49th law student admitted to the Tricolour Society

Photo by Chris Ng

Patrick Welsh, Law '10, is applauded by Chancellor David Dodge and Principal Daniel Woolf for receiving a 2010 Tricolour Award.

Patrick Welsh, Law ‘10 (Artsci ‘06, MA ‘07), has become the 49th and most recent Queen’s Law student inducted into the Tricolour Society for significant contributions to the University and student life. Some won the honour as they entered the school, others as they graduated. It was at the Law Convocation on June 11 that Patrick received his Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award, the highest tribute given to Queen’s students by their peers for valuable and distinguished service to the University in extra-curricular, non-athletic activities.

Patrick has been a student at Queen’s since 2002. He completed an honours B.A. in biology and history and then an M.A. in history before beginning his law studies.

His extracurricular activities included a term as academic affairs commissioner of the Alma Mater Society (AMS) in 2005-06. During that time, he increased student awareness and usage of the Society’s services and worked hard on such projects as increasing the profile of the AMS teaching awards committee and creating a trophy for the new Teaching Assistant awards.

Throughout his time at Queen’s Law, Patrick’s nominators say he developed a reputation for “remarkable institutional knowledge, strong leadership and good judgement.” Elected a Senator by the Law Students’ Society (LSS), he actively and ably represented his fellow students on the University Senate and the Dean’s Administrative Committee and also participated in the Law Faculty Board meetings. He worked hard to increase the profile of the LSS in the Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS), where law students had often been under-represented in the past.

“Pat has many supporters here at Queen’s,” says Law ‘10 classmate Heidi Gordon, one of his nominators for the award. “The Tricolour Society is the perfect way of recognizing him for eight years of significant contributions to student government and a variety of other programs and organizations.”

Since Tricolour Awards are limited to between one and four each year for Queen’s entire student population -- all faculties and schools, undergraduates and graduate students -- Patrick didn’t actually expect to receive the award. When the three winners for 2010 were announced, he said, “I am really thrilled and honoured and especially grateful to those people with whom I’ve worked in student government over the years. There are so many who played an enormous role in student life during my time -- students I looked up to as leaders -- who were later made members of the Tricolour Society! I’m so honoured to be able to join them.”

Patrick will be articling at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP in Toronto in 2010-11, but will fondly remember his time as a student in Kingston.

“I’ve been fortunate to attend a school that treasures and emphasizes extracurricular participation,” he says. “My long time on campus has resulted in many memorable experiences. I would consider nearly every stage of law school a highlight of my time here. Queen’s was the right place to be to allow me to do the things I love doing.”

49 Law winners since 1960

Queen’s Law recipients of the Tricolour Award (now renamed to honour the late Chancellor Agnes Benidickson) are listed by their law graduation years, from most recent to earliest).

Patrick Welsh, Artsci '06, MA '07, Law '10
Bindu Dhaliwal, Law '02
Lisa Stevenson, Law '02
Kathleen Cowick, Law '01
Maureen Brioux-Jollymore, Law '97
Malini Moorthy, Law '94
Bill Holder, Artsci '87, MA '93, Law '94
Lucy McSweeney, Law '93
David Pick, Artsci '89, Law '92
Charis Kelso, Artsci '87, Law '91, Ed '06
Ian McCowan, Com '88, Law '91
Ian Smith, Artsci '86, Law '89
Kelley McKinnon, Artsci '87, Law '88
Fred Singer, Com '85, Artsci '85, Law '88
Rick Powers, Artsci/PHE ‘78, MBA ‘83, Law ‘86
Mary Ann Higgs, Mus ‘73, Law ‘85
Carmen Overholt, Law ‘84
Robert de Pencier, Sc ‘59, Law ‘84            
Jeremy Freedman, Law ‘82
Sheila Murray, Com ‘79, Law ‘82
Hugh Christie, Artsci ‘78, Law ‘81    .
Paul Steep, Artsci ‘77, Law ‘80
John Koopman, Com ‘79, Law ‘80        
John Ronson, Artsci ‘75, Law ‘79    
Laurent (Larry) Rossignol, Artsci ‘75, Law ‘79
Patti Peppin, Arts ‘68, MA ‘73, Law ‘78     
Morris Chochla, Sc ‘74, Law ‘78
Ian Nordheimer, Com ‘73, Law ‘76        
Marvin Bloos, Arts ‘72, Law ‘75
Walter Palmer, Sc’ 70, Law ‘73
Rodney Follwell, Arts ‘65, Law ‘71    
Brian Scully, Arts ‘68, Law ‘71
Robert S. Martin, Law ‘70        
Gordon McCay, Sc ‘67, Law ‘70
Scott Wilson, Law ‘70
Rob Nelson, Law ‘69
Guy Potvin, Sc ‘65, Law ‘68            
Douglas Belch, Arts ‘64, Law ‘67        
Raymond Ostiguy, Law ‘66
Harry Thorsteinson, Law ‘66
Don Gordon, Arts ‘62, Law ‘65
David Hill, Arts ‘62, Law ‘65
Stanley Sadinsky, Arts ‘60, Law ‘63        
Bernie Calder, Arts ‘59, Law ‘62
Donald Fraser, Law ‘62
Bob Little, Arts ‘58, Law ‘61
Doug Munro, Arts ‘59, Law ‘61
The late Merv Katzman, Law ‘60    
Bob Sowden, Arts ‘57, Law ‘60, Artsci ‘84