Alumni Life in Colour
As Surgite moved into a new decade, a fresh look appeared for the alumni publication. The 1990s brought vibrancy to the magazine and the pages began to show hints of colour. By the end of the decade, entire issues were published in full colour with high quality photographs.
A change in the look of Surgite was taking place, but so was the idea of the Brock alumnus. A story in the Summer 1990 issue tells of a retired professional hockey player turned Brock student. Dennis Hull played for Team Canada, the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks, but his desire for further education never ceased. Hull retired from hockey at the age of 34 and shortly after became a Brock student in 1978. He completed his studies in History at Brock University and began a career teaching at Ridley College followed by a position as the Director of Special Athletic Programs for the Illinois Institute of Technology.
As the alumni news roled in, the number of publications began to increase. There was an abundance of interesting stories to share as the University began to hear from past students and their journeys following their time at Brock. One story, shared by Dorothee Komangapik (BA Psyc '74) in the Winter 1992 edition of Surgite, tells of a literacy campaign involving Peter Gzowski and the North West Territories. Since 1974, following her graduation from Brock University, Dorothee had been working to create programs to assist Indigenous communities learn to read and write in their own languages. For Dorothee, this included learning to speak fluent Inuktitut and recognizing the nine official languages of Baffin Island alone.
In the spring of 1994, the 30th anniversary of Brock University was celebrated! The campaign at the time was "Big enough to matter... small enough to care" and the images from the event illustrate the slogan to a tee. The collage of photographs from the event show professors, students, administrators and youth all experiencing Brock hands on. From a town crier to a glass blower, a rock wall to making slime in the chem-lab, the 30th anniversary was truly in an Open House to remember.
In the Fall of 1996, an Athletics Hall of Fame was in the works that would involve current and past athletes of the University. The men's basketball coach, Ken Murray, who assisted in the planning stated that "The Hall of Fame is a thank you to past athletes for their outstanding achievements. It will help to develop tradition at Brock and give students something to strive for." The alumni were not only recipients of the award, but also key individuals in the selection process. The selection committee would be comprised of: Director of Athletics, a representative from Alumni Affairs, two representatives from the Department of Athletics and Services, a former Brock athlete, and a community member.
As the 1990s progressed, some unconventional career stories were shared via the alumni magazine. Two graduates, Wayne Crawford (BEd '81) and John Grdenic (BA '78, BEd '82), described their experiences as high school teachers, but not in a traditional building with grades nine through twelve. The two found themselves in an alternative classroom at the Niagara Detention Centre where they taught twenty 16 and 17 year old male offenders. Crawford commented on his time at working at the centre "The greatest part of this job is when a kid phones up and says, 'I'm doing great!' or 'I'm back in school,' or 'I've got a job'. We get letters and Christmas cards from them."
The 90s editions of Surgite produced numerous stories from alumni who had not only found unique careers but had also found opportunities in countries around the world. There were graduates that had moved their families to South Korea, others had found work in countries like Saudi Arabia, and some travelled before settling down in places like New Zealand. The Spring 1999 edition of Surgite focused on the story of Leslie Raymore Watson (BRLS '90), an alumnus of Brock University who then graduated with a Masters and PhD from Pennsylvania State University. Her husband was working on completing his PhD as Leslie made the move to New Zealand to begin her position as an assistant professor at Lincoln University in Christchurch. She mentions in the article that "we make frequent trips to North America and originally intended to move back 'home', but we love the lifestyle, people, and terrain on this South Pacific island...".
