Class Notes
If you would like your Class Note in a future issue of Maroon + White, please contact alumni@smu.ca
Class of 1981
We congratulate Peter Scriven DipENG’81 on his retirement from ONSA/Dillon after 40 years of dedicated service.
Class of 1988
André-Denis Wright BSc’88, microbiologist and senior vice president and provost at the University of Oklahoma, and Helen Zgurskaya, Ph.D., George Lynn Cross Research Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences, are among 65 accomplished scientists elected as new Fellows to the Class of 2024 of the American Academy of Microbiology. We congratulate Andre on this accomplishment.
Class of 1991
Brenda Hogan BComm’91 and William Woodcock are engaged and will marry in late Summer 2024 in Toronto. We wish Brenda and William all the best.
Class of 1995
Congratulations to Stephen Richarson BA’95 for winning Teacher of the Year at the 2024 Juno Awards. As the K-12 music educator at his school, Richardson's classes span everything from rock to jazz to band. He mentors other school staff and teachers and brings artists touring the Northwest Territories to the school for performances, workshops, etc. Inclusivity is at the core of his teaching, as he incorporates noise-assist gear and apps to support students with exceptionalities. He also advocates for technology in the classroom to empower students to build digital skills for recording, grant writing, video production, and more.
Eric Franson BA'95 retired from the Royal Canadian Navy on January 30, 2024, following a 26-year career with multiple deployments around the world. He’s now working with Thales Canada Inc., supporting the Navy as a civilian defence contractor. He’s also looking forward to being able to attend more Huskies games at SMU.
Class of 1997
Downtowns Atlantic Canada is a collection of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) representing and advocating for over 15,000 businesses in Atlantic Canada. The Annual Conference held in May saw Tim Rissesco MBA’97, appointed as the new President of Downtowns Atlantic Canada.
He will work with colleagues across Atlantic Canada to promote and develop the downtowns and main streets. Congratulations, Tim!
Class of 2004
We would like to congratulate alumna, Kim Kierans MA’04, who has published Journalism for the Public Good: The Michener Awards at 50. Kierans is an Inglis Professor emerita in Journalism at the University of King’s College and Senior Fellow and resident at Massey College at the University of Toronto where she produces “The JCR: A Massey Podcast.”
