50s Mike Du Boulay, Radio and Television Arts (RTA) ’59, writes: “I remain active, having survived metastatic melanoma. I’m 80 years young and still playing the bagpipes in the Stratford Police Pipes and Drums. I’m blessed with a beautiful wife, Nancy, of 44 years, our three lovely children and five precious grandchildren. I’ve worked for CFRB Toronto, CKPR Fort William, CKCO-TV Kitchener, Thompson Television International Scotland, BBC-TV London England, CBC Toronto, CBC Montreal, Citytv and CFTO (CTV Toronto). I’d love to hear stories from classmates; my email is mduboulay@sympatico.ca.”
60s [1] Jeremy Ferguson, Journalism ’65, writes: “It unsettles here on the verge of retirement, when my graduation ceremony seems so close. My professional life began in corporate public relations, then I worked in freelance writing for 43 years. I wrote about everything from business to food and drink for dozens of magazines until finding my place as a travel journalist and photographer, most prominently as a lead writer for the Globe and Mail’s travel section. My notebook, camera and I travelled through 101 countries, specializing in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Awards include three ANTOR Awards for Excellence in Journalism and Journalist of the Year from the French Tourist Office. My forthcoming journey is 18 days on a riverboat on India’s Ganges and Hooghly Rivers. Retiring I am, but not from life.”
Gord Shlanger, RTA ’63, writes: “I am the convener of a bi-monthly RTA alumni lunch which has been taking place for more than eight years and is attended by grads from many years. The one constant is former RTA course director Sydney Perlmutter, who attends every lunch, even at the age of 91. Last year we celebrated his 90th birthday with almost 70 grads.”
70s Carol Franks, Journalism ’71, has created two Spanish board games, Verb It, and most recently SummitRUN, which highlights the rich cultures of Spanishspeaking countries and features 800 intriguing fact questions about 19 countries in Latin America as players face obstacles and natural disasters in their quest to reach the summit of a towering Mayan temple.
Lorna Tomlinson, Social Work ’73, writes: “I am retiring after 44 years in the field of community mental health, spurred on by the training I received at Ryerson.”
Paul Winnell, Business ’71, retired as director of the foundation at Upper Canada College in Toronto, a position he held for 25 years. He continues to work part-time for the school. Paul lives half the year in Toronto’s Leslieville and half in Rio de Janeiro where he has a home with his partner Marcelo and their two children Evilyn, 10, and Ryan, 8.
80s [2] John Corcelli, RTA ’84, has published his first book Frank Zappa FAQ: All That’s Left to Know about the Father of Invention, released in September by Backbeat Books. He writes: “I’m proud to join my fellow RTA graduates on the alumni book shelf: Robert (Bob) Brehl, Paul Romanuk and Warren Dunford who have all released books since we graduated from Ryerson.”
MJ Henderson, Nursing ’82, was recognized with the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties’ Lifetime Achievement Award. A long-time nurse practitioner (NP) educator and gerontological nurse practitioner, she was recognized for advancing the NP profession through her many contributions to quality NP education and advocacy of gerontological issues.
[3] Wayne and Diane (DesRoches) Jennings, RTA ’81, maintain, after 32 years of marriage and many adventures, a real passion for the outdoors: canoeing, camping and kayaking with their children Brad and Céline. They share their adventures on explorethebackcountry.com. When not in the woods, Wayne continues his 35-year career as a videographer/editor with CTV London, and Diane is with the RCMP as the director of communications and media relations for Ontario.
Cezar Khursigara, Chemistry and Biology ’99, is an associate professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of Guelph. He received the Fisher Scientific Award at the Canadian Society of Microbiologists’ conference last June, and also delivered the conference’s opening lecture, titled “Uncovering biofilm-specific virulence and antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in Pseudomonas aeruginosa using quantitative proteomics.”
WINTER 2017 • Ryerson University Magazine 41
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