Homecoming 2008

The University of Western Ontario welcomed more than 15,000 alumni back to London the first weekend of October 2008 for Canada’s biggest Homecoming.

“Homecoming is a time to celebrate, a time to reminisce, and a time to be unquestionably proud of being a Western alum,” says Anne Baxter, Western’s Homecoming 2008 Chairperson. “It is a time to reflect on where life has taken you since graduation, what you have accomplished and what you still have to accomplish. It is also a time to enjoy to the fullest, the many events planned especially for you and to continue your relationship with Western, your university.”

Over 100 Western Engineering alumni returned to campus Saturday, October 4 to partake in the Faculty’s Homecoming celebrations, including the Engineering Alumni & Friends Reception & Open House and the Engineering Alumni Party at the Station Park All Suite Hotel .   Alumni travelled from as far as British Columbia, Texas and even one from Trinidad.

In attendance were nine members of Western Engineering’s first graduating class from 1958, celebrating their 50th class reunion. The group, all male, toured the Thompson Engineering Building with Dr. Hesham El Naggar, Western Engineering’s Associate Dean, Research & External Services, before enjoying the Reception & Open House.

The group spent the afternoon laughing and reminiscing about the good old days. Full of wit and humour, the group was overheard poking fun at each other and keeping their competitive nature alive with comments such as, “Oh yeah, well I was the very first engineer to be flocked at graduation.” What John Bedggood failed to add to this statement was the reason why he was the first Western Engineering graduate – he was first on the alphabetical list!

Much has changed on campus over the past 50 years for these graduates. For example, today's Western Engineering students study in state-of–the art buildings and labs while the 1958 graduates studied in the basement of Thames Hall. Back in 1958, there were only four main buildings on campus while today Western Engineering itself has four buildings (Spencer Engineering Building, Thompson Engineering Building, Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory and the Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion, currently under construction to replace the bioengineering building).

Approximately 35 members of the class ’83 were also on campus to celebrate their 25th class reunion and the presentation of the L.S. Lauchland Award to one of their classmates, Ms. Catherine Karakatsanis, BESc '83 MESc '91.

Western President, Dr. Paul Davenport, presented Catherine with the L.S. Lauchland Award Saturday evening at the Engineering Alumni Party.

Catherine, Senior Vice President, Morrison Hershfield Consulting Engineers & Managers, has had a diversified career with the firm, taking on progressively senior roles. While at Western, she co-authored, published and presented several papers on wind pressure and building ventilation.

Catherine has been an active volunteer in the Engineering community for over a decade having served on the board for five years of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE), the advocacy body for the 70,000 Professional Engineers in Ontario; Catherine was also President/Chair of OSPE; she has also chaired and been a member of numerous engineering committees. She is currently President Elect for Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), the body that regulates Ontario’s Professional Engineers; Vice President of the Foundation For Education Board of Directors, a not for profit charitable foundation that grants scholarships to engineering students and administers a benevolent fund for Professional Engineers in need; and a Member of Western Engineering's Advisory Committee (ACWE).

Next year’s homecoming festivities will take place the weekend of October 2 - 4, 2009. Classes celebrating special reunions are those ending in ‘4s & '9s. For information on how to organize a class reunion, or if you would like more information on nominating someone for the L.S. Lauchland Engineering Alumni Medal, please contact Virginia Daugharty, Alumni and Development Officer, at: vdaughar@uwo.ca or 519 661-4209.

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Contact

.: Allison Stevenson
Spencer Engineering Building, Room 2074
T: 519-850-2917
F: 519-661-3808
contactwe@eng.uwo.ca