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On July 9, 2021, I completed 47 years as a Judge in the Criminal Division of the Provincial Court of Alberta, presiding primarily in Calgary. In that part of my life, I served as President of the Alberta Provincial Judges Association, and for 12 years as the Assistant Chief Judge in Calgary and Region. In October 2021, I will complete 55 years as a member of Lions Clubs International, the largest and most responsive service club organization in the world, with 1.4 million men and women members in close to 50,000 clubs in 213 countries and geographic areas. I was privileged to serve as the International President in 1987-1988. In that office, I was able to visit close to one hundred nations and to meet with many heads of state, ambassadors, premiers, governors and municipal leaders. In addition, I was invited to speak at the UN and at the Houses of Parliament in London, England. In my blended family, I am the proud father of four wonderful girls, 11 outstanding grandchildren, and six marvellous great-grandchildren. When I consider the many privileges I have enjoyed in the first 81 years of my life, I count my three years attending Queen’s to be at the top of the list. I’m a proud member of the Tricolour Guard.

We follow the sun – July, August, September – on Lake Champlain islands in northern Vermont; seven months in Lima (Miraflores), Perú, from November through May; and two months (coming and going) on Fripp Island, South Carolina. I’ve been retired since 2015, after 48 years of teaching Spanish and coaching cross-country skiing, hockey, and track at WRA in Hudson, Ohio. Warmest regards from myself and Rossana Raffo. 

We moved back to Florida after a three-month visit to Arpaillargues, Uzes, and Nimes in southern France and a year in Dennis Port, Cape Cod. We decided to shelve our plans to apply for a long-term visa to live in France due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cape Cod was too cold for us, so we opted for the warmth and palm trees of southwest Florida. We now live in Venice, where we are gardening and mowing our lawn as well as converting our pool from chlorine to salt treatment. 

My highlight of the COVID-19 pandemic? I edited Canoe for Change: A Journey Across Canada by Glenn Green and Carol VandenEngel, published by Friesen Press in 2021. This book chronicles the trans-Canada canoe trip over three summers by a Kingston couple who raised funds for Loving Spoonful, highlighting awareness of food sustainability. It was the thrill of a lifetime for me. I felt like I, too, had canoed across Canada!

Since graduating, I have become a teacher at I-Shou International School in Taiwan. I am a physics and science teacher. My students inspire me to try my best and to deliver engaging and differentiated lessons to them every day.
I have had the opportunity to bring maker-learning into my classroom with tools like Scratch, MakeyMakey, and Falstad simulation. To the current students at Queen’s, I want you to know that, as a team, anything is possible. I could not have made it through the year without my fellow teachers helping and working with me. You will find your school and your team that will support your teaching and learning. Lastly, in class, try to think of yourself as a curator of learning and not a keeper of knowledge.