KAMLOOPS – At its four Convocation ceremonies June 7 and 8, Thompson Rivers University will confer honorary degrees upon five Canadians whose achievements in the arts and sciences have bettered their communities and beyond.

Dr. Chad Gaffield, an eminent historian, will receive his degree at the university’s 10 am ceremony on June 7, while Ian Tyson, one of Canada’s best-known musicians, will gown up to receive his degree at 2 pm that same day.

At its 10 am ceremony June 8, TRU will confer an honorary doctor of letters degree upon respected artist Daphne Odjig, while that afternoon’s 2 pm ceremony will see leading nurse-scholar Nancy Edwards and Kamloops’ own Gordon Gore accept their degrees.
 
“As president of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, one of Canada’s most prestigious research organizations, Chad Gaffield, one of the best-known and most-respected scholars across the social sciences and humanities in Canada, provides leadership to researchers across Canada and epitomizes Thompson Rivers University’s continuing development of and commitment to research and scholarship in the social sciences and humanities,” said TRU President and Vice-Chancellor Roger Barnsley.

Gaffield, currently team leader of one of the most comprehensive humanities and social science research projects ever undertaken in Canada, has been at the cutting edge of systematic social science history in Canada, and he continues to make outstanding contributions to the furthering of knowledge of Canadian history. He is the author, editor or co-editor of 12 books and the author or co-author of 59 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and in the past seven years, has presented 36 conference papers, 37 guest lectures and published 11 book reviews. Among many other awards and citations, Chad Gaffield was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society’s Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences, the highest honour that can be attained by scholars, artists and scientists in Canada.

“Ian Tyson is a Canadian music icon whose accomplishments over the past half century have made him one of Canada’s best and best-known artists, and Thompson Rivers University is pleased to confer the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, upon him,” said Barnsley.

Since Tyson made his musical debut in Vancouver in 1956, he has recorded 12 albums with singer/songwriter Sylvia Fricker and eleven solo albums, has produced a video, written a book, hosted two television shows, and has played at concerts all over North America. His song, Four Strong Winds, became a folk standard and was chosen in 2005 as the greatest Canadian song of all time by the audience of the CBC Radio One series 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version, and he was one of the first Canadian musicians to break into the American popular music market. He has received numerous awards, including being named to the Order of Canada in 1994.

“Daphne Odjig is one of Canada’s foremost artists who has played an important part in recording developments that have been traumatic, passionate and critical to the rewriting of Canadian art history, and who epitomizes Thompson Rivers University’s mission to become a university of choice for aboriginal and First Nations students,” said Barnsley.

Odjig’s artwork has been commissioned for permanent collections in Japan, Israel, Yugoslavia and Sweden, and has been featured in 23 solo exhibitions, four group exhibitions and numerous books and book covers. She has written and illustrated a set of ten books on Indian legends for children, her artworks are displayed in 12 permanent collections, and she was one of four artists in the world to be selected by the curators of the Picasso Museum to paint a memorial to Picasso. She has been awarded a Canadian Silver Jubilee Medal, the Order of Canada, a National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Arts and Culture, and a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. She has received four honorary degrees, was honoured as an elder by the Society of Canadian Artists of Native Ancestry, and was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Art.

“TRU is pleased to recognize local resident Gordon Gore, who has been recognized provincially, nationally and internationally as an author and teacher in science education who has dedicated his life to getting students excited and confident about science,” said Barnsley, adding, “He exemplifies Thompson Rivers University’s mission as a regional, teaching-focused university, to serve people and their communities through quality education, training and scholarship.”

Gordon Gore taught science and mathematics in secondary schools in Vancouver, Richmond, Kamloops and Mission for 32 years and lectured at UBC and TRU both during this time and for a number of years afterward. He is the author or co-author of sixteen textbooks and the author of ten books of science experiments for youth, seven British Columbia Teacher’s Federation lesson aids and at least 50 magazine articles. From 1970 to the present, Gordon Gore has also presented dozens of workshops for teachers on photography, science and physics, and presented over 80 science shows at elementary schools and community events. His most noteworthy achievement, however, is his founding of the BIG Little Science Centre in 2000 to inspire children, their families and teachers to explore and experience science in an entertaining and stimulating environment and to nurture a lifelong appreciation for and interest in science.

“Dr. Nancy Edwards is one of Canada’s foremost nurse-scholars who provides mentorship for new and mid-career health researchers, and also helps researchers find ways to influence policy with their findings. As a new university with a nursing faculty which has a developing program of scholarship and research, we are pleased to honour a researcher like Nancy who has devoted her efforts to helping others build capacity for research,” explained Barnsley.

Dr. Edwards is a full professor and principle scientist at the Institute of Population Health at the University of Ottawa, and is also Academic Consultant for the City of Ottawa regarding public health services, and Vice-Chair of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research Governing Council. She has contributed scholarly articles to over 90 scientific and technical publications, and has held research fellowships in Canada and visiting professorships in Mexico and China, where she has directed three international projects over the past five years, and was appointed one of five national nursing research chairs funded by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Roger Barnsley at 250-828-5001 or by email.

For photos, complete citations and additional contact information, please contact:
Bronwen Scott at 250-371-5739 or by email.