1960s
Lorne G. Everett (BSc’66/ HBSc’68) was chosen by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as one of its 2020 class of Distinguished Members – the highest honour the ASCE can bestow. Lorne is one of only a small group of individuals who could be considered an expert in groundwater monitoring, characterization, and remediation technologies. He has served as an expert witness in contaminant hydrology and hydrogeology. As the CEO and chief scientist of L. Everett & Associates LLC, his technologies have enhanced the understanding of hydrogeology.
1980s
Patricia Ellen Towell (BA‘89/ BEd’90) has been honoured for her work serving meals to vulnerable members of her community through St. Paul’s Anglican Church and for visiting with isolated seniors for more than two decades. On July 1, 2020, Governor General Julie Payette announced that Patricia was one of 123 Canadians to receive a Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers. The medal recognizes the exceptional volunteer achievements of Canadians across the country in a wide range of fields and pays tribute to the dedication and commitment of volunteers.
1990s
Todd Miller (BEd’93) runs the Lakehead Public Schools culinary arts program for Grade 7 and Grade 8 students in Thunder Bay. The program operates out of the Kingsway Park Public School’s teaching kitchen and allows students to earn a safe food handling certification. When schools switched to virtual learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Todd decided to make cooking videos so that his students could continue their learning too. You can find his videos on the Lakehead Public Schools website or by searching for “Cooking with Mr. Miller” on YouTube.
Marc Trudeau (IFRM'97) has been the executive director of The Rocky Mountain Trench Natural Resources Society since 2018. The Trench Society is a founding member of the Rocky Mountain Trench Ecosystem Restoration Program that has been working to restore grassland and open forest on Crown land in the East Kootenay/Upper Columbia Valley region of southeastern British Columbia. Marc is a registered forest technician who moved to the Kootenays in 2000 where he worked in forestry consulting before joining the BC Wildfire Service as an initial attack crew leader.
2000s
Dr. Christopher Mushquash (HBSc’02/MA’04) received a 2020 Champions of Mental Health Award in the Innovation – Researcher or Clinician category from the Canadian Alliance of Mental Illness and Mental Health. Christopher is a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction, a Lakehead University psychology professor, and a Northern Ontario School of Medicine professor. He champions culturally and contextually appropriate mental health and addiction services for First Nations peoples and individuals in rural and northern communities.
2010s
Steven DeLorenzi (HBA’19) was hired as a provincial constable with the Ontario Provincial Police detachment in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, in June 2020. Steven grew up in Thunder Bay and studied political science and psychology at Lakehead University. He also worked for the City of Thunder Bay Parks Department and for several youth programs in the city. In his spare time, Steven enjoys being outdoors and playing sports.
Gerilyn Fisher (BScN’19) is putting her passion for helping others into practice as a nurse at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital in Kenora, Ontario. With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has had to adapt to new working conditions and care for patients while wearing personal protective equipment. Gerilyn grew up 120 km north of Kenora on the Whitedog First Nation where she attended the Mizhakiiwetung Memorial School.
Svetlana Zeran (HBScF’15) is the general manager of the Bancroft Minden Forest Company in Ontario. After graduating in 2015 with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Forestry, she interned with both the Canadian Institute of Forestry based out of Mattawa, Ontario, and with the Agroforestry and Woodlot Extension Society based in Edmonton. She later received her Registered Professional Forester designation and has worked with non-profits, government, and private industry. Svetlana is currently the youngest female general manager of a Crown Forest in Ontario.
In Memoriam
Bruce E. Brymer (BA’70, Economics) passed away on July 27, 2019. Bruce was a Canadian sailing Olympian, an extraordinary team player, and an enthusiast of squash, tennis, golf, skiing, fishing, dining, and the art of excessively long conversations. A proud Lakehead supporter and the president of the Student Athletic Society from 1967-69, Bruce was a pioneer in developing an honour system for supplying cheap beer for thirsty university residence students, dispensed from old Art Deco coolers. After graduation, he turned down multiple job offers to return to Toronto where he successfully ran his family business for 50 years.
Dolores Wawia (BEd’85/MEd’83) passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in Thunder Bay on May 30, 2020, at the age of 76. Dolores, a member of the Gull Bay First Nation (Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek), was born in Beardmore, Ontario, and became a professor in Lakehead’s Faculty of Education. She was the first Indigenous woman to earn her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education in Northwestern Ontario, and devoted her career to improving educational opportunities for First Nations students. Dolores joined the Lakehead University Elders Council in 2017. During that time, she advised many staff and faculty on a wide variety of plans. Dolores was also an Elder with Lakehead’s Native Nurses Entry Program for several years until 2019.