The 2004 Bruce Bryden Alumni Recognition Awards Dinner retained the annual event’s status as the most special evening of the year for distinguished York alumni and friends. On May 13, the dinner was held downtown at the elegant Arcadian Court, adjacent to the stunning Thomson Collection of Canadian Art.
Right: Sandie Rinaldo
Sandie Rinaldo (BA ’73) once again brought her energy, love of York and professional expertise to her role as emcee. The event kicked off with the presentation of the Alumni Silver Jubilee Scholarship Award to theatre student Christina Haidner.
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Above: (from left) Timothy Price, Janet Green Foster, Joseph Sorbara and Peter Currie
Between courses throughout the evening, the Bruce Bryden Recognition Awards were distributed to the following people:
- Developer and lawyer Joseph D. Sorbara (LLB ’68), who said he was guided by a phrase that his father, Joseph Sr., would often say: “Giving is a better part of life than taking.”
- Timothy R. Price, Chair of Brascan Financial Corporation and of the York University Foundation, who shared his view that York has taken great strides in recent years and that it is set “to welcome graduates back to the campus to show them our success and get them involved.”
- Janet Green Foster (BA ’69, PhD ’76), who said that Glendon College – where she attended as a mature student – “was a godsend,” and that many of her York professors were an inspiration throughout her remarkable life and career as a broadcaster, writer and naturalist.
- Peter Currie (BA ’73, MBA ’78), vice-chairman and chief financial officer of RBC Financial Group, who said that as a leader one must be exhibit “professionalism, integrity and creativity,” and added that creativity is the basis for innovation, “which is the engine for York University.”
Click here for more information about the award winners.
The awards are named after the late Bruce Bryden (BA ’64), founder of the York University Alumni Association and the first alumni Chair of the York University Board of Governors.
Right: The Bruce Bryden Award in a display case
At the end of the evening, Marshall Cohen, Chair of the Board of Governors, presented Bruce Bryden’s daughter, Joanna, with a framed archival image of Bruce as a young man with professor George Tatham.
Naguib Gouda, executive director of Alumni and Advancement Services, said the awards are “a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and thank those who bring honour to York University and to the memory of Bruce Bryden.”
This article was submitted to YFile by John Crysler, policy analyst, Office of the Vice-President Students.