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Our 200th anniversary provides a tremendous platform for us to tell many stories of Dal’s history, as well as talk about our ambitions for the future.  It provides a rich opportunity for us to shine a spotlight on the Dal people who made their mark.

One of the initiatives we’re excited to share with you is called The Dal Originals.  Throughout 2018, we’ll tell the stories of 52 Dal Originals — one each week — building a rich mosaic of Dalhousie people who have shaped the university and our world. The stories will also form the foundation for an oral history repository for Dalhousie Archives.

What makes someone a Dal Original?  The Dal Originals are the people who influenced, inspired, challenged and strengthened Dalhousie, from its earliest days to today. They are the people whose stories should be remembered, honored and shared.

On behalf of the Dal Originals working group, we’re inviting you to get involved now.  While the anniversary may still seem a long ways away, we’re well on our way with planning and identifying; recording and writing these stories starts now.  You are invited to take part in two ways.  First, we want you to identify and nominate your Dal Originals. Think about the many alumni, faculty, staff, retirees, students, and friends who made Dalhousie what it is – people like Kathryn Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; James Robinson Johnston, the first Black Nova Scotian to graduate from university; Arthur McDonald, Nobel Prize winner; L.M. Montgomery and Ernest Buckler, writers who influenced generations; Bertha Wilson, the first woman appointed to Canada’s Supreme Court, and the list goes on and on.

If you know someone who deserves to be recognized as a Dal Original, submit a nomination now. Nominations will be accepted until March 31, 2016. For each nomination, you’ll be entered to win some 'yet to be developed but sure to be fabulous‘ 2018 swag.

Secondly, we’re also looking for 10 – 12 people to be part of our Dal Originals interview team. We’ll provide the training, and you’ll get to meet some great Dalhousie people and really get involved in the story telling.

A Dal Originals working group, including Randy Barkhouse, Dalhousie Association of Pensioners and Retirees; Kim Brooks, Law; Kevin Hewitt, Senate; Ryan McNutt, Communications and Marketing; Michael Moosberger, Dalhousie Libraries; Gail Tomblin Murphy, Nursing; and, Shirley Tillotson, Arts and Social Sciences, will develop specific criteria to use in selecting Dal Originals for interviews. 

Learn more, volunteer and nominate your Dal Original today. Remember, nominations close March 31. 

As always, questions, comments and suggestions are very welcome and please, share this invitation broadly.  This is one of the first opportunities for you to be involved and there will be many more.  I invite you to stay up to date on 200^th anniversary planning by visiting dal.ca/200years.

Best regards,
Catherine

Catherine Bagnell Styles

Assistant Vice-President
Communications and Marketing