Early Summer 2022 Edition |
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In this issue you will find:
- Message from the co-chairs
- Retirees 2021-2022
- Upcoming events - Fall lineup
- College news
- Lives Lived - Michael O'Neil, Allen Ellis, Gail Florence, Edward Finstein
- You can help!
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Click the button below to read the Co-chairs' summer message |
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New Retirees
Congratulations to the following individuals who have announced their retirement from George Brown College
Shahzad Ami
Ann Bernardo
Lily Bracic-Ronalds
Julie Bulmash
Dawn Chandelier
Sing Ray Cho
Robert Crawford
Brigette Couture
Wayne Gatt
Bel Gelman
Leisa Gryschuk
Nelson Hillier
Susan Karakas
Elizabeth Kelly
Yu Lan
Denise Laurin
Monique LeDrew
Susan Lewis
Jay Liu
Ruth Malayang
Paula Mastrilli
Marilyn McNeil-Morin
Lina Medaglia
Jim Nielsen
Roderick O'Connor
Lidia Pirraglia
Maria Quian
Anne Sado
Dezerine Seaton
Bozena Tomczak
Lorraine Trotter
Ying Wang
Charlene Wood
If we have missed any new retirees or you know someone who might be interested in joining us, drop us a line at [email protected]
We wish you all the very best as you begin your new journey.
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We have begun our planning for our Fall activities which you will find in the attached calendar by clicking here. If there are activities/events that you would like to add to the list, please drop us a line at [email protected]
Details and registration information will be sent out later in the summer and will be available on our web site www.gbcra.org
Below are some of the highlights from the Fall Calendar:
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We will host our annual fundraising auction again this year to continue to provide scholarship funds for GBC students in need of financial assistance.
This year the auction begins online on September 1st and will remain online until September 29th when we will move the party to a local restaurant and finish the auction face-to-face (if you choose to attend). We are planning to host a wine and cheese event at this point in the auction.
September 8th; Welcome back! We are hosting an informal face-to-face Meet and Greet at one of the local pubs on the Danforth. It's been so long since we have been able to connect in person, we hope that you can join us.
September 22nd; An online presentation featuring the music and influence of one of the world's best gospel singers Mahalia Jackson.
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October 7th
We thought we would get in the mood for Thanksgiving by taking a pre-Thanksgiving "live-streamed" mystery tour, perhaps to Brighton England. Several GBCRA members have recommended that we hire a particular tour guide, Bony at Brighton, and ask her to either take us to a traditional English roast beef dinner at a local pub, or to a traditional English Tea. We are negotiating with Heygo to make this happen. If we are unable to "go" to Brighton, we will find an alternative that is just as great.
Both Beth O'Brien and Jennifer Cooke recommend this activity and we hope we can make all the necessary arrangements so that we can begin our Thanksgiving holidays with a real treat.
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November 8th: The treaty ending WW1 was supposed to bring lasting peace, but instead brought the eruption of WW2. What went wrong? Join us for this online presentation as we honour our war veterans later that same week.
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November 18th:
Join us for a live piano concert at St. Andrew's Church (King and University Ave) for part of their noon hour concert series. The pianist for this concert is Rudin Lengo, who has generously donated piano lessons in the past for our auction.
He will be playing a Bosendorfer Piano for this concert which is one of the most expensive pianos in the world, valued anywhere between $256,000 and $560,000 (US). For piano music enthusiasts this can not be missed!
Following the concert you will have the opportunity to meet Rudin over a beverage at a local pub.
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December 2nd
GBCRA will host its 2022 Annual General Meeting online. Agendas and information will be sent out well ahead of time.
We will also be unveiling our new "Welcome to Retirement" video featuring many of this year's retirees and their colleagues.
A face-to-face gathering following the meeting is being planned for those who are interested.
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December 18th
James Dean - the Rebel
Join us for this online presentation about the super "cool" James Dean and all of the mythology surrounding him.
For those interested in cinema, this will serve as the inaugural meeting of the new GBCRA Cinema Club. Members of this club will select one movie each month to view on their own online via whatever platform they have access to. Our plan is then to host hybrid meetings where members will be able to participate in a discussion about the movie either in person or online.
Everyone is welcome.
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College News
Many of you told us that you are interested in receiving a copy of the internal George Brown College News. We have brought this to the attention of the senior management team. The issue is that in order to receive a personalized copy, you must have a George Brown College email address. We have once again brought this requirement to the attention of the senior management team and President Fearon has committed to getting back to us regarding the possibility of GBC email addresses for retirees.
In the meantime, here is the public GBC news.
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Lives Lived
We remember our colleagues, celebrate their life, and honour their contributions
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Michael Vincent O’Neill, aged 74 years, passed away suddenly on Saturday April 30, 2022.
Mike was an educator at George Brown College for many years and like his father, an accomplished Mason. He took so much pride in his work, friends and family, and was a dear friend, mentor and father figure for so many.
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Allen Roy Ellis
Very peacefully, surrounded by his favourite people in the world, Allen Roy Ellis, passed away after a brief illness on June 23, 2022 at the age of 73. This man was a medical marvel and had defied death for many years. He used every one of his 9 lives.
An accomplished career in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry led to Allen becoming a professor at George Brown College in 1988.
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Gail Elizabeth Florence
11 January 1933 – 23 March 2022
Gail was born in Manitoba. She received her degree in history and English there before going on to further study at the University of Toronto. She taught English at George Brown College and the Adult Learning Centre. Gail brought her considerable resources to making English a rich language for second language learners. She enjoyed working with students from every part of the world and was full of admiration for the journeys that brought them to Canada. She had a great love of literature, a large personal library, and travelled extensively.
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Edward Finstein
Author and columnist Edward Finstein has died following a long and valiant battle with cancer. He was 69 years old.
Along with his writing, Finstein was also a renowned wine judge, consultant, author, television and radio personality and part-time professor of wine at George Brown College’s School of Hospitality.
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Please Help!
Do you know any GBC graduates who have gone on to notable accomplishments?
The GBC Foundation and Advancement offices are always interested in learning about such graduates, who may be good choices as nominees for the Premier’s Award or other honours. Often a retired faculty or other staff member is the one most likely to know that the person who has become an industry leader or has had significant life achievements graduated from a college program. For example, some of this year’s Premier Awards nominees graduated more than 25 years ago. Current staff may not know them or may not realize that the person whose company is hosting co-ops or placements or who sits on a Program Advisory Committee is actually a GBC grad. This is a place where retirees can really help! If you know of someone who might be a good candidate for recognition, please send an email about the person to Cindy Gouveia at [email protected] telling a bit about the person and providing their contact information
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If you have something that you would like to share with other retirees, contact us and we can determine the best way to get your message out there! |
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Find out who is on the Board of Directors, how to contact individuals, how to become involved and click this link. We would love to hear from you.
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This Newsletter is compiled by a Board Committee of Bob Cox, Jennifer Cooke, and Joan Reynolds.
Various members of the Association write articles for the newsletter and we encourage member participation. This month we thank Georgia Quartaro, Dianne Diniz, Bob Cox, Guert Van de Kraats, Debbie Plested
Please feel free to contact our Communicatons Director, Bob Cox to provide us with feedback, suggestions, and articles by clicking here
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GBCRA 2146A Queen St E, Unit 46, Toronto, ON M4E 1E3 | www.gbcra.org |
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