Queen's Law at 50 - Cocktails Over Vancouver Harbour

Photo By: David Scougal

Professor Emeritus John Whyte, Kimberley Norris, Law '05, Tony Wong, Law '99, Dean Bill Flanagan, and Trevor Shaw, Law '92 enjoy the Queen's Law at 50 reception at the Terminal City Club in Vancouver on April 19, 2007.

 With a view overlooking the mountains and Vancouver Harbour, alumni gathered to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Queen's Law. The reception, held at the Terminal City Club between 5:30-7:30 p.m. on April 19, 2007, included a talk by Dean Bill Flanagan and a presentation of the 50 Years of Queen's Law video.

After some mingling, the event began with Master of Ceremonies Carman Overholt, Law ‘84 Class President and Partner at Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, giving a speech in which he recognized special guests Professor Emeritus John Whyte, Dean of Law from 1987-1992, who is now teaching a term at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and Jim MacIntyre, a faculty member from 1959-1963.

The booking of the Terminal City Club was a coup for Queen's Law, and was made possible by the sponsorship of Gerald Tuskey, Law ‘85 and head of the Gerald R. Tuskey Personal Law Corporation.

"[It] was great fun," said Whyte. "There was a good turnout, the Dean's energetic talk produced enthusiasm about the law school's current state, the video was played to choruses of recognition and delight, and of course, it was an immense pleasure to meet up with many former students."

For many of the attendees, it was a welcome opportunity to celebrate the anniversary of their alma mater without having to travel thousands of kilometers. The location also allowed two incoming students, currently located in Vancouver, to attend the festivities.

"[It was] a beautiful setting in which to meet old friends and talk about the past and present of the Law Faculty," said Christine Boyle, LLM ‘72 and Professor of Law at UBC.

Indeed, with Queen's Law one of the foremost law schools in Canada, and alumni scattered across the country, the law school decided to take the celebration to the alumni, hosting receptions in numerous cities across Canada.

"I have been to a number of the alumni events here in Vancouver," said Ian Carter, Law ‘02 and an Associate at Sugden, McFee & Roos LLP, "and this one had a higher number of participants than usual, perhaps because of the 50th anniversary celebrations. My experience at Queen's Law was a truly memorable one and I look back on those years with fondness. Without fail, the other Queen's Law grads I run into in the city share those feelings about their law school experience. Last night's event served as a strong reminder of just how special a place Queen's Law is."

"The whole event reminded me," added Whyte, "that one of the great successes of Queen's Law is that it has formed a community that was - and still is - very important to very many of us who have been privileged to be part of it at some point over the past 50 years."

For the schedule of further Queen's Law at 50 events, please see http://law.queensu.ca/events/queensLaw50Events.html. For pictures of the Vancouver Cocktail Reception, please see http://law.queensu.ca/events/queensLaw50Events/vancouverCocktailReception.html.