Allisonian named lieutenant governor

Retired brigadier-general John James Grant ('56) has been named the new lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia. Grant, who was born in New Glasgow in 1936, graduated from Mount Allison in 1956 with a bachelor of commerce degree. He later became a registered industrial accountant.

He joined the Pictou Highlanders in 1951 and held several senior positions including deputy commander and appointed area commander in 1980 of the Atlantic Militia Area.

He was invested as an Officer in the Order of Military Merit in 1979 and a Commander in the Order in 1988. Grant, who has been awarded the Canadian Decoration with three clasps, has been a governor of the Nova Scotia Division of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires since 1986, and a member of numerous community groups in the province.

He retired from the military in 1989. Grant will be the 31st Nova Scotia lieutenant governor since 1867.

Read full story: Military man named next N.S. lieutenant governor (CBC News)

The Barra MacNeils returning to Mount A

The Barra MacNeils are coming back to Mount A! The band will be playing at Jennings Hall on FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2012.

The concert will coincide with the start of Reunion Weekend; however, EVERYONE is welcome to attend. For more information, or to reserve your tickets »

The Barra MacNeils are...

• Kyle ('85): vocals, guitar, violin, mandolin
• Lucy ('91): vocals, bodhran, Celtic harp, fiddle, step dancing
• Sheumas ('88): keyboards, piano, bodhran, fiddle, bouzouki, vocals
• Stewart ('87): vocals, accordion, tin whistle, flute, bouzouki, guitar, step dancing
• Boyd: mandolin, fiddle, guitar, banjo, percussion, step dancing
• Ryan: keyboards, percussion, uillian pipes, tin whistle, bodhran, step dancing
• Jamie Gatti: bass

As a group, the six MacNeil siblings are widely regarded as one of the greatest live concert acts in the Celtic world. Hailing from Sydney Mines, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the family group is deeply rooted in Celtic music, culture, dance, language and history. Their numerous critically acclaimed recordings have included their own original songs as well as tried and true standards, both instrumental and vocal.

http://www.barramacneils.com/

Test Yourself Challenge

Beginning January 2012, Alison (Crossman) Davidson ('94) will be running ten 10k races in 10 months for a total of 100k in an effort to raise $100k. These funds will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s CIBC Run for the Cure which is September 30^th 2012.

To help, you can buy a t-shirt or maybe two or three. All net profit will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. "You’ll look super hot and smart all while supporting breast cancer research. You’ll also be letting people know that you’re testing yourself and you expect others to do the same!"

Beginning in April you will also be able to donate directly to her once the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s website is up and running for the 2012 Run for the Cure. A donation button will be added at that time.

For more information, visit: http://testyourselfchallenge.com/
Or follow Alison's Twitter feed: @ten10kchallenge

GOOD LUCK, Alison!!

Former Mount Allison Archivist Writes Book

From the open-air ice surfaces of the marsh and the ponds to the excitement of the town's first-ever built wooden rink, to the pure enjoyment of costumed carnivals and school sports events, skating has a fascinating history in the Sackville community.

And that history is brought to life in former Mount Allison Archivist Donna Sullivan's new book, Skating on Steel-Shod Feet: Rinks and Skating in Sackville, New Brunswick.

With dozens of illustrations and photos, as well as countless newspaper accounts and plenty of personal stories from local residents, Sullivan has pulled together detailed descriptions of the rinks and highlights of the many and varied skating activities that took place in those buildings over the years.

Sullivan says the idea for writing the book has been a concept that has been brewing for nearly 30 years, ever since the day she first saw a photograph of the earliest enclosed skating rink in Sackville - as she found out later, the structure was the Tantramar rink which was built in 1876.

In 1998, she wrote a brief sketch on the history of rinks in the area but she was too busy at the time to go much farther with it. But her interest in the subject had certainly been piqued, and others were also becoming more curious about when and how skating had got its start in the area and how it has evolved over the years.

When she retired six years ago, she planned to do just that.

It wasn't until about two years ago when Sullivan says she finally made up her mind to take on the momentous task of finishing the research. Having lived in Sackville most of her life, and having worked as an archivist at the university for nearly 30 years, was definitely an advantage, she admits.

She believes that anyone who has ever been skating - whether it's through hockey, figure skating, or simply playing on the pond - has stories to tell about "what it's like to be on blades, and on the ice; it can be very exciting and thrilling."

Sullivan has dedicated her book to members of both the Sackville Citizens Band and the Sackville Fire Department who, for over a century, have served the citizens of their community, "going well beyond their roles as bandsmen and firemen at the Sackville rinks."

Read full story: History of skating in Sackville brought to life (Sackville Tribune Post)

Helping train Haitian doctors

Moncton native Dr. Henri Lanctin ('76) is helping change lives in Haiti. Henri, a urologist, is part of a group training Haitian doctors in modern surgical techniques, teaching them how to perform surgeries that will make a huge difference in the quality of life for many.

He graduated from Moncton High School in 1972, then did his undergraduate degree at Mount Allison. From there he went on to do a Master's in biochemistry at Memorial University, medical school at Dalhousie University, and an internship in Victoria, B.C. at the Royal Jubilee Hospital. He did his urology training at University of Ottawa, then practised in Kentville, N.S. for four years before moving to the U.S.

He and his wife have been living in Minnesota for the past 13 years, but his mother and one of his sisters still call Moncton home. In the last year, he has started a urology program in Haiti at the Hôpital Biénfaisance de Pignon and has joined Project Haiti as its vice-president.

Instead of simply performing surgeries for those who need them, Henri and his colleagues use cases to teach Haitian doctors new surgical techniques they can use to treat the patients themselves. A first teaching session focused on a condition in women called vesico-vaginal fistulas, a common condition in the developing world that occurs during child birth.

Haitian physicians are very open to working with them. The 2010 earthquake had a huge impact on medical services in Haiti. A number of physicians were killed, others lost their facilities, and the medical school as well as the medical school hospital were destroyed. He says they are planning to rebuild the medical school hospital, but that will take a few years, making the facility in Pignon even more important.

Read full story: Moncton native lends surgical skills to Haiti (Moncton Times & Transcript)

Fall 2011 Record Online

The Fall 2011 issue of the Record is not online! Alums featured in this issue:

• Deborah Colvin ('77)
• Richard Smit ('97)
• Amy Rowat ('98, '99)
• Kevin MacDonald ('75)
• and a tribute to Wallace McCain ('52)

Happy reading: http://alumni.mta.ca/therecord/

Chicken Grenades wins big!

In January of this year, John Grass ('84) was watching the Food Network, like he usually does, when he saw a commercial for a show called Recipe to Riches. They were calling for viewers who thought they had a $250,000 recipe, and Grass immediately thought of the chicken dish he invented, which he now calls chicken grenades.

John played football at Mount Allison - on the team that went to the Vanier Cup in 1984. He and his wife, Lynn, a nurse, run a home for the elderly. His daughter, Sarah, is in her fourth year at the University of New Brunswick studying nursing and his son Ben ('15) is in his first year at Mount A studying science.

He is by no means a professional chef. He is just a regular guy who loves to cook, has a knack for it and likes to try new things in the kitchen. On a whim he filled out the online application and forgot about it.

He forgot about the contest for all of an hour when the phone rang. It was representatives from the Food Network asking him to bring his recipe to the audition in Halifax in February. The judges liked what they saw and tasted, and handed Grass a golden ticket and a contract of secrecy, he said. There were seven categories which three contestants were selected for: puddings and pies, cakes, savoury pies, sweet and savoury snacks, frozen treats, entrées and Grass' category, appetizers.

All the contestants were flown to Toronto to tape the show, and winners in each category were selected. That just so happened to include John and his chicken grenades, which won him $25,000 and the chance for his item to be sold in stores, through President's Choice.

Again, he was sworn to secrecy. He didn't even tell his wife he'd won, he said. The show was taped in March, and aired Wednesday on the Food Network. So he kept it a secret for over eight months.

After all seven category winners are selected, Canadians can vote online at www.recipetoriches.ca for the best recipe among them all. The grand prize winner will take home $250,000. Voting will begin on Dec. 7 and end on Dec. 9.

His chicken grenades are made with bacon, wrapped around a piece of seasoned chicken breast filled with shredded pizza mozzarella and Monterrey jack cheeses and jalapeño peppers, glazed with apple pepper jelly and dusted with barbecue dry rub spice. They are available at Atlantic SuperStore, Atlantic SuperValue, and SaveEasy.

Read full story: N.B. man's grenade recipe earned riches (Telegraph-Journal)