Shaftesbury's Wall of Fame adds some names

Shaftesbury added four more alumni to its Wall of Fame at Friday's convocation, including Dr. Phillip Ludwig (class of 1969, the first-ever graduating class), and curler Kaitlyn Lawes (2006), the youngest ever to be inducted.

They joined businessman Dr. John McFerran (1970) and author Margaret Shaw-MacKinnon (1977) on this year's honours list.

"It's four a year -- sports, arts, science, business and community," explained teacher Dave Curtis, who's been handling the annual Wall of Fame selections since Shaftesbury decided to honour its greatest grads eight years ago.

Curtis is unaware of any other public high school that honours its alums in a similar way. The grads are announced each year at graduation ceremonies, then have their picture and plaque in the school lobby for a year, after which they're added to the permanent list.

"It started one day at lunchtime eight years ago," with a chat about some of the school's grads, chuckled Curtis. That first year, Shaftesbury kicked off its alumni gallery with eight names, and there have been four each year since, except for one year when there was no science inductee.

By next year's 40th graduating class, Shaftesbury will have about 5,000 alumni from which to choose.

Those already honoured include people such as world-renowned medical researcher Dr. Frank Plummer (1970), Mondetta Clothing Company entrepreneurs Amit and Rajeev Bahl (1984), opera singer Tracy Dahl (1979), MP Steven Fletcher (1990), Oscar-nominated writer and actor Nia Vardalos (1980), and retired professional basketball player Todd MacCulloch (1994).

It's an arduous selection process, laughed Curtis. "After the first year, it basically became me. I bounce things off people," he said. Curtis said he wishes more people would step forward and nominate deserving grads.

"We wish they would. We ask every year at convocation, and frankly, we don't get a lot of submissions from people," said Curtis, who has been at Shaftesbury for 22 years.

"It's science we're having the most trouble with," because many do not get public fame, though their colleagues recognize their achievements.

No one has ever turned down the honour, and Curtis has been surprised by how many grads have been willing to travel long distances to be honoured at convocation.

Of the newest additions, Ludwig is a pulmonary physician in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Two years after her graduation, Lawes won the Canadian Women's Junior Curling Championship this year and finished third in the worlds.

McFerran is a psychologist, founder and president of People First HR Services, a human resources consulting firm in Winnipeg, and chairman of the Manitoba Museum.

Shaw-MacKinnon is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and is best-known as a children's author.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca

Honour roll

Members of Shaftesbury High School's Alumni Wall of Fame:

The Sciences:

Dr. Frank Plummer

Dr. Brock Wright

Dr. Murray Enns

Dr. Bruce Maycher

Dr. Joanne Homik

Dr. Prabhat Jha

Dr. Mara Ludwig

Sports:

Cathy Priestner

Todd MacCulloch

Gail Graham

Lisa Fraser

Theresa Brick

David Ingram

Neil Grover

Sara Orlesky

Business and Community:

Jordie Ethans

Amit and Rajeev Bahl

Martin Weinberg

Steve MacInnis

David Christianson

Steven Fletcher

Jeff Rabb

Tom Ethans

The Arts:

Tracy Dahl

Nia Vardalos

Darryl Kinaschuk

John Danakas

Adam Druxman

Mark Hand

Makoto Ono

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 30, 2008 $sourceSection$sourcePage