Peter Katz has been inducted into the National Speakers Association (NSA) Speaker Hall of Fame. Joining past honourees such as Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, Sally Hogshead, and Jack Canfield, Peter is only the fifth Canadian speaker ever to receive the honour.

Since graduating from TMU, Peter has built a dynamic career blending live music with facilitation, delivering keynote concerts and workshops for organizations such as Johns Hopkins Medicine, Coca-Cola, and TD Bank. Along the way, the singer-songwriter has earned JUNO and Canadian Screen Award nominations.

Peter accepted the award in late July at the NSA’s annual conference in Austin, Texas, surrounded by family and friends.

Jan was part of the planning committee for her graduating class’s 50th anniversary! This year was particularly special with classmates travelling in from the U.S., France, B.C. and P.E.I. A special tour was organized on campus — the first time back on old stomping grounds since we graduated in 1976 — with the help of the Alumni Relations Office. The campus has matured quite beautifully. The new premises at 44 Gerrard which used to be the theatre building are elegant and modern, and a far cry from radiators and open windows (no air conditioning)! The trees in the Quad were just saplings, and the Sam the Record Man is now the Student Learning Centre and School of Performance space. Our tour ended at the Archive office, where displays of material from our days in the 1970s were very meaningful. There was a very real feeling of nostalgia among us!

Lea Storry ’97 has published the novel Northern Trickster. A couple goes on a canoe trip in the Northwest Territories. One of them doesn’t return…

Sasha and Eric are paddling across Great Slave Lake. Sasha hopes the trip will remind her husband how much she loves him. She hasn’t been a good person lately and she’ll do anything to hold on to her marriage. When Eric falls ill, they stop on a remote shore. Sasha tends to her husband, then is horrified to find he’s vanished from their campsite. Believing him dead, she sets out for Yellowknife alone in their canoe. Along the way, she’s picked up by a family in a motorboat but the grandmother suspects Sasha is a Wesakechak, a trickster, and that something isn’t right with her.

Fred Messacar
I graduated from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1953 having completed the requirements for the Mechanical and Industrial Technology (MIT) course. In my final year I was one of the founding members of the MIT Clowns basketball team. The next 5 years I worked at the General Electric (GE) plant located on Lansdowne Avenue in Toronto as a technician. I then left GE and was hired by Canadian Industries Limited (CIL) at their York Township paint plant. I graduated in 1981 from York University with a BA degree in computers and Mathematics. I had one unsuccessful marriage and one very successful one lasting for over 50 years. My final years at CIL were involved in the computer systems for the cash registers in the corporate stores. This involved a mini computer through to the IBM mainframe. I retired in 2003. Life has been kind to me. I have three children, eight grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.

In May 2026, I published Marika and the Auction, a unique picture book for people with dementia. Unlike a children’s picture book, in this one a lively adult drives the amusing plot. It does not infantilize seniors and the nostalgic illustrations may spark memories. Family or visitors can read it aloud and create spin-off conversation, even if the person with dementia cannot speak. 

This little book has caught on with Western Canadian media and a renowned dementia researcher in Toronto has praised it. It was inspired by my 86-year-old mother. It is easily available through Indigo​.ca. I hope that if there are seniors in your life with dementia it can bring some joy and relief. Do let me know!

I recently received the Hilary M. Weston Medal at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) at the University of Toronto, which is awarded annually to the Master of Social Work (MSW) student who graduates with the highest academic standing. Each graduating class is comprised of nearly 300 MSW students. The University of Toronto conducted an extensive interview and produced the following article, in which I talk about my experiences as a student with disabilities: https://socialwork.utoronto.ca/news/hilary-m-weston-medal-winner-jan-wozniak-shares-whats-next-and-how-it-feels-to-achieve-his-dream-of-studying-at-u-of‑t/

In the photo I have shared, I am standing with the Dean at FIFSW, Dr. Charmaine C. Williams. 

I began my studies at TMU in 2015 and finished in 2024, completing an Honours Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy (2018), Master of Arts in Philosophy (2020), Certificate in Psychology (2021), and Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Disability Studies (2024).

Those of us in Fashion ’60 have kept in touch over 65 years, getting together in different parts of the country. Many creative pursuits between us such as weaving, painting, genealogy, figure skating, horticulture and many facets of design. A talented group of golden age gals!

Joe lived a remarkably full, rich life. Growing up in Toronto’s Annex, he was shaped by post-war jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman. After studying Radio and TV at Ryerson starting in 1960, he quickly built a dynamic career in the arts.

As Public Relations Director for the National Ballet, he helped organize massive tours across 42 U.S. cities alongside dance legend Rudolf Nureyev. He also lent his PR expertise to the Ontario Science Centre, TVO, and CBC-TV.

Joe’s true legacy, however, was on the airwaves. In 1965, he joined CJRT-FM part-time to host “Folk Music and Folkways”—a legendary show that stayed on the air for 31 years, logging over 6,000 hours and 1,000 interviews. He broadcast historic moments, including co-hosting the poignant Stan Rogers Tribute in Toronto and a David Bromberg concert at Bathurst St United Church, before returning to CJRT full-time in 1980 as communications director.

Joe has taught RTA students in several Communications courses and is part of the RHO Alpha Kappa team that created two annual bursaries for RTA students that raised $50,000 to create an endowment fund to sustain those awards in perpetuity.

Jan made the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize shortlist for his poem, Memory Palace of the One-Track Oracle. He was also longlisted for his poem, Autistic Koans from the 504. Jan is an autistic writer, disability advocate, therapist and clinical scholar based in Toronto. He told CBC Books about the inspiration behind his book: “Unfortunately, stereotypes about autism are still rampant, with some rather public figures claiming autistic individuals cannot complete or perform particular tasks, poetry among them… I wanted this poem to stand as a counter-narrative, serving as a space where autistic perception could speak for itself in its own unique, unabashed ways.”

Since graduating, I’ve continued to support TMU’s student engineering teams in an advisory role. One of the most exciting groups I’ve recently been involved with is the Toronto Autonomous Systems Collective (TASC), a student-led robotics team that started as a small battle bots club and has since evolved into a full-fledged Mars-style rover team. In just under 10 months, TASC designed, built and fielded their first rover at the Canadian International Rover Challenge 2025, where they performed exceptionally well for a first-time competitor.

I began an open-access journal that digitally publishes emerging female and genderqueer scholars writing history. My team and I publish graduate students from around Canada and beyond, helping to grow their CVs while providing the public with free access to current historical research. We also do community-engagement work such as running community-nominated awards and supporting other small journals and businesses like us. This year, we’re running our first undergraduate essay competition.

Tristanne recently debuted her upcycled accessories brand, Lovetunay, at New York Fashion Week. Her collection, Panaginip (Tagalog for “dream”), features sculptural “pillow purses” crafted from reclaimed domestic textiles such as bedsheets, curtains, pillowcases and lace. Through Lovetunay, Tristanne explores sustainability, heritage and identity, drawing inspiration from Filipino craft traditions while transforming everyday materials into statement runway pieces.