> Rick Hansen to receive honorary degree
Rick Hansen to receive honorary degree
Contact:
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.4323
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.4323
May 30, 2008
An honorary degree will be conferred on Hansen on Friday, June 6, 2:30 p.m.
Rick Hansen wheeled through some of the world’s most trying peaks and valleys during his 1985-87 “Man in Motion” world tour. But for a time his biggest challenge was Burnaby Mountain – a training climb he often made with another Canadian hero, his friend and former SFU student Terry Fox.
“Terry and I used to wheel up Gaglardi Way from Lougheed Highway to the top of SFU,” recalls the paraplegic athlete and activist whose Rick Hansen Foundation will host the 6th annual Wheels in Motion event June 8 in communities across Canada.
“We would do weights and shoot basketballs before wheeling down together. It was a great facility and there were excellent people who accommodated us at a time when people with disabilities were still entering into the mainstream of society.”
Hansen, whose foundation has raised more than $200 million for spinal cord injury related programs and initiatives, feels a strong emotional connection and history with SFU because of the time he spent with Fox. “We shared common goals and endeavors and our friendship was deepened during the time we spent pursuing our athletics at SFU.”
Long after his time at SFU with Terry, Hansen continued to train three times a week on the hill for track and wheelchair marathons.
“The hill to SFU is very symbolic to me for what it represents in terms of the potential we all have to reach our goals – the importance of stretching your boundaries and pushing yourself to reach your personal best.”
Digital photo available
Rick Hansen wheeled through some of the world’s most trying peaks and valleys during his 1985-87 “Man in Motion” world tour. But for a time his biggest challenge was Burnaby Mountain – a training climb he often made with another Canadian hero, his friend and former SFU student Terry Fox.
“Terry and I used to wheel up Gaglardi Way from Lougheed Highway to the top of SFU,” recalls the paraplegic athlete and activist whose Rick Hansen Foundation will host the 6th annual Wheels in Motion event June 8 in communities across Canada.
“We would do weights and shoot basketballs before wheeling down together. It was a great facility and there were excellent people who accommodated us at a time when people with disabilities were still entering into the mainstream of society.”
Hansen, whose foundation has raised more than $200 million for spinal cord injury related programs and initiatives, feels a strong emotional connection and history with SFU because of the time he spent with Fox. “We shared common goals and endeavors and our friendship was deepened during the time we spent pursuing our athletics at SFU.”
Long after his time at SFU with Terry, Hansen continued to train three times a week on the hill for track and wheelchair marathons.
“The hill to SFU is very symbolic to me for what it represents in terms of the potential we all have to reach our goals – the importance of stretching your boundaries and pushing yourself to reach your personal best.”
- Hansen is one of six distinguished individuals to receive an honorary degree during SFU’s spring convocation ceremonies, which run June 3 – 6. Others include UBC researcher Nelly Auersperg, Coast Salish artist Susan Point, writer William Gibson, Mental Health Commission chair Michael Kirby and business leader Mossadiq Umedaly. (Backgrounders on each are available).
Digital photo available