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Earl Dodson
Earl and his wife Suzanne have been connected to UBC Libraries for over four decades. They met while students at UBC in the 1950s. Earl graduated in 1954 with a degree in Geological Science and went on to a distinguished career in mineral exploration. He worked for companies such as Rio Tinto and Chevron Minerals, and explored for diamonds in Canada’s north. After graduation Suzanne went to work at the Library for what she thought would be a couple of years, but what turned out to be a successful 36-year career. Together Earl and Suzanne made many gifts to improve library facilities, including an elevator for people with disabilities in the Koerner Library, a microfilming project, and air conditioning for rare materials storage. In appreciation, the Library dedicated the Suzanne Cates Dodson and Earl Dodson Reading Room in 1999, a space not only for reading but also for meetings, lectures and other events. When Earl passed away in 2009 UBC was the grateful recipient of the proceeds from a life insurance policy.
Werner and Hildegard Hesse
Werner and Hildegard began their decades-long relationship with UBC in the 1950s, as students in night-school courses on birding. Driven by curiosity, they developed a deep love of birding and avian research that included their hands-on participation as bird counters in a remote location on the Arctic Circle. To show their appreciation for how UBC helped change their lives, the Hesses completed a charitable gift annuity that provided a steady stream of income for them for their entire lives and a gift to UBC. The Hesses both passed away in 2008, and generously made arrangements to leave UBC an estate gift that will bolster avian research in the faculties of Science and Forestry for years to come.
Gayle Stewart
Gayle was a journalist, broadcaster, communications professional, volunteer and UBC alumna whose contributions to the university have extended beyond her lifetime, thanks to her gift of life insurance. Gayle received a BA from UBC in 1976, then began a career in journalism with Canadian Press and the CBC. Later, she moved into corporate communications and worked for a variety of BC companies. In 2006 Gayle returned to UBC to pursue a Masters degree, graduating in 2008. That year she was appointed head of UBC’s Olympic Secretariat, and worked to prepare the Vancouver campus for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. As a volunteer, Gayle was a dedicated member of the Board of the UBC Alumni Association. She was a key member of the Communications committee, served as co-chair of the Chancellor Nomination Committee, and was elected Vice Chair in 2006. Although Gayle’s life was shortened by cancer, her memory was honoured by many friends and colleagues who made gifts to UBC in her name. Her estate gift will support the UBC Alumni Centre.
Kay Earle
Kay was born in 1911 in Vancouver, and lived in the house her father had built in Kerrisdale until the late 1930s. She attended Magee Secondary School and the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts (now Emily Carr University). She moved to Victoria in the late 1930s and worked as a draftsperson for the Department of National Defense, one of the first women in this field. In the 1950s she designed and built a home in Victoria. In the early 1960s she returned to Vancouver and worked as a draftsperson for the City until her retirement in 1976. Kay had a lifelong interest in art, particularly Asian art, sculpture and furniture, and her home was full of interesting objects, paintings and other artworks. Kay left her entire estate to UBC, including the Kerrisdale home her father had built, which has class C heritage status. Proceeds from her estate have created an endowment to fund research into environmental pollution, ophthalmology and allergies, three topics about which Kay had passionate ideas and opinions.
Henry Skinner
Henry was an honorary alumnus of UBC and a generous supporter of the UBC Landscape Architecture program. Born in England, he came to Canada in 1928 and spent more than 70 years in Vancouver, working at various executive dining clubs as a steward and maitre d’. His passion was gardening. He once said that he saw himself as a nurturer, helping others to thrive – and this included everything from his garden to his family to UBC students who studied topics close to his heart. In 1989, he established the Henry Skinner Scholarship in the Landscape Architecture program. His steady generosity over 30 years has helped more than 55 students achieve their goals. In 2007, he said, “The idea that all the hard work I’ve done oer the years will be making a difference long after I’m gone — that’s a wonderful thought.” Henry died in 2009 in his 100th year, leaving a final gift to his scholarship as a bequest.
Mary Tierney
Mary and her sister Kathleen were born in Calgary and studied violin in London, England. There, in the 1950s, the sisters acquired two violins made by Alessandro Gagliano and his grandson Ferdinand Gagliano. Alessandro Gagliano lived in Naples from 1700-1735, and was the first known Neapolitan violin-maker. He established a family dynasty, and instruments made by his family are highly prized. Mary Tierney bequeathed both violins to the UBC School of Music. In her honour, the School established the Mary and Kathleen Tierney Memorial Concert in her honour. Each year students compete for the honour of performing in this concert and other School of Music performances using the Gagliano violins.
Margaret Heppner
Margaret (Peggy) Heppner knew that her daughter Amanda’s heart condition would most likely dramatically shorten her life. Despite this heartbreaking news, Peggy was determined to afford her daughter a normal life: she decided not to tell Amanda about her heart condition. Amanda lived her young life fully, unburdened by any knowledge or worry about her illness. She attended UBC and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1966. She died of heart complications shortly after graduating from UBC. To honour Amanda’s memory, Peggy left almost her entire estate to UBC to establish the Sheridan Amanda Heppner Memorial Endowment. The endowment fund provides bursaries to science students at UBC.
