Brandon University Homecoming to honour pair of distinguished alumni

Two accomplished Brandon University alumni will be honoured for their contributions to their communities and profession during BU Homecoming 2026.

David Halstead (BSc ’60, BEd) will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for Community Service, while Jim McManes (BA ’75) will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for Career Achievement. The Brandon University Alumni Association will present the awards at the Homecoming Banquet and Awards Dinner on Saturday, Sept. 12.

Halstead’s lifetime of volunteer service began when he coached youth baseball at age 20. An educator whose career spanned four institutions, two continents and his own company, he has supported community organizations through leadership, fundraising and hands-on service. His contributions have included chairing social services, church, family education and seniors’ care organizations, serving on the University of Regina Senate and leading the Society of Friends of Rivers Collegiate Scholarship Fund for 17 years.

McManes grew up on a farm west of Brandon and graduated from Brandon University, then worked for a time selling cars before going on to earn a law degree from the University of Manitoba. After practising law, he returned to the automotive industry and purchased his first dealership in Calgary in 1987. His business interests have since grown to include 20 new-vehicle dealerships in Alberta and British Columbia, representing 11 brands and employing about 1,200 people.

“David and Jim exemplify the impact Brandon University alumni make through lives of leadership, service, and achievement,” said BU Alumni Association President Chris Hunt. “Their accomplishments are impressive, but so too are the lasting opportunities and stronger communities they have helped create for others. We are proud to recognize them at BU Homecoming this year.”

The Distinguished Alumni Award for Community Service recognizes alumni who have made outstanding voluntary contributions to community service. The Distinguished Alumni Award for Career Achievement honours outstanding accomplishments in a profession, career, business or industry.

“Homecoming gives us a wonderful opportunity to reconnect while celebrating the many ways our alumni put their education, experience, and values into action,” said Carla Eisler, BU’s Director of Advancement and Alumni Affairs. “David and Jim have followed very different paths, but both have demonstrated ambition, generosity and an enduring commitment to others — as so many Brandon University and Brandon College always have.”

Homecoming 2026 will run from Friday, Sept. 11 through Sunday, Sept. 13, with alumni, families, friends and members of the wider community invited to take part.

The weekend will open the campus for exploration and reconnection, with faculty and student research showcases, guided and self-directed campus tours, class and program reunions, live music, astronomy and opportunities to visit special campus spaces, including the Bell Tower and the Bee U honeybee hives. The Brandon University Bobcats will also open their home soccer schedule with men’s and women’s matches on Saturday and Sunday.

All are invited to BU Homecoming, with a particular emphasis on alumni who are celebrating milestone anniversaries, with class years ending in 1 or 6. Homecoming will be honouring the classes of 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971 and 1976, who are celebrating their 70^th, 65^th, 60^th, 55^th and 50^th anniversaries.

The Homecoming Banquet and Awards Dinner will be held in Harvest Hall on Saturday, Sept. 12. Cocktails begin at 5 p.m., followed by a buffet dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets are $65, and everyone is welcome.

Registration and the complete schedule are available at BrandonU.ca/Homecoming.

About the award recipients

David Halstead — Distinguished Alumni Award for Community Service

David Halstead’s commitment to volunteerism began at age 20, when he coached a baseball team for boys aged 12 and under. It was the start of a lifetime of service shaped by his professional focus on education, human development and care for others.

Halstead earned a Bachelor of Science from Brandon College in 1960, followed by a Bachelor of Education from Brandon College and a Master of Education from the University of Regina. His career in education encompassed four institutions, work on two continents and the operation of his own company.

Throughout his career and retirement, Halstead has taken on leadership and volunteer responsibilities in numerous organizations. He served in executive roles at the club and district levels of Toastmasters International and chaired the City of Moose Jaw Social Services Advisory Committee, Minto United Church and the Minto Family Life Education Centre.

His contributions to health care and education included serving as chair of the St. Anthony’s Home board, vice-chair of the joint Providence–St. Anthony’s board and, for 17 years, chair of the Society of Friends of Rivers Collegiate Scholarship Fund. He was also twice elected to the University of Regina Senate.

Halstead has supported fundraising initiatives, led Cub Scouts and youth groups, assisted international students with non-academic needs and contributed to local histories of the Clear Lake School District and Rivers Collegiate Institute. He and his wife, Peggy, raised two children while continuing to contribute generously to the communities around them.

Jim McManes — Distinguished Alumni Award for Career Achievement

Jim McManes was born and raised on a farm west of Brandon. After attending school in Alexander, he graduated from Vincent Massey High School in Brandon in 1969 and began his career selling vehicles at Murray Chev Olds.

McManes later enrolled at Brandon University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1975. He graduated with a law degree from the University of Manitoba in 1978 and practised law for two years before moving to Calgary in 1980.

Drawn back to the automotive industry, McManes joined a General Motors dealership in Calgary. In 1987, he purchased his first dealership, Eastside Dodge, beginning nearly four decades of business growth and leadership.

Today, the McManes Automotive Group operates 20 new-vehicle dealerships in Alberta and British Columbia, along with its own leasing company. Its dealerships represent 11 automotive brands, sell approximately 25,000 new and used vehicles annually and employ about 1,200 people. The organization generates more than $1.3 billion in annual revenue.

McManes has served as a member and past chair of Chrysler’s Dealer Council, president of the Alberta Dealer Advertising Association and past president of the Calgary Motor Dealers Association. He is also board chair of the Brandon-based Mazer Group of Companies and a former member of the Brandon University Foundation board.

Through the McManes Family Foundation, he supports a variety of charitable causes. McManes and his wife have three children and seven grandchildren, and he is proud to work alongside his son, Michael, in the family business.

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