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The Schulich School of Law extends warm wishes to Donna Beaver on her retirement. Faculty, staff, and friends gathered at the law school last week to celebrate her 27 years of service. She will be greatly missed at Weldon.

“Donna’s judgment, counsel, expertise, and humour have added a great deal to our law school community and to the university,” says Dean Camille Cameron. “While we might initially have been in denial about her departure, we are very happy for her and wish her the best. We know she will be out there taking great photos and enjoying a well-deserved retirement. A million thanks, Donna!”

Before embarking on her career at the law school, Donna had previously worked in sales in the building-supply industry and as a graphic designer, an intermediate accountant in the insurance industry, and a production and inventory controller at Farmer’s Dairy.

Since coming to the law school, Donna has worked for seven Deans: Acting Dean Philip Girard, Dean Joe Ghiz, Dean Dawn Russell, Dean Phillip Saunders, Dean Kim Brooks, and Dean Camille Cameron. During her time at the law school, Donna was responsible for the human resources, financial, and facilities operations. “Although I won’t miss working, I will surely miss the people,” she says.

The Weldon Law Building wasn’t Donna’s first workplace at Dalhousie, however. She spent over two years as the materials and inventory co-ordinator for the carpentry, electrical, and mechanical stores at Facilities Management, where she computerized the inventory system and redesigned the warehouse storage.

Donna joined the law school in 1992. “The culmination of all of my previous experience—accounting, supervision, collective agreements, building and maintenance, procurement, scheduling—were instrumental in providing me with skills I used daily,” she says.

Even earlier, the first job Donna took while she was in high school was working at the cafeteria at Dal’s Student Union Building. She began her Bachelor of Commerce studies at Dal in 1975 but had to leave after two years due to lack of funding, returning to academia in 1985 and finishing with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1987. In 2000, she completed her MBA while working at the law school.

“I concentrated on two majors, marketing and organizational behavior and psychology,” she says. “At no time did I embrace accounting. It had been my dream to go to the Nova Scotia College of Art to be a dress designer but the cost was too great, so I followed the business track instead. It’s something I don’t regret as now that I am retired I can explore my artistic side at my leisure.”

During her retirement, Donna is looking forward to pursuing her passions. “Currently it is photography, which I got into five years ago,” she says. “I hope to get back into oil painting now that I will have the time. I might even take some courses at NSCAD and fulfil a long-standing desire,” she says with a grin.