I’m a recent graduate of TMU’s Media Production program within The Creative School and I’ve been selected as a contestant in a national “Top Host” competition, and I’m currently 3rd in my group!

The competition gives aspiring hosts the opportunity to compete for the chance to host a six-episode podcast with iHeartRadio and win $25,000. The current voting round runs until November 15, and every vote helps determine who advances to the next round.

During my time at TMU, I was able to pursue my passion for hosting and storytelling through my own podcast and a live show with SpiritLive called The Fruit Basket. Those experiences played a huge role in building my confidence as a host and are a big reason why this opportunity means so much to me.

In September 2026, the second book of my middle grade mystery/adventure series was published. The Ghost in Mitchell Bay is the sequel to The Boy in Mitchell Bay, published in May 2025.

Ann Latimer from the class of 1956 Fashion Design sadly passed away at age 92 on August 13, from Alzheimer’s disease. Ann was the first woman to be awarded, the university’s Gold Medal for all round scholastic achievement. In her 40s she returned to U of T and got her BA and then went on to receive a master’s degree in Anthropology and Archeology and worked in this field for several years. Ann was the mother of three children, her son Chris is a degree grad, 1984 and grandson Trevor is also a degree grad, having graduated in 2019, along with husband John (Bo) a three-year grad from 1955. She was a remarkable woman who lived a full life crowded with achievements. She worked in the theatre as well as the CBC in the wardrobe department and later in life as a volunteer at the Art Gallery of Toronto and as a historical interpreter in several GTA historical houses and museums. She is deeply missed by her husband John of 67 years of marriage her children, four grand children and one great grandson.

After my 35 years in the Scene Shop at the Stratford Festival, Barb (Bailey, Theatre ’74) and I are enjoying our summers at our place on Manitoulin Island.
I’m remembering the good times and late nights putting together RIOT 71 (is paranoid) and the drunk who conveniently wandered into the audience on opening night.
And the great Maury Desourdy and Bob Christie and of course Sid Perlmutter, at RTA.
I’m thinking of Jack McAllister convincing the Board to start up the Theatre Department and the shortlived Ryerson Company of Players in the summer of ’71.
“C’mon Babe” to all the remaining brothers of Rho Alpha Kappa who can recall Fang’s official Rho name.

It’s been almost a year since I recorded my first song, situationship, and the feeling of recording that at a small studio still hits me until this day. Fast forward to today, I’ve managed to create a full studio album which I’ve spent writing since 2021. An album about self-expression, melancholy, anxiety, heartbreak, and longing, this feels like a confessional letter of my life and a collection of different feelings throughout my late teenage years and navigating adulthood. It’s not as polished or great as other studio albums but I’m proud that I was able to create something that’s raw and vulnerable. The album is called Sick of it All.

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!