Getting into McGill was a moment of pure joy. Renowned for the quality of the programs and its incredible international reputation, we both recognized that an acceptance letter meant that our future career options would be excellent! In addition, it was affordable and would not take us 20 years to pay off a student loan as many students across Canada were burdened.
In hindsight, McGill was very academically demanding. John and I worked like dogs throughout our undergraduate programs; we both graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Anatomical Sciences. However, we were extremely prepared when we were accepted into the Doctor of Dental Surgery program at McGill under the care of Dean Kenneth Bentley.
After graduation, in addition to starting our practice, we made a joint decision to give back to McGill as a thank you and found the time to teach part-time. Dr. Ormond taught Head and Neck Anatomy to dental students for 15 years and I taught Removable Prosthodontics for 12 years.
Although I retired in 2020, my husband is still happily working three days per week. He is very proud to have been conferred emeritus status by the Academy of General Dentistry and received the Las Vegas Institute Fellow (LVIF) distinction.
We have always valued McGill University and the wonderful opportunities it afforded us in life. In our family, we have three siblings, one daughter and five nephews and nieces that have attended McGill. In addition, we have a daughter who works at McGill in the Faculty of Dentistry! I guess you could say that McGill has been a second home to the Kavanagh and Ormond families. And who knows? We have a grandson now…
I hope that alumni will recognize the importance of helping McGill to remain a world respected university while also remaining affordable for its students. As an end-of-career parting gift to thank McGill for propelling our entire graduating class onto successful careers, I helped organize a Class of 1982 $60,000+ gift, which will offer scholarships to struggling dental students in perpetuity.
Hopefully, you will also consider what you can do to make a difference as your thank you to McGill!