Memories from the 90s 1998
The great ice storm of 1998, surfing the Internet, encounters with life-changing ideas and friends – these are some of the highlights former Gordon House residents and BCom’98 classmates Kieran Roy and Shawn Rosemarin remembered from their days in Commerce.
Memorable profs also stood out, including the late Frank Collom, who Kieran described as a legend in the classroom. “He oozed personality and charm, and his self-deprecating humour made him a favourite,” he said. “Professor David Dunne was also highly influential,” he added. “His classes were interactive, engaging and ultimately led me to choose a career in marketing.”
One of Shawn’s most memorable courses was Industrial Relations with Professor Rick Jackson. “Rick’s teaching style was very personal and so engaging I found myself thinking about his classes for days afterwards.” The teacher who influenced his career choice was Professor Yolande Chan, whose “demonstrated passion for the technology industry” was inspirational, he said. Also inspirational were professors Julian Barling and Bill Cooper. Shawn credited them with helping him develop his “personal” side and understanding of how to motivate others.
Favourite memories for Shawn included summers spent in Kingston working as a research assistant for Economics Professor Bo Pazderka and starting his own computer service business in third year. “Summer weekends were spent taking road trips across Ontario and attending outdoor concerts,” he recalled.
Both grads also pointed to the emergence of the World Wide Web as an incredible phenomenon in the mid-‘90s. “By far and away, the greatest technological advancement was the proliferation of the Internet during my time at Queen's,” said Kieran. Upon registering in 1994, Kieran received his first email account, but it wasn't until the beginning of second year that he surfed the web for the first time. In 1995, laptops were beyond rare and cell phones were non-existent.