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A legendary North American poet, a guardian of the world’s waterways and an internationally acclaimed jurist are among 10 individuals to be recognized in 2009 with honorary degrees during Simon Fraser University’s spring (June 2-5) convocation and fall (Oct. 8-9) ceremonies.

Spring Convocation Honorary Degree Recipients
June 2, 3, 4, 5, 2009

• Robin Blaser, Vancouver scholar, SFU English professor emeritus and one of North America’s most influential poets, whose lyrical, spirited works earned him a Griffin prize for Canadian poetry, influenced a generation of Canadian bards and inspired countless students. The degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, was conferred on Blaser during a private ceremony on Thursday, March 12, 2009. The renowned poet died of cancer in Vancouver on May 7, 2009.
• Mark Angelo, Burnaby river conservationist, teacher and writer whose work preserving Canada’s waterways—including more than 250 articles and editorials—spans three decades, earning him both an Order of Canada and an Order of British Columbia among numerous accolades. The degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, will be conferred on Angelo on Wednesday, June 3 at the 9:45 am ceremony.
• Richard Henriquez is a major figure in Canadian architecture, winner of the Gold Medal of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, six Governor General’s Awards and five Lieutenant Governor’s Awards. He is a founding partner of Henriquez Partners, now the design firm behind the Woodward's redevelopment, which includes the new downtown Vancouver home of SFU's School for the Contemporary Arts. The degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, will be conferred on Henriquez on Wednesday, June 3 at the 2:30 pm ceremony.
• Rafe Mair, former Vancouver lawyer and Kamloops MLA who left government in 1981 and went on to become one of B.C.’s most outspoken and popular broadcast personalities and political commentators. The degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, will be conferred on Mair on Thursday, June 4 at the 9:45 am ceremony.
• Djavad Mowafaghian, Iranian-Canadian West Vancouver real estate developer and philanthropist whose outstanding international contributions to human welfare include significant donations to B.C. Children's Hospital and to SFU, to support a new infectious-disease lab and children’s health-policy research. The degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, will be conferred on Mowafaghian on Friday, June 5 at the 9:45 am ceremony.
• James McEwen, Vancouver biomedical engineer, former adjunct professor in SFU’s School of Engineering Science and inventor of a revolutionary microprocessor-controlled automatic tourniquet system now used during 15,000-20,000 surgical procedures a day in virtually every major hospital in the world. The degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, will be conferred on McEwen Friday, June 5 at the 2:30 pm ceremony.

Fall Convocation Honorary Degree Recipients
October 8 & 9, 2009

• Stewart Blusson, Vancouver diamond pioneer and philanthropist who has donated more than $100 million to fund Canadian medical research and education, including a record $12-million to SFU to support work in its new Faculty of Health Sciences. The degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, will be conferred on Blusson on Thursday, October 8 at the 9:45 am ceremony.
• Victor Gomel, Turkish-Canadian surgeon, professor emeritus and past head of obstetrics and gynecology at UBC, renowned for his pioneering work in reproductive microsurgery and operative laparoscopy and revered for spearheading the creation of B.C. Women’s Hospital. The degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, will be conferred on Gomel on Thursday, October 8 at the 2:30 pm ceremony.
• Louise Arbour, Montreal-born former Canadian Supreme Court justice and UN human rights high commissioner who earned an international reputation for her courage and determination as chief prosecutor for 1990’s tribunals into the Rwandan genocide and human-rights abuses in Yugoslavia. The degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, will be conferred on Arbour on Friday, October 9 at the 9:45 am ceremony.
• John Willinsky, Vancouver-born Stanford University education professor and pioneering “open access” champion who in 1998 founded the Public Knowledge Project, which supplies electronic publishing tools and expert systems enabling people worldwide to share academic and non-academic materials freely and easily. The degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, will be conferred on Willinsky on Friday, October 9 at the 2:30 pm ceremony.
  

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