Distinguished Alumni Award

The Victoria Alumni Association, or Alumni of Victoria College (AVC), is pleased to announce that Malgorzata (Margaret) Nowaczyk Vic 8T5 is the recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Please join us in congratulating this remarkable alum. More information about Malgorzata (Margaret) Nowaczyk Vic 8T5 will be shared with the community in the coming months.    

The Victoria Alumni Association, or Alumni of Victoria College (AVC), is pleased to announce that Melanie Campbell Vic 7T5 is the recipient of the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Please join us in congratulating this remarkable alum. We look forward to celebrating this award at a future event. More information about Melanie Campbell Vic 7T5 will be shared with the community in the coming months.    

Read more about Melanie Campbell here. 

The Victoria Alumni Association, or Alumni of Victoria College (AVC), is thrilled to announce the 2020 recipient of its prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award, Albert Oung Vic 8T3. While at Victoria College, Oung earned a BA in commerce and economics. He has since worked as a green entrepreneur, activist and visionary. Oung has 38 years of environmental, social and commercial experience. His expertise is in the “green economy,” where he is actively transforming and commercializing common practices into a sustainable and responsible business model.

As the founder and CEO of the Green Inc. Group of Companies, Oung works to foster and promote the development of green capital, green technologies, green tourism, renewable materials and energies, and waste management industries. He and his group of companies have won various CSR and sustainable business awards, innovative leader awards and green entrepreneur awards, including the first Asian company to win the Cradle to Cradle Award all while complying with the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals and ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance).

Oung is a strong supporter of charity organizations in Hong Kong, Canada, China and ASEAN countries. He has also founded and led several NGOs, including the World Green Organisation, Green Institute, Hong Kong ASEAN Friendship Association, Hong Kong Myanmar Chamber of Commerce and Organising Committee of the World Green University. His past contributions and accomplishments are being recognized by his recent appointment as chairman of the Green Economy Task Force of the Sustainable Business Network of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). He has also been invited to be an executive council member of the UNESCAP/ESBN and a member of the Digital Economy and Banking & Finance Task Force.

Oung dreams big. He has developed his idea of “greenism” by adopting a holistic approach in providing integrated green solutions with the right values. Since 1992 he has been improving his green business model by prioritizing sustainability and ESG objectives to resolve problems economically. He also used his experience to help other social and business leaders prepare for future challenges through leading education and training programs.

After graduating from Victoria College in 1967, Heather Onyett spent two life-changing years as a volunteer with Canadian University Service Overseas (CUSO) in Africa. She worked as a teacher in rural Burundi and spent her summers hitch-hiking the continent.

Heather went on to earn a MD from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1974, graduating as its first pediatrician. She spent the next five years with the International Grenfell Association as its chief of paediatrics, working as the sole paediatrician for Indigenous and settler children living in the far-reaching northern communities of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Heather earned a professional Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (Liverpool, U.K.), a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and became a paediatric infectious diseases specialist of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. In 1987 she joined the Faculty of Medicine at Queen’s University.

Heather served on numerous Queen’s, national and international committees, including serving as president of the medical staff of the Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston. For 25 years of clinical practice she was the only paediatric infectious diseases physician in Kingston. For over 50 years, she remained committed to global health issues, both professionally and personally.

Heather passed away in January 2020.

Bose Sookdeosingh immigrated to Canada with a young family in the late 1960s. Working many jobs, he enrolled at Victoria College. He went on to earn a BA in economics and political science. Then he earned an MA from U of T in criminology. This master’s degree was the first step in a career of nearly 40 years dedicated to corrections with the Ontario Public Service.

Sookdeosingh’s work has made a profound impact on the professional practices of the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. He changed the landscape of correctional services within Ontario’s Central Region: upon his retirement in 2011, then Deputy Minister Jay Hope remarked that Sookdeosingh had been “almost single-handedly responsible for diversifying Central Region” and had been “largely responsible for Community Services—as a division—being as diverse as it is today.”

W. David Wilson was recognized for his professional accomplishments as an investment banker and securities regulator as well as for his dedication to giving back to Victoria University, to U of T and to non-profits for over 35 years. Currently, Wilson is chair of the Board of Trustees for Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and chair of the Board of Directors for the Greater Toronto Airport Authority.

Recognized for her professional accomplishments in the financial sector and for her commitment to advocating for women in leadership. She currently serves as corporate director on the boards of CI Financial Corp., Laurentian Bank and Foresters Financial and on the board of SickKids. She has received numerous honours and was listed three times as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada.

Joanne Kotsopoulos was recognized for her award-winning research for the advancement of women's health. Kotsopoulos is a scientist in the Familial Breast Cancer Research Program at the Women's College Research Institute. She focuses her research on the prevention, treatment and management of breast and ovarian cancer, specifically among women with a genetic predisposition. She is the recipient of a Cancer Care Ontario Research Chair in Population Studies and a Canadian Cancer Society Career Development Award in Prevention.

Well known for his leadership as executive director of the Canadian Museum of History, George MacDonald has had an extraordinary career as an archaeologist, anthropologist and professor. He was commissioned to represent Canada in negotiations with the Smithsonian Institution in repatriating the Kwakiutl potlatch collection from its Museum of the American Indian; in 1996, he was named a member of Thematic Studies of the National Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada; in 2013, he was appointed to the ad hoc Canadian Committee for Memory of the World Register of UNESCO. He continues to remain involved with both academia and museum life at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., and as director emeritus at the Canadian Museum of History.

Maxwell Yalden has had an extraordinary career as a Canadian civil servant and diplomat. He was elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee in 1996 and re-elected in 2000. He was Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission from 1987 to 1996 and the Commissioner of Official Languages from 1977 to 1984. 

Robert C. Wong is vice-chair and senior portfolio manager at Leon Frazer and Associates; however, his personal history reflects a varied and interesting career path. While completing an MBA in finance, Wong taught high school math, physics and pioneered the teaching of computer science at the high-school level, and wrote textbooks on the subject. in 1987 when he was elected MPP to the Toronto riding of Fort York and thereafter was appointed Ontario’s Minister of Energy in Premier David Peterson’s government. This appointment made Wong the first cabinet minister in Canada of Chinese descent. Two years later, he took on the citizenship portfolio. His time in parliament was marked by making major changes to the Power Corporation Act and for promoting multiculturalism and equity among Ontario’s diverse population.

Anne (Weldon) Tait is a Toronto-based film producer, writer, casting director and broadcaster. She is best known for producing the epic film Iron Road in 2009. 

Writer, editor, translator and radio producer Paul Wilson is an  English Language and Literature graduate, “Wilson’s work embodies Vic’s strong literary and arts tradition and it is wonderful to celebrate his accomplishments during Vic’s 175th anniversary” said Rita Schepok Vic 9T1, chair of the selection committee.

Following graduation, Wilson attended King’s College, University of London followed by ten years in The Czech Republic where he taught English. After being expelled by the Communist government in 1977 for his association with the dissident movement, and his role as a member of the rock band The Plastic People of the Universe, Wilson returned to Canada and actively promoted the work of dissident writers and musicians in the West. He has published over 20 books of translations of Czech literature and contributed to many North American and European publications. 

For over 25 years, Paikin has helped to inform the public’s understanding of complex social and political issues. In his current role as anchor and senior editor of TVO’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin, Paikin can be seen nightly addressing the pressing issues facing the world today, providing a forum for thought-provoking discussion among newsmakers and experts.

Stan Farrow’s abilities as a musician and writer are at the heart of his volunteer pursuits. Twenty-four years as a musical entertainer for the patients of Scarborough Hospital, 37 years as a pianist for the Scarborough Gilbert and Sullivan Society and 60 years of service to his church, in a variety of areas, are among some of his many contributions to the community. A teacher of classics for 35 years at Scarborough’s David and Mary Thomson Collegiate Institute, he was actively involved in the school’s stage productions. The auditorium was named in Farrow’s honour upon his retirement in 1994.

He is a bush-plane-travelling doctor, a respected medical researcher, an avid blues musician, and a committed health care advocate. Ben Chan has worked closely with provincial and national policy-makers to improve health care in the areas of physician human resource planning, primary care delivery and assessment of quality of care.

Nancy Ruhnke has been a member of the Friends of the Victoria University Library since the group’s inception in 1992. She served as the executive’s chair from 1998 to 2008 and chaired the organizing committee for the group’s annual book sale from 1997 to 2008. In both areas of involvement, she helped the Friends consistently raise a wealth of support for library initiatives.

Ruhnke has been called the “heart and soul” of the Vic Book Sale by her fellow volunteers. Each year, in addition to her executive responsibilities for the event, which requires the services of over 160 volunteers, Ruhnke has managed the process of transporting, sorting and pricing the tens of thousands of books donated for sale. This task alone is a full-time, intensive job that demands perseverance, expert organizational skills and patience.

At Vic, Catherine Young Bates studied art and archeology and was a resident of Waldie House on Bloor Street (where the Colonnade now stands). After graduation, Catherine pursued graduate work at McGill University. She studied painting at The Baltimore Museum of Art, and printmaking at The Maryland Institute, and spent a year in England focusing on drawing. She taught in the Fine Arts Department of Dawson College in Quebec for many years. Her works continue to be displayed in Toronto, Ottawa, London, and Montreal. In 2001, she was also elected as a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

Carole Taylor began her broadcasting career as host of CTV’s After Four while still a student at Victoria College. She went on to host CTV’s Canada AM and W5 before joining the CBC to host Pacific Report and Authors, as well as Scene from Here and Vancouver Life. 

Taylor, who often interviewed politicians, turned to politics herself in 1986 and was elected to Vancouver City Council as an independent. Taylor went on to become the Minister of Finance for the province of British Columbia where she introduced the ground-breaking carbon tax bill which has inspired similar efforts by other governments. Taylor was made an officer of the Order of Canada and appointed chair of CBC/Radio-Canada’s board of directors in 2001. As well as serving on many corporate and non-profit boards, Taylor also contributes her leadership and expertise to Victoria University as member of the president’s advisory board for Vic One. 

Author and broadcaster whose book, The Man Who Ran Faster than Everyone: The Story of Tom Longboat, won the Norma Fleck Award for non-fiction, the biggest prize in Canadian children's literature.

When the history of Victoria University's second century is written, and a list is made of alumni who had the greatest national impact, Pauline McGibbon will join Pearson and Frye near the top. An entire column in Who's Who is required to list her accomplishments, and "first woman" appears nine times - "first woman chancellor of U of T," "first woman director of IBM," and, of course, "first woman Lieutenant-Governor in the Commonwealth.

Awarded in recognition of her extraordinary contribution and commitment to her society, community and college. In 1967 Joan was engaged by the CNIB to be Mae Brown's tutor and assistant. A year after Mae's death she turned her efforts to developing services for all adults who were deaf and/or blind in Ontario.

Since the arrival of his alter ego Charlie Farquharson, Don Harron has made thousands of people laugh. He has worked in radio and television, made a number of albums, and is the author of several best-selling books.

Since graduation, Ruth Bentley has continued to give so much back to the Vic community. Few of Victoria's alumni are more extraordinary than Bentley. In 1986, she was the Chair of the Sesquicenntenial dinner which drew almost 3,000 Vic alumni and friends, one of the largest alumni events in U of T history. She was also one of the founders of the Friends of the Library and the Victoria College Book Sale.

To celebrate the inaugural year of the Distinguished Alumni Award, the Victoria University Board of Regents was honoured, with recognition being offered to each past board chair. With service spanning five decades, the Board of Regents of Victoria University have led Victoria through times of rapid change and development. Past chairs include:
  
Ralph Mills (2T5), 1962-70
Dennis Lane (5T4), 1977-82
Henry Sissons (3T7), 1982-85
David Pretty (4T7), 1985-89
Ruth (Manning) Alexander (5T0), 1989-92
Paul Fox (4T4), 1992-95
Richard Cousland (5T4)