With heartfelt appreciation

Heritage Society and President’s Circle plaque recipients pose with Dalhousie President Tom Traves. From left to right: Leslie Stewart, Margaret Stewart, John Montgomerie, Barbara O’Shea, David Bell, Diane Bell, Curtis Cartmill, Anne Bastedo, Dr. Traves, Blair Eavis, Richard Goldbloom, Ruth Goldbloom, Karl Von Holtzhousen-Brikkels, J.C. Hyndman. (Danny Abriel Photo)

Arriving at Dal 47 years ago, John (Joe) Hyndman gets misty-eyed thinking of all the fun he had and the friendships he made.

“I was not a good student. I was more interested in hockey,” said Dr. Hyndman yesterday at a holiday reception honoring Dalhousie’s donors. “But that was an evolution. It turns out I became a good student, actually a better student than a hockey player.”

He says he’ll be forever grateful, not only for his time at Dal as a student in the 1960s but as a faculty member. The professor of surgery at Dalhousie and head of orthopedics at the IWK Health Centre has worked at Dalhousie for 40 years. At Thursday’s reception, he was acknowledged for his financial contributions over those years, a cumulative total of more than $100,000 dollars. Also recognized were David and Diane Bell, who joined him as members of the President’s Circle.

It was a warm and festive gathering at the Sculpture Court on Thursday, attended by about 350 people. Organized by the Office of External Relations, the reception thanked Dalhousie supporters and celebrated breaking the $50-million mark in annual fundraising efforts.

SEE MORE PHOTOS: By Danny Abriel

It was also a chance for President Tom Traves to reiterate his vision for Dalhousie to become Canada’s best university.

“That might seem grandiose in our humble Nova Scotia context ... but there are many indications that we are on our way,” said President Traves, who proudly supplied some examples. Dalhousie continues “to attract fabulous students” and “wonderful faculty,” who are rated highly by students for their teaching. He also shared that Dalhousie welcomed its largest freshman class ever, and this as enrolments are in decline across the country.

These achievements are possible in part because of the “tremendous support Dalhousie receives from our community,” he said. “We couldn’t do all the things we do without you who contribute so magnificently.”

Dr. Hyndman, for one, cheered Dr. Traves’s remarks. “Living here in Halifax all these years, I so love to hear that we strive to be the best. We have an attitude to overcome, but for me, it’s all about our people. If we keep attracting students who are the best, we will continue to be best. It just keeps getting better.”

Members of the Heritage Society were also recognized at Thursday’s gathering. The Heritage Society comprises about 180 alumni and friends who plan to remember Dalhousie in their wills. Some of the society’s newest members include Anne Bastedo, Curtis Cartmill, Blair Eavis, Ruth and Richard Goldbloom, John Montgomerie, Barbara O’Shea, Leslie and Margaret Stewart and Karl Holtzhousen-Brikkels. Dr. Goldbloom, Dalhousie’s chancellor emeritus, beamed widely as the assemblage broke into Happy Birthday in acknowledgement of his 86th birthday.

At the age of 35, Curtis Cartmill says he gives to Dalhousie annually and has included Dalhousie in his will for more than a decade. Like Dr. Hyndman, the 1998 graduate says his time at Dalhousie was formative; “it really defined who I am.” He was shaped not only by his academic study—in computer science before there was a separate faculty—but by his extracurricular activities. He was involved in the Dalhousie Student Union, the Board of Governors and Shinerama on a national level.

After working for seven years with IBM in Vancouver, Mr. Cartmill returned to Halifax and joined the family business, LED Roadway Lighting Limited. It allows him to not only contribute financially to Dalhousie, but also give the university his time. He volunteers on an advisory committee to the Dean of Computer Science.

“Dalhousie gave me the opportunity to do great things and gave me great skills to take with me,” he said.