Garnet Key honours administrator Diane Hastings

 

The Garnet Key Society is a student group entrusted with greeting guests at official events held by the university. Every year at this time, the old Key turns over their responsibilities to the new group at their alumni awards banquet.

This year, a number of university administrators attended the dinner, held May 7 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. They had the pleasure of seeing the students surprise Diane Hastings, Executive Assistant to the Vice-President, External Relations, and Secretary-General, with their Emeritus Award.

It was presented by Lauren Leinburd, a past president of the Garnet Key who is now an intern in the Vice-President’s office. The first time Leinburd met Diane, she said, Hastings requested the presence of Garnet Key members at a fundraising ball that was being organized.

“Rather than requesting the Garnet Key to attend, she went on to tell me of all of the benefits that she would make available for the members, as if we were guests attending the ball. In essence, this woman had transformed what is normally the Garnet Key’s function and obligation, that is, to assist at University events, into a gracious and exciting invitation.

“This is just one example of the unassuming, yet thoughtful and considerate, manner with which this woman approaches every task. This is a key trait that surfaces in each of her relationships.”

Leinburd went on to praise Diane’s warmth, sincerity, and generosity to everyone who approaches her.

“Despite her hectic schedule, she always manages to find time to work with students and give them good advice. She never hesitated to make a special effort, from providing every member of the Garnet Key with a souvenir photograph of the ball to writing informed reference letters for students.

“Ironically,” Leinburd concluded, “if tonight’s recipient had known that she were receiving this award, she might have been too humble even to attend.”

Also at the banquet, merit awards were presented to outgoing president Lina Lopez and vice-president Elizabeth Treta, who said her introduction to the group was a glamorous one.

“We performed our duties as the new key working together for the very first time. When the ball began, the music played and we, the 47th Key, danced and had as much fun as every one of the invited guests.”

The whole year, she said, was a valuable learning experience.

Outgoing secretary of the group Jennifer Harris agreed.

“I have attended so many wonderful and varied events, [from] casual barbecues on the Loyola Campus to fantastic dinners at Dr. Lowy's home, greeting the guests for the opera evening at the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall last week and at the talk last year by Rick Mercer.

“I have developed such strong friendships that I know 20 years from now we'll still be chatting about events we attended when we served on the Garnet Key.”