Members of the Trinity Community Receive 2018 Arbor Awards

Posted: October 24, 2018

Established in 1989, The Arbor Award is a U of T-wide honour designed to recognize alumni volunteers, as well as friends of the university who have generously committed their time to improve the experience of students, faculty, alumni and staff.

This year, eight exceptional members of the Trinity community received the University of Toronto Arbor Awards. Congratulations to our newest award recipients: Jocelyn Badovinac (’63), John and Mary Chipman (’64), Prof. Elizabeth Cowper, Shauna Cairns Gundy (’14), Amy Parker (’02), David Plant (’77), and Virginia Priscus (’92).

Arbor Awards 2018 recipient Jocelyn Badovinac with U of T President and U of T ChancellorJocelyn Badovinac has been a tireless Year Rep for her Class of 1963. She has served her class since shortly after graduation and has been part of many very successful Reunions including the most recent 55th Anniversary Celebration. Jocelyn is a long-standing member of the Trinity College Corporation. She is a former member of the Trinity College Council, Nominations Committee, the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association and for many years has been a hard-working volunteer during the Trinity Book Sale. She has done career advising and been an Admission Profile Reader for the Trinity Registrar’s Office. Her genuine love of the College has inspired a number of students and alumni to get involved and volunteer.

 

 

Arbor Awards 2018 recipient John and Mary Chipman with U of T President and U of T ChancellorBoth John and Mary Chipman received Arbor Awards this year. A longtime member of Corporation, John has sorted, packed and priced books for the Friends of the Library book sale since 2003, helped with set-up in Seeley Hall, and managed dispersals afterwards. He represented the Friends on the Alumni Association for three years. Mary started sorting, packing and pricing books upon her retirement in 2007, and for several years has developed guidelines for and chaired the Pricing and Display committee organizing 60 pricers. Both Chipmans volunteer in the sorting room weekly, faithfully, all year long.

 

 

Arbor Awards 2018 recipient Elizabeth Cowper with U of T President and U of T ChancellorProf. Elizabeth Cowper, Fellow Emeritus of the College, was recognized for the role she played in creating a training program and guide for university readers at U of T’s convocation. Providing these convocation readers with crucial tips on how to pronounce names with roots in different languages, the program was developed by Prof. Cowper along with faculty colleagues and staff in the Office of Convocation.

 

 

 

Arbor Awards 2018 recipient Shauna Cairns Gundy with U of T President and U of T ChancellorFor more than seven years Shauna Cairns Gundy (photo left) has volunteered with the Faculty of Divinity at Trinity College. She has been a member of the Divinity Associates Executive since 2011 and has served as vice-president and president. Shauna has been the primary organizer of a number of events and seminars specifically planned to engage the College’s Divinity alumni. The events have offered a unique combination of learning, worship and community and an opportunity for alumni to return and re-engage with the College. Shauna also serves on the College’s Board of Trustees, Nominations Committee and Corporation.

 

 

Arbor Awards 2018 recipient Amy Parker with U of T President and U of T ChancellorAmy Parker also received an Arbor Awards for her dedicated volunteering with the OISE Alumni Association. She played a crucial role in the successful Spring Reunion Kids Passport program in 2016 and was integral to the success of the OISE Leaders and Legends Awards.

 

 

 

 

Arbor Awards 2018 David Plant with U of T President and U of T ChancelloDavid Plant (photo right) has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Trinity College Alumni Association for the past six years and chair for the past two. He has provided inspiring leadership to the committee members, to the Trinity Year Reps and to staff. He has opened his workplace Trinity video as an exciting venue for Trinity’s TrinX Young Alumni events. He has supported and helped move forward the development of the ConnecTRIN online platform for alumni and student engagement and mentorship. David helped with the production of a video of Trinity’s Reunion 2017. David has also served on the Trinity College Corporation, Development Committee, Board of Trustees and is a Year Rep for his class of 1977.

 

 

Arbor Awards 2018 recipient Virginia Priscus with U of T President and U of T ChancellorVirginia Priscus volunteered at Trinity College as soon as she graduated 26 years ago. Over the years she has served on almost every committee including the Senate, Alumni Association Executive, Spirit of Leadership Campaign, Sesquicentennial Celebration, Corporation, St. Hilda’s Board of Trustees and Alumni Student Relations, to name just a few! She is a Year Rep and serves as chair of her Class of 1992 Year Committee. She keeps in touch with her classmates and has organized and hosted five very successful Reunions that have included substantial fundraising projects that enabled the building of a much-needed and appreciated wheelchair lift and mental health programming for students at the College.

 

Click here to view photos and profiles of all 2018 Arbor Awards Recipients