Honours and Awards

The McGill Alumni Association’s staffers are certainly a dedicated lot, but even they can’t handle the hundreds of events and activities organized each year by the MAA without a helping hand – lots of helping hands, actually. On May 24, some of the McGill graduates, friends, faculty, students and staff who have gone above and beyond the call of duty received a well-deserved opportunity to shine in the spotlight at the MAA’s annual Honours and Awards Banquet.

Dress tartans required

Piper Graham Batty pays homage to McGill’s Scottish heritage. Every year the sound of bagpipes leads banquet guests from the evening’s opening reception to dinner and the awards ceremony.

Mobbed by McDougalls

Nicolas Morin

The star of the evening was former MAA president and tireless volunteer Sally Drury McDougall, BSc’68, DipEd’69, who was awarded the MAA’s top prize, the Award of Merit. Befitting her star status, she attracted quite an entourage. Family members, including nine McGill grads, surprised Sally by flying in from across Canada for the ceremony.

Back row, left to right: husband Douglass McDougall, BA’67, son Reid McDougall, BSc’97, DipEnvSt’98, brother Reid Drury, son John McDougall, BEng’95, MEng’98, son Todd McDougall, BEng’95, Robert Gaudreau, MBA’76. Front row, left to right: Principal Heather Munroe-Blum, Penny Ballem, BSc’71, sister-in-law Shelagh Drury, MBA’82, Sally McDougall, sister Pansy Gaudreau, BEd’74, CertIncEd’07, daughter-in-law Emilie Caussignac, BA’96, and daughter-in-law Margo McDougall.

Dedicated doctor

Former Dean of Medicine Abraham Fuks, BSc’68, MDCM’70, receives the Faculty Award for Excellence in Alumni Education from former MAA president Morna Flood Consedine, DipEd’71, MEd’77, DEd’85. As Dean, Dr. Fuks visited alumni branches around the world, and continues to serve as an indispensable ambassador for McGill.

Hail Harvey

David Harvey, MDCM’55, seen here receiving the E.P. Taylor Award from MAA honorary treasurer Allan Lanthier, BCom’69, led the charge when his classmates celebrated their 50th reunion by raising more than $150,000 for curriculum development in the Faculty of Medicine. It set a new record for reunion class gifts in the Faculty, and Harvey organized the effort, inspiring the generosity of classmates through his own personal pledge.

Beantown’s MVP

Trish Duff, BA’88, associate director of the Alumni Association, presents Boston branch leader Ian Pilarczyk with the President of the Year Award. Members of the Boston branch enjoyed a wide-ranging series of events last year— everything from wine-tasting and career networking, to a new “McGill Reads” Boston book club and lectures by the likes of famed Harvard neuroscientist (and McGill grad) Steven Pinker.

A class with class

Nicolas Morin

The Macdonald Class of ’61 is a tight-knit bunch that stays in touch, thanks in large part to the Herculean efforts of long-time class vice-president Gale Elliot. Their joint fundraising projects have benefited the recently renovated Macdonald Campus Library, and class members are planning to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduation in 2011 by creating two new scholarships.

Dean of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Chandra Madramootoo, BSc(Agr)’77, MSc(Agr)’81, PhD’85, with Class of ’61 representatives Cameran Mirza, BSc(Agr)’61, and Gale Elliot, BSc(Agr)’61.