In my final year of architectural studies, Frank Gehry came to McGill to do a charette with the students – but only if we agreed to play hockey with him.
He and his team killed us on the rink. I took a plastic hockey stick and bent it into a contorted shape and covered it in metal foil – a hockey stick à la Frank Gehry. I stopped the game half-way and presented it to him. He played with that stick for the rest of the game. The whole thing was filmed for the CBC series Adrienne Clarkson Presents.
My time at McGill was a constant brush with greatness – from playing hockey with one of the architectural giants of our time, to taking an extra summer course in Greece so I could study with Ricardo Castro (one of McGill’s finest professors of architecture).
The architecture class of ’94 was also a great group of people. They were ambitious and brilliant, but they also understood the importance of levity and, sometimes, irreverence. I learned to challenge myself, to embrace a life of curiosity, and not to take myself too seriously.
After graduating from McGill, I worked as an architect for about 20 years and started my own firm. But a few months after that, I was in a life-threatening car accident, and I had to close the company. Once I recovered, I worked a bit for other architects, but it wasn’t the same anymore. I realized I needed a fresh start.
My interest in cultural and architectural history – cultivated during my time at McGill – inspired me to pursue a PhD in history at the University of New Brunswick. I graduated in 2020 and began a new chapter of my life. Today, I’m the Manager of Collections and Exhibitions at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton. As the chief curator, working with a talented team, I try to create experiences that open up minds to new ways of thinking.
I have experienced some remarkable things in my life. I was once a personal tour guide for Prince Charles during a royal visit to New Brunswick. I recently finished writing my 14th book on New Brunswick art and architecture. After my accident, I spent a year in a wheelchair wondering if I would ever walk again, and then, about eight years later, I played varsity lacrosse at UNB at the age of 43.
McGill played such an important role in my life. Whenever I get the chance to go back to Montreal, I always take the time to walk through campus. My friends and experiences there have been the greatest gift.