The 1976 class of mechanical engineering from the Schulich School of Engineering
I got together this evening with fellow classmates from my 1976 class of mechanical engineering from the University of Calgary. Even though we graduated 39 years ago, our friendship has endured and many of us continue to stay in touch on a regular basis.
We got together over dinner (btw if you like Thai food, I cannot recommend a better restaurant than Juree’s Thaiplace restaurant on 16th avenue) to meet Mikhael Kritzer and Riley Berry, this year’s recipients of the Dan Mercier Class of 1976 Award.
Dan Mercier was our classmate who lost his battle with cancer a few years ago. Dan was a good engineer and solid family man. As students, we enjoyed working with Dan on projects and just hanging out with him. He exuded quiet competence.
Following Dan’s death, my classmates and Dan’s family established an endowment at the University of Calgary in his name. This endowment provides two annual scholarships to third-year mechanical engineering students who exemplify Dan’s admirable work ethic and personality traits. We did this to recognize the impact that a University of Calgary education has had on each of our careers and to mark our desire to give back to society.
Riley Berry (from Kamloops) and Mikhael Kritzer (from Lethbridge) are heading off now on engineering internships. They’ll return to the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering in eighteen months to complete their fourth and last year of engineering. They are both young engineers with open minds, fire in their eyes and passion in their hearts.
As chancellor, I look forward to shaking Riley and Mikhael’s hands when they cross the stage at their convocation in a couple of years. They have bright futures ahead. Dan Mercier would be pleased.
