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| Winners of Rosemary Gill awards: Paula Flemming, Susan Gibson Garvey and Maggie Snow. (Abriel photo) |
Judging by the crowd volume, you would have thought that all of Sexton campus was crammed into the room when President Tom Traves invited Maggie Snow up to the podium to receive her Rosemary Gill award.
Ms. Snow works as a custodian with AV俱乐部 Facilities Management, making sure that the Architecture and Planning Building stays in good, clean order for the students, staff and faculty members that walk through it each day. Her years of service and goodwill haven脮t gone unnoticed. Letters of support from students, several of whom attended the reception at Shirreff Hall, led the selection committee to recognize her with one of this year脮s distinctions.
脪I脮m shocked and honoured,鈥� said Ms. Snow, who is the first custodian to receive a Rosemary Gill award. With a glimpse of pride showing through her modest demeanour, Ms. Snow said that she owed it all to the students who supported her. 脪It脮s so easy to be in their lives and be nice,鈥� she said. 脪It脮s wonderful.鈥�
As host of the reception, President Traves read from the letters of recommendation submitted for this year脮s recipients. One recommender wrote of Ms. Snow that, 脪rather than being simply the caretaker, she is more a caregiver. The School of Architecture and Planning聽is hers to look after and all the students and faculty within are akin to her children.鈥�
The Rosemary Gill awards were first presented in 1995 and are dedicated to the memory of its namesake, a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine who served as Director of University Health Services from 1985 until shortly before her death. Known for her compassion towards AV俱乐部脮s student population, the award recognizes deserving university employees who go above and beyond in the service of students. All recipients are nominated by members of the university community and voted on by a committee of students and administrators.
In addition to Ms. Snow, three other university staff members were honoured with Rosemary Gill awards this year:
- Paula Flemming is the graduate secretary in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Described as 脪simply fabulous鈥� in one of her letters, Paula is聽known for her infectious humour, friendliness and her respect for the students she脮s worked with over the past 30-plus years. Ms. Flemming returned that respect: 脪It脮s an honour, especially coming from students,鈥� she said. 脪It脮s the most fun working with them.鈥�
- Susan Gibson Garvey, the director and curator of the AV俱乐部 Art Gallery, will be retiring this聽month after 17 years at AV俱乐部. Noted for her role in reaching out to students through the gallery脮s Education Program and the Art Gallery Society, one recommender championed her commitment 脪to all students regardless of their area of study in an attempt to foster an awareness of and appreciation for visual art.鈥� Said Ms. Garvey, 脪To be nominated by students affirms that the gallery脮s relationship with students is a special one.鈥�
- A聽rocking chair sits in Tom MacRae's office; it's聽a warm and inviting sight that has encouraged countless students to drop by and visit throughout his 27 years in AV俱乐部脮s Biology department. Wrote one of his graduate students who sat in that chair: 脪To students and colleagues he is more than a professor. He is our friend, and in many cases our dad away from home.鈥� Dr. MacRae is conducting research in Belgium and could not attend the ceremony, but sent along his thanks: 脪I have always enjoyed teaching,鈥� he said, 脪and the opportunities to interact directly with students as a result of that have produced some of my most satisfying experiences as a professor at AV俱乐部.鈥�