Forty-five members of York’s administrative staff were recognized for 25 years of service to the University at a reception Nov. 28.
Altogether they have logged 1,125 years of service to York over the last quarter century. And there to pay them tribute were President & Vice-Chancellor Lorna R. Marsden and vice-presidents Gary Brewer, Sheila Embleton and Rob Tiffin.
In a speech honouring the long-service employees, Don Murdoch, associate registrar, reminisced about changes at York over the past 25 years. “In 1981, when I was a new graduate from York, most of my classmates looked a lot like me, from middle-class Willowdale or Woodbridge with not-too-distant European roots. Now, like then, York looks like Toronto,” he said. “You only have to attend one of our convocation ceremonies to see what a multicultural magnet York has become. And, we are all the richer for it.
Right: Don Murdoch with Ross ramp artifact
Murdoch remembered the Keele campus of windswept fields and parking lots accessible by the Steeles bus, the days before York Lanes and Vari Hall, when the front door to York was an imposing 200-foot concrete ramp nobody used. He brandished a concrete piece of that ramp salvaged when the ramp was torn down and replaced with Vari Hall. “The space previously occupied by the ramp that no one ever used is now perhaps the busiest junction on campus where, each day, tens of thousands of students, staff and faculty make their way to the library, the laboratory or the lecture hall.”
Some things don’t change, Murdoch said. “Every fall, the geese make walking across campus an adventure in choreography. Each September, hope springs eternal for our football team. Every year, professors will make what, in the minds of their students, seem like unreasonable demands and deadlines.
“We, as non-academic staff, come every day to play an integral role in the life cycle of our students. Whether you work in an academic unit, the library, a student service area, the President’s Office or Physical Plant, we should all take pride in the work we do in support of this extraordinary institution. As Canada’s third largest university, York is a place of national significance and we shouldn’t forget that. We should be very proud to play the part we play, every day, in helping our students succeed and, thereby, contribute to the future of our country.”
Above: Long-service award recipients with York President & Vice-Chancellor
Lorna Marsden (far right) and a number of University vice-presidents
25-Year Service Award recipients
Kay Bassford (Campus Services & Business Operations)
Sylvia Bosch-Karas (Admissions)
Janet Brewer (Computing Technology & e-Learning Services)
Francesco Bruno (Facilities Services)
Zachariah Cameron (Computing Network Services)
Sharon Chisholm (Schulich School of Business)
Kathleen Copping (Osgoode Hall Law School)
Amanda Cortina (Campus Services & Business Operations)
Daisy Couto (Faculty of Arts)
Paul Crabbe (Computing Network Services)
Stephen Davis (Faculty of Arts)
Anna Divito (Campus Services & Business Operations)
Deborah Freele (Faculty of Science & Engineering)
Vilma Fuoco (Registrar’s Office)
Antonio Greco (Facilities Services)
Marilyn Anne Green (Registrar’s Office)
Lisa Guglietti (Student Financial Support)
Lezlie Henry (Faculty of Arts)
Richard Hughson (Facilities Services)
Howard Hui (Scott Library)
William Hyslop (Facilities Services)
Paula Ironi (Schulich School of Business)
George Kahler (Computing Network Services)
Lisa Lanni (Campus Services & Business Operations)
Joseph Lapoint (Computing Network Services)
Frank Matthews (Faculty of Science & Engineering)
Angela Mattiucci (Faculty of Arts)
Chris Mesquida (Steacie Science Library)
Donald Murdoch (Registrar’s Office)
Antonette Nardone (Student Financial Services)
Joyce Pereira (Vice-President Finance & Administration)
Anna Politi (Campus Services & Business Operations)
Rita Quagliara (Faculty of Arts)
Weston Robinson (Facilities Services)
Anna Santilli (Scott Library)
Concetta Scalzullo (Faculty of Arts)
Steve Sicluna (Facilities Services)
Jacqueline Siebert (Faculty of Arts)
Andrew Starostecki (Facilities Services)
Penny Summers (Registrar’s Office)
Dan Tilling (Campus Services & Business Operations)
Steven Tingey (Scott Library)
Cathy Valente (Facilities Services)
Laureen Verasammy (Faculty of Arts)
Barbara Wasser (Schulich School of Business)
The reception was coordinated by the Office of the Vice-President Finance & Administration and hosted by VP Gary Brewer. This marked the 16th celebration of the 25-Year Service Program.