2016 Honorary Degree Recipients

 

	Kathleen Taylor - Friday, June 3, 2016 – 11:00 a.m. Trent University Durham Kathleen Taylor became the first female to lead a major Canadian bank after accepting the position of chair of the Board of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in 2014. Known for her vision, and work ethic, her accomplishment represents a powerful step forward for women in the boardroom. Believing that we can only succeed by “breaking down barriers to build up competitiveness,” Ms. Taylor, who has roots in Oshawa, is described as having an uncanny ability to build bridges across boundaries such as class, gender, or race. With a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Toronto, an M.B.A. degree from the Schulich School of Business, and a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, Ms. Taylor started her career practicing competition and securities law on Bay Street, before she began her rise in the hospitality industry in 1989. During the span of her 24-year career with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts she was named chief executive officer in 2010, a promotion which was followed by many senior leadership roles with the company, including president and chief operating officer, and president, worldwide business operations. She played an instrumental role in establishing the company’s portfolio of luxury properties around the globe and her leadership was deemed a contributor towards the company’s widespread expansion. Transitioning to her time with RBC, Ms. Taylor has sat on the company’s Board since 2001 chairing the Human Resources and Corporate Governance Committees, and serving on the Audit and Risk Committees. Her experience on portfolios including Audit and Risk Management, Human Resources, Corporate Governance and Public Policy prepared her for her current role as chair. Also dedicated to giving back to the community, Ms. Taylor is chair of the Board of the Hospital for Sick Children Foundation and a director of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. She is also chair of the Principal’s International Advisory Board of McGill University, a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Schulich School of Business of York University, and a member of the C.D. Howe Institute’s National Council. Her business accolades are extensive. She earned the Schulich School of Business Award for Outstanding Executive Leadership, and the inaugural Medal for Career Achievement from the Hennick Centre for Business and Law at York University. She was inducted into the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends and was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) in 2011 and 2014. “As a successful business leader who comes from the Durham region, and as the first woman to head a major Canadian bank, Ms. Taylor’s accomplishments are well regarded. Her commitment to inclusive leadership, community responsibility, and challenging the conventions of business, are all virtues embraced by Trent.” – nominator, anonymous She lives in Toronto with her husband and has three grown children.
	Michael de Pencier – Tuesday, June 7, 2016 – 2:00 p.m. As chairman of Key Publishers Company Ltd., co-founder of InvestEco Capital Corporation, and past chairman of Green Living Enterprises Inc., Michael de Pencier is a publishing powerhouse, and environmental champion. He has played a key role in the success of many familiar publications we know today in Canada. As an environmental investor, and entrepreneur he fosters a deeply-rooted passion for addressing environmental concerns across Canada. Since establishing Key Publishers Company Ltd. in 1962, one of the most successful publishing companies in Canada, he has transformed the performance of many familiar magazines, including Toronto Life, and Canadian Business. He also launched the pre-eminent, Canadian Art Magazine in 1983 and oversaw production of Canadian Geographic and Quill and Quire. Many younger readers may be familiar with the environmentally-focused Outdoors and Wildlife (OWL) magazine which Mr. de Pencier supported in the 1970s after he co-founded the Young Naturalist Foundation. Following the magazine’s success, the Young Naturalist’s established OWL Books, which published natural history books and produced a youth television series. In 2003 Mr. de Pencier established InvestEco Capital Corporation with Andrew Heintzman, Canada’s first environmental investment management company. Along with its partners, the company supports innovative small-to-medium sized private companies developing solutions in energy generation, sustainable agriculture and water technology in the areas of research and development, company expansions and market penetration. Mr. de Pencier is a Philosophy graduate of the University of Toronto (B.A.), and University of Michigan (M.A.), and holds an LL.D from Ryerson University. He is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and, an honorary fellow of the Ontario College of Art and Design, has been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Magazine Awards Foundation, the Order of Ontario (1997), and the Order of Canada (1999). “Mr. de Pencier is a committed environmentalist, a focused philanthropist, keen businessman and an avid Canadian who has spent his life supporting action and education that strengthens our culture. He’s a true renaissance man who reflects well Trent’s vision for cross-disciplinary education, strategic thinking, and engaged communication.” – nominator quote A pillar in the arts and science communities, he has sat on several Advisory Committees and Boards of Governors of national organizations including, the Shaw Festival, Women’s College Hospital, Canadian Opera Company, Centre Stage, Tarragon Theatre, the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario College of Art and Design, World Wildlife Fund Canada, and the Canadian Art Foundation. Mr. de Pencier is currently a busy board member of the Kids' Run for Nature; and the Highway of Heroes Tribute, which is planting 117,000 trees on the 401, one each for every Canadian who died fighting for our country. In addition, he volunteers for the International Conservation Fund of Canada, World Wildlife Fund Canada, the Natural Burial Association, the Green Living Show, and the Trinity Environment Committee, University of Toronto. He and his wife Honor have been married for 54 years, and have three children: filmmakers Nicholas, and Miranda, and investor counsellor, Mark. He has four grandchildren. After learning about his honorary degree from Trent, Mr. de Pencier said, "I love everything about Trent: if it had been invented a few years earlier I would have tried to come here."
	Linwood Barclay – Wednesday, June 8, 2016 – 10:00 a.m. Known for international bestsellers including Trust Your Eyes and A Tap on the Window, acclaimed author, Linwood Barclay ‘73 knew he wanted to write mystery novels since he was a teenager operating his family’s summer tourism business near Peterborough. While earning his Honours B.A. degree in English Literature at nearby Trent University, he fuelled his passion for writing and met the love of his life, his wife Neetha. Mr. Barclay’s time at Trent University from 1973 to 1977 proved to be instrumental for the future novelist. He fondly recalls Dr. Lee Beach, a former Psychology and English professor at Trent, allowing him to write a short novel instead of an essay for an assignment, and through the years has kept ties with some of his favourite professors, including Gordon Johnston, a former English Literature professor at Trent. While at the University, he practiced his craft working on a magazine for Lady Eaton College “Trent was part of the process of learning about the power that words have, and how important it is to find just the right ones,” explained Mr. Barclay. Perhaps most memorable during his time at Trent was meeting writer-in-residence Margaret Laurence. He showed her his crime stories (she loved mysteries) and he and Neetha remained close friends with her until her passing. After graduation Mr. Barclay landed his first job at the local newspaper, The Peterborough Examiner. This experience led to a lengthy career at The Toronto Star beginning in 1982, where he held a variety of editorial positions including news editor and life section editor. He also became a very popular humour columnist for The Toronto Star, writing three columns a week, a position he held for 15 years before retiring in 2008 to focus solely on writing novels. After releasing three humour books and a critically received memoir, Mr. Barclay released the Zack Walker mystery series in 2004. In 2007 his novel, No Time for Goodbye, became a global hit, spending seven weeks at #1 on the UK bestseller list alone. Translated into nearly 30 languages, it has been optioned for television in France, where shooting of a six-part series based on his novel The Accident has just been completed. His many novels have sold millions of copies, and his most recent work is The Promise Falls Trilogy. From mysterious thrillers to comedic columns, Mr. Barclay’s vast scope of writing has earned many accolades in Canada and abroad. He won the Canadian Community Newspaper Award for Best Columnist in 1981, his novel No Time for Goodbye won the Richard and Judy's Summer Read 2008 in the UK, and he has won the Arthur Ellis Award for crime writing in Canada for his novel Too Close to Home. He was also shortlisted for the highly regarded Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Born in the United States, Mr. Barclay moved to Canada when he was three years old. He has been married to his wife Neetha for 39 years. They have two grown children, Spencer and Paige.
	Roy MacGregor – Wednesday, June 8, 2016 – 2:00 p.m. As a renowned print journalist, screenwriter, and author of over 50 books, Roy MacGregor is a significant commentator and master storyteller of the Canadian identity. His children’s books, Globe and Mail column, and recent national bestseller, Canoe Country: The Making of Canada, are components of an expansive career that appeals to diverse interests, cultures, ages and mediums throughout Canada. As an Officer of the Order of Canada (2005), and a media inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame (2012), Mr. MacGregor’s achievements are as varied as his interdisciplinary approach to covering politics, sports, science, and Canadian culture. As the Ashley Fellow scholar-in-residence (2014-2015) hosted by Gzowski College, and father of two Trent alumni, Mr. MacGregor is very familiar the Trent University. His work often focuses on subjects relevant to Peterborough and the Trent community, including hockey in popular culture and the Canadian wilderness. In 2014 he attracted a standing-room only crowd to his Canoe Lake CSI: The Enduring Mystery of Tom Thomson lecture at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough. Shelagh Rogers, broadcaster and Jack Matthews Fellow at Trent (2013-2014) once called MacGregor “the heir to Peter Gzowski.” A journalist for 40 years, Mr. MacGregor has worked with The Globe and Mail since 2002. He also continues to pen dozens of books on many subjects including hockey, the James Bay Cree and Tom Thomson of the Group of Seven. In addition to his national best-selling Canoe Country: The Making of Canada, his book His Home Team: Fathers, Sons & Hockey was shortlisted for the Governor-General’s Award. Named as the best book on the wilderness, Mr. MacGregor’s memoir about his father, A Life in the Bush, received the U.S. Rutstrum Award and the Canadian Authors Award for best biography. He has written 30 of the internationally-acclaimed Screech Owls hockey mystery books series for young readers for which he received the Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award. His sports writing garnered the Brian Williams Media Award. Mr. MacGregor has been nominated for 10 national newspaper awards, winning twice, as well as winning four national magazine awards, and two ACTRA Awards for television screenwriting. “Indeed, MacGregor’s written work, popular appeal, career as a journalist, and connection to particularly Canadian topics, resonates with Trent’s interdisciplinary nature. His publications are almost a directive to interdisciplinarity within the field of Canadian Studies, and they are easily attached to some of Trent’s programs and interests.” – nominator, anonymous Born in Whitney, Ontario and raised in Huntsville, Mr. MacGregor currently lives in Kanata, Ontario with his wife Ellen. They have four grown children and five grandchildren. Responding to the honour of receiving an honorary degree from Trent, Mr. MacGregor says: "As someone who once hated Peterborough as a lacrosse opponent, but who came to love the city through kids and canoes, I am absolutely thrilled to have any involvement with Trent. It is an amazing university in an amazing city."