career.

He began building after his requested transfer from Edmonton to the new Calgary campus in 1960 and quickly became involved in planning, initiating research, and building relations with industry and the profession.

He obtained engineering’s first equipment donation in 1961, served as acting head of civil engineering and, by invitation, became professor and head of mechanical engineering, 1976-87. During his headship, the department became a globally recognized school of mechanical engineering. From 1976 till his retirement, he was professor in both departments. He wrote A Place of Ingenuity, a book on the Faculty of Engineering’s history. His foundational work in two departments and the faculty were recognized by appointing him Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Engineering, a first-ever distinction.

Glockner’s university-wide contributions are equally significant and include chairing the University Budget Committee. He organized four conferences, including the third Canadian Congress of Applied Mechanics, CANCAM 71, and the first Canadian conference of the International Association for Shell Structures, all successful events with international speakers and participants, enhancing Calgary’s global image.

Glockner also built an impressive research career. His studies in solid mechanics, including the behaviour of inflatables and the structural use of ice, resulted in over 300 publications and invited lectures and presentations at conferences and institutes on all continents. He received many awards, notably the CANCAM Medal; the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) Gzowski Gold Medal; and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Moisseiff Medal and Prize.

Glockner held positions on committees and boards of directors of national and international learned societies and professional organizations. His research contributions and stature in the mechanics community were underlined by being elected president of AAM and by a special international conference, “A World of Shells,” organized in his honour at the Banff Centre.