An advocate for the preservation of the Great Lakes has been recognized for a donation to his alma mater.
Alex Davidson, a long time supporter of the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) at the University of Windsor, and his wife Audrey were honoured in a ceremony Monday at the institute. The couple received recognition for their donation which paid for a complete renovation of the institute's conference room.
The room is now known as the Alex S. Davidson Conference Centre for Environmental Excellence and is the institute's focal point for lectures, academic gatherings, news conferences, and other public events. The donation helped fund upgrades to the room's lighting, windows, furniture, floors, and panelling that is Great Lakes-themed.
Davidson told the audience about his time growing up on the lakes, and how much the quality of the lakes has changed. He said he made it his life's mission to ensure the lakes are viable for the future.
"It's been a source of longstanding worry," said Davidson. "The concern is the result of the stresses to which this astonishing resource is being subjected. It's the threats that are all too familiar to the rest of us."
Davidson, who earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from U of W in 1966, spent much of his career overseeing over a dozen companies in the resource and manufacturing sectors. He later took a job at JC Clark Ltd., a Toronto wealth manager, working as a senior portfolio manager until he retired last year. He serves as a chancellor for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and as a director of its affiliate, the Canadian Clinical Trials Network.
U of W interim president Dr. Douglas Kneale said he had a lot in common with Davidson, having grown up on the lakes himself.
"Your donation provides a critical boost to the infrastructure of GLIER, and also recognizes the importance of creating a human discursive space, where new ideas will be forged right here in the heat of intellectual debate and discovery," said Kneale.
In addition to the donation to renovate the conference centre, Davidson established a scholarship award in 2011 for students wanting to continue graduate studies in Great Lakes conservation. Three of the past recipients were on hand to personally thank Davidson and discuss how the support helps their coursework and future employment.
