UVic To Present Legacy Awards For Outstanding Achievement

In categories representing alumni, research, sports and teaching, four members of the University of Victoria community will receive Legacy Awards in a special gathering Tuesday evening in the Victoria Conference Centre.

Approximately 500 guests are scheduled to attend the ninth annual Legacy Awards presentations.

This year’s recipients are:

Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey – Alumni Legacy Award

Kelsey began her post-secondary studies at Victoria College (UVic’s predecessor) in 1930, studying biology with instructor Jeffree Cunningham in his lab at the college’s Craigdarroch Castle campus. After completing a degree at McGill, Kelsey went on to work as a regulator at the US Food and Drug Administration. One of her first assignments was to review an application to market the sleeping aid thalidomide. Concerned about thalidomide’s potential risks during pregnancy, Kelsey and her colleagues rejected the application, preventing countless cases of severe birth defects. Her work was recognized with the top US public service award, presented in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy.

Dr. Terry Pearson – Legacy Award for Research

Dedicating much of his research career to furthering our understanding of African sleeping sickness, Pearson has focused on antibody technology and the parasites that cause one of the world’s most devastating tropical diseases. He helped to bring monoclonal antibody technology to Africa and for three decades – in Africa and at UVic – he has sought to identify and characterize a variety of molecules important in the biology of the parasites that cause the disease. In recent years, Pearson has applied his expertise to a new area of study – biomarker validation – to aid the early diagnosis of cancer and infectious diseases.

Hon. Robert Hutchison – Legacy Award for Sport

Hutchison arrived at Victoria College in 1949 having already established himself as an outstanding high school rugby player and sprinter. He went on to run for Canada at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and, later, to play a pivotal leadership role in local and national sports organizations. A member of the Victoria Sports Hall of Fame, Hutchison had a major influence on the development of athletics and recreation at UVic – from his leadership in the building of Centennial Stadium to his contribution to the design of the university’s policy on athletics and recreation, paving the way for 67 national sports championships. Hutchison retired in 2004 as a justice of the Supreme Court of B.C.

Mary Sanseverino – Legacy Award for Teaching

Energetic, engaging, innovative – they’re all attributes that her students and colleagues typically cite when they talk about Sanseverino’s teaching style. She goes above and beyond to connect with students – even in large classes of 200 – reaching out to them even before the first day of class. Sanseverino is also known for her groundbreaking use of instructional technology to enhance the learning process. She’s a proponent of the use of “iClickers” – hand-held devices that students use to provide instant responses to questions during lectures.
 

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