2011 UVic Legacy Award Recipients

See video of our award recipients here.

Hon. Lance Finch, Chief Justice of British Columbia – Alumni Legacy Award

After 20 years in private law practice, Lance Finch became a trial judge in the Supreme Court of BC in 1983. He served there until 1993, when he was appointed to the BC Court of Appeal. Since 2001, he has been the Chief Justice of British Columbia.

In The Lansdowne Era: Victoria College, 1946 – 1963, Finch described his “years of turmoil and growth” at Victoria College. He credited principal Harry Hickman, vice-principal Bob Wallace, psychology professor Bill Gaddes, and German professor Beattie MacLean with helping him emerge from college “with a better understanding of myself and an appreciation that there were more important goals in life than the pursuit of fun and games.”

After completing undergraduate studies at UBC, Finch entered the law school there. “For the first time in my life, I became an engaged and serious student. I am sure that without the assistance of the (Victoria College) faculty who came to my aid at the time of need, I might well have dropped out of school altogether.”

The highlight of his last year at college was being part of the Vikings basketball team that, coached by Bill Garner, won the 1958 Canadian Junior Men’s Championship.

More recently, Finch has publicly expressed his concern about access to justice for the working poor and members of the middle class who earn too much to qualify for legal aid or pro bono services yet don’t have the means to pay for the assistance of a lawyer.

---

Dr. Andreas Antoniou– Legacy Award for Research
Professor Emeritus, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Faculty of Engineering

Electrical engineer and emeritus research professor Andreas Antoniou literally wrote the book on digital filters in 1979 and it made a major impact the world over, both in academia and industry.

Dr. Antoniou is also known for his namesake invention, the Antoniou Gyrator, an electrical circuit he invented in the 1960s. The gyrator, built in microcircuit form long before the microcomputer chip, was used extensively in North American and UK telephone systems. Dr. Antoniou’s groundbreaking work in digital signal processing paved the way in enabling the miniaturization of electronic circuits that are central to modern communication systems.

Dr. Antoniou’s contributions at the University of Victoria and the Faculty of Engineering began in 1983, when he became the founding chair of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering – the first academic department in the new faculty. The influence of his leadership in establishing the department’s teaching and research programs is evident to this day.

He received the BC Science Council’s Career Achievement Award in 2000 for his contributions to science and technology. That same year he received the Golden Jubilee Medal from the Circuits and Systems Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). One of his greatest personal honours came in 2002, when he received an honorary doctorate from the Metsovio National Technical University in Athens.

Accomplished scholar, mentor and teacher, Dr. Antoniou continues to offer his knowledge and experience to a new generation of electrical engineers.

---

Mr. George Smith – Legacy Award for Sport
Vikes Soccer Manager/Trainer/Coach
Outstanding Community Volunteer

George Smith was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and moved to Victoria two weeks after he and his wife Dorothy married in 1958. Mr. Smith was a long time employee of the University of Victoria, starting in Purchasing Services in 1972, becoming manager in 1984, a post he held until his retirement 16 years later.

Beyond his regular duties, George was the trainer for the Vikings men’s soccer team, working with the late coach Wally Milligan (charter member of the UVic Sports Hall of Fame). George went on to manage the team under head coach Brian Hughes and he was a part of UVic's first CIAU National Championship in 1975. After games, Mr. and Mrs. Smith often hosted the Vikings in their official “clubhouse” in the Smith’s basement.

Mr. Smith’s community service included working with the Vancouver Island Multiple Sclerosis Society, contributed a regular soccer column in a community newspaper, and held numerous positions on the Vancouver Island Soccer League’s board of directors for 10 years. George also provided commentary on community television for local games. In 1984-85, helped to bring World Cup and Olympic qualifying men’s soccer games to Victoria.

In honour of George’s commitment to the game of soccer, the Vancouver Island Soccer League League Cup awards the top U-21 division team the "George Smith U21 Cup" every year. In 2001, George was given a Lifetime Membership to the BC Soccer Association.

In 2003, George’s former players with the Vikings started the George and Dorothy Soccer Award to honour their commitment to the game of soccer and their support during their time at UVic.

---

Dr. Gary MacGillivray – Legacy Award for Teaching
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Faculty of Science

His philosophy on teaching never stops evolving but Dr. Gary MacGillivray says a key to helping students navigate the challenges of university-level mathematics comes down to this: Be willing to “embrace your inner nerd.” That means he’s not afraid to show his passion, excitement and enthusiasm for math.

Since joining the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in 1992, MacGillivray’s approach to teaching has inspired and encouraged hundreds of students, many of them in his first-year math course – a particularly challenging task for any instructor. He experiments with his teaching techniques and recently introduced interactive, daily classroom writing exercises have increased levels of student participation and have led to much higher student success rates.

It’s MacGillivray’s scholarly interest in helping first-year students succeed that, in large part, led his nominators to put forward his name for this prestigious recognition (awarded via the UVic Alumni Association’s Harry Hickman Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching).

A UVic alumnus (MSc ’86, BA ’85), MacGillivray’s ability to create a positive learning environment for his students comes from his recognition that teaching extends beyond lectures to include a broad range of interactions – from teaching to mentorship to helping people balance the various demands they face.

He says it’s much like coaching: “I think the key is to create a supportive, fun atmosphere in which everyone is valued and accepted, to provide sound information leading to technical improvement, and to have a solid training plan.”

---

Past recipients:

2010