The dozen individuals who will receive UBC's annual alumni awards include an Order of Canada recipient, academic, business and political leaders, outstanding students and an award-winning thespian.
Nicola Cavendish (BA '76) and George Puil (BA '52, BEd '53) are this year's winners of the Alumni Award of Distinction.
Cavendish, one of Canada's finest actors, is often referred to as a "national treasure."
The winner of three Jesse Richardson Awards for Outstanding Performance in a lead role and a past recipient of the Montreal Critics Award for Best Actress, she has given more than 1,000 live performances during her storied acting career.
Puil has long been associated with municipal politics, serving as an elected member of the Vancouver City Council since 1976. He is presently the chair of both Translink and the Greater Vancouver Regional District.
The Lifetime Achievement Award goes to May Brown (MPE '61, LLD '87) and David Suzuki.
Brown served on the Vancouver City Council for a decade beginning in 1977. Long involved in youth work and physical education, Brown has received numerous awards, including the Order of Canada.
Suzuki has won acclaim for his work with the CBC and is a strong advocate for environmental issues. The prolific broadcaster was a professor in UBC's Dept. of Zoology.
Dr. Donald McKenzie (MPE '72, MD '77) is the recipient of the Faculty Citation Community Service Award.
During his research into the effects of exercise on breast cancer patients, the Family Practice professor came up with the Abreast in A Boat program of rehabilitation and information. The program sees breast cancer survivors participate in dragon boat racing.
The Outstanding Young Alumnus Award goes to Paul Rosenau (MA '87, MLA '87) and Bruce Verchere (BSc '83, MSc '87, PhD'91).
Rosenau, an adjunct professor in the School of Community and Regional Planning, has spearheaded a rethinking of standard land development models.
Verchere, an assistant professor of Pathology, has received wide recognition for his research into diabetes. He is the first non-European to have been awarded the Albert Renold Fellowship from the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.
The Blythe Eagles Volunteer Service Award winner is Lyall Knott (BCom' 71, LLB '72).
His extensive voluntary service to UBC includes chairing the United Way campaign and serving on the President's advisory committee on developing a downtown presence for the university.
The Outstanding Student Award winners are Geordie Aitken and Jesse Sims.
Aitken, a fourth-year English honours co-op student, developed a workshop which helps secondary school students identify personal goals and values.
Sims, who graduates this month from Commerce, has served as the chair of the UBC International Business Conference and worked for the UBC TREK Program Centre.
The Alumni Award for Research winner is Donald Brooks (BSc '64, MSc '67). The director of Graduate Studies for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brooks' experiments have flown on four space shuttle missions. He has also published approximately 150 papers about the basic biochemistry of individuals at risk for cardiac disease and diabetes.
The Honorary Alumnus Award recipient is Harold Kalke. A former chair of the UBC's Board of Governors, Kalke has a long association with community-based organizations with a focus on neighbourhoods, urban planning and development issues.
The awards will be presented at a dinner reception at the Westin Bayshore on Nov. 2. UBC Athletics Hall of Fame inductees will also be honoured.
related information
For more information, call 604-822-3313 or visit the Web site at www.alumni.ubc.ca.