Short story, big talent
On Nov. 17, 2008, The Writers’ Trust of Canada announced the winners of its eighth annual Writers’ Trust Awards. As part of this prestigious event, the $10,000 Writers’ Trust of Canada/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize was presented to Saleema Nawaz, the Department Secretary in the Philosophy Department, for her story “My Three Girls.” About the winning story, the jury had this to say: “This tightly written piece accomplishes the impressive feat of condensing a novel’s worth of sorrows and joys into a few pages. Saleema Nawaz writes with grace and compassion about family dynamics and the ghosts that linger in the wake of tragedy.”
A lifetime of building
Lila Willis Beach was recently honoured as the 2008 recipient of Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region’s Legacy of Leaders Award. Now retired and living in the Waterloo area, the 90-year-old Beach was a longtime employee of McGill where she last worked as a senior advisor to the faculties of Arts and Science. Known as the “matriarch” of Waterloo’s Habitat chapter, Beach will be recognized for her contributions with a 2009 House Build in her honour.
The business of communication
Dr. James Archibald, Director of Translation Studies, was recently awarded the Francis W. Weeks Award of Merit by the Association for Business Communication (ABC). The Francis W. Weeks Award of Merit acknowledges contributions to the profession and recognizes outstanding advancement in the discipline of business communication through a singular accomplishment or a series of accomplishments. The Association for Business Communication (ABC) is an international organization committed to fostering excellence in business communication scholarship, research, education, and practice.
And the Grammy goes to…
Sanford Sylvan, baritone and professor of voice at McGill University, has been nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for his recording as baritone soloist in Charles Fussell’s work Symphony for Baritone and Orchestra “Wilde.” Sylvan previously won both a Grammy and Emmy Wward for his portrayal of Chou-En Lai in John Adams’ opera Nixon in China. The Grammy Awards are the only peer-presented award to honour artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry without regard to album sales or chart position. The Grammies will be handed out on Feb. 8, 2009.
Lifetime achievement honoured
Dr. Paul Goodyer of the Department of Pediatrics is the recipient of the Kidney Foundation of Canada 2008 Medal for Research Excellence. Honouring a Canadian researcher whose work has significantly advanced the treatment of kidney disease and related conditions, this prize recognizes Dr. Goodyer’s seminal contributions to the identification of the gene mutations responsible for cystinuria and Dent’s disease, as well as his findings related to the function of PAX2, a protein essential to the normal development of the kidney and other organs.
Whodunit site gets top prize
Professors Annmarie Adams and David Theodore (now at Harvard University) are among the winners of the National History Society’s Pierre Berton Award for 2008, the highest honour for the dissemination of history in Canada. The prize was awarded Nov. 13 in Toronto to the entire team of researchers who contributed to the innovative teaching website, Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History (www.canadianmysteries.ca). The McGill researchers developed a case study entitled The Redpath Mansion Mystery, exploring a mysterious double death in the famous family’s Square Mile Mansion. The award includes a $5,000 prize, which will be used to fund the next phase of the project.