Every Canadian can be proud of McGill University – not just those who attended or know a loved one who has. Being associated with McGill University is one of Barbara Seal’s greatest pleasures, and her involvement with the School of Continuing Studies makes McGill especially important for her.
Barbara studied at McGill before starting her first real job teaching kindergarten. She loved helping kids learn, and she never lost her passion for education and community.
Barbara got married at a young age, and she and her husband raised their family in the town of Hampstead. She ran successfully for Hampstead’s town council and spent nearly 22 years as a councillor. She launched various local community programs for children and adults, and started the official Canada Day celebrations for the Town of Hampstead, after which she was asked to be vice-president of July 1st celebrations for all of Quebec.
Following her council job, Barbara became a Canadian citizenship court judge. She had the great pleasure and privilege of officiating at several citizenship ceremonies at McGill – including one where they swore in numerous McGill professors, students, and staff members.
Through her work, Barbara encountered people who had experienced difficulties in their home countries, and were struggling to make a better life in Canada. They were doctors, lawyers, engineers, dentists, electricians, plumbers, and other professionals who had to go back to school for their equivalencies, which is daunting while working full-time to support a family. Hearing their stories made Barbara consider how she could contribute to the success of recent immigrants in Canada.
A meeting with Judith Potter, then Dean of McGill’s School of Continuing Studies, inspired her to get involved. Barbara came to learn that many of the School’s students are new Canadians, and to help them she decided to create a scholarship in her name. Barbara is delighted to have met some of its recipients: many of them work while studying at night, while others attend full-time; they would not be able to further their studies and improve their lives without financial help.
It’s not only Barbara who has passionately represented McGill in the community; her husband Donald, BA’50, BCL’54, was also an alumnus, lawyer, and municipal judge. He was honoured by the University for pleading a famous case before the Supreme Court of Canada that established the law of good faith in Quebec. Every law student studies that case today, and it’s just one of his many accomplishments.
Donald passed away in 2016, but his legacy, as well as those of Barbara and their family, is intertwined with McGill. Two of their children graduated from the Faculty of Law, and their eldest granddaughter recently graduated from McGill’s Faculty of Dentistry. She works with dental patients who have intellectual disabilities or autism, and she loves what she does.
Barbara is on several boards – many related to culture and the arts. They mean a lot to her, but none are as meaningful as the scholarship given to new Canadians. “I am proud of the work the School of Continuing Studies does to improve our entire community, and we are thankful to McGill University for everything it has afforded us as a family.”