Cont Ed award reflects donor’s drive
The John M. Gardiner Award is one of the latest batch of new awards made possible by the generosity of grateful alumni of Concordia or its founding institutions. It specifically targets the up-by-the-bootstraps education that characterized a previous generation of students at Sir George Williams University.
John Gardiner, who died last year at the age of 95, left a donation to provide an endowment (roughly $27,000) that will provide at least $1,000 a year for a student who is entering the academic stream from a program in Continuing Education.
The criterion for the award states that it will go to an aspiring student “whose commitment and spirit towards attaining a university degree reflect the values exemplified by John Gardiner.
John’s determination to attain a university degree by following night courses and his subsequent achievements set a fine example of how a person can overcome economic and social challenges.”
Gardiner’s curriculum vitae, provided by his daughter, Jill Rollins, shows the upward struggle of a Montrealer of his time. He worked from the age of 15 in the business world, starting in a very junior position, and served in the Second World War.
Determined to improve his situation, he started studying towards his degree in the evenings at Sir George in September 1948. He would have been 38 at the time, with a young family. He got his Bachelor of Commerce in 1951, and went on to a successful career in manufacturing.
Rollins said in an email, “He really didn’t talk much about Sir George to us. He just ensured that we got the best education he could give us without the struggle he had.”
Although he left a bequest to Concordia, it was she who suggested that it be given to a student from Cont Ed “because I’ve taught (and enjoyed teaching) in Cont Ed, and I know first-hand that those students, who have such busy lives, are as focused and motivated as Dad was.”
Director of Planned Giving Alex Carpini has also taught in Cont Ed, and echoes her enthusiasm. He gives credit to Rollins for designing it this way.
He likes to quote the following maxim: “The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”