An important part of Anne Campbell’s journey to McGill Law school started 83 years ago, when the Nazis invaded Krakow, Poland, immediately putting an end to Romek Hornstein’s formal schooling when he was just 12 years old.
Despite his lack of schooling, Mr. Hornstein went on to establish a successful real estate business in Montreal, where he immigrated in 1951. He instilled his passion for education in his children, cheering them on as they graduated university and treasuring their diplomas as his own.
“My dad never really had a formal education,” says Sam Hornstein, BA’78, MBA’80, BCL’83, LLB’84, “and I think because of that, along with the fact that education is very important in Jewish culture and Jewish life, for him, education was everything.”
Sam says his father would be very proud of the family’s legacy at McGill. Between himself, his wife Merle Wertheimer, BA’77, BCL’81, LLB’81, and their twins Julia and Daniel Hornstein, MA’21, they will soon hold 14 university degrees, 12 of which will be from McGill – including eight from McGill Law. And, says Sam, his father would be “over the moon” to know that students at McGill Law will, in perpetuity, benefit from a scholarship in his name.
Romek Hornstein
Earlier this year, Sam and Merle gave $1 million – their first major gift and the start of a new approach to philanthropy – to celebrate their family’s unique relationship to McGill Law. Their gift created two entrance scholarships in the Faculty of Law: The Romek Hornstein Entrance Scholarship will be awarded to one new student annually and is renewable for up to four years; the non-renewable Sam Hornstein and Merle Wertheimer Scholarship will be awarded to four students per year.
Anne is the inaugural recipient of the Romek Hornstein Entrance Scholarship. A “proud Winnipegger through and through”, Anne graduated (with honours) with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Western University (Gold Medal) and is completing the Parliamentary Internship Programme in Ottawa, working with MPs from both sides of the political spectrum and gaining a new appreciation for the complexity of the problems Canada faces.
She credits her mother, a kindergarten teacher, with teaching her to value education as an investment in her community as well as herself. The desire to make a positive impact in her community is Anne’s driving motivation.
“As I’ve come across McGill Law alumni, I’ve noticed that while they may have vastly different interests and professions, they’re all committed to bettering their community,” says Anne. “And I really wanted to be part of a legal community that consciously strives to push the envelope and be leaders.”
Now, she has the opportunity to become one of these leaders, thanks to Sam and Merle’s generosity.
“They will forever hold a special place in my heart,” Anne says, “because this scholarship will shape my experience at law school and tangibly change my personal and professional trajectory. With fewer financial barriers, I’ll be able to take bigger risks and unreservedly follow my passions. And I think that will have a snowball effect on the rest of my life.”
Merle is particularly attuned to the impact financial anxiety can have on students. Forced to become financially independent at 17, she worked full time while putting herself through her first year of university at night. She transferred to McGill in her second year, continuing to support herself throughout her undergraduate studies and law degree.
Merle Wertheimer and Sam Hornstein
“I managed to make it work for myself, but it certainly would have been a lot easier had I had a bit of a safety net,” Merle says. “That financial stress was always in the back of my mind. If someone could have helped me with tuition or books or any part of it, that would have eased the burden for me. And if we can help some other deserving students achieve their goals, we’re just so honoured and so happy to be able to do that.”
In turn, Sam hopes to see their scholarship recipients “pay it forward. In small ways, in big ways. Just don’t forget about the people out there who will need your help.”