Recipients-2024
|
Dr. Afua A.P. COOPER As an author, historian, academic, Halifax Poet Laureate and leader, Dr. Afua Cooper has contributed to the fabric of Nova Scotia’s literary landscape, serving as an accessible exemplar to emerging Nova Scotian writers from a diverse range of backgrounds. For more than twenty-five years, Cooper has dedicated herself to the research, study, teaching and celebration of Black Canadian life. She has been instrumental in the creation and definition of the emerging field of Black Canadian Studies. Cooper has played a central role in building upon the previous generation of scholars of Black Canada, to move the subject to the centre stage of scholarship across multiple disciplines. Her mentorship of faculty and students, including Black and racialized students, and her leadership among African Canadian arts, community and academic organizations, has helped to established new groups to work for positive change. Cooper has reimagined history through engagement with literary arts, performance, education and human rights. Through critical, creative practices, she has shed new light on histories of African peoples previously underrepresented in scholarship, public memory and education. Her pioneering work in history and dub poetry, arising from her Jamaican ancestry, exemplifies a life lived with the deepest integrity. As a public intellectual she has been a strong advocate for Black youth and for the Black community, breaking down barriers in teaching, research and in knowledge production as a whole. Her efforts in the area of anti-discrimination and inclusion have made her one of the exemplary leaders in the field and an outstanding Nova Scotian. |
|
The Honourable J. Michael MacDONALD Nationally respected jurist and former Chief Justice of Nova Scotia, Michael MacDonald has dedicated his professional life to public service and the legal profession. Born in Whitney Pier, he was called to the bar in 1979, and practiced as a lawyer until being appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in 1995. In 1998, he was elevated to the position of Associate Chief Justice of that Court, finally moving into the senior most position in 2004, as the 22ndChief Justice of Nova Scotia. The courts in Nova Scotia evolved during his tenure as Chief Justice, and during his time on the bench, he strove to enhance accessibility and understanding of the judicial system, underpinned by a passion for outreach and openness. In 2014, he led the creation of the Nova Scotia Access to Justice Coordination Committee, a group of legal professionals working to make the province a national leader in access to justice and judicial equality. Throughout his time as Chief Justice, he undertook significant judicial outreach efforts to engage Indigenous communities and African Nova Scotians. After retiring from the bench, MacDonald led the Mass Casualty Commission, which examined the horrific events of April 18-19, 2020; culminating in 130 recommendations designed to make Nova Scotian and Canadian communities safer. |
|
Professor Allan E. MARBLE With an extensive multidisciplinary career, including leading the development of a province-wide genealogical network, conducting innovative research in cardiovascular surgery, contributing to academia in the discipline of bioengineering and Nova Scotia’s medical history, Professor Marble’s work in a diverse array of fields has been of national significance. Founder and multi-term president of the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia (GANS), he has been central to building an organization focussed on encouraging and assisting family history and research in the province. Marble served on the Board of Trustees of the Public Archives of Nova Scotia, with the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, and the Federation of Nova Scotian Heritage. Throughout, he has tirelessly demonstrated great vision and commitment to enhancing our understanding of the province’s rich history and the many families who have played a role in its development. The foremost historian and presenter on Nova Scotia’s medical history, Marble has created a lasting legacy as the author of two renowned books, Surgeons, Smallpox and the Poor; A History of the Medicine and Social Conditions of Nova Scotia, 1749-1799, and Physicians, Pestilence and the Poor: A History of Medicine and Social Conditions in Nova Scotia, 1800-1867. His collaborative research, concurrently in the Faculties of Engineer and Medicine at Dalhousie University, formed the basis of pioneering work in cardiovascular surgery, working to clarify the reason for failure following surgical vascular grafting, which ultimately improved patient outcomes. The holder of three patents and role in the founding of the School of Biomedical Engineering at Dalhousie University, highlights the diversity and breadth of Professor Marble’s lifetime of contributions. |
|
Rob G.C. SOBEY, CD Outstanding philanthropist and volunteer, Rob Sobey provides his guidance and leadership to multiple institutions to enhance the arts and education in Nova Scotia, across Canada, and beyond. Sobey offers his business acumen and oversight to fundraising campaigns and a variety of foundations and charitable boards. His substantial philanthropic contributions have created career and learning opportunities for countless students in our province and, as an unwavering advocate for the arts, his support helps to provide exposure and accessibility for our province’s talented artists. Sobey is Chairman of the Sobey Art Foundation and the D.R. Sobey Foundation through which he helps to promote the work of Indigenous and Canadian artists. For his roles as past Chairman of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and Distinguished Patron of the National Gallery of Canada, Rob’s vision and counsel are highly valued and sought after by artists, leaders and policy makers throughout the arts sector. In the educational realm, Sobey dedicated himself to improving the quality of life for Nova Scotians through the formulation and creation of ground-breaking models of post-secondary educational support programs, such as The Sobey Award Program at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) and the Sobey Atlantic Awards at Queen’s University. A staunch advocate for the Canadian Armed Forces, Sobey served for twelve years as Honorary Colonel with the 1st Field Artillery Regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery, a privilege that he counts amongst his proudest endeavours. |
|
Joseph P. SHANNON, CM Noted business leader, ardent community supporter and philanthropist, Joseph Shannon, has helped countless people and organizations throughout Nova Scotia with his entrepreneurial contributions and generosity. His commitment to community development and philanthropy have been hallmarks of his many endeavours. In addition to building a number of highly successful enterprises and contributing to the development of industries throughout Nova Scotia, Shannon has also been a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders. In this role, he has taken time and attention to help guide many individuals and organizations towards success, with a focus on regional development in Nova Scotia. Shannon is a generous and dedicated leader who has left his mark on countless corporations and organizations throughout the country, notably Cape Breton University (CBU). As chair of numerous fundraising campaigns, he has helped CBU grow, thrive and diversify. He did much to support the development of the Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies and Aboriginal Youth Mentorship Program at the Shannon School of Business. His philanthropic contributions outside of CBU have been extensive and include the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation, QEII Health Science Centre, the Gaelic College and the Port Hawkesbury Community Centre, among many others. |