If there is a big event or major organization in Calgary, odds are Michael Casey, Law’72, has played a major role in it. He has been involved with the Calgary Winter Olympics (1988), Tourism Calgary, and the city’s Grey Cup Committee, Airport Authority and Chamber of Commerce. Most notably, he served as president and CEO of the Calgary Stampede.

“The Stampede, many would say, is the very fabric of what Calgary is,” explains Casey. “It’s just a very special organization to have been involved in.”

His long list of community involvement – which also includes serving on the Queen’s Law Alberta Alumni Council – is one of the reasons why he has been named this year’s winner of the Johnson Award, the highest honour bestowed by the Queen’s University Alumni Association’s Calgary Branch. He will be honoured at a reception on Oct. 7.

Casey took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions from Queen’s Alumni Relations about his career and his experience at Queen’s.

Q: Why did you choose to complete your law degree at Queen’s?

A: I had completed a four-year undergraduate program at U of Alberta and thought it would be interesting to go to school in eastern Canada. I’d never been there and didn’t know anything about Queen’s at the time, but as it turned out, it was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made.

Q: After finishing your law degree, why did you choose to settle in Calgary?

A: It was home by then. My family had moved to Calgary after I started undergrad. I had spent some of my summers working here and met some people. I felt it was just a great place to work in terms of the nature of Alberta, the economy and what I was interested in at the time – and I had an opportunity to come back with just an excellent law firm (Field Law).

Q: How does it feel to be this year’s Johnson Award winner?

A: It was very surprising to receive the phone call but very humbling when I thought about all the other great people who are here and what they’ve done for the community and the university.

Q: How do you feel Queen’s has helped you both professionally and personally over the years since graduating?

A: Professionally, it provided me with an excellent education in law. The law school at Queen’s is just first rate and I was very fortunate to have gone there. The quality of the education, the quality of the professors, and perhaps most importantly, the quality of the students when I was there was just terrific. I’ve maintained close relationships with many of my classmates. The opportunity to visit with many of them and their families when I was at school gave me a huge exposure to Canada and a different culture. It was just an amazing three years that really set me up for whatever success I’ve had.

Q: Not bad for a random choice in a law school ...

A: Oh, without question. There are so many factors, it seems, that young people have to think about today when they’re choosing universities. Back then, it didn’t seem that complex – at least it wasn’t for me. I was just so lucky that Queen’s had sent me the acceptance letter when they did and I was able to accept.

Q: Are there any memories from your time at Queen’s that stand out?

A: Thousands. I touched on the one that’s probably the most significant and that was the terrific classmates that I had in Law’72. The quality of the people that I studied with and enjoyed life with for three years was just amazing. The total experience as a student in a university town like Kingston is something that I’ll never forget and will always value. The atmosphere around the university, the sports, the cultural activities, the location of it on the lake – it was just an amazing experience.

Q: What do you like most about being a lawyer?

A: That’s a difficult question to answer but number one is the ability to work with companies and individual clients on problems or opportunities that concern them. To assist people from the legal aspect and be part of their decision-making process is, to me, the most important and interesting part of what I’ve done. Second, it would be working with a group of people who share common values and interests. You can grow so much, not just as a professional, as a lawyer, but as a person. This law firm is excellent in so many different ways and that has provided me with the base of everything I can do.

Q: You are heavily involved in the Calgary community and have volunteered with many organizations. Why is giving back important?

A: There’s that old adage: everybody has to pay for the space they occupy. There are many, many ways of doing that, of course, and one way is to be involved in your community in different organizations that provide some value back to it. That was the route I chose. When I joined this law firm, the senior partners were all very active in Calgary and they just anticipated that the people who joined the firm would follow that lead. My mentors, Miles Atkinson and Terry McMahon, got me involved very quickly. They were supportive as involvement was what they felt was important in the community, in addition to providing good legal advice, so it was an easy transition for me.

Q: What do you consider to be your greatest professional accomplishment?

A: I’ve been blessed with wonderful partners and associates over my career and I will always consider that as a highlight.