History
The gold standard
Ryerson Gold Medal winners represent the University's best and brightest students. What are past winners doing now?
By Deborah Smyth
When Joan Bothwell (later Edwards), Fashion ’51 accepted one of the first Ryerson Gold Medals, little did the hockey player and cheerleader know that this tradition would continue for more than half a century.
The Ryerson Gold Medal is the University's highest award, given to students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and school involvement. Since those first awards in 1951, more than 200 medals have been granted to graduates from all six faculties.
After garnering her gold, Edwards, now 78, went on to marry and raise two daughters and a son, and earn a master's degree in sociology at the University of Windsor, where she taught for 12 years.
Meet nine other medallists who share their memories of winning the prestigious award:
- Isadore Sharp, Architectural Technology ’52
- Ronald Graham, Ted Rogers School of Business Management ’62
- Alison Smith, Radio and Television Arts ’77
- Martin Cummings, Ted Rogers School of Business Management ’85
- Josephine Marcellin-Sickander, Ted Rogers School of Business Management ’86
- Kevin Hollingworth, Mechanical Engineering ’90
- Brian Hollingworth, Civil Engineering ’93
- Ross Sutherland, Nursing ’94
- Carola Perez, Geographical Analysis ’03
Then: Isadore "Issy" Sharp, Architectural Technology ’52. After graduation, Sharp entered the construction business with his father. In 1961, he built and opened the Four Seasons Motor Hotel on Toronto's Jarvis Street.
Now: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts operates 81 hotels in 34 countries, with Sharp as founder, chairman and CEO. He has an honorary doctorate of commerce from Ryerson and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1993. Sharp is also the founder and director of the annual Terry Fox Run, the largest single-day fundraising event for cancer research worldwide. "It's been going on almost 30 years now - to date we've raised over $400 million for cancer research
Gold medal memory: "I was surprised," laughs Sharp. "I only really got interested in my classes in my last year. Up until then, I was more interested in sports."
Ryerson highlight: "[Ryerson] gave me a basic understanding and training in elements of design that have served my purpose for whatever I've been doing to this day."
Where medal is now: "Unfortunately it was stolen, but my wife got another copy of it."
Then: Ronald (Ron) Graham, Ted Rogers School of Business Management ’62.
Now: Graham, 69, heads up Ronald J. Graham and Associates, real estate consultants, in Thornhill, Ont. "I can't speak highly enough of [Ryerson's] training for business," says Graham, whose firm specializes in financing and underwriting on behalf of pension funds based in Western Canada.
Gold medal memory: "It was a really big deal. It was a profound compliment and sense of achievement and it meant a lot to me."
Ryerson highlight: As Student Administrative Council President in 1961-62, Graham encouraged a group of students to find a live mascot for the Ryerson Rams sports teams. They bought a live ram from the Black Bros. Livestock Company for $10.85, named it "Eggy" after the school's namesake Egerton Ryerson, and built a pen for the 70-kg mascot outside what is now Oakham House. "We brought him to all the football and hockey games," recalls Graham. "It was a lot of fun."
Where medal is now: "Locked away with other keepsakes."
Then: Alison Smith, Radio and Television Arts ’77.
Now: Smith, 53, is the Washington, D.C. correspondent with CBC News. She has blazed a remarkable career with the CBC as anchor and reporter, hosting Newsworld Reports, CBC News Morning and The National. Smith has covered stories in every Canadian province and around the world, including the Middle East, South Africa - for the country's first multi-racial elections, Venezuela - the recent referendum, and the 2008 U.S. election. "To return to the field in a foreign posting has been wonderful. I always wanted to go back, but family commitments came first," explains Smith, who has two sons. "When the time was right, I was ready for it. I hope it shows younger women that there will always be new opportunities throughout their career."
Gold medal memory: "Ryerson told me ahead of time so my parents could come from B.C." Smith's producing and hosting credits at Ryerson landed her a job with the CBC that began the day after her last exam. "So the CBC sent a cameraman to film my graduation ceremony," she laughs. "I had it transferred onto videotape as a keepsake."
Ryerson highlight: "Television works best when it is collaborative and that's one important lesson I learned from the program. We had a great sense of camaraderie, learning how to depend on one another and to trust one another. That's absolutely crucial in my job today."
Where medal is now: "In a drawer at home... along with that little videotape."
Then: Martin (Marty) Cummings, Ted Rogers School of Business Management ’85.
Now: In 2000, Cummings, now 49, walked away from a successful corporate career in marketing and customer service to become a snake charmer of sorts. He launched Critters, an exotic animal event business that presents its menagerie of snakes, lizards, tarantulas and other species to classrooms, birthday parties, corporate events and trade shows for hands-on demos.
Gold medal memory: "My father had just recently passed awayand so my first thought was that it was a shame that he's not going to be there to see this happen."
Ryerson highlight: As president of the Marketing Course Union, Cummings spearheaded a promotional campaign. "If you were spotted wearing your marketing button you got a prize," he explains. "We got everyone talking about the Marketing Course Union."
Where medal is now: "My family framed it for me in 3-D. There's a mirror behind it so you can see both sides."
Then: Josephine Marcellin-Sickander, Ted Rogers School of Business Management ’86 (MBA, University of Western Ontario). Taking extra classes at night and in the summer helped Marcellin-Sickander earn her double-major certificate in computer-business and general-management studies before completing her degree. The St. Lucia native also participated in student government, the Ryerson Caribbean and African Association, and played volleyball and soccer.
Now: In 2002, after several years in the financial industry, Marcellin-Sickander, 43, opened Results Doctor, a consulting business specializing in project management, mentoring and training.
Gold medal memory: "The greatest feeling I had was of gratitude. I felt very grateful that people had recognized my accomplishments."
Ryerson highlight: "I loved the small classroom sizes, the familiarity that the professors were able to build with the students and the camaraderie. I felt this connection that I knew I couldn't get anywhere else." In her third year, this camaraderie resulted in Marcellin-Sickander and her fellow business students creating a memorable float for the annual picnic parade: "We created this huge pink piggy bank with papier mache," she recalls. "The whole group became closer as a result."
Where medal is now: "In my son's room. He's 12. I tell him he has to beat me," she laughs. "That's his inspiration."
Then: Kevin Hollingworth, Mechanical Engineering ’90.
Now: Senior design engineer, Exco Engineering in Newmarket, Ont., where he's worked since graduation. Currently, he manages a project to supply casting tooling for Chrysler. His brother, Brian, won the medal in 1993. "He's been chasing me his whole life," says Hollingworth, 40. "It's hard to keep one step ahead of him."
Gold medal memory: The Bracebridge, Ont. native acceptedhis medal to thunderous applause - the presentation represented the end of a five-year medallist drought in Engineering.
Ryerson highlight: "The thing that attracted me to Ryerson was the polytechnic side of it; the small classroom sizesand the fact that the professors all had experience in industry - they weren't just a bunch of doctors. I think that gaveme an advantage when I graduated."
Where medal is now: "In my desk at home."
Then: Brian Hollingworth, Civil Engineering ’93 (M.A.Sc, University of Toronto '95).
Now: As a Director of IBI Group, Hollingworth, 38, specializes in transportation planning for large urban areas, and "reducing the environmental impacts of transportation and creating options for alternatives to the car." An avid cyclist, Hollingworth is currently working on a long-range transportation plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
Gold medal memory: "My elder brother had won it three years earlier, so that made it extra special."
Ryerson highlight: Hollingworth, who was instrumental in establishing Ryerson's student chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, still feels a strong connection and, in 2002, returned to teach Introduction to Civil Engineering for two years. "I have the fondest memories of Ryerson."
Where medal is now: "In my dresser."
Then: Ross Sutherland, Nursing ’94 (BA, Political Science, Queen's University, '79; MA, Political Economy, Carleton University, '08). Proving life can begin at 40, Sutherland, now 56, traded a suit for hospital scrubs when he left his union job to make the career switch to nursing.
Now: Although he specialized in emergency room nursing since graduation, Sutherland now works at the Street Health Clinic in Kingston, Ont., which cares for the city's most vulnerable residents, including the homeless and at-risk youth. A longtime community activist on health and social issues, Sutherland has also taught nursing at Queen's University and ran for office as an NDP candidate in three elections.
Gold medal memory: The popular Ottawa native was the only 1994 graduate to receive the medal and his classmates honoured him with a standing ovation. "I was overwhelmed by the reception," recalls Sutherland.
Ryerson highlight: "My favourite memories all involve getting to know a great bunch of students and the nurses who helped train us. The training at Ryerson taught me to be a good hands-on nurse skilled at teamwork, and [provided a] social perspective that helped me progress as a nurse activist."
Where medal is now: "On my bookshelf."
Then: Carola Perez, Geographical Analysis ’03.
Now: Perez, 28, a community planner for the City of Toronto, reviews development applications for the west end of the downtown core. Planning ahead, Perez is considering taking her social geography skills abroad - possibly Peru and Argentina, where her parents are from - for international development work. "It's much needed," she says.
Gold medal memory: "I remember being quite proud to be considered in the same category as the other recipients."
Ryerson highlight: In 2003, Perez served as president of her department's student union. "I'm still friends with a lot of those people. After hours, we'd stay late to organize things - food drives and social events. One year we created a parade float."
Where medal is now: "My mom holds onto it for dear life. It means a lot to her."
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