Class Notes

Peter Laughton, Civil Technology ’63

“I completed my Civil Engineering degree at the University of Toronto in 1966 and pursued a rewarding 39-year career with R.V. Anderson Associates Limited, consulting engineers in Toronto, stepping down as chairman in 2005. I established a consulting environmental engineering business, retiring in 2015. I received an honorary doctorate from Ryerson in 1997, received the Professional Engineers Ontario Engineering Medal, was named to the U of T Engineering Alumni Hall of Distinction, and received the Dr. Albert E. Berry Medal, granted to a ‘civil engineer who has contributed significantly to the field of environmental engineering in Canada’.”

Elly Bollegraaf, Medical Laboratory Technology ’60

“After graduation, I worked for three years at the Ontario Provincial Laboratory in enteric microbiology. I then attended Carleton University, followed by a long career at Health Canada in Ottawa, in microbial physiology, epidemiology and in the medical devices bureau. I retired in 2001 at age 60. My husband, P.E. Grattan-Bellew, an accomplished NRC research scientist, to whom I was married for 40 years and with whom I travelled the world, died last March 2020. We had a wonderful life together. I think of my days at Ryerson with fondness, the camaraderie of classmates, and the excellent and unforgettable teachers.”

Brian Mackey, Graphic Arts Management ’69

Brian has published a novel titled Kings of East York, about Toronto in the 1960s, a multi-layered story about questions, dreams, coping with tough life circumstances, anxiety and focusing on life’s best possibilities.

1970s

Ann Benedek, Journalism ’71

“I can’t believe that 50 years have passed since my graduation; several years later my sister Laura would also graduate from Ryerson. I began my career in corporate journalism and was named editor/writer in the communications division of the Anglican Church of Canada. I later joined the Canadian Churchman (now the Anglican Journal), and became features editor. I eventually left the award-winning newspaper to become a full-time parent, while continuing to freelance. I wish Ryerson University Magazine continued success and look forward to reading many more issues as I approach my 80th year.”

Rod Crombie, Radio and Television Arts (RTA) ’74

“I’ve pretty much retired from camera operating, including news, studio, documentary and long format camera work, after 45 years in the field. I was hoping to work for at least one more year, but COVID put an end to that. I continue to teach motorcycle riding and to volunteer with various groups.

David Semel, Public Health ’74

“After 34 years working for Health Canada in several provinces, I retired from the field about 10 years ago. Along the way, I completed a bachelor’s and master’s of business administration at the University of New Brunswick and Dalhousie University respectively. I am currently living on the ocean in Nova Scotia, where I’m enjoying time with my kids and grandkids, kayaking and auto restoration.”

1980s

Janet Forman-Williamson, RTA ’83

“No Return, the most recent title in my Lee Smith Mystery series, was published by Level Best Books in September. I write under the pen name Jay Forman and my series features Canadian travel writer Lee Smith. Excess Baggage, out this spring, is set in the Maritimes and St. Pierre and Miquelon; and Wave Goodbye, coming out this September, is set in Tofino, B.C.”

Debbie Gilbert, Business Technology Management ’88

In 2010, Debbie and her husband co-founded PRX Print, a digital label printing company located in Mississauga, Ont. The company manufactures labels for all industry sectors, but primarily serves the food and microbrewery markets. They employ several Ryerson grads from the Graphic Communications program and have been thriving during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the increased volume of product labelling and packaging.

Trevor Kruze, Interior Design ’86

Trevor has been appointed CEO of the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC). Trevor has enjoyed a 35-year career as a professional interior designer along with nearly three decades of volunteer service on provincial, national and international boards, including the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario, the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, the Society of British Interior Designers and the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers.

Greg Richardson, Journalism ’85

“My wife, Melody, and I are doing well and working our way through the pandemic, both serving the people of Ontario in management positions within the Ontario Public Service. We live and work in Toronto, and like many are looking forward to getting back to travelling. Wishing health and happiness to everyone.”

Angelina Jessica Kekich, Fashion ’99

Angelina is the costume designer for Stephen King’s The Stand, a new CBS television series.

Sita (Singh) Singh-Rodriguez, Social Work ’92

"After graduating, I worked for a financial company until 2007. In 2008 I moved to New York to marry the love of my life. I now work at a private school in Manhattan. I love travelling and have been to Italy, Spain, France, Vienna, Portugal, England, Barbados, Portugal and Curaçao.”

Janna Costanzo, Nursing ’07

“I have created a YouTube cooking show to help my fellow health-care professionals and others who want to learn how to cook easy and delicious meals for their loved ones. ‘Janna’s Cooking Show’ on YouTube features my family’s favourite recipes. I share my love of cooking and help people recreate restaurant-worthy meals at home.”

2000s

Amy Doerksen, RTA ’01

“I’ve published my first children’s book called The Rubber Boot Thief! Writing children’s stories has been a lifelong goal of mine and 2020 marked the year I made it happen. I started the story about 15 years ago when I was living in Yellowknife, N.W.T. The manuscript followed me through four moves, multiple cities, marriage and the birth of three kids! I’ve now written and illustrated a second book, Maude the Misunderstood Musky.” Visit amydoerksen.com.

Tamara Doerksen, Project Management ’06

Tamara is the CEO and founder of the Lonny’s Smile Foundation, a children’s charity launched in 2010 to honour the memory of her brother Lonny. Lonny’s Smile creates opportunities for children
with congenital heart disease to attend summer camp at zero cost to their families. The charity has sent more than 120 kids to Camp Oki. Tamara was awarded the Volunteer Toronto’s Legacy Award for her contributions to the community. Visit lonnyssmile.org.

Gillian Gravely, Nursing ’05

Gillian was named one of the 50 most influential Torontonians of 2020 by Toronto Life magazine. She was one of the first to volunteer to help when COVID outbreaks emerged in long-term care facilities. With her ample experience as an advanced practice nurse educator, front-line nurse, manager and instructor, she spent 12 hours a day for eight weeks working at the Rekai long-term care facility, where she helped develop protocol for donning and removing PPE and cleaning rooms, while directly caring for residents.

Martin Rochon, Ted Rogers School of Management ’04

“I am very proud to be working on social innovation programs during the pandemic that impact both students and seniors. I am also very proud to have been accepted as a mentor to Ryerson’s wonderful Tri-Mentoring Program, where I look forward to helping develop future leaders with a strong focus on ethics and social innovation.”

Kyoka Tsukamoto, Image Arts ’01

Kyoka is a Montreal-based filmmaker whose first feature-length essay documentary, My Dearest Sister, was presented at Reelworld Film Festival in October. The film was screened at Rendez-Vous Du Cinema Quebecois in Montreal and the Raindance Film Festival in the United Kingdom. The film was acquired to be used during graduate and undergraduate lectures at York University, where she has been invited to be a guest speaker. Visit kyokafilm.com.

Angela Wallace, Arts and Contemporary Studies ’08

“In 2020, I became COO/CSO at Bogobrush, an innovative, eco-friendly oral care brand made from plants and recycled materials, launching soon in Canada. I was one of 15 women working in business selected from 315 applications to receive a female entrepreneurship grant from the City of Toronto.”

Greg Wayne, RTA ’09

Greg’s Richard Simmons biopic script St. Simmons was named among the top scripts on the 16th annual Black List, an annual survey of the most liked unproduced screenplays of that year. The lists are aggregated using votes from film executives, and have included such Oscar-winners as Juno, The King’s Speech and Argo.

Kyle Edward Wilson, Image Arts ’07

“I married a fellow Ryerson grad, Stephanie Jane Wilson, Journalism ’97, worked in publishing, then marketing at agencies, and went back to school for an MBA. I am now working for a great company in the mechanical contractor world helping to lower carbon emissions through better building system design.”

2010s

Jesse Berger, MBA ’15

Jesse has published his first book, Magic Internet Money, A Book About Bitcoin. “Although the title may seem playful, the book itself very sensibly addresses a number of crucial social and economic issues.” Visit magicbitcoinbook.com.

Adrien Beyk, Electrical and Computer Engineering ’17

Adrien combined his interest in fashion and engineering to develop a line of smart gloves (and socks) called Quanta Vici, that are connected to the user’s smartphone and can be electronically heated at the touch of a button. Adrien, who is originally from Iran, conceived the idea as a Ryerson student coping with Canadian winters. The project was made possible by crowdfunding sites IndieGoGo and Kickstarter that helped raise $700,000.

Kyle Edwards, Journalism ’17

Kyle was named a 2021 Nieman Visiting Fellow and will conduct research examining how COVID-19 has impacted Indigenous culture, language and traditional knowledge. The project will include a website devoted to sharing oral histories and interviews with families affected by the virus, and a podcast series focused on Indigenous resilience during the pandemic.

Cassie Friedman, Journalism ’11

“I’m thrilled to share my work on the new ABC trivia game show The Hustler, which premiered on ABC and CTV, and won its time slot. As the senior development producer on the show, my work included developing the game, pitching and selling it to the network, casting contestants, writing questions and producing the first season.”

Zahra Islam, Nursing ’16

“After serving on the Ryerson Students’ Union board of directors in my third year, I realized what inspired me was the idea of shaping the policy landscape of our society and solving our world’s most pressing policy problems. I completed my master’s of public administration at Queen’s University. After working at Canada’s Foreign Ministry for a year, I am now an economist at the Department of Finance’s international trade and finance branch. I work with Canada’s Foreign Ministry to develop Canadian negotiating positions on various financial and policy issues at multilateral development banks.”

Monica Kwong, Chemical Engineering Co-op ’18

“When I was a co-op student at Sofina Foods in 2017, the co-op office connected me with Marzieh Baghi, Chemical Engineering Co-op ’12, a project manager at the time, as a way of meeting alumni from the same program working for the same company. After graduation, I applied for the process engineering role at Sofina Foods. Marzieh is now my manager in her role as director of engineering. On another project, I connected with another Ryerson graduate, Michael Highdale, Chemical Engineering Co-op ’03, who was the vice-president, operations. It was a pleasure working with two people from the same academic program.”