In the age of social networking and the electronic proliferation of all kinds of communications and transactions, it behooves us to take a step back and think about what we're doing each and every time we surrender information about ourselves that, should it fall into the wrong hands, could cause considerable damage to our finances, our reputation or even our health.
But the tangible data that comprise the nuts-and-bolts of who we are is only one aspect of our identity. There are many other modifiers that distinguish how we identify ourselves. Some will self-identify as fathers or mothers. Other identities might be motorcycle-rider, volunteer, churchgoer, coach, dog-owner, plumber, teacher, son or daughter.
One thing most people reading this magazine will identify themselves as is a member of the University of Alberta alumni family. That family has almost 240,000 members around the world in over 135 countries. Of course, most of them are right here in Alberta, where a large group - some of whom are profiled in this issue - will henceforth identify themselves as hall-of-fame inductees. The members of the entire 1999-2000 Pandas hockey team are joining such luminaries as Wayne Gretzky, '00 LLD (Honorary); Randy Gregg, '75 BSc, '79 MD; and Clare Drake, '58 BEd, '95 LLD (Honorary), in the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame (see pg. 31).
On the other side of the country, former Pandas' player and Olympic women's hockey coach Melody Davidson, '86 BPE, was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in Moncton, NB. Other hall-of-fame inductees include Nobel Prize-winner Richard Taylor, '50 BSc, '52 MSc, '91 DSc (Honorary), and Raymond Lemieux, '43 BSc, '91 DSc (Honorary), in the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame; Lorne Tyrrell, '64 BSc, '68 MD, and Tak Mak, '72 PhD, in the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame; and Gino Fracas, '57 Dipl(Ed), '58 BEd, and Joe Poplawski, '78 BSc, in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
We may not all identify ourselves as hall-of-fame inductees, but as part of the U of A family we can bask in the reflected glory. And for those fortunate enough to be hall-of-fame members, that's part of their identity that no one can take away.
Jane Halford, '94 BCom
President, Alumni Association
Sean Price, '95 BCom, MBA
Associate Vice-President, Alumni Affairs; Executive Director, Alumni Association