Past Award Recipients

Robert Krell - Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry (1996)

"Dr. Krell has focused his work on teaching about the consequences of bullying, racism, anti-Semitism and the Holocaust; as well as the incredible power that comes from speaking up and not remaining a bystander. Robert has spoken with audiences around the world as well as within his own local Vancouver community, both in person, and in more recent years, via Zoom. His achievements are deeply significant and will leave legacies long into the future."

“Dr. Krell was one of the pioneers of taping audio visual testimony from survivors of the Holocaust which he began in Vancouver in 1978. Their stories will not be lost because of this work and are now permanently archived at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC).”

"Dr. Krell is not only a community leader, but he is an extraordinary visionary – and works each and every day to ensure the Holocaust is never forgotten."

Robert Krell was selected for his lasting contributions to Holocaust Remembrance and Education. Of particular note was his founding of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, which remains a permanent community resource providing valuable education programs for student, teachers and anyone wanting to learn more about the Holocaust.

Please find a recording of the online Awards Ceremony on May 17, 2023.

Patricia Shaw - Professor Emeritus of Anthropology (2020)

"UBC is extremely fortunate to have, in Patricia Shaw, someone not only with the relevant necessary advanced academic preparation, but also the necessary personal charm, conviction, determination and administrative ability to preserve the Indigenous language of the people whose land the university occupies."

“As I worked closely with Dr. Shaw over these many years, I saw first-hand a person with incredible creative and intellectual talent, unwavering ethics and compassion, and the dedication and commitment to share what she had with others. Moreover, Dr. Shaw’s life-work is undergirded by her natural ability and inclination toward mentorship.”

"With the special status of the University relative to the Musqueam Indian Band, UBC is fortunate to have had, and continue to have, Pat’s contribution to the Band via her language work. It is rare to have a non-community member contribute as greatly, as consistently, and as successfully as she has in documenting, teaching, revitalizing and promoting a language as she has with hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓."

Patricia Shaw was selected for her lasting contributions to the documenting, teaching, revitalizing and promoting of hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓. She continues to work on perfecting and expanding our current pedagogical materials in anticipation of full publication, to supervise doctoral students and mentor community language scholars and teachers, advocate for ongoing community involvement in public academic discourses, and help to structure new initiatives to further hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-focused study.

Please find a recording of the online Awards Ceremony on May 17, 2023.

Frank Tester - Professor Emeritus of Social Work (2016)

“Frank is hardworking and dedicated. He helps create an atmosphere that is warm, and accepting of others.He is a pleasure to work with. 
His commitments are evident:  a career that engaged him as a medic and volunteer on a construction brigade, working in Nicaragua during the Contra War of the late 1980s. He is known for his support of Inuit in Canada, as well as communities in Tanzania, Mozambique and Vanuatu in the South Pacific, dealing with human rights, social and environmental issues. He has a deep respect for the strength and resiliency of communities and individuals.”

“Frank Tester has volunteered an enormous amount of time energy and expertise in assisting the Inuit of Baffin Island, and especially the community of Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet). Part of his work has been to encourage Inuit to speak out. Their ancestors found a way to survive in one of the harshest 
environments on earth, lived within this consensus, and rarely dealt with dissention. Aspects of this culture endure. And so, when outsiders come, speak, and ask for opinions, their Inuit listeners, not wanting to generate conflict, are usually silent. The outsiders leave on the next plane, and report that the Inuit seem satisfied. Frank, however, has managed to insert Mittimatalik voices into these hearings.”

Dr. Tester was not only selected for his research into the structural origins of social issues and the policies and practices that address them, but also for his tireless advocacy and work on collaborative and community development approaches to problems such as young Inuit suicide, housing and living conditions, food security and the impacts—social, cultural and environmental—of resource development projects, both in Canada and internationally.

Please find a video of the Awards Ceremony on May 4, 2022.

Graham Kelsey - Professor Emeritus of Educational Studies (1998)

“Through his leadership and participation on the Cariboo-Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition’s Arts and Culture Advisory Committee, Dr. Kelsey paved the way for a model arts and culture function with the Cariboo Regional District.”

“(..) Due to Graham's drive and organizational capabilities, the Central Cariboo achieved a truly ground-breaking milestone, implementing a taxpayer supported arts and culture function under the fiscal umbrella of the Cariboo Regional District (CRD).”

Dr. Graham Kelsey is truly an exemplary citizen who deserves recognition for his selfless volunteer contributions, and I wholeheartedly support his nomination for this award.

“Dr. Kelsey (..) is gracious, generous, and I do believe that his personal motto is “How can I help?”.”

Dr. Kelsey was selected for his lasting contributions not only to the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society (CCAS), but also to the small communities surrounding Williams Lake and the Cariboo-Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalsition's Arts and Culture Advisory Committee.

Please find a video of the Awards Ceremony on May 19, 2021 and the Seminar on Emeriti Serving the Community on June 9, 2021.

Peter Wing - UBC Clinical Professor Emeritus of Orthopaedics (2012)

“It is clear that Dr. Wing is a caring humanitarian who has dedicated time, knowledge, and personal resources to the betterment of international spinal cord injury education and care in general plus a special focus on Nepal.”

“Dr. Wing has great respect for people and is very humble in his approach to helping others, both directly and through his teaching, lectures and participation in workshops and training sessions. He has set a wonderful example of service to others.”

“A visionary knows how to sow seeds and see the tree grow. This is truly illustrated by the work of Drs. Peter Wing and Claire Weeks for the not-for-profit Nepalese Spinal Cord Injury Collaboration.”

“His leadership in international volunteer community services to support the ongoing education and training of Nepalese physicians in the management of Spinal Cord Injuries is exemplary.”

Dr. Wing was selected for his lasting contributions not only to the Department of Orthopaedics, but also to organizations such as the Rick Hansen Institute, the International Spinal Cord Society, and especially to the Spinal Injuries Rehabilitation Centre (SIRC) in Nepal.

Photos of the Awards Ceremony 2020

Marguerite Chiarenza - UBC Emerita Professor Emerita of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies (2000)

"Your leadership in international volunteer community services to enhance the education of African girls is exemplary."

"Dr. Chiarenza has worked tirelessly for the enhancement of African girls' edcuation."

"All her academic achievements pale in comparison to what eventually became the focus of her life, the activity in favour of some of the most deprived members of our Society: young African girls denied access to education and destined to early marriage and pregnancies and often to death through AIDS.”

Stanley Hamilton - Professor Emeritus of Commerce and Business Administration (2004)

"In addition to his dedication to volunteer community service, Dr. Hamilton’s legacy of mentorship will help ensure that the next generation continue with the important work needed in our community.”

“Dr. Hamilton’s effective, quiet leadership style and his profound commitment to bettering the lives of families living with autism and other neuro-developmental disorders has been especially inspiring.”

“Stan could have settled into an easy retirement, but instead he used his significant business acumen to transform the local Arts Council Chair, stabilizing the organization and acquiring and unprecedented amount of funding for BC-based artists.”

“Dr. Stanley Hamilton is a respected professor emeritus at Sauder School of Business whose contributions go well beyond the academic world and leave an indelible mark on the arts, urban planning, industry governance and property tax reform.”