Ken Hall stepped foot onto this campus in 1951. After graduating from the Honours Geography program in 1955 and following a dedicated teaching career, he became the only two-term president of the McMaster Alumni Association in twenty years. During that time, he led a program which links female graduates to first year female students-in-residence.

Hall is also a founding member of the Student Recruiting Committee, has created an annual leadership conference on campus for high school students and is a co-founder and first president of the Geography Alumni Branch. Being a wearer of many hats, he will soon be adding a graduate’s cap to the collection during the upcoming Social Science convocation ceremony where Hall will be receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Law.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

What was McMaster like back then?

Having four major buildings that were here on campus at that time was a little bit confusing, getting to classes and things of that nature. You didn't quite know where to go when you first came in. No one instructs you and tells you “hey, this is where you're going”. So, you're hunting around the first couple of days to figure out where you are and what to do and so on.

It was basically all boys. Not saying that there weren't girls here. There were some some girls here in nursing program things that sort it but it was basically boys. That's the way the university was at that particular time. It's not the way it's not the way it should be, but that's the way it was then.

What is the biggest change on campus today?

The thing the thing that really amazes me about McMaster is how it has changed with the school’s population. Right now, you get people here from all over the world who come in and go to the university. There are a lot more women at the university now, too. I really think that's going in the right direction. It's just my feeling of what a university should be. I mean, you're taking your courses but a lot of the things that you do [at university] are exchanging information with other students.

When you have all these people coming in from all over the world, it’s just a wonderful opportunity to mix with them and get their feelings on things. It enriches your experience being here when that's done. It's not easy to do. I guess on campus people tend to stay in their little groups, but there are ways of breaking through on that.

Tell me about your time here at Mac.

My parents had moved to Montreal and I said I wanted to go to Mac, and this is a depression year. It wasn't the time where your parents are working to provide money for you to go to university. If you got here, you got here on your own. My dad got me a job at the Canadian National Railway at that time, [working the] five to one shift. So, I was at the university until four o'clock and then went right down to the to the CNR to work. It was tiring, and it wasn't exactly the way I expected it to be because it was a tiring experience.

There were times when I could get time off to do certain events that were were going on around campus, but I was going to work all the time and at one o'clock at night when I'd be coming home, I'd be trying to do my homework. So, I can't say "well, I had lots of fun playing cards”. It wasn't part of my life at all coming in here. I got through it, but it was it was a struggle. It really was a struggle for me.

What is one piece of advice you would give to students today?

The one thing I want to point out to them, that I think one of the key things at university, besides all the learning you put in, is making friendships. That's the key thing. In my experience, you can't do very much in this world unless you have a lot of friends to help you. So, I would say that's the thing to get the most out of in university.

International Student Services is currently recruiting over 100 undergraduate students to be a part of a mentorship program that supports international students in their transition to the McMaster and Hamilton community.

Student mentors play an important role in creating a welcoming and inclusive community for students who need the extra support to better integrate into McMaster and Hamilton.

However, this way of bringing support for international students seems forced, almost like a course or a job might. The fact that students who are interested in mentoring and being a part of this program must apply for the role, as if it were a job, is an odd process.

According to an email that was sent by the McMaster Alumni Association to students, mentor interactions in the role would occur “through email, by phone, on social media and in-person beginning in June 2018 and ending in April 2019”.In addition, all volunteers would be expected to attend an in-person orientation and complete mandatory online training for the position.

Volunteers would also be expected to attend a few monthly mentorship events, where they would have an opportunity to connect with other mentors and international students face-to-face.

The position is available on OSCARplus and is considered a volunteer position that you would apply for. Although it is a volunteer position, the role has a process that seems a bit too formal for a program that is meant to help International students make friends and feel more comfortable at McMaster.

The fact that students who are interested in mentoring and being a part of this program must apply for the role, as if it were a job, is an odd process.

The main goal in running this program would be to help make a fellow student’s transition to McMaster a memorable one, though the process of qualifying for the role seems a little too formal to be accepted as a mere social relationship that is meant to be enjoyable and genuine.

I’m sure that if students wanted to help themselves get a better sense of the community, they would have paid for a tour to get a similarly formal and socially disconnected experience.

Given that that the incentive for applying would be to “make a positive impact on a student’s experience”, there could have been a more effective way of achieving the same goal and helping benefit students for volunteers who may be interested in applying for this position.

Though both the mentor and mentee would benefit in one way or another, the requirements and expectations on the mentor’s ends seem a bit forced and could have an effect on the mentee where they may feel like the mentor is only putting in the effort to meet the requirements of the mentor position.

This just puts both parties in an awkward position, whereas, if the position was merely a volunteer position that students would sign up as if they were volunteering for a club event, the experience may feel more genuine for all participants.

I am not saying that finding ways to help international students at McMaster integrate and create connection is a bad idea.

This program has all the right purposes and intents. However, the same purposes can be achieved simply by having a space for students to connect with other students or running events that would integrate both international students and other undergraduate students that are more familiar with the McMaster and Hamilton community.

Though the purpose of the ISS mentorship program is important and beneficial, the process could be seen as unnecessary for a program that focuses on having a positive impact on a student’s university experience.

Last names have been omitted to protect identities.

In an office within the YWCA’s Hamilton headquarters on MacNab Street lays the home base for Hamilton’s latest initiative to connect LGBTQ+ youth. Speqtrum Hamilton, a non-profit organization housed under the YWCA, hosts monthly events and workshops for LGBTQ+ youth aged 17-29, and focuses on creating connections and teaching youth new skills.

Founded by three McMaster alumni, Speqtrum Hamilton holds sessions twice a month offering a variety of activities such as knitting circles, dodgeball tournaments and letter writing workshops. Speqtrum Hamilton is funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and housed under the local YWCA.

Speqtrum Hamilton is meant to fill the void left after the shutdown of LGBT+ friendly bars and the LGBTQ+ Wellness Centre of Hamilton. Currently run by Jyssika, the project coordinator and Jiya, the program coordinator, the two hope to offer LGBTQ+ spaces outside of post-secondary institutions.

“When I went to McMaster, I found a lot of community in spaces like the Queer Students Community Centre and spaces like that but I noticed there wasn’t a lot happening outside of Mac and with the fall of the [LGBTQ+ Wellness Centre], Hamilton’s only queer agency, which collapsed about three or four years ago, there really wasn’t anything,” said Jyssika. “Considering barriers queer students face just to access school, or maybe you lose financial support from your parents, that kind of thing, or maybe you’re just not interested in going to school, then you don’t really have those spaces,” she said.

“There’s no specific [LGBTQ+] space that’s continuous, and the nice thing about Speqtrum Hamilton is that it’s every single month,” Jiya said.

"Considering barrieres queer students face just to access school, or maybe you lose financial support from your parents, that kind of thing, or maybe you're just not interested in going to school, then you don't really have those spaces." 

 

Jyssika
Program coordinator
Speqtrum Hamilton

Jyssika cites the recent gentrification of Hamilton’s downtown core as one of the reasons for the shutdown of popular LGBTQ+ bars like the Embassy, a once popular club on King Street West.

“I think that, especially in Hamilton and the gentrification that’s happened in the last five years, unfortunately, that gentrification in a way also comes some different queer acceptance in spaces — generally gentrified spaces are more queer-infused, and there was a comfort level queer people had going to other places outside of traditional spaces that probably affected business in spaces,” said Jyssika.

Jiya also cites the lack of connection between LGBTQ+ services and service providers as another aspect of the decline of LGBTQ+ spaces in Hamilton.

“So for example, if you’re not connected to a service provider, it’s a lot harder to be connected with the different things that are happening for queer youth. And that’s not to say there aren’t groups here and there. … There’s no specific [LGBTQ+] space that’s continuous, and the nice thing about Speqtrum Hamilton is that it’s every single month,” Jiya said. Speqtrum Hamilton focuses on offering a variety of activities in hopes of building different communities within the LGBTQ+ community in Hamilton.

“Some of the most lasting connections I made at school were through theatre or doing something together or learning a skill together, rather than the classic form of ‘alright, let’s put a bunch of people with a shared identity and expect them to be best friends’,” Jyssika said.

“Ideally if you don’t find comfort in one space, you’ll find comfort in another. We want to create spaces for people to learn skills to learn how to create community,” she added.

While Speqtrum Hamilton currently focuses on offering diverse programming, both Jyssika and Jiya plan on creating community building workshops to teach LGBTQ+ youth how to plan their own events and community build on their own.

As the service continues to grow, both hope to offer a sense of community in Hamilton.

“We’re trying to offer consistency, and offer a space that people know and that they can invest in,” said Jyssika.

From letter writing workshops to swim nights, Speqtrum Hamilton hopes to build communities for LGBTQ+ youth living in an ever changing city.

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Liz Chamberlain will be running the New York City Marathon in two weeks, but the journey to the start line was anything but easy. Despite battling an invisible illness after a head injury, she found strength in art and running, and is now inspiring others along the way to the finish line.

Chamberlain is a McMaster alumna, and is working as an x-ray and mammography technologist at Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga. The mother of two is also a talented painter and avid marathon runner, two things she didn’t expect to be while studying at McMaster.

In March of 2013, Chamberlain suffered an head injury during a night shift that left her severely overwhelmed by multiple stimuli, including bright lights, background sounds and moving objects. The injury also impaired her ability to read easily and organize and prioritize her thoughts.

By the end of the summer, Chamberlain found herself severely depressed and frustrated from the lack of recovery. She was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome and she completed a ten-week Intensive Outpatient Program where she learned the importance of self-care.

"Every move isn't going to be pretty and enjoyable, but in the end, you have to be able to work through it and trust the journey."

Liz Chamberlain

“That program gave me permission to take care of myself, because up until that point in time, I was always a caregiver, I give to other people, I didn’t take time for myself, I didn’t have a hobby,” explained Chamberlain.

Through the program, Chamberlain was encouraged to set goals and take the time to take care of herself. She started listening to audiobooks and do online workshops like Kelly Rae Roberts’ Hello Soul, Hello Mixed Media Mantras.

Chamberlain was also inspired by Brené Brown’s book, The Gifts of Imperfection, to start art journaling, which she found therapeutic.

“That’s when I started out with Cocktails n’ Canvas, which is a local social paint night. I went to one of those with my friend. I was really overwhelmed by the crowds and had some trouble but once I got into it, I found out that I loved to paint… I didn’t expect to have something at the end of the night that I thought I liked,” explained Chamberlain.

It was the first time she had painted since elementary school, but the very next day Chamberlain bought paints and canvases and started making art. She learned self-care and letting go of perfectionism through painting. Now, she’s part of the Cocktails n’ Canvas team and has lead her own workshops.

“There are no mistakes, there are only happy accidents. One move leads to the next move, and even if you don’t like that move, it will lead you to something you will enjoy in the end,” explained Chamberlain.

“You have to work through the mess, work through the ugly stage, and it was one of those lightbulb moments, where I’m like ‘that’s exactly like life’. Every move isn’t going to be pretty and enjoyable, but in the end, you have to be able to work through it and trust the journey.”

Chamberlain’s mood had been improving, but she still was struggling with energy. That’s when she started attending classes at the Stoney Creek Running Room. She not only found an accepting and supportive community, but her fellow runners became like family she can rely on.

“I participated in Relay Race Around the Bay this past spring, I ran 15 km and passed off to another lady, and took a bus back to the finish line to cheer people on. This feeling of family and the excitement that I had and felt from everybody else when the ladies came in, it was amazing. I felt like I belonged,” she said.

Running introduced Chamberlain to new friends and opportunities to expand her art. Chamberlain attended a talk by Darcy Patrick, author of Why I Run, while she was at another low spot in her life. She was encouraged by his book to start using mantras to motivate her while running.

“When things start to get hard then I tell myself that I am strong, I am confident, I am fearless, I am courageous and I am powerful. All of these affirmations help me to get through the hard times in the run,” said Chamberlain.

Patrick was impressed by Chamberlain’s resilience and one day asked her to paint him a piece for the anniversary of his book. He was so impressed by her talent that he decided to make the painting the cover of his upcoming book.

It was a challenge for Chamberlain to start running, she was never an athlete and had struggled with her weight, but with rigorous training and determination, she went from alternating between a running and walking routine, to running 5k, 10k and three half-marathons.

She also wants others battling invisible illness and disabilities to know that they aren't alone. she wants to encourage others to talk about their struggles and relate to one another. 

Chamberlain is now training for the New York City Marathon and had been selected as a team member for 261 Fearless, a non-profit that empowers and unites women through running. The historic 42.1 km marathon goes through all five boroughs of the city, with supporters cheering on runners at every corner.

Chamberlain will be running the race with 14 other women, including Kathrine Switzer, the woman behind 261 Fearless and the first woman to run the Boston Marathon in 1967.

“Being somebody who wasn’t an athlete all their life, and being overweight, I feel like I’m really showing people that you don’t have to be in perfect form to do amazing things. Just go out and try it and if you do the training properly, you can do it just the way you are,” said Chamberlain.

Chamberlain’s message is loud and clear; don’t be afraid to follow your heart, just go out there and do it, and trust that journey will lead you to your intended or even better outcome.

Just like how so many people have inspired her, Chamberlain hopes that by sharing her story she will be able to connect with people and encourage others to follow their dreams and inspirations.

She also wants others battling invisible illnesses and disabilities to know that they aren’t alone. She wants to encourage others to talk about their struggles and relate to one another.

“The power of that ‘me too’ is phenomenal. One of the things that Brené Brown says is that shame can’t survive being shared, so if you talk about your shame or what’s making you feel bad, then it actually lessens the impact of it. I think it’s really important,” said Chamberlain.

Chamberlain’s journey doesn’t end at the finish line. She will continue to push her limits, overcome her struggles and be ready for the next challenge, while sharing her story every step of the way through her art and writing on her blog; Embrace Your Inspiration.

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Space travel began with the launch of Sputnik 1, the first satellite. The first human to orbit the Earth was Russian, but the Americans made it to the moon first. Since then, Russia and North America have dominated space travel. The Canadian Space Agency was first established in 1989, with its first major contribution being Canadarm, a robotic arm capable of satellite manipulation. The success of Canadarm prompted the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to work with the CSA to train Canadian astronauts and send them to space. Several years later, Chris Hadfield became a household name when he became the first Canadian to command the International Space Station. Since then, the CSA has started to rely on Russian capsules to get them to low-earth orbit, limiting the number of trips that Canadian astronauts can make and therefore limiting the need for astronauts. At the moment, the CSA only has two active astronauts, David Saint-Jacques and Jeremy Hansen. This is the smallest that the Canadian astronaut corps has ever been.

Last year the CSA put out a job posting for two more astronauts. Now, the remaining candidates will undergo a series of selection events geared at determining their ability to work in a team and cope with physical and mental stress. The final two will be relocated to Houston, Texas in August of 2017 to begin their official training as astronauts for the CSA. The recruitment campaign will reinforce Canadian contribution to the exploration of the new frontier. The rigorous selection criteria means that the CSA has their pick among the most qualified Canadians, and the two who will be chosen to represent the country on a global scale.

Among those who applied was Thomas Karakolis. He is one of 72 remaining Canadians, and two McMaster alumni, who are vying for one of two positions.

Self-Sufficiency

Karakolis completed his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and pursued a master’s degree under the supervision of Greg Whol looking at biomechanics and bone adaptation to mechanical loading. After finishing two degrees at McMaster, Karakolis moved to Waterloo to complete a PhD in applied health sciences in the department of kinesiology.

Karakolis credits much of his education at McMaster for the fact that he has made it this far into the selection process.

“It is tough to tell exactly what the CSA is looking for. I think it is someone who has a diverse background,” said Karakolis.

The CSA website says that among the key factors for consideration is excellent health, a university education in science, engineering or medicine and extensive knowledge and experience. The wide breadth of requirements for becoming an astronaut ensures that those who are sent to space are capable of dealing with a multitude of problems thrown their way.

“There are only a few astronauts on the International Space Station so they have to be the scientists conducting scientific experimentation on animals, on plants, on themselves. But they also have to be people that maintain the space station so they have to be mechanics, plumbers, and electricians that take care of the space station,” said Karakolis. Three people typically inhabit the ISS at a time. They alone are responsible for the integrity of the orbiting structure and the discoveries that come from its use. If something breaks, they are the ones to fix it. The astronauts on the ISS also do any unloading and reloading of re-supply vehicles and equipment maintenance. Their purpose in space is to run experiments geared at understanding more about the biological and physical world, the universe and how being in space affects the human body.

"The ultimate goal of science is discovery and to progress our knowledge as a civilization and a species of not only ourselves but the world around us."
Thomas Karakolis
Canadian Space Agency applicant

Karakolis hopes that his background in biomechanics and experience with experimentation makes him a good fit to contribute to one of the goals of space travel: discovery. “The ultimate goal of science is discovery and to progress our knowledge as a civilization and a species of not only ourselves but the world around us,” said Karakolis.

He is currently working as a defence scientist with Defence Research and Development Canada, an agency of the Department of National Defence. His research focuses on human performance and injury prevention in members of the Canadian Armed Forces. His educational background allows him to apply biomechanics to physiological functioning.

“Astronauts are scientists in space and a lot of the experimentation they do is on themselves as well as their crewmates,” said Karakolis.

Independence Day

According to Karakolis, the current most exciting occurrence in space travel is the progress NASA has made in gaining the independence to send astronauts to space themselves. Currently, Canadian and American astronauts rely on Russia’s Soyuz rocket to take them to the ISS, at the price of $80 million per person. This means that the CSA currently has only one way to get to space, via the Soyuz, and only one destination, the ISS. Taken together, the CSA only gets a space flight on average of once every four to five years. Up until now, the CSA has not had a need for more than two active astronauts.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program asked companies to design the next generation of space systems that will carry astronauts into low-Earth orbit. NASA awarded SpaceX and Boeing a contract to complete the design of their capsules that will carry astronauts to the ISS. While the first manned test flights were set for 2018, safety delays and challenges have set the progress back and NASA will likely not certify the capsules until much later. Karakolis does believe that the CSA will be playing a role in the development of these capsules, although the best way to contribute has yet to be decided.

“The anticipation is with these new vehicles, and missions, there will be more frequent opportunities for the CSA to send Canadian astronauts to space in the near future,” said Karakolis. These up and coming opportunities for space travel lead the CSA to launch the 2016 astronaut recruitment campaign.

Karakolis believes that it is integral that Canada reinforces its contribution to space travel in order to continue giving our astronauts access to the sky. The CSA’s close relationship with NASA means that a NASA victory is a victory the CSA as well.

“Right now, we don’t have a capability to get Canadians to space on our own, so we need to deal with access through either the Russian technology or the new American technology so I think instead of… just buying tickets essentially, contributing makes us more a part of the journey, the adventure, the discovery,” said Karakolis.

"Astronauts are scientists in space and a lot of the experimentation they do is on themselves as well as their climates."
Thomas Karakolis
Canadian Space Agency applicant 

The Right Timing

Karakolis says that he always wanted to be an astronaut. “I don’t think I am unique in that way; a lot of kids dream about being astronauts,” he said.

While he encourages those who dream of space travel to pursue their dreams, it is not a career that you can bank on.

“One thing that I was never quite sure of was if I would get an opportunity as good as the opportunity I have now,” he said. “It is one of those things that you dream about and you hope for but you can never really plan on being an astronaut because there are so few opportunities and some of it has to do with just being able to go for it when they do make a call like they did last year.”

The last time the CSA made a job posting for astronauts was in 2008. The 2016 recruitment campaign was the fourth ever for the CSA. The yearlong selection process is not only gruelling and stressful, but also has a low success rate; from the thousands of initial applicants, only two are going to be chosen this year. At a rate of about two new Canadians becoming astronauts every 10 years, there is an element of luck that plays into the job. The right opportunity has to present itself at the right time, when the person is ready. Despite this, Karakolis still encourages those who look to the sky to work hard and look out for opportunities to apply.

The candidates will find out who is chosen before Aug. 2017. After getting chosen, the two astronauts will be trained in Houston, Texas at the Johnson Space Centre for about two years. Once on the ISS, the Canadian astronaut will be working with the Americans and Russians and potentially astronauts from another space agency such as Europe or Japan.

Karakolis hopes to be the newest Canadian to explore the new frontier. “It is really the idea of being able to explore, being on the cutting edge of human discovery and at the same time being able to inspire people and to encourage people to pursue their dreams,” said Karakolis. For the CSA, the 2017 recruitment campaign will help Canadian space travel pick up speed once again.

 

In a press conference on Friday May 31 at the downtown Hamilton GO station, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Glen Murray announced plans for a new GO station to be built on James Street North.

Under the boiling afternoon sun, Murray, joined by local MPP Ted McMeekin, Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina and other government officials, outlined the need surrounding transportation infrastructure investment and development, and the importance of the project for Hamilton.

The station will be constructed nearby the historic Liuna Station and include multi-level parking with 300 spaces, new bus bays, a pick-up and drop-off zone and pedestrian walkways. The station’s main point of service will be to add two more train trips in the morning and afternoon to Toronto on the Lakeshore line, every day of the week. The current GO station on Hunter Street near St. Joseph's Hospital will continue to operate and will not be affected by the addition of the James North station.

The announcement follows recent buzz about continuing LRT (Light Rapid Transit) talks and what Metrolinx and the Ontario Government’s “Big Move” strategy means for Hamilton. While evading direct discussion of LRT in Hamilton, Murray did stress the need to catch Hamilton up with other cities in terms of transportation. Specifically, Murray outlined the need to do so in order to retain McMaster graduates.

“Young people who graduate from McMaster look around and see no LRT, they see limited GO service, they don’t see subways in this region, and they look to Chicago and they look to New York… [where] they see good governance [with transportation],” Murray said.

While a final budget and an exact time frame are still in the works, the station is set to begin construction in early 2014 and be completed by 2015. This schedule is coordinated to align with the Pan/Parapan Am Games’ arrival in Hamilton during the summer of 2015, although the station will continue operations after the Games are done.

Maryssa Barras

The Silhouette Intern

Alumni Association hosts Welcome Wednesdays

Starting on Jan. 23 the McMaster Alumni Association will be hosting Welcome Wednesdays. Once a month students will be welcome to visit the Alumni House for free coffee and bagels from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Members of the Student Relations Committee will be present for information on how to get involved on campus. Registration is required and free at alumni.os.mcmaster.ca.

He built a bridge in Hamilton, and three connecting Canada to the United States. He opened the Royal Botanical Gardens. And most significantly to students, he spearheaded McMaster’s move from Toronto to Hamilton. And yet now, 84 years after his death, Thomas Baker McQuesten is largely forgotten by the city he helped to shape.

Mary Anderson is hoping to change that.

“It’s wonderful to be able to tell the world what [Thomas McQuesten] did,” she said in an interview last week.

Anderson, who holds a PhD from McMaster in English, has dedicated her work to bringing the story of the McQuesten family back into the spotlight. She has written two books and three plays on the subject, and was presented a McMaster Alumni Hamilton Community Impact Award on Sept. 25 for her efforts.

The inspiration for this work came from a visit to Whitehern, the former McQuesten estate that has since been converted into a museum. Upon reading a sample of the letters the family had written, Anderson changed her focus of study from Irish poetry to the McQuesten family’s writings.

“[I was] entranced by them for their literary quality, for their depth of knowledge of history and science and city, Ontario politics, everything.”

With the help of a dozen students, she worked to digitize the 4000 letters the family had written. The content of the letters is now available online, along with a some photos from Whitehern’s collection.

Her most recent book, Tragedy & Triumph: Ruby & Thomas B. McQuesten, released in 2011, takes the content of those letters and tells the tale of the McQuestens’ lives, from the family bankruptcy, to Ruby’s premature death, to Tom’s political career.

She said the book wrote itself and described it as a “labour of love.”

While dramatic, Anderson feels the story of the McQuestens is also significant to the city. In recognizing Thomas as the “forgotten builder,” she feels Hamilton can solidify its sense of identity.

“Hamilton is so resistant to promoting Hamilton…[it] doesn’t know it’s important,” she said. But Anderson and McQuesten agree that the city is important, and that McMaster is a major part of that.

“Our whole development has been along mechanics lines,” McQuesten wrote in a letter, as found in Anderson’s book. “Hamilton has become too much a factory town. [McMaster] is the first break toward a broader culture and higher educational development.”

As a proponent of the “city beautiful” philosophy, Thomas McQuesten also aimed to improve the appearance of Hamilton through the establishment of parks, believing that if people were surrounded by natural beauty, it would inspire morality, making them better citizens.

Anderson is happy to be receiving an award for her work, but explains she would be involved in the community no matter what.

“It’s what I do,” she said of her community outreach. She is a member of the Hamilton Historical Board, Hamilton Arts Council, and the Tower Poetry Society.

Her Alumni Hamilton Community Impact Award is one of three awarded this year, presented at the Art Gallery of Hamilton on Sept. 25.

The other recipients were Dr. Jean Clinton, for her work in public and non-profit health intiatives, and Laurie Kennedy and Dr. Dyanne Semogas from the School of Nursing, for their leadership in the McMaster Student Outreach Collaborative.

On Monday afternoon, in front of a capacity Ron Joyce Stadium, the McMaster Marauders began their 2012 football season.

There to help the team start their season was Jerry Brown, a 2012 Olympic silver medalist who helped Canada to the podium in the men’s eight rowing.

Brown, an offensive lineman for the Marauders from 2004-2007, made an appearance to perform a ceremonial kick-off at his alma mater.

Marauder athletics holds significance in Brown’s journey to the athletics, as Brown credits the football program with giving him the tools to succeed at a world class level in rowing.

“The Marauders gave me a training foundation… it set me up with a discipline in training that I brought into rowing that I wouldn’t have been able to do without that kind of exposure to an intense training program.”

The No. 7 seat man from the silver medal team only began his rowing career four years prior to becoming a decorated Olympian, but starting a sport late is not a new concept to Brown.
Before coming to McMaster, he had not even played football before but the McMaster coaching staff aided his transition.

“I didn’t play football in high school so I came into the program and I spent two years just training hard, putting my head down, and it set me up with a discipline in training that I brought into rowing.”

Brown also gave credit to members of the coaching staff for instilling a work ethic in him.

“All of these guys build your character and you go through experiences; training hard, hardships, winning, losing and everyone just rubs off on you and shapes you a little bit.”

Larry Riley, entering his 19th season on the sideline for the Maroon and Grey, was Brown’s offensive line coach for his career.

Riley played a major role in Brown’s career and the Olympian had high praises for Coach Riley.

“Jason Riley helped me out through some tough times in university. On a personal level, Jason was always very good for helping me get through some of that.”
Brown’s teammate, Doug Cheem, also hails from McMaster and the pair shares a pride for Mac athletics.

“Doug and I are both extremely proud to be Marauders and it’s great to come back. We’re always talking about the Marauders.”

Jerry Brown is a walking example of how taking part in Marauder athletics is more than just a five-year experience; it is a journey that begins in Hamilton and continues on for the rest of an athlete’s life.