Grande Prairie Regional College Magazine

SpecialAnniversary

Edition2006-2007

THIS ISSUE

Charter Celebration

Elder Darlene Cardinal

Wolves Wallof Fame

GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITIES WHERE WE

WORK, LIVE AND PLAY

780.539.3222 • www.focus.ca

Wisdom is published three times annually as a service to the manyconstituents of Grande Prairie Regional College, by the Department ofCommunity Relations.

Editor-In-Chief Lynne NessContributors Carmen Haakstad, Lynne Ness, Harry Quinn

Margaret Penner, Susan ThompsonDesign and layout Trina Irons, Irons DesignPhotography Rob Ganzeveld, FX Photographic; Susan

ThompsonPrinting Menzies Printers

THIS ISSUE

3 In Our Wisdom40th Anniversary– Harry Quinn

6 A Story Untold– Carmen Haakstad

8 Life Can beChallenging– Margaret Penner

12 In ConversationGo and Learn -Come Back andTeach your PeopleDarlene Campbell – Lynne Ness

22 Wolves Wall of Fame

18 Achievements

20 Alumni Mailbag

In Our WisdomHarry Quinn

InsideHarry Quinn was a member of thefirst Board of Governors of theCollege and shares some early his-tory.

The idea of establishing a JuniorCollege in Grande Prairie was con-ceived in the late l950’s, but it was-n’t until May 7, 1963 that the firstconcrete steps were taken. A meet-ing was called by the GrandePrairie Public School Board and allinterested parties were invited toattend. Dr Swift, Deputy Ministerof Education and Dr Smith, fromthe University of Alberta, wereinvited to attend and outline theprocedures that had to be fol-lowed in order to establish aCollege.

The meeting agreed that aJunior College should be estab-lished, with its home base inGrande Prairie, but that it shouldperceive its role as fulfilling theeducational needs of the adults ofthe Peace River Country, whereverand whenever possible. An adviso-ry board was established at thismeeting with representatives fromthe school districts that were pre-sent – namely G.P Public, G.P.Separate, G.P. County, Spirit River,and East Smoky. The G.P. PublicBoard agreed to be the sponsoringBoard as required in the Act.

Over the next couple of years alot of work went on behind thescenes, fulfilling all the require-ments necessary to actually startthe College. The vast majority ofthis work was done by FrankRiddle, Superintendent of the G.P.School Division. While this neces-sary task was being carried out,members of the Peace RiverGraduate Association were busy

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– continued on page 4

On our cover:Sukumar and Nalini Nayar are two ofthe former tenured faculty whoattended the Charter Celebrationheld in honour of the 40thAnniversary of GPRC. Nalini Nayarwas an instructor in the AcademicDevelopment department for 15years, retiring in 1989. Sukumar Nayarwas instructor and chairperson ofVisual and Performing Arts from1972 to 1986, and during his tenureestablished the drama program andlaunched the College Players theatregroup.

In OurWisdom

promoting the idea of a College byvisiting Home and School meet-ings, Chambers of Commerce,Service Clubs and School Boards allover the Peace River District. Moralsupport was easy to obtain, butfinancial support was harder tocome by.

In the Spring of 1965 the threeGrande Prairie School Boardsdecided to go ahead on their own,as financial support was not forth-coming from the other boards inthe region, and signed a participa-tion agreement on April 12, 1965.On April 6, 1965, word had beenreceived that the University ofAlberta had approved affiliation ofthe College with their institution.

On May 11, 1965 an Order inCouncil was passed by the AlbertaCabinet, establishing the GrandePrairie Junior College and namingits first Board of Governors: Mrs.Marie McIntosh and Mr. Ed Martin,representing G.P. Public SchoolBoard; Mr. Bernard Liland, repre-senting G.P. County School Board;and Dr. Harry Quinn, representingG.P. Separate School Board. Mr. TedHays was named the first SecretaryTreasurer by the board and MrFrank Riddle was named Director.

The first two bylaws of theBoard of Governors, and I believethey are still in place today, were:

1.1 The College shall be developedas a regionally oriented post-sec-ondary institution, to provide asbroad a range of educational pro-grams as may be feasible, withinthe limits of reasonable economics.

1.2 The College shall be estab-lished as a regionally orientedcommunity college, and shall, asfar as resources permit, make pro-visions for development of variousprograms of interest and value toresidents, at centres within the

region, that are served by the College.

Final preparations were madeover the next year, so the Collegecould open in the fall of 1966. Mr.Henry Anderson was hired as Deanand arrived in August of 1966.

The College opened its doors inSeptember 1966 and admitted 69full time students (46 from the cityand county and 23 from the region)and 43 students in evening classes.There were 15 staff members, somefull-time and some part-time. Thefirst budget called for revenue andexpenditures to reach $81,600.00.Student fees were set at $150.00for students from participatingBoards and $300.00 for other stu-dents. The College was housed inthe Central Park School (Prairie ArtGallery Building now) and the labsin the high school across the streetwere used for the science courses.Only first year University courseswere offered the first year.

Over the ensuing years, moreand more programs and courseswere developed and offered.Academic Upgrading was started in1967, Business and Secretarial train-ing in 1968 (after the purchase ofthe capital assets of this programfrom the Sisters of the Holy Cross,)Performing Arts, Industrial Training,Second year University, many pro-grams in the region both credit andnon credit, and the list goes onand on.

A permanent home wasneeded, as space requirementswere becoming a major con-cern for the Board.Douglas Cardinal washired in 1969 todesign and buildthe first phase ofthe present build-ing. In May of1971 the name of

the College was changed to GrandePrairie Regional College and con-struction started on our new cam-pus in 1972. The building was com-pleted, except for the auditorium,in fall of 1974. The auditorium wasfinished in 1976 and Premier PeterLougheed and other Governmentofficials, along with other digni-taries from the city and region,joined us for our 10th anniversarycelebration and dedication of thebuilding.

I was privileged to host QueenElizabeth II and her husband PrincePhilip and Prime Minister Trudeauand his wife Margaret, when theyvisited our College. They were allimpressed with our beautiful build-ing. Can you believe the originalbuilding cost just over 6 million dol-lars! Quite a bargain at today’sprices.

The College has carried on for 30more years and is now celebrating40 years of providing educationalopportunities for many, many peo-ple. I am proud to have been a partof this early history. I still get excit-ed and feel proud, whenever I amin the building. Keep up the goodwork and all the best for the next40 years!

– Harry Quinn

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– continued from page 3

Rick Beeson

HazelPatterson

5

Leo Dawson

LaRon Woolley

Harry Quinn

6

40thAnniversary

This story hasbeen untold…because he (HenryAnderson) said tome “lets keep thisconversationbetween you andI”… that was 26years ago whenHenry Anderson

was the College President and I wasthe Director Curator of the PrairieArt Gallery. I honored his requestuntil upon his death just a few yearsago but I have never told it publicly. Iam sure he would give me permissionif he were alive today.

It was a cold winter day inFebruary and I was sitting at my deskwhen I looked up and saw theCollege President coming in, walkingtowards me in his fur coat and hat.For a 23-year-old, fresh out ofCollege, it was a bit unnerving tohave the College President pay me apersonal visit. I had seen him in the

newspaper but had never met him,and I was in awe of this man whohad the vision to build a Collegewith beautiful architecture, whichwas rare in western Alberta.

I also knew why he was probablycoming to see me: the Daily Herald-Tribune had interviewed me twodays earlier about the future of thePrairie Gallery. If my memory servesme correctly the headline read some-thing like “Gallery without a home -GPRC needs their building for futureexpansion.” We needed to find anew home for the Gallery, so wewent public with the College’s inten-tions which had been announced toour Board of Directors via a lettersigned by Mr. Anderson. LaneBorstad (the chair of our board atthe time) and I decided our beststrategy to find a new location forthe Gallery was to go to the media.The ensuing story made the Collegelook like the bad guy, hence thevisit!

Henry Anderson told me that “theCollege is a great supporter of thevisual arts” and that he liked whatwe were doing in expanding thevisual arts in Grande Prairie, conclud-ing that if we needed this buildingthey could make other plans. Ireplied that “With all due respect,Mr. Anderson, we don’t want thisbuilding. It has too low a ceiling,there are plug-ins at waist heightabout every six feet, florescentlights…” and my list went on. Iexplained that the building was aportable Chemistry Lab and was notthe best for displaying art and ourcity and artists deserved better.“Besides,” I continued, “we thinkthe City should help fund a publicart gallery and we are looking at theschool building across the street thatis owned by the City, but which theyare planning to demolish. We thinkit should be saved and become theCity’s public art gallery.”

Well, he listened and thought for

an untold story

Carmen Haakstad

DouglasCardinal

HenryAnderson

7

awhile and said “What a greatidea… so if you do not want ourbuilding we will proceed with ourplans and pretend we did even havethis discussion.” And the rest is histo-ry; the portable Chemistry lab wasmoved to the campus and we wentto work fund raising and negotiat-ing with the City, Province andnational museums of Canada. Thatdecision saved one of our historicalbuildings from the wrecking ball,and the existing PAG opened in1985.

Fast forward to the year 2000 … Ibecame the Executive Director of theGPRC Advancement department andwhile reviewing the files saw thatMr. Anderson has been an annualdonor since he left as President. Icalled to thank him for his annualdonation and for all the things hedone for our community. He was liv-ing in Edmonton and I was amazedhe remembered our discussion aboutthe Gallery. I asked him if he would

come to Grande Prairie to a specialdinner to honor him and DouglasCardinal. He said he was not goingout to many public functions but ifDouglas was going to be there hewould make a special considerationto attend. I said “Great, now all Ihave to do is get Douglas Cardinal tocome!”

A few phone calls later, they hadboth agreed to come. I was so excit-ed I sent an email to “all staff” thatthe first president and first architectwere coming to a special dinner tohonor their vision for building thefirst phase of the College. I couldhardly hold back my excitement andour department began the prepara-tions.

Henry Anderson’s daughterBrenda, who lives in Texas and hisson from Calgary were contactedand they were planning to attendand were so pleased that theCollege was going to honour their

father. Douglas Cardinal’s son Brettwas also coming; he told us “Dadhas always had a special spot forGrande Prairie Regional College andfor Mr. Anderson.”

Then two weeks after confirmingtheir attendance I received a callfrom Henry’s son. “Carmen, ourfather died this week, and we want-ed you to know how excited he wasthat he was coming to GrandePrairie to see all his friends andDouglas.” It was a very sad time butthe family still wanted to come andparticipate in the dinner so we con-tinued with our plans. The dinnerwas a very historical moment for theCollege and for those who attended,one we will always remember.

And for me, Dr. Henry Andersonwill always be integral to my memo-ries of Grande Prairie RegionalCollege and the Prairie Art Gallery.

– Carmen Haakstad

BrendaAnderson

DouglasCardinal

8

“I’ll go anywhere, even if itmeans moving to the sticks ofnorthern Alberta, as long as I canhave a say in my children’s educa-tion!” explained my husband, Peteremphatically. He was responding tomy plea of “We can’t stay here for-ever!” - namely, on the edge of aHutterite colony in southernAlberta where he was teaching.

It wasn’t that we had any com-plaints, except that they were toogood to us. Like clockwork, at the

end of every day our children werepicked up by the school girls fortheir daily tour of the colony. Ifeared their psyche might becomeconditioned by the ‘group mentali-ty.’ Perhaps they would forever feelthey belonged to the colony??They were still too young to noticethat they were the only ones cladin bright colours. We looked to thefar north, but eventually settled forthe De Bolt area in 1960.

Were we in the sticks? We won-dered, when we saw nothing buttrees and came to the end of thepavement shortly after Whitecourt.What a relief to see pavementagain before hitting Valleyview!Here we saw evidence of a bustlingeconomy and an expanding civiliza-tion but there were no phone linesto our teacherage. Small countryschools could still be found, butwere rapidly being amalgamated.We even heard rumours of a col-lege coming to Grande Prairiesome day but that didn’t concernus because Peter had his first yearof University and I was a happybusy mother at home. Besidesteaching, Peter had also taken on asmall country congregation whoshowered us with love and appreci-ation, garden vegetables and wildmeat. The dual work load, howev-er, proved too much and suddenly

By Margaret Penner, charterstudent of Grande Prairie

Junior College, 1966

40thAnniversary

Life CanBe Challenging

we were in crisis. Would I be will-ing to support the family? “Noway!” Ten years ago I had given uppursuing a career to become a wifeand a mother.

Reluctantly and with trepidationI became willing. The local optionsfor work were nil. This could belong term, and then educationwould be beneficial. Suddenly therumours we had heard about a col-lege were crucial to our future.Even though it was Saturday, DeanHenry Anderson willingly invitedme to come in for a consultation.His graciousness and calm put meat ease. Late registration was noproblem. The excitement in thebuilding was palpable! Every appli-cation added more proof to thenecessity for a Junior College in theNorth. By now enrolment hadalready far exceeded the expecta-tions of the planners who hadbegun work ten years ago.

Dean Anderson personallychecked my qualifications andexpressed joy that this institutionwas meeting the needs of ‘older’people as well. I felt genuinely wel-comed and made to feel at home. Iwas now registered as a charterstudent of Grande Prairie JuniorCollege, the newest institution ofits kind in the province; then realitystruck me. At HOME were our fivechildren, three of whom werepreschoolers, who knew nothing ofthe plans my husband and I hadjust made! To top it all off, CLASS-ES BEGAN ON MONDAY!

Our oldest two boys were excit-ed at the prospect of having Daddyride the school bus with them. Wewere thankful that in those daysthere were no restrictions prohibit-ing that. A gal only in her teenswas willing to move in to be ourpreschooler’s nanny. What a pre-cious jewel she proved to be. Shecooked, baked, washed andcleaned. I never needed to worry.

Then we had to tell my parentswho lived nearby. Working mothersin those days were not necessarilyunderstood. What an encour-agement when theylistened and

then even gave us their blessing.We knew their prayers would beundergirding our new venture.Friends and family, even thechurch, would eventually get toknow. But before I could panic, itwas time to drive the 40 miles toclass in the only car we owned.

Young faces filled the halls ofthe College. The majority of the 69full-time students came right outof high school. I was met with loudboisterous talking and laughing -not intimidating but refreshing! Afew older students were there aswell, but where were the instruc-tors? I soon learned who theywere, and realized that several ofthem were younger than I. What afine group of people who influ-enced our lives through theirinstruction and friendships. Wewere challenged in our classes tomake a difference in the vocationof our choosing.

I never felt excluded in class, butI didn’t become part of the socialfabric of the College. The newlyrenovated Wapiti Dorm was theofficial residence for the studentsfrom surrounding areas. Othersresided at home. As I listened tothe students’ social plans for theevenings or weekends, I knewwhere I belonged: at home! Theresult was that I never got to knowmany of the students personally.At our recent 40th anniversary, Ilearned that the students had lov-ingly dubbed me “the mature stu-dent with a family at home.”Nevertheless, lasting friendshipswere made that year. Saturdayclasses accommodated ten localteachers, bringing the number ofpart-time students to 40.

The recent collapse of the roofof the Prairie Art Gallery wasbittersweet. This buildingbrought back so manymemories! Knownas CentralPark

School, it housed the College in itsinaugural year 1966-1967. It wasthere for the 40th Anniversary. Ithad been erected the same yearmy husband was born. Had it alsocompleted its task and was it timeto pass on the torch?

Both Peter and I, during success-ful teaching careers, have beenable to complete our BEd degreesat the College primarily throughextension courses offered by theUniversity of Alberta. Several ofour children have also attended,and now in retirement it is a joy tohave the grandchildren benefitfrom this local post-secondaryinstitution. It is their time to takeup the challenge.

We have watched the fledglingCollege grow and expand from thesmall two-storey building witheight classrooms to the uniquemulti-building complex on thehighway bypass. No small feat!Our prayer is that it may continueto expand to become theUniversity of the North. As ouralumni publication challenges usto wisdom, we concur that theattendees of the future may neverbypass true Wisdom, namely, toknow how to apply the knowledgelearned to life’s incredible chal-lenges day by day. As a family, weare grateful for the opportuni-ties this college has affordedus.

– Margaret Penner

10

Grande Prairie Regional College celebrated its 40th Anniversaryover the past year, including a Charter Celebration inSeptember which was attended by these members of theCharter faculty and staff:

L-R seated: Hazel (Beeson) Patterson, staff; Margaret Howey, student; Margaret Penner, stu-dent; Ruth McNaughton-Enns, student; Cheryl Widdifield-Marx, student.

L-R standing: Paul Lemay, faculty; Terry Williamson, student; LaRon Woolley, faculty; GeraldNelson, faculty; Jack Field, student; Will Marx, student; Val Patterson-Williamson, student;David McNaughton, student; Darlene Mosand-Hegel, student; Harry Quinn, Board ofGovernors.

11

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Conversations

12

“It is the teachings you give thatmake you an Elder,” according toDarlene Cardinal. “To do that, youhave to see yourself as an Elder, assomeone who can teach.”

Elder Darlene Cardinal is widelyknown as a resource for theAboriginal community: teacher,counselor, consultant, advocate,and tireless volunteer. She has satwith Elders throughout Canada,asking questions, finding parallelsin the teachings from Elders of alldirections - and passing on the wis-dom. From her Headstart class ofpre-schoolers to groups of trou-bled youth or the adults learningCree in an evening class, DarleneCardinal takes the message that“this is who you are; this is yourculture.”

And from the Friendship Centreto the College, the Rotary Club toProvincial and Federal Boards orCommittees, Darlene Cardinal is ateacher, role model, and represen-tative of her culture: an Elder.

“It is the community that hasmade me an Elder. The communityappoints you, chooses you. Thefirst time I was called an Elder, Ijust kind of shook and swallowed;then I said thank you, and accept-ed the honour. It is an honour tobe an Elder, and it is the teachingsyou give that make you an Elder,someone who can teach.Sometimes it kind of floors me alittle. Being an Elder you are firstof all a role model, and you repre-sent the community. If you aregoing to be looked up to, if you

are respected, you have to respectyourself, you have to set the rightexample... and then one of thehardest parts is to be humble.”This comment brings a chortlefrom a friend and colleague sittingin on the conversation, andDarlene laughs at herself.

“It is true,” she admits, “that Ilike to give my opinions strong.Sometimes I would like to getangry, when I watch someonemaking the same life mistakes overand over, but there is always a bet-ter way to teach a person. When Ilook at people now, I try not tojudge them too quickly. And Ibelieve once people find out whothey are, where they belong, thatwill make them strong.

“This is what I strive for - toteach the people who they are.When I started to do my culturalteachings, I went into libraries,bars, hospitals, schools - I inter-viewed anyone and everyone.What is your culture? A lot of peo-ple didn’t know.

“I believe in everybody follow-ing their culture. I think everyoneshould be able to say ‘I amCanadian - but I am also French, orAboriginal, or German, or whatev-er.’ Know yourself, and respectwho and what you are.”

Darlene Cardinal was a GPRCstudent in 1977 - the only visibleaboriginal student on campus. Shewas a single mother of three sons,divorced from a violent marriage.“I ended up in Grande Prairie, sud-denly without my house, my car,

Acting on the Words ofher Father: Elder DarleneCardinal

Go and Learn -Come Back andTeach your People

13

her sons finished high school andwent on to advanced education intrades, social work, and cookingrespectively. “Then I figured, okay,I have learned from the whiteman. Now I am going to work withmy people.”

Darlene got a job at theFriendship Centre in Red Deer, waselected to the National Associationof Friendship Centres and wasgiven the national portfolio asElder for Youth. “I had the oppor-tunity of meeting Elders fromacross the country. I would inter-view them, learn about the Elders’teachings, and whatever I learned Iwould put down in writing.”

Through all this Darlene foundparallels in teachings from all thedirections, from the BC potlatchesto the northern Cree sweat lodges.She notes that the medicinewheels had different birds or ani-mals depending on the region, butthe attributes are the same. “Forexample, the Whale of the westcoast, the Buffalo of the plains,and the Turtle of the east all repre-sent the same qualities: strong,steady, knowledgeable.”

At the same time, the FriendshipCentre in Red Deer was looking fora teacher of the Cree language,and no one was available. DarleneCardinal had spoken both Creeand French as a child before goingto residential school, and still knewa few words, but her skills wererusty.

“What I did was I went to theElders in Hobbema, and sat withthem and said, ‘speak to me in

14

my good job in High Prairie. But Ifound out who I really am.

“When I started going toCollege it was hard. I had noincome except unemploymentinsurance - $450 a month to sup-port myself and my three children.There was no funding supportavailable for Aboriginal studentsthen. There were many, manytears, and a lot of anger while Iwent to school full time andworked two jobs - as a pump jock-ey and in a lounge. But my familywas behind me 100%, filling myfreezer with moosemeat and fishand ducks, and babysitting myboys while I worked or studied.

“My father was very adamantthat we don’t go on welfare. Aslong as you have arms and legs,you get out and work for whatyou need. Even today among mybrothers and sisters, if one of us isdown and out we all chip in what-ever way we can. We don’t go onwelfare. So I needed to get a goodjob - and I knew that I neededmore education.

“Education was another thingmy father was adamant about. Myfather was always strong in educa-tion. He didn’t read and write, buthe was still a successful business-man. I was the oldest of the girls. Iused to read everything for him -once when he had to go to courtover a property issue, I went withhim and read the court documentsfor him.

“On his death bed that samewinter I moved here from HighPrairie, my father told me ‘Go out

and learn from the white man andcome back and teach your people.’I have always remembered hiswords.”

Darlene Cardinal enrolled in theSecretarial Sciences program atGPRC - and was the only visibleAboriginal student on campus.“For a while it was hard, but then Imade some friends within my class,and gradually got to know moreand more people. I was never real-ly outside my element, because Iwas very happy to be learning. Mythought was always ‘I am doingthis for my future, for my sons’futures.”

There was always prejudice tobe faced - but the Cardinal familyhad been taught to meet prejudiceby laughing. “We were always toldthat those are small brains whotreat you like that. Don’t deal withthat. You have better things todo.”

Before long, someone askedDarlene to run for Student Council,others encouraged her - and shewas elected the representative forher department. “At that timeevery meeting we had with theBoard of Governors, we talkedabout the need for student resi-dence here. I was adamant aboutit; here I was, a single mother withthree children, paying most of myincome for rent. They used mequite a bit as an example of whystudent residence was needed.”

For the first ten years after shegraduated, Darlene worked andcontinued to learn - first at Procter& Gamble, then with Nova, while

“This is what I strivefor - to teach the peoplewho they are.”

– Darlene Cardinal

Cree.’ For the first little while theylaughed at me, but I was persis-tent. I believe whatever languagewe spoke first is embedded in us,and it comes quicker when wedecide to pick it up again. I feltconfident that I could learn, andthat they could teach me. So everyword I learned, I wrote down inalphabetical order. I started byteaching those words to my class-es. Then I taught little sentences,and so on. Now I have developed acourse in Cree language, and haveit on cassettes. I am going to put iton CD.”

These days, Darlene teachesCree language in a GPRC eveningclass. And she speaks Cree with thechildren and youth to whom she isgiving cultural instruction. In fact,she speaks Cree wherever andwhenever she pleases - and knowsthe power of the freedom toexpress your own culture. “I was inthe produce department of thegrocery store one day, and realizedthat I was surrounded by peoplespeaking many different lan-guages. And yet we were ashamedto speak our own First language inpublic. Why should we be? Thatwas when I made the commitmentto myself that I would finish mybook on the Cree language, andthat I would teach Cree. Now Ispeak Cree wherever. If peopledon’t like it, then come to Creeclasses and find out what I am say-ing!”

Darlene Cardinal now has herown company - DarCar

15

– continued on page 30

C O N C E R T S E R I E S

The final concert of the GPRC 40th Anniversary Concert Series

left an audience warmed and thrilled by the musicianship and

artistry of soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and pianist Serouj

Kradjian. Performances by these internationally acclaimed

Canadians are rare in Western Canada, and even rarer in the inti-

macy of a concert hall such as the DJ Cardinal Performing Arts

Centre. The audience of approximately 250 included those who

had come from Edmonton and even Calgary to take advantage

of the opportunity to hear this music in such a setting.

Concert attendees noted the openness and warmth of

Bayrakdarian’s performance, which included a classical reper-

toire of “art song” from composers such as Schubert, Viardot,

Rossini and Obradors. “This has been so wonderful I don’t

want to leave!” exclaimed one audience member after the

performance. Isabel Bayrakdarian and Serouj Krajian made

an appearance in the concourse following the performance,

where they graciously signed programs and posters for

enthusiastic admirers.

This concert closed a celebratory season which began in

September with I Musici, a chamber orchestra from

Montreal. In January, music lovers enjoyed the chamber

group Trio Solisti from New York, together with clar-

inetist Alan Kay. The Madrigal Singers and Les Ballets

Jazz de Montreal (BJM Danse) continued the 40th

Anniversary Concert Series in celebration of the estab-

lishment of Grande Prairie Regional College in 1966. The

April 14 performance by Juno award winning Isabel

Bayrakdarian provided a spectacular conclusion to this

series of fabulous musicians and artists.

In addition to celebrating the 40th Anniversary of

GPRC, this series has also been a meaningful celebra-

tion of the restoration of the DJ Cardinal Performing

Arts Centre, which was accomplished through the gen-

erosity of donors including Swan City Rotary Club,

which contributed $100,000, and Ainsworth Lumber,

Alliance Pipeline, Annie Get Your Gun Production,

Canadian Heritage, CANFOR, City of Grande Prairie,

Clem & Muriel Collins, Community Foundation of

Greater Grande Prairie, County of Grande Prairie,

Grande Prairie Amateur Games Society, Great

Northern Casino/Service Plus Hospitality Ltd.,

Investors Group Financial Services, Ken Sargent

Pontiac Buick, Meyers Norris Penny & Co,

Northern Sound Hearing Clinic and Windsor

Motors, each of whom contributed between

$10,000 and $40,000 to the restoration project.

The Young Chang Intermediate Concert Grand

piano played by Serouj Kradjian was presented to

the College last year in memory of Muriel Collins.

GPRC looks forward to hosting future concerts

for the enjoyment of our audiences in this amaz-

ing world-class concert venue.

1616

ruby anniversary

thank you!Together we set a new record, raising the

most money ever in the history of the Ball -more than $69,000 to provide scholarships

and bursaries for students of GPRC

17

Please join us for the 2007 President’s Ball October 20

18

RecentAchievements

AWARDS30 Years Nursing - long service award2006

GPRC Nursing instructor Sheila Elliotreceived an award celebrating her 30thyear in nursing. The recognition was pre-sented in Edmonton by Sheila McKay, presi-dent of the College and Association ofRegistered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA).

Leigh Goldie recipient of George RepkaAward

GPRC instructor Leigh Goldie is the2007 recipient of the George Repka Award.The award is presented annually by the Cityof Grande Prairie to recognize those whohave significantly contributed in a voluntarycapacity to the improvement of the qualityof life within our community in areas ofrecreation, culture or social services.

Leigh Goldie is recognized for his long-standing contributions to the community ina variety of capacities for the past 30 years.“His mentorship and inspiration has been apositive influence on the lives of many peo-ple in the community. Mr. Goldie is anenthusiastic volunteer for all local events.He was the Mayor of the Athletes Village inthe 1995 Canada Winter Games; he volun-teered for the Royal Bank Cup and the FordWorld Women’s Curling Championship. Healso sat on the City’s Pursuit of ExcellenceCommittee for many years.” The Mayor andCouncil presented Mr. Leigh Goldie with the

George Repka Award at City Hall inJanuary, 2007.

Bill Shaw Students’ Association Awardfor Excellence in Teaching

GPRC Academic Upgrading instructorBill Shaw has been a coach and teacher inGrande Prairie for the past 27 years. He wasnominated by students in his classes for theStudents’ Association Award for Excellence

in Teaching. “In my experience as a student, Mr.

William Shaw (or Bill as we call him) is oneof the most patient, helpful and caringteachers I have ever met. His door is alwaysopen to anyone who needs to talk no mat-ter the subject. He keeps his class’s fun andentertaining while maintaining a goodcourse load. When I started out in CP100 Icould not type at all and was getting veryfrustrated. In the end, with Bills’ excellentmotivational skills, I passed with an “A”,and have moved to the next step in thedepartment. I would never made it throughif it was not for Bill and his compassion.”

“I do care a lot for the students,” saysShaw. “This award is certainly an honour.There are many great instructors, peoplewho are phenomenal teachers, here atGPRC, and I am very gratified to have beenselected for this award from the students.”

Bill Shaw has coached throughout hislife, and is an active volunteer in the com-munity. “I like to use coaching skills in theclassroom - we are a team, and I encouragea supportive, relaxed learning environ-

ment,” he says.

APPOINTMENTSAND ELECTIONSDon Gnatiuk wasappointed Presidentand CEO of GrandePrairie Regional

Bill Shaw

Sheila Elliot

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College effective May 01, 2007. The Boardof Governors and the College Communityenthusiastically welcome Don Gnatiuk asPresident.

Rory Tarant was elected President of theStudents’ Association of Grande PrairieRegional College, effective June 01, 2007.Tarant is a Bachelor of Arts student atGPRC.

Charles Sanderson was elected Presidentof the Employees’ Association of GrandePrairie Regional College, effective June 01,2007. Sanderson is Electrician and SafetyCodes Officer in Campus Operations atGPRC.

EXHIBITIONSGPRC Fine Arts instructor Tina Martel wasfeatured in the exhibition "We like ShinyThings" with fellow artists Sarah Alford andJoyce Goodman at The Prairie Art Gallery inOctober and November of 2006.

PUBLISHED WORKSGPRC History instructor Dr. Jaroslav(Jerry) Petryshyn published an article“Hub of the Peace - Dunvegan” in the Fall2006 issue of LEGACY, a magazine pub-lished by Alberta Heritage Resources.

ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTSoccer All ConferenceWolves player Sydney Spencer was namedto the ACAC Women’s All Conference Teamas a Defender and Chris Dewhirst wasmade Goalkeeper for the ACAC Men’s AllConference Team. GPRC Wolves are proud to congratulateWolves Alumna Claire Paterson (nowcoaching at King’s University College inEdmonton) who has been named ACACWomen’s Coach of the Year.

BadmintonIn February 2007, Brian Sherk, GPRCWolves, was recognized as the CCAABadminton Player of the Month for Alberta.This is a tremendous honour for Brian andGPRC.

VolleyballFour GPRC Wolves players were named toACAC Volleyball All Conference teams in2007: Women: Kristen Roberts; Men:Elijah Muennich, Matthew Clegg, andDon MacNeill. Congratulations to theseexceptional athletes on their performances

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Distinguished Employee Award2007 Jill ThomsonJill Thomson was namedDistinguished Employee 2007 at theEmployee Recognition ceremonies onMay 10. Jill was commended for herpassion for her work and for students.The committee noted that her depthof knowledge is respected throughoutthe College, and that colleagues arefrequently heard to say “what wouldwe do without her?” Jill Thomsonbegan more than 25 years ago as aninstructional assistant and instructor,and is now Assistant Registrar, Recordsin the department of Student Services.

this year and the recognition they havereceived from the ACAC coaches.

Elijah Muennich was named to the CCAAAll Canadian Volleyball Team, one of threeplayers from Alberta who made the stan-dard. This is a credit to Elijah and his dedi-cation to the game, as well as due recogni-tion for the GPRC Wolves VolleyballProgram by the rest of Canada.

Grace Scott, GPRC Wolves Women’sVolleyball Coach has been selected as the2006/07 ACAC Women’s Volleyball Coach ofthe Year.

CurlingThe Wolves Women’s Curling Team wonACAC Gold for 2007. The team dominatedthe Women’s division, not losing a gamethrough the three tournaments. The rink isskipped by Carrie Anne Sallows, who alsocompeted in the Canadian Junior Curlingevent, and coached by Caryl Sallows andGarth Finlay.

SwimmingAndrew Poznikoff was selected to theACAC All Conference Team, who dominat-ed the competition in Breaststroke. Andrewjoins a list of outstanding GPRC swimmerswho continue to hold ACAC Swim Records.Wolves Swimming alumni swimmers ChrisRazeau and Norah Vogan are still listed inthe record books for their outstanding per-formances.

CCAA Academic All CanadianAthletes achieving this distinction haveachieved a grade point average of 3.5 orhigher and have been selected for the AllConference Team. The four athletes are:Brian Sherk, Badminton, Bachelor ofScience in Kinesiology; Jennifer Seemann,Basketball, Bachelor of Science in Nursing;Sean Hawryluk, Cross Country Running,Engineering; Chris Dewhirst, Soccer,Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology.Congratulations to these fine students ontheir achievement.

20

GPRCalumni

Alumni Updates from the 1stGraduating Class of BusinessDegree Completion at GPRC (1997)

Scott Oakford“I articled as a CA student with CollinsBarrow in Drayton Valley for two years(1997-1999) after graduating fromGPRC in 1997. I moved back to GrandePrairie in the fall of 1999 where I haveremained for the past eight years. I con-tinued my articling with Davis,Kohlsmith & Kay (1999-2006) obtainingmy CA designation in 2002. I workedfor the firm for about 6 and half yearsafter which I decided to move on frompublic practice to an industry position.In 2006 I was hired as an AssistantController with Formula Powell, an oil-field trucking company, however, myposition lasted just under a year asanother position was offered to me inindustry. For the past four months Ihave been working for Vidar ForestTechnologies, a log harvest and haulingcompany. My position title here is thatof ‘accountant’, but I have been incharge of overseeing day-to-dayaccounting activities as well as review-ing potential new software programs,checking on daily cash flow and actingas a liaison with the staff, bank, leasingcompany and accountants as I issuemonthly financials. It has been arewarding and exciting career so farwith plenty of opportunity in theGrande Prairie area to be paid well fora position that suites one’s interests.

Outside of working I enjoy playing golfand slo-pitch baseball in the summer aswell as playing pool, reading, skatingand watching hockey in the longer win-ter months. I also enjoy tending to myyard and spending time with friends. Ipurchased my first home a couple ofyears ago in Grande Prairie before themarket prices had started to increasedrastically. I am still single, but am keptquite busy with work and play. I havebeen involved with the CA Club inGrande Prairie having acted as bothsecretary and treasurer and note thatthe club has given out several scholar-

Send us your news! Update your info with current careernews etc., and we will include you in an upcoming editionof Wisdom magazine.

Contact us at www.gprc.ab.ca

ships and bursaries to GPRC students inthe Commerce program over the years.A big “Thank You” to Yvonne Carlstromat the college for her work in this area.I still receive the ‘Thank you’ notes fromstudents who have obtained moneyand recognition from these scholar-ships. I share these notes with my fel-low CA’s as we continue to meet 6times per year at CA Club.”

Tracy Somerville“After graduation,

I worked at a localchartered account-ing firm for fiveyears where Igained much expe-rience in audit, tax

and financial statement preparation. Ithen took two years to expand myknowledge base and obtain myBachelor of Education degree at theUniversity of Alberta with a major inbusiness and minor in fine arts. For thepast three years, I have enjoyed a suc-cessful career at Fuller & AssociatesChartered Accounts in Grande Prairiewhere we provide a wide variety of taxand financial planning services, and Iam planning to enroll in the two-yearIn-Depth Tax course through theCanadian Institute of CharteredAccountants in the fall.

In addition to work and education, Ihave dedicated much of my time to vol-unteering at the local hospital, paintingin my basement art studio, and enjoy-ing worldwide travel to many countriesincluding Jamaica, Greece, Italy, France,Austria, Switzerland and Great Britain,as well as planning for another exten-sive trip to New York and the Caribbeanlater this year. I am glad that I was ableto complete my Bachelor of Commercedegree in Grande Prairie as I was ableto be with my friends and family, aswell as network with local business peo-ple who have become very influentialin my endeavors today.”

Alumni Association

Norm Guindon“After graduating with by Bachelor ofCommerce I was hired by a localaccounting firm in Grande Prairie. I arti-cled with the accounting firm andobtained my Chartered Accounting des-ignation in the spring of 2000. Iremained with the accounting office forseven years and eventually becameSenior Manager at the firm. I metTracey, my beautiful wife, at theaccounting office where we bothworked. We got married in January2005 on a beautiful beach in Costa Ricawhile on vacation. In 2004 I left publicaccounting practice and was hired asthe Chief Financial Officer of a con-struction company called AlbricoServices (1982) Ltd. I currently work outof the company’s head office located inGrande Prairie.”

Mike Guindon“After completingmy Bachelor ofCommerce in 1997, Ibegan working forGrant ThorntonCharteredAccountants in Peace

River. Four years later, I decided that publicpractice was not for me, so I took a job atNorthland School Division and quicklymoved into the Assistant SecretaryTreasurer position. My responsibilitiesincluded preparation of the financial state-ments, dealing with the Auditor General,preparing the budget, and supervising theaccounting staff members. I recently decid-ed to take on the challenge of becomingthe Secretary Treasurer for NorthlandSchool Division. This position involves lessdirect involvement in the actual account-ing for the school division and more over-all management. I have many wonderfulmemories of GPRC. Some of my most vividmemories include meeting my wife Roxanewho is also a GPRC Bachelor of Commercegraduate. We camp and bike together asmuch as possible and we celebrated thebirth of our daughter, Natalie, lastSeptember. Who knows – maybe she willcarry on the family tradition and be aGPRC graduate around the year 2028.”

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Tracy Frith“Since grad Iworked in publicpractice for about 8years and achievedmy CharteredAccountant desig-nation during that

time. I have been working in industryover the past 2 years and am currentlyin the oil and gas sector working forCanadian Natural Resources Limited inCalgary in the Financial ControlReporting group as a Financial Analyst.

I manage and play on a co-ed recre-ational soccer team and have been thecaptain of this team for indoor and out-door seasons for five years now. I haverecently joined CNRL’s Dragon Boatteam where the race and festival willtake place at the end of August. I alsoenjoy curling during the winter monthsand belong to a team here in Calgaryamong many other activities.”

Craig TrithardtWe were unable to reach Craig, but it isrumored that he is a CA working inAlberta.

Tannis Gnam (Nee: McLarty)“After graduating in April 1997 fromGPRC with a Bachelor of Commerce, Iwas married in August 1997 (Fairview,AB) and then moved to Canmore,Alberta that same month. We livedthere for four years where I articledwith Collins Barrow and passed my UFEin November 1999 to get my CharteredAccountant designation in 2000.During this time I took a few of mycourses to prepare for the UFE inEdmonton...I was glad to see a fewfamiliar faces as Norm and Craig (alsograduates from GPRC) taking the samecourse! In August 2000 we had ourfirst child (Carson) and in June 2001 were-located to St. Albert, Alberta. Iworked for Donnelly & Company inEdmonton for two years. In October2002 we had our second child (Hayden)and later moved back to Fairview inJune 2003. Since being back in Fairview,I have worked for Dechant & Companypart-time and we had our third child(Avery) in June 2005. My fondest mem-ory of GPRC was the closeness sharedwith my classmates and instructors. Wewere a small class and therefore, got to

know each other very well. Also, theinstructors became more like friendsrather than teachers, which made class-es much more relaxed and enjoyable.”

Jeff Veitenheimer“After completing my B. Commerce, Iworked a few odd jobs in construction,managing a restaurant until I startedwith Scotiabank as a CommercialAccount Officer in December 1998 inPeace River. I transferred to Barrhead asan Account Manager in June of 2000. InJanuary of 2004 I took an AccountManager position with CommonWealth Credit Union to move back toGrande Prairie. Then in February 2005,a friend from GPRC recruited me toCanadian Western bank as an AccountManager, Equipment Financing Divisionat the Grande Prairie branch. InSeptember of 2006 I was promoted toManager, Equipment FinancingDivision. My favorite memories of GPRCare the friendships that developed andhave been maintained ever since withmany of my former classmates.”

Ralph BrustRalph attended

E.W. Pratt HighSchool in HighPrairie where hecompeted in bas-ketball, volley-ball, track andField, and curl-ing. After beingnamed best male

athlete in curling and volleyball, heenrolled in the Bachelor of PhysicalEducation program at GrandePrairie Regional College in 1985.

While at the College, Ralph estab-lished himself as one of the topcurlers in Wolves history. In 1987, heskipped the mixed curling team(Karen Brust, Todd Zukewich andRhonda Berg) to both the AlbertaColleges Athletic Conference andCanadian College AthleticAssociation titles. As a result, hewas awarded the best curler trophyand was named Grande PrairieRegional College’s Male Athlete-of-the-Year.

Ralph went on to finish hisBachelor of Physical Educationdegree at the University of Alberta

and has continued to curl at a highlevel. He has played second for theMike Vavrek rink, twice runner-upat the Alberta Tankard. Ralph wonthe 1994 Alberta mixedChampionship and finished 4th atthe Canadian Mixed Championship.

ShellyComadina

Shelly enrolledat Grande PrairieRegional Collegeafter attendingthe Prince RupertHigh Schoolwhere sheenjoyed a suc-cessful basketball

career as a member of theRainbirds.

While at the College, Shelly dis-tinguished herself as the leadingmember of the Lady Wolves from1987 to 1989. During that time sheled the team in scoring, steals andminutes played and was awardedACAC All Conference status in 1989.The highlight of her career wasbeing named an All-Star at the1989 CCAA National Championships

as the Lady Wolves captured thebronze medal.

Shelly was the Lady Wolves MVPin 1988 and again in 1989 when shewas also honoured as GrandePrairie Regional College’s Female-Athlete-of-the-Year.

Shelly is currently living on theWest Coast where she is furtheringher studies in Physical Education.

The Doucette SistersFrom the small northern Alberta

town of Falher came a group of sis-ters who displayed a volleyball bril-liance that has seldom been seen.Isabelle Doucette established thetradition during the 1977-78 seasonand was followed by younger sistersMarie in 1982 and Dorine in 1983.

IsabelleGervais(Doucette)

Isabelle partici-pated in numer-ous sports whileattending ÉcoleRouthier inFahler and wasnamed Athlete-

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of-the-year. She then attended thecollege in 1977-78. During that sea-son she was team captain and mostvaluable player and was also votedGPRC Female Athlete-of-the-Year.With Isabelle leading the way theteam captured silver medals in bothACAC and Four West competition.

After Grande Prairie RegionalCollege, Isabelle attended theUniversity of Alberta and complet-ed her Bachelor of Educationdegree. During that time she repre-sented Alberta at the 1979 CanadaWinter Games in Brandon and par-ticipated in the Western CanadaGames in Saskatoon.

Marie Brucker(Doucette)

Marie was amulti-sportstandout at ÉcoleRouthier as sheparticipated intrack, basketball,fastball, curling,badminton, andvolleyball. She

captained the school volleyballteam to the provincial champi-

onship in 1981.In 1982, Marie joined the college

team and played for two seasons asone of the outstanding middleplayers in the ACAC. She achievedACAC All-Star status and was the1983 Female Athlete-of-the-Year atGrande Prairie Regional College.

Following her time in GrandePrairie, Marie completed herBachelor of Education at theUniversity of Alberta and started acareer as an elementary schoolteacher. She has remained activeplaying fastball and volleyball.

DorineSmawley(Doucette)

Dorine was astandout athletein high school aswell. FollowingMarie’s footstepsshe captainedÉcole Routhier toanother provin-

cial title in 1982. She also played onAlberta’s provincial volleyball teamin 1980 and 1981.

For the 1983-84 season, Dorine

joined the GPRC women’s volleyballteam and, with sister Marie, led theteam to the silver medal. For herefforts she was chosen as ACAC All-Star and received the GrandePrairie Regional College FemaleAthlete-of-the-Year award. Thenext season, Dorine moved on toRed Deer College where she wasselected as a CCAA All-Canadianand received the Red Deer CollegeAthlete-of -the-Year award.

HideoFukushima

Hideo was oneof the drivingforces behindthe developmentof the GrandePrairie RegionalCollege PhysicalEducation andAthletics pro-

gram throughout the 1970’s. At var-ious times he served as an instruc-tor, basketball coach, departmentchairman, and athletic director. As atireless organizer of clinics andtournaments, he was instrumentalin the growth of athletics through-

24

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out the Peace Region. He served ona committee that helped developthe National Coaching CertificationProgram, and also made a lastingcontribution in founding theWolves Mini-Basketball programwhich has seen thousands ofGrande Prairie’s children participateover the years.

In addition to the major roleshe played within the PhysicalEducation and Athletic Department,Hideo was heavily involved in allother aspects of college life. He wasan inspiration to all with his conta-gious enthusiasm and positive out-look.

Since leaving the college, Hideohas continued his involvement withsports as an avid participant. Withinthe community he continues to beactive in a number of differentorganizations such as SummerGames 2000, the Real Estate Boardand Rotary Club.(Editor’s Note: This year Hideo andMarian Fukushima are the hon-ourary chairs of the annual CollegeClassic Golf Tournament)

HeatherGodberson

Heather cameto Grande Prairiein 1993 fromFort St. John andbecame the mostsuccessful curlerto emerge fromthe powerfulWolves program.

During her two years with theWolves, Heather skipped thewomen’s team to two ACAC goldmedals and was selected as the all-star skip for both the 1993-94 and1994-95 seasons. In recognition ofher outstanding performances atGPRC, she was a co-winner of theFemale Athlete of the Year awardin 1994-95.

As much as Heather enjoyedtremendous success at GPRC, it wasonly the beginning for her as shemoved into junior and ladies com-petition. In 1996, she was the skipof the Alberta team that eventuallyswept to victory at the CanadianJunior and World Junior

Championships. Heather was thenthe third on the 1998 Alberta andCanadian championship rink thatfinished with a bronze medal atthe 1998 World CurlingChampionships. At the 1999Canadian Ladies Championships,her Team Canada rink finished aclose second, and Heather wasselected as the all-star third at theevent.

Richard HoskerOriginally from

Fort St. John,B.C., Ritchdemonstrated hisathletic prowessearly by captur-ing the NorthPeace SecondarySchool Athlete-of-the-Year in

1983. He then moved on to GrandePrairie Regional College where hewas a volleyball standout for threeseasons while also competing withthe golf team. Over the course ofhis three years at GPRC, the volley-

25

ball team moved from also-ran sta-tus to capture the ACAC bronzemedal in his last season.

During each of the 1984/85 &1985/86 seasons, Ritch was votedboth an ACAC All-Star and theGrande Prairie Regional CollegeMale Athlete-of-the-Year. In addi-tion to his other awards, Ritch con-sistently captured All-Star and MostValuable Player honours at numer-ous Tournaments.

He was an outstanding setterwith the ability to attack when nec-essary. Ritch was generally recog-nized as the best one-on-one block-er in the league.

After leaving College, Ritch com-pleted his Bachelor of PhysicalEducation degree at the Universityof Alberta. He has remained activein sport working as a golf profes-sional in Fort St. John and partici-pating in volleyball, both as a play-er and a coach. Ritch has alsotaught in the Fort St. John SchoolDistrict.

Patti Lanigan(nee Johnson)

Patti graduatedfrom E.W. PrattHigh School inHigh Prairie, andenrolled in theBachelor ofPhysicalEducation pro-gram at Grande

Prairie Regional College in 1983. Atthe college, she distinguished her-self as a basketball player.

The womens’ Wolves basketballteam was the Alberta CollegesAthletic Conference gold medalwinner in 1984-85 and Pattiachieved many individual honors asa team member. She was chosen tothe ACAC First All-Star Team, aver-aging 20 points per game. She wasnamed Most Valuable Player inthree Canadian Colleges AthleticAssociation Championship games,averaging 28 points per game, lead-ing the team to a bronze medal.Patti was Grande Prairie Regional

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College’s Athlete-of-the-Year for1984-85. She also won a silvermedal with the LaurentianUniversity basketball team at theCanadian University Championshipsin 1987.

Patti went on to earn an Honor’sDegree in Physical Education andHealth at Laurentian University inSudbury, Ontario (1987) and then aRecreation Therapy Diploma fromMount Royal College in Calgary,Alberta (1991).

Doug MorrisDoug started

his long associa-tion with GrandePrairie RegionalCollege in 1976as a student-ath-lete. Over thecourse of threeseasons, heplayed basket-

ball, volleyball, golf and bad-minton. In 1978 and 1980 he wasawarded the badminton Most

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Proud to partner with Grande Prairie Regional CollegeProud to partner with Grande Prairie Regional College

Valuable Player. While still a player,Doug assumed the coaching dutiesin 1979 and over the years hasguided the team to bronze medalsin 1988 and 1989 and a silver medalin 1992. Doug was named ACACCoach-of-the-Year in an unprece-dented four consecutive seasonsfrom 1987 to 1990 and was selectedas the CCAA Badminton Coach-of-the-Year in 1986-87.

As a tireless promoter of bad-minton in the Peace Region andthroughout the province, Doug hasconducted numerous camps andclinics and hosted several tourna-ments. His volunteer contribution isconsiderable; he has formerly beenthe President of the AlbertaBadminton Association, ACACBadminton Convenor, a Director ofBadminton Canada, Tournamentchairperson for the 1993 CCAANational Championships, and theBadminton Director for the 1995Canada Winter Games bid commit-tee.

An enthusiastic supporter of theCollege, Doug has been a long time

member of the Wolf Pac BoosterClub, including two terms asChairman. He serves as a memberof the Grande Prairie RegionalCollege Alumni Foundation, andhas formerly acted as Vice-Chairman of the College ClassicGolf Committee.

KellyOhlhauser

Kelly Ohlhausercame to GrandePrairie RegionalCollege in 1984to become theWolves Men’sand Women’sBasketballCoach. He held

both of these coaching positions for17 years. He was one of only threepeople in North America to holdboth coach positions in a post-sec-ondary league.

Upon completion of his 17 years,or 34 seasons, Kelly has left animpressive record. Over the years,his players have received 29 ACAC

All-Conference Awards and threeCCAA All-Canadian Awards. Histeams have achieved two bronzemedals at the national level, andtwo ACAC Championships, oneeach to the men and the women.

Kelly Ohlhauser has been widelyhonoured and recognized for hiscoaching abilities. He has coachedover 1000 games, was named ACACCoach-of-the-Year 4 times, twice asMen’s Basketball Coach, and twiceas Women’s Basketball Coach. Hewas named national CCAA Coach-of-the-Year, Women’s Basketball, in1988.

Kelly considered it a privilege towork with these players over the 17years. He said the young people onhis teams enriched his life. Thesame can be said for how he hasenriched his players’ lives.

The dedication and commitmenthe gave to his players developmentand his unbridled passion and lovefor the game of basketball are hislegacy.

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Greg SaleGreg came to

GPRC for the1991-92 seasonafter playing forD.P. ToddSecondary inPrince George. Hewas instrumentalin a dramaticturnaround in the

Wolves’ fortunes as he eventuallyled the team to a thrilling ACACchampionship in 1992-93. Hisimpressive list of personal accom-plishments included two team MVPawards, two ACAC All-Conferenceteam selections, an ACAC AcademicAll-Conference award, a CCAAAcademic All-Canadian award, anall-star selection at the 1993 CCAANational Championships, and the1992-93 GPRC Male Athlete of theYear award.

After two years in Grande Prairie,Greg moved on to the University ofAlberta where his talent and superi-or work ethic continued to makehim worthy of being closely associat-ed with success. Greg played a keyrole for the Golden Bears as theywon CIAU National Championshipsin his first two years in Edmonton,and finished second at Nationals inhis third and final year of eligibilityat the UofA.

Greg graduated from UofA in1996 with a Bachelor of Commercedegree and then successfully articledto become a chartered accountant.He continued his involvement inbasketball in his native PrinceGeorge by coaching at the Collegeof New Caledonia as well as theUniversity of Northern BritishColumbia.

Lee TipmanLee Came to

Grande PrairieRegional Collegein 1973 as aBachelor ofPhysical Educationstudent. While atthe college, hecompeted in bas-ketball, bad-

minton and cross-country running.

He received the award as topBachelor of Physical Education stu-dent and was named GPRC’s MaleAthlete-of-the-Year in 1974.

Following his time at GrandePrairie Regional College, Leeattended the University of Calgarywhere he played volleyball for theDinosaurs. He was named aWestern Canadian All-Star in 1977as the Dinosaur’s won the WesternCanadian Championships.

Since graduating with hisBachelor of Physical Educationdegree in 1977, Lee taught schoolin Grimshaw for 19 years, obtainedhis masters degree in EducationalAdministration from the UofC in1996, becoming the principal ofDavid Thompson High School inCondor, Alberta.

Lee continued to play volleyballat a high level as a member ofsenior provincial championshipteams. He also distinguished him-self as a badminton and volleyballcoach at the high school level withprovincial gold medals in bothsports. In addition to receivingcoaching and teaching excellenceawards, Lee has been a mentor toseveral former players who arecoaching volleyball at the post-sec-ondary level. At the time of hisinduction to the Wall of Fame Leewas the assistant coach with theRed Deer College Kings Men’sVolleyball team.

BobWaldenberger

Bob arrived atthe college in1966 from theUniversity ofOregon. He wasone of the origi-nal faculty mem-bers of this col-lege and pro-

ceeded to establish the Departmentof Physical Education and Athletics.During the early years, Bob notonly taught physical educationcourses and directed student ser-vices, but also kept busy with aheavy coaching load. His coachingduties over the years included vol-leyball, football, basketball, hockey

and golf. He completed his Ph.D. inPhysical Education at the Universityof Oregon in 1975. Bob was alsovery involved in college committeework and served a term asPresident of the Alberta CollegesAthletic Conference.

In addition to providing leader-ship in the college program Bobcoached hockey, golf, skiing andgymnastics in the Grande PrairieCommunity. Bob is a Grande PrairieGymniks founder and acted as thePresident of this organization. Hewas also a founding member of theCoaching Association of Canada’sNational Coaching CertificationProgram.

Since leaving the college in 1980to pursue a business career, Bob hasmaintained a college connection byserving as a member of the Boardof Governors from 1985 to 1991. Hewas Vice Chairman of the board fora term and Chairman of theBuilding Committee for the newcollege expansion project. He wasalso a member of the 25thAnniversary Committee.

Bob’s legacy lives through the cre-ation of an atmosphere of commit-ment and excellence, starting in1966 carried forward to the presenttime.

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More information on the Access to the Future Fundis available at: www.advancededucation.gov.ab.ca/news/

Access to the Future Fund

Your charitable gift to Grande Prairie Regional College may be matched at a ratio of 1:1 by the Alberta Ministry of Advanced Education and Technology.

The Access to the Future Fund is part of the Alberta government’s commitment to save today’s non renewable resource revenues for future Albertans.

“Alberta’s advanced learning system just received another substantial financial boost,” Advanced Education and Technology Minister Dave Hancock said. “By tripling this year’s investment towards the Access to the Future Fund, we're showing that we're serious about securing a bright and prosperous future for Albertans through education. Since launching the Fund, there has been even greater interest among Albertans for investing in the province’s post-secondary system.”

– Alberta Government news release November 2005.

The Access to the Future Fund was introduced in Bill 1 this spring. Surplus revenue is being invested in an endowment fund and interest will be used to provide matching grants to stimulate private, industry, and other contributions to the advanced learning system as well as seed money for innovations in the post secondary system.

The Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association Service Superstar program is a customer servicerecognition program, honoring customer service excellence employees in the tourism, hospitality,retail and Nominees will be individuals who consistently distinguish themselves and offer exception-al customer service industries in the Grande Prairie Region. A weekly winner will be chosen, award-ed and given media recognition. Nominees will be honored at a gala ceremony each year with thetop three finalists in each category receiving special recognition.

The program will also incorporate an educational component. Grande Prairie Regional TourismAssociation would arrange to give short informative training sessions for staff. Many of theseemployees are the first point of contact for tourists and subsequently have a huge impact on visi-tors. First impressions are very important, and with the right training we can ensure that our Regionconveys a positive image!

If you would like to be a participating sponsor or if you would like to recognize someone as asuperstar send in your nomination using the online form at www.northernvisitor.com or drop yourentry in a ballot box at participating businesses.

Please contact Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Associationfor more information at 780-539-7688.

Be a star maker today!

Have you met aService Superstartoday?We want toknow about it!

Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association Presentsthe Service Superstar Awards Program

Congratulations to 40 years of graduates of GrandePrairie Regional College, who are contributing to thesocial, economic and cultural wellbeing of our region,our province, our country, our world.

“Convocation Speaker 2007 – Dr. Connie Korpan,instructor and researcher, Faculty of Arts andEducation.”

Celebrating Convocation 2007, June 16.

RecentRetirements

L-R: Don Brown and Bill Fletcher

Gail Sherman

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Developments - still working forNative people. She has contractswith Social Services, NativeCounselling, Mountain Plains, andthe Grande Prairie FriendshipCentre - and also sits on a total ofeight boards, including Networkagency, Safe Communities, Festivalof Trees, Suicide Prevention,National Aboriginal Day, and theprovincial Urban Aboriginal MétisRural Settlement Framework com-mittee. She is frequently invited tocome to the College and visit withstudents or participate in specialcelebrations. Her door is alwaysopen to those who need supportor encouragement. “When peoplebring me questions or problems, Ianswer the best that I know how.If I come across an Elder, I will askwhat they think and I try to givepeople as many different conceptsfrom different elders.”

“On my phone message, myrecording is ‘Remember: you aregood stuff, and don’t let anyoneelse tell you different.’ The phonehas rung in the middle of thenight, and I mumble a sleepy helloto someone who says “oh, I didn’twant you to answer the phone! Ijust wanted to hear your mes-sage!”

Darlene Cardinal knows frompersonal experience that peoplewho face prejudice need encour-

agement - and that her peoplecontinue to face prejudice.“Educated people are not so aptto show prejudice these days, butin the general workforce there isstill prejudice. It angered me lastNovember when the EdmontonSun ran a story about a well-known fast food chain which wasquoted as saying they would haveto shut down due to shortage ofstaff - or they would have to‘break down and hire Aboriginalpeople.’ I was outraged that theywould publish such a comment.

“Youth read this, they hearabout it, and it hurts. A lot of kidstoday will dye their hair, wearwhite makeup to hide theirAboriginal ancestry - or else they’llwear hoodies and try to copy theaggressive attitudes of other visi-ble minorities.

“Things are getting better,though. 20 years ago, not verymany Aboriginal people went tohigh school or college because ofprejudice, and because of the resi-dential schools. The grandparentsand parents did not want theirchildren to go through all the badexperiences that they had beenthrough. When I started workingfor the Friendship Centre, therewere no Aboriginal studentsamong the grade 12 graduates inRed Deer that year. Two years laterthere were six, after we had hired

Aboriginal workers and begun aseries of school visits. Now, 15years later, there are more andmore every year. It excites me tosee more Aboriginal people goingon to complete their education,get their degrees.”

Elder Darlene Cardinal knowsthat it is important to concentrateon what she can do rather thanbeing upset about what others sayor do. “Part of my meditation inthe morning is not to surroundmyself with angry people. Life istoo short. It doesn’t help. Go outand do better things. “

Doing better things means givingher time, her knowledge, her ener-gy to help teach her people.

“Children and youth need toknow who they are. They need tounderstand - I am Aboriginal, Métis,First Nation. They need to know,this is what Aboriginals are. Wewear the sash; we carry the eaglefeather. We have that teaching inour minds, we know who we are,rather than just a melting pot ofCanadians. I ask the children “whoare you?” I show them picturesfrom the past, pictures of theirancestors. Now they are proud tosay “I am Aboriginal.”

“This is what I strive for - to teachthe people who they are. This is myrole as an Elder of my community.”

– Lynne Ness

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– continued from page 15

NEW LOCATION11250 Westgate Drive

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