by Laurel C. Leduc

The A. Ross Seaman Memorial Leadership Development Fund might be the only active scholarship at Concordia that raises funds by hosting an awards evening with auction. The 13th annual awards evening took place March 22, and as usual, was a great success.

Ross Seaman was a member of the Departments of Applied Social Science (APSS) and Leisure Studies. He helped shape the community leadership skills not only of Concordia students, but also of those at Dawson College (Community Recreation Leadership Training – CRLT), the YMCA, Kamp Kanawana and Van Kleek High School. He died in 1987.

The A. Ross Seaman Award was created to recognize students who contribute actively to their community while maintaining high academic standards. This year’s Concordia winners are:

Barbara Jack (AHSC–Human Relations) was singled out for her enthusiasm as well as her contribution as a student facilitator, team builder and community volunteer. She was also lucky enough to have worked with Ross Seaman as a Camp Nurse early on in her professional career.

Elizabeth Anderson (AHSC–Human Relations) is an outstanding student involved in a wide variety of community initiatives. She has been involved with community projects such as Youth in Action and the Montreal Celtic Festival. She is a member of the AHSC Student Association.

Jamie Patterson (AHSC–Leisure Sciences) is currently the president of the AHSC Student Association. He has been involved in the organization of many student events on campus as well as within the community at large. The other winners included Chantale Victoria Lewis (Dawson– CRLT), Farah Wikarski (YMCA) and Matthew Busbridge (Kamp Kanawana).

The event included a special tribute to Richard McDonald, who passed away last October. A long-standing member of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, Dick was an integral part of the merger between the APSS and Leisure Sciences that created the Department of Applied Human Sciences.

At the time of his death, he was wholeheartedly involved in the Centre for Human Relations and Community Studies, devoting his time to activities both on and off campus.

All proceeds raised this year will be give to the scholarship being established in memory of Richard D. McDonald, and in recognition of his contribution to the A. Ross Seaman Committee.

For more information on the A. Ross Seaman Memorial Leadership Development Fund, visit their Web site at: http://arossseaman.tripod.com/.

Laurel Leduc is a past winner of the A Ross Seaman Award. She is a graduate of both Applied Human Sciences (1999) and the Graduate Diploma in Journalism (2000).