BU Alumni Association announces award recipients

BRANDON, Man. – Four Brandon University (BU) alumni will be recognized in October for their accomplishments in wide-ranging fields.

Dr. Anthony Chow, Ben Dietschi, Dr. Lynn Whidden and Elder Gordon Williams will be recipients of Brandon University Alumni Association (BUAA) Awards at the 2017 BU Homecoming celebration.

Dr. Chow will receive the Wall of Fame Award, recognizing his significant achievements throughout his career and following his retirement in 2006. After attending Brandon College, Dr. Chow went on to attain his Medical Doctorate from the University of Manitoba, distinguishing himself in his clinical practice and in teaching and administration as well. He was the founding Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Hospital, has been active with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and is the co-holder of several patents in fields such as infectious disease diagnosis.

Dietschi will be the recipient of the Distinguished Young Alumni Award, open to BU graduates ages 35 and younger. He is currently the Executive Director of Soundstreams, providing leadership for one of Canada’s leading contemporary music companies. A jazz saxophonist, Dietschi has released four recordings with the international collective Tunnel Six.

Dr. Whidden has also made significant contributions in the field of music, earning the distinction of Professor Emerita at BU and producing academic work on the music of Indigenous communities that has been referenced in Canada, the United States and Europe. An ethnomusicologist, her teaching has helped to maintain use of local Indigenous traditions. She will receive the Alumni Award for Career Achievement at Homecoming.

Williams will be honoured with the Distinguished Alumni Award for Community Service. A leader, mentor and advocate for First Nations people and all Canadians, he has been a board member for various friendship centres, and has helped to promote the reconciliation of relationships and self-determination of Aboriginal peoples and their families. Now retired after a career in federal, provincial and Aboriginal governments, he continues to provide Elder services for a number of organizations.

Homecoming will take place from Thursday, Oct. 12 to Sunday, Oct. 15, with the awards to be given out on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 14. Other Homecoming events will include a football reunion, a special concert by Dean of Music Greg Gatien and faculty member Michael Cain, the Athletics Wall of Fame Brunch, and the opening of the Brandon College Portrait Gallery. For more information on Homecoming or the BUAA Award recipients, please visit BrandonU.ca/Homecoming.

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