Larry Thompson (COMM '97) was one of three nurses awarded the Award of Excellence in Nursing by Health Canada in May 2015. The award recognizes the "dedication, initiative and high standard of excellence" of registered nurses working in Inuit and First Nations communities.  The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health acknowledged the recipients of the annual award. They are provided annually during National Nursing Week to employees who provide nursing services in First Nations and Inuit communities.

It was an unforgettable afternoon on Saturday, May 30th when members of The Lake Superior Scottish Regiment and their guests gathered at Thunder Bay's O'Kelly Armoury for a Change of Command ceremony.  Incoming Lt.-Col. David K. Ratz, CD, (MA History '95) was born in Fort William. He commenced his military career with the LSSR as a Private in 1983.

During his career with the LSSR Lt.-Col. Ratz has commanded at all levels, including Rifle Platoon, Adjutant, A Company, Headquarters Company and Deputy Commanding Officer of 18 (Thunder Bay) Medical Company, Military Career Counsellor, and Detachment Commander at Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre Detachment Thunder Bay.

He has also served as the Northwestern Ontario Provincial Recruiting Officer for 38 Canadian Brigade Group. Most recently, he was the Officer Commanding Headquarters Company of the LSSR.

Outside of the military he is a contract lecturer with the history department of Lakehead University. His formal education includes a bachelor and a master's degree in History from Lakehead University and he is currently a doctoral student in History at the University of Oulu, Finland. He has also completed the Joint Command and Staff program at Canadian Forces College in Toronto.

Throughout his career, Lt.-Col. Ratz has been involved in domestic operations, most notably as the Regional Liaison Officer, Operation Forge and Forest Fire Evacuations in Northern Ontario. Despite his busy agenda he ensures that there is time to relax with his charming wife Wendy, their son and two daughters.

It’s no surprise Lt. Shannon Westlake (BEd. '13) is excited about competing in the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games.  She will compete in a field of 27 athletes in the women’s rifle three-position event (3-20). The top eight scores from qualifying advance to the final, to be held July 18. “It takes a lot of hard work to focus and concentrate on one task at a time, obviously,” said Westlake, who earned her Pan Am berth at the Championship of the Americas competition this spring at Fort Benning, Georgia. 

Westlake served as a member of the Queen’s York Rangers 2799 army cadet corps in Aurora, ON for seven years. That’s where she first picked up a rifle as a 12-year-old.  Currently, she is an area cadet advisor for Western Ontario who resides with her family in St. Thomas. Beyond the Pan Am Games, Westlake and teammate Sharon Bowes, a four-time Olympian, will shoot to secure Canada a spot for the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Jylisa Williams (BA'15) has signed a one-year contract with Evo New Basket Oberhausen in the German Damen Basketball Bundesliga (DBBL).

Williams, a 5'8" guard/forward, is coming off of a record-breaking season at Lakehead University in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). In 2014-2015, she broke the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Conference single-season scoring record with 548 total points and led the entire country in scoring with an average of 28.8 points per game. She won both the CIS Player of the Year and OUA Player of the Year awards. Williams was also 7th in the country with an average of 9.3 rebounds per game and 1st with 4.0 steals per game, while leading the Thunderwolves to a 2nd place finish in the OUA Central standings. 

On February 6th, 2015, Williams made OUA Conference history, breaking the OUA's single-game scoring record with a 50-point performance in a win over the University of Toronto. This eclipsed the nearly 33-year-old record of 49 points set by Candi Lohr in the 1982-1983 season.  

Pop artist and Thunder Bay native, Coleman Hell (BA '11) is among the Canadian artists singled out by Spotify on a list of artists "poised to hit it big."  
The "Spotlight" list, which a spokesman for the streaming service said was derived from demographic breakdowns of its data, said the company also looked at viral charts, which track how often users share songs as opposed to simply streaming them.  Coleman Hell officially released the music video for their hit song "2 Heads" in July 2015.

Congratulations to former Lakehead University basketball star, Jim Zoet, who was inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame on July 21, 2015.

Known as the “Big Man,” he played for the then Lakehead Norwesters for two seasons (1976-77 and 1977-78) where he averaged 19 points per game and led the team to its only CIAU national championship. He was a CIAU All-Canadian in his two seasons at Lakehead. Zoet went on to become a member of the 1980 Canadian Olympic men’s team, saw short service in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons and then went on to play professionally in the Netherlands, England, Argentina, Mexico and the Philippines. Jim was inducted into the Lakehead University Wall of Fame in 2009.

Eilea Given and Kaitlyn Simpson are the best in the world. They're grand champions in competitive jump rope. In July 2015 the duo placed first in the World Jump Rope grand championship in Paris, France, for their freestyle doubles routine — a choreographed routine full of gymnastic tricks set to music.  

Simpson trains 15 hours a week, preparing for competitions held around the world. She started Lakehead University's two skipping teams in 2013, and still coaches both of them.  Earlier this year, she won coach of the year at Ontario's provincial competition.  Given won seven consecutive national titles, prior to leaving the sport for nearly ten years.  

The two met when they tied first in a competition.  They decided to work together shortly afterwards. 

Joseph N. Agostino (MA'80) is currently retired from his position as Psychometrist / Behaviour Consultant with the Cochrane Temiskaming Resource Centre in Timmins, ON.  He maintains an active lifestyle and enjoys walking excursions with his wife Donna, attending live theatre productions, taking courses to upgrade his computer skills, researching his genealogy, and writing articles on a variety of issues.  His article "Family Relationships and the Elderly" has been accepted for publication in the Active Senior's Digest magazine, and his MA thesis research, "Closure in a Visual Motor Task" has been accepted for publication in the journal ETC: A Review of General Semantics.  Both articles are scheduled for publication later this year.  

Joseph and Donna moved to Bracebridge, Ontario in September 2015 to be closer to family.

In separate ceremonies held during the last week of March, four Lakehead alumni received a Governor General's "Caring Canadian" award, in recognition of their significant, sustained, unpaid contributions to their community, in Canada or abroad.  The recipients were: 

Glen Sharpe (B.Ed. 1991)  
Glen Sharpe, an avid supporter of the Aboriginal community with roots among the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, has devoted his life to teaching others, mentoring Aboriginal youth and passing on his wisdom to the next generation in his community.

Peter Cloidt (HBComm '10)
For several years, Peter Cloidt has been providing free income tax services to developmentally challenged people in the Thunder Bay region. He also volunteers with the Canadian Cancer Society by assisting chemotherapy and radiation patients with their transportation needs.

Valerie Dennison (BA '70) 
Valerie Dennison has been dedicated to the well-being of the people of the Thunder Bay area for over 50 years as a volunteer with Meals on Wheels, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, the Alzheimer's Society and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

Roger "Cliff" Huber (B.Ed '76) 
Cliff Huber has been a volunteer in the Thunder Bay area for over 50 years, coaching sports teams, teaching basic computer skills, and working in the collective interests of seniors and the community through Retired Teachers of Ontario.

Lakehead's wrestling program welcomes back one of their own, and one of their best ever, as an assistant coach this season. Head coach Francis Clayton announced today that Justin BeauParlant will serve as an assistant with the program this season.

"I am fired up to have Justin BeauParlant as a part of the coaching staff to start the 2015 season," says Clayton. "Justin brings a winning, upbeat attitude that will enhance our competition and training environments."

BeauParlant made a name for himself as an elite wrestler with Lakehead and Canada during his career in the late 90's on the national and international stage. He has three CIS gold, and 1 silver medal to his credit, and the heavyweight placed 2nd at the World University Wrestling Championships in 2000, and placed 12th at the World Junior Championships in 1998.

"I'm so glad to be back in my hometown of Thunder Bay after 14 years," says Justin. "Being a part of the wrestling program again, assisting Franny feels like home too. I have always loved Thunder Bay and LU and to be part of it all over again is a little surreal. I can't express how excited I am to begin the season, to help where I can, and take an already great program to the next level."