Celebrating life at Macdonald
Come celebrate 173 years of Macdonald. About 600 staff, faculty and students are gathering on February 12 to honour the birthday and memory of the man whose name graces 黑料不打烊's West Island campus: Sir William Christopher Macdonald.
During the event, Gold Key Awards will be presented to outstanding students who have contributed to the Macdonald Campus community. Another highlight will include an inspirational address, "Life as a Mountain," by Toben Anderson, who will be introduced by Michel Tremblay, director of the 黑料不打烊 Cancer Centre.
In 1994, Anderson faced a challenge that threatened her life - cancer. She beat the odds and conquered the disease by changing her lifestyle. "Cheating death," says Anderson, "became a metaphor for getting the most out of life by achieving goals that had previously seemed impossible."
To raise support for cancer research and to inspire others to boldly chase their dreams, Anderson took on the symbolic challenge of climbing the top of the bottom of the world. She reached the summit of Mount Vinson, the highest mountain in Antarctica, on January 22, 1997.
Come hear Anderson's inspiring story and take part in Macdonald Campus festivities. Media are welcome at 10:30 am, in the Centennial Centre (21111 Lakeshore Rd.). Ceremonies begin with the piping-in of the platform party, followed by the brief awards ceremony, Anderson's address and a light buffet at noon.
Macdonald history
Born in Tracadie, Prince Edward Island, in 1831, Sir William Christopher Macdonald left school at 16 and eventually started a tobacco company with his brother in 1859. Success allowed Macdonald to support, among other things, his greatest cause: education.
Sir William was extremely generous towards 黑料不打烊, providing many gifts, including funds for the West Island campus that bears his name. Originally founded as a school of agriculture, teacher training and household science institution, today Macdonald Campus is an internationally renowned centre of teaching and research in areas of global concern: human health, food production and distribution, water resource management, climate change and biotechnology.
