Windsor resident to receive Acadia alumni award

A Windsor resident will receive an Acadia Distinguished Alumni Award at a gala dinner in Halifax next month.

The 6th Annual Acadia Alumni Gala Dinner will honour two of Acadia’s many distinguished volunteers, mentors, and community leaders. This year’s Distinguished Alumni Awards will be presented at the Westin Nova Scotian Hotel April 5 to former educator and academic administrator Janet Kirk (’71) and long-time hockey coach and member of Acadia’s Sports Hall of Fame, Don Wells (’65).

Brian Heaney (’69), Acadia’s Director of Varsity Athletics, will be the evening’s master of ceremonies.

Kirk (‘71) is second vice-president of Acadia’s board of governors and chair of the Annapolis Valley division of Acadia’s Tides are Turning Capital Campaign. She also served 14 years on the Board of the Associated Alumni of Acadia University; four years as the Association’s president.

In her professional career, Kirk spent 27 years with Nova Scotia Community College and its predecessor institutions, and was campus principal at Windsor, Kentville, and Truro. She received NSCC’s Leadership Excellence Award in 2002 for her efforts within the college to help it develop into the nationally-respected, province-wide system it is today.

Wells began coaching men’s varsity hockey at Acadia in 1966 and coached for 19 years. He was appointed athletic director in 1984 before retiring from Acadia in 1997.

Wells was a builder of varsity sports programs both within Atlantic Canadian universities and across Canada through the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union. In recognition of his years of dedication to varsity sport and the high-performance athletes who represent their universities, the Atlantic University Sports Management Council has renamed the league’s most sportsmanlike award for men the Don Wells Trophy.

Brian Heaney (’69) is a well-known former NBA player who has coached basketball at both the Canadian Interuniversity Sports and Olympic level. He regularly appears as a guest analyst on TSN basketball broadcasts. Before returning to Acadia in 2007 to lead its surging varsity sports program, Heaney enjoyed a successful career as an executive in Canada’s life insurance industry.

Gala dinner organizing committee co-chair Hugh Bray said during the announcement of the awards, “last year, more than 360 alumni and friends raised $20,000 for financial aid initiatives and programs for Acadia students during this event.

Bray noted that “this brought our five-year fundraising total to more than $100,000 but, perhaps more importantly; it also allowed our alumni to once again express their support for one of Canada’s best universities. This year will be another wonderful opportunity for alumni to acknowledge two individuals who are representative of the community commitment and leadership all Acadia alumni seem to demonstrate, regardless of where they live or the career paths they pursue.”

The April 5 gala dinner will begin with a reception at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $100 per person with a tax receipt issued for a portion of the purchase price. Tables of 10 are available and, in addition to individual tickets, can be purchased on-line at www.acadiau.ca or by calling Melanie Jackson at 902-585-1818.