Emerald Achievements

VC Hall of Honour Induction Ceremony

18 April 2009

On this gala evening, guests were greeted by new VC Alumni Association President Tom Crean '74.  Everyone had an opportunity to socialize in the foyer outside the new gym and high performance fitness centre.  The crowd was abuzz and many spoke highly of the new additions to the old alma mater.  As we entered the gym, we walked past the Hall of Honour and got a chance to review the existing members.

A fantastic crowd of more than 180 people attended - a wide cross section of the VC Community including teachers, VCL Board members such as Chairman Franco Trasolini, existing Hall members like Maury Mulhern and Kevin Konar, family, firends, and of course alumni.

The evening was MC's by Steve Dotto '76, who was the funny and engagin and kept the evening rolling along.  After dinner, we got right down to business.  Dan Kolesnik '57 gave a rousing speech in honour of Bob Ackles with a nod to the new facilities by pointing out that they used to play on a gravel field.  A touching video tribute brought the crowd to their feet early as Kay Ackles accpeted the presentation.

Mike McIsaac '87 gane an impromptu introduction for Bob Corbett touching on Bob's loyalty to his players and dedication to his sport.  Bob Corbett is currently the Dean of Academics at Collingwood School in West Vancouver.  But for the decade of the '90s he was our head coach of the Varsity Basketball team.  Bob spoke with pride of his time here at VC.  While he was impressed with the new gym, he mentioned it didn't quite smell right.  I guess it wasn't yet infused with the sweat of hard work and excitement of a close game.

Faculty member Ten Hon Choo introduced Sean Fleming and spoke of Sean's generosity in his willingness to reach out to a recent grad to provide guidance and encouragement.  Sean is now an accountant with Price Waterhouse in Edmonton and does a lot of work with the Alberta Diabetes Foundation.

Turlough O'Hare was introduced by his sister, who was clearly proud of him, not just as an olympian, but also as an amazing brother, an outstanding doctor, and a devoted husband and father.  In his acceptance speech, Turlough related that the genesis of his swimming career coul be traced back to the simple desire for an ice cream when his father challenged him to swim across the family pool.

Gord Penn, head coach of the track and field team, introduced Frank Smith.  Frank has lived much of his life as a football coach.  Frank spoke of his admission into VC.  At that young age he was on his own but the Brothers recognized his skills on the grid iron and welcomed him open arms.  Frank also fondly reminisced about the gravel football field, which prompted a cheer from Dan Kolesnik.

Kim Findlay presented Henry Van Driel. Professor Van Driel gave the most light-hearted acceptance speech of the evening referring to himself as the token nerd of the group.  Despite the difference in fields of excellence, Henry's achievements are no less noteworthy.  In fact, his cutting edge research could prve to have the most substantive impact on our daily lives, leading to vast improvements in computing and telecommunications.

And last but not least, we honoured the 1967 Basketball team, the last team to win a Provincial Championship.  It was a special honour to have Bob De Julius, John Beaton, John Mills, Bob Beaupre, Rob and Richard Noble, and Dennis Kelly present to accept the induction.  On behalf of the team, Bob De Julius spoke with pride of their accomplishment.

In the end each inductee touched on the same points - VC instilled in them strength of mind, body, and spirity that laid the foundation for them to pursue their goals.  Their achievements set forth a wonderful example for the current student botdy to gain a deeper understanding of their own potential.

Thenk you to all the inducteed for their gracious acceptance of this honour.  We would liek to thank our sponsors: Colin Campbell '90 and Anderw Peller Ltd. - wine and beer sponsor, Joseph MacKinnon '79 - table wine sponsor, Dave Mills '72, Hub International TOS, Michael Tam, Arbutus Florist, and Salmon Rentals.

And last, thank you to the organizers: Kim Findlay & Charlotte Koehler who put in super human efforts, Steve Eivemark '89, Bruce & Wendy Fougner, Tom Crean '74, Pete Fahrmann '90, and the VC Lettermen.

The next round of inductees will be selected in the fall of 2010 and inducted in the Hall in the Spring 2011.  If you know of any alumni who has achieved excellence in their field, whether it's science, medicine, religion, politics, business, the Arts, or athletics, contact us for a nomination form and throw their name into the ring.