A lucky few Dalhousie employees got to sneak out of the office for the morning of June 7, but trust us — they’ve earned it.
Each year, Dal President Tom Traves hosts a morning coffee break at the President’s House for employees marking their 25th year at the university. For some perspective: a quarter-century ago, there was still a Soviet Union and a Berlin Wall. Brian Mulroney held the reins in Ottawa and Ronald Reagan was running things across the border. Dynasty (the first one) was on TV, Men Without Hats were on the radio, and most of Dalhousie’s current undergrads hadn’t even been born yet.
Dr. Traves didn’t mention Men Without Hats in his speech to the honored attendees, but he did laud his guests’ many contributions and their continuing legacy.
“I think it’s really important to celebrate these kinds of milestones,” he explained in an informal speech to the guests of honor. “Things are very, very different today… we’re larger, more complex, we have more faculties, more programs… all of that’s possible only because we have people who make it happen.”
Before Dr. Traves distributed the cherished 25-year pins—he joked about feeling a bit like Santa Claus handing them out—he concluded, “We’re only as good as the people who work here, and I think we’re very good indeed.”
Taking stock of careers well-spent
One 25-year veteran is June Cleary, administrative assistant to the assistant vice-president, Communications and Marketing.
“I’ve been coming to Dalhousie every day and really enjoying my time very much” she says. Her 25-year pin just squeaked in before her retirement this month. And although Ms. Cleary will miss Dalhousie, “I’m glad to be moving on to a more relaxing pace… more dog walking!”
“Things have changed so much,” she adds. “When I first came to Dal, we had just gotten computers in the office. Apple Twos, I think, those little boxy ones that people used to turn into fishtanks.” Ms. Cleary says the highlight of her career was Dalhousie’s involvement with the Halifax G7 visit in 1995: “I had my picture taken with Bill Clinton behind the University Club.”
Karen Tarum, another 25-year recipient, is the library assistant at the Sir James Dunn Law Library. “I work in the acquisitions department,” she explains. “I do – well, I do a lot of things!”
In 25 years, she’s seen the remodeling of the library and the arrival of new deans. “[Current Dean Kim Brooks] has really brought the law school together in a community,” Ms. Tarum says. Her advice to the current crop of job-seekers is that “if you work hard and respect other people, you’ll get along great.”
Carolyn Young is the administrative and graduate assistant in the Department of Biology. For her, Dalhousie is something of a family tradition.
“My dad worked here… he retired eight years ago,” she says. The details of Ms. Young’s career have changed over the years: “Everything’s electronic now… and we’ve moved through a lot of [department] chairs.”
And after 25 years of getting to know Dalhousie, what does she think of the school?
“It’s like a family away from your family.”
Dalhousie 25-year employees for 2011-12
Paula Beed, Administrative Computing Services
Timothy Benstead, Medicine
Susan Brousseau, President's Office
Neil Burford, Graduate Studies
Shawna Burgess, External Relations
Catherine Byers, Chemistry
Bruce Caddell, Housing & Conference Services
A. Marguerite Cassin, Public Administration
June Cleary, Communications and Marketing
Ian Colford, Killam Library
Nicholas Culshaw, Earth Sciences
Christine Delodder, Financial Services
Marc Dooley, Networks and Systems
Rosemary Doubleday, Arts Centre
Gloria Eustace, Financial Services
Sheila Gallagher, Continuing Tech Education - Sexton
Horand Gassman, Business Administration
Robert Harrie, Networks and Systems
Paul Herman, Facilities Management
Heather Hillyard, Research Office - Sexton
Edward Jones, Academic Computing Services
Joseph Lawen, Urology
Catherine Lunn, Administrative Computing Services
Duncan MacIntosh, Philosophy
Rhonda MacLellan, Bookstore
Bernadette Malone, Industry Liaison and Innovation
Charles Maxner, Medicine
Orla McDevitt, Human Resources
Barbara Mealiea, Human Resources
John Merrick, Schulich School of Law
Karen Mills, Continuing Tech Education - Sexton
Cynthia Neville, History
James O'Brien, Saint John Regional Hospital
Shelley Phipps, Economics
Dianne Pothier, Schulich School of Law
Helen Powell, Sexton Design & Tech Library
Jo-Ann Riggs, General University
Carolene Robertson, Sexton Design & Tech Library
Phyllis Ross, Killam Library
Scott Rountree, MedIT - Computing & Media Svcs
Christopher Rozee, Academic Computing Services
Perry Sabean, Facilities Management
Susan Sanderson, Saint John Regional Hospital
Melinda Shaw, Legal Aid Program
Sarah Shea, Pediatrics
William Sheridan, Facilities Management
Ernest Stacey, Facilities Management
Karen Tarum, Law Library
David VanderZwaag, Schulich School of Law
Joan Wenning, Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Henry Whitehead, Biology
Jonathan Wright, Biology
Carolyn Young, Biology
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