2003 Alumni Tribute Award Recipients
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Honourable T. Alexander Hickman,
OC, QC , MUC'44, LLB, LLD
You can take Alex Hickman out of Grand Bank but you can’t take
Grand Bank soccer out of Alex Hickman. He is as passionate today
about his sport as he was when he played as a student of Memorial
University College in the early 1940’s. His most recent game
was Labour Day 2003 with his family on the pitch in Grand Bank. His
only concession--because of vision problems he had to serve in net.
Asked how he did, Alex says “I stopped every shot that hit
me.”
Now retired, he and his wife Nancy (Muse) are in close contact with
sons Sandy (B.Ed.’76, B.Phys.Ed.’76), Harry (BA
’85) and Peter (BA ’82) and daughter Heather and their
seven sports-oriented grandchildren who according to Alex “have
me worn out going to their games. It’s great fun and they are
all so active. You don’t dare go to one game and not
another.”
Former chief justice T. Alex Hickman, is modest about his
accomplishments but fortunately others are not. Recognition for his
service to the people of the province was enshrined permanently on
Nov. 6, 2001, when the Grand Bank Courthouse was declared “The
Honourable T. Alex Hickman Courthouse.” He was appointed as
Officer of the Order of in 2003. And most recently he has been named
2003 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honour
the Alumni Association of Memorial University of Newfoundland can
bestow.
Alex graduated from arts and sciences at Memorial University College
in 1944 and then, when his efforts to enlist in the air force were
confounded by the end of the war, he took a degree in law from
Dalhousie (where he was captain of the varsity soccer team). Over the
next half century Mr. Hickman distinguished himself as lawyer,
politician and judge.
First elected to the House of Assembly in 1966, Mr. Hickman was
minister of justice and attorney general from 1966-69 and again from
1972-79. As Newfoundland 's minister of justice, he introduced
several major reforms in family law and the provincial court system.
He was appointed as chief justice to the Supreme Court of
Newfoundland—Trial Division in 1979. He served there until his
retirement and recalls it as “the most rewarding time of my
career. I loved the challenges. I enjoyed the opportunity to be in
the courtroom every day with people who were experiencing one of the
most important events of their lives.”
Horizon Award for Lifetime
Achievement
Stephen Kent, BBA’01
He may be young but there is no such thing as a brief biography for
Steve Kent. He has jammed as much education and community service
into his 25 years as most people can hope to achieve in a lifetime:
from student council president at O’Donel High School to deputy
mayor of Mount Pearl (and the youngest elected councillor in the
city’s history); from a bachelor’s degree in business
administration to a master’s degree (McGill, 2003) in
management for volunteer sector leaders; from vice-chair of the 2000
summer games to CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern
Newfoundland (which has grown 600 per cent since he accepted the
position). For this dedication to his community and to his province
Mr. Kent has received numerous service awards, some of which include
the bronze and silver Duke of Edinburgh’s awards, the Chief
Scout’s and Queen’s Venturer awards, the national YTV
Achievement Award for Public Service, the Chamber of Commerce Best in
Business Government Award and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal.
In 1999 MacLeans’s magazine named Steve Kent one of the top 100
young Canadians to watch in the 21st century.
J.D. Eaton Award
Wayne Thistle, QC, B.Ed '68, B.Sc.(Hons)'68, MA '71
Memorial University ’s position as a leading comprehensive
university is due in no small measure to the foresight and efforts of
Wayne Thistle. Over the last 34 years he dedicated much of his
professional and volunteer life to the university. From 1968, when he
began as assistant registrar, to 2003 when he retired as
vice-president (administration and finance) and legal counsel, Mr.
Thistle demonstrated his commitment to Memorial both as a
professional and as a volunteer. He constantly strove to be at the
forefront of developments in higher education, serving as a volunteer
and senior member on many boards and national committees. Applying
the extensive knowledge he gained as a volunteer, Mr. Thistle
spearheaded the development of Memorial’s award-winning IT
capabilities and advocated the adoption of creative solutions in
labour relations. His management style was to support those on whom
he depended as they implemented the innovations that he pursued
relentlessly.
Outstanding Community Service Award
Maj. Dr. G. Dawn Howse, B.Med.Sc.’76, MD’78
In one of her letters home from what her father Dom Howse likens to
the “dark side of the moon,” Dr. Dawn Howse included the
quote “I don’t believe in miracles, I depend on them
every day.” Seventeen years earlier, in 1986, after seven years
of medicine in rural Newfoundland , Dr. Howse made a life changing
decision. She became a Salvation Army Officer, studied tropical
medicine in and moved to to begin her life’s work. Four years
later, in 1992, she was appointed Chief Medical Officer at the
101-bed Salvation Army Tshelanyemba Hospital and still serves in that
position today. There she faces daily the human impact of living in a
war-torn country devastated by HIV/AIDS and TB. But she still finds
time to visit outlying clinics and volunteer for community and
national organizations. Unable to attend the October ceremonies, Dr.
Howse sent home this message: “I’m a person who enjoys
solitude, but I’ve learned that life is enriched by
relationships. I value the relationships that I’ve developed
here and the people I work with and serve. But I also value deeply my
relationships with my family, friends and colleagues at home. And I
want you to know that your support means a great deal to
me.”
Outstanding Professional Achievement
Award
Lieutenant-General Rick Hillier, B.Sc.’76
Lt.-Gen. Rick Hillier will assume command of the NATO-lead
International Security Assistance Force based in Kabul, on Feb 1,
2004. That appointment follows hard on the heels of his May 30, 2003
promotion to Chief of the Land Staff with the Canadian Forces and
marks the latest step in an outstanding military career. As member of
the Royal Canadian Dragoons Regiment, Lt.-Gen. Hillier has commanded
troops from platoon to division. He served as a staff officer in both
army headquarters in Montreal and at National Defence Headquarters in
Ottawa . He has served throughout , in Europe and in the and has
logged extensive United Nations and NATO service in the former . In
1998 Lt.-Gen. Hillier was appointed as the Canadian deputy commanding
general of III Armoured Corps, US Army in Fort Hood, Texas and
following that, in 2000, as commander, Multinational Division
(Southwest). On returning to he assumed the duties of assistant chief
of Land Staff until his recent promotion.