George Smith (BCom) was named a Fellow in Queen’s School of Policy Studies in December 2010 and has returned to campus to teach a negotiation course in the professional Master of Industrial Relations (MIR) program. George, a former Senior VP with CBC/Radio-Canada, will continue to focus on industrial relations and contribute to the School’s research, graduate degree and professional outreach programs.
Alumni Notes
Submit your alumni note to Smith Magazine1973
George Smith (BCom) has retired as CBC Radio-Canada’s Senior Vice-President, Corporate Priorities and Implementation. During his 37-year career, he held executive positions in Human Resources at Air Canada and CP Rail before joining CBC Radio-Canada in 1996 as Vice-President, Human Resources. George’s post-retirement home base is a chalet on Lake MacDonald in the Laurentians with his wife, Sandra (Huggan) (Arts’73), and his black lab, Parker. His next career may include teaching, consulting and/or board appointments, but shorttermplans revolve around the chalet and golf course.
Published in: Spring 2010
Allan J. Spencer, MBA, died on April 6 in St. Clair Beach, Ont., at age 68. Predeceased by his son Christopher, he is survived by his wife Cheryl (Beer); children Kelly (Garth Peters) Spencer, Debora (George) Vanceeder, Karen (Mike) Black, and Scott Ford. He also leaves seven grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, and siblings Joan (Ted) Clark and Clyde (Phyllis) Spencer. Al had retired in 2005 from a career in accounting at the GM Transmission Plant in Windsor.
Published in: Summer 2016
1972
John Abbott (BCom) and his wife Laurie (Gauchie), Arts’71, sent us greetings from Cape Horn with this photo taken over the summer. On their three-week cruise, they visited Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, the Falkland Islands, Antarctica and Chile. They also welcomed their first grandchild, Katharina Marie Leeb, who lives with her parents in Aberdeen, Scotland. John is now heading up his own management consulting company and Laurie still teaches part-time at Alberta Bible College.
Published in: Winter 2011
John Abbott (BCom) and Laurie (Gauchie) Abbott (BSc’71) are pictured at the Icebar in Stockholm, Sweden. They recently returned from a retirement trip that included visits to Germany and Austria, and a Balkan cruise that stopped in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia and Denmark. John is settling into semi-retirement as a “White Hatter” volunteer at the Calgary airport. On his first day, he met a Queen’s grad and they did an Òil Thigh, to the delight of bystanders.
Published in: Winter 2014
John Abbott (BCom), MBA (Calgary), and Laurie (Gauchie) Abbott (Artsci’71) recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with a cruise to Alaska and are pictured at the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau. Joining them was their 18-monthold granddaughter Katharina and her family from Aberdeen, Scotland. John recently accepted a position with Essential Energy Services in Calgary as Director, Human Resources, and Laurie lectures part-time at Alberta Bible College. They can be contacted at abbottj@shaw.ca
Published in: Winter 2012
John Abbott, BCom, and his wife Laurie, Artsci’71, recently returned from a Viking river cruise in Europe. John is still pursuing his art, painting and selling landscapes of Western Canada, while Laurie spends her time putting her master’s degree in theology to work teaching Bible studies.
Published in: Winter 2020
John Abbott, BCom, Calgary artist, and his wife Laurie recently returned from the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu. They’re looking forward to reconnecting with classmates at their class reunion during Homecoming in October
Published in: Summer 2017
John Abbott, BCom, after retiring from a career in human-resource management two years ago, commenced his artistic career painting Western Canadian landscapes. His work can be viewed on ABBOTTfineART.com and in galleries in Calgary, Banff and Lake Louise, Alberta.
Published in: Summer 2016
John Abbott (BCom) has started a second career as an artist, painting acrylics specializing in Western Canadian landscapes. Visit abbottfineart.com for details. He and Laurie (Gauchie, Arts’71) celebrate their 44th wedding anniversary this year.
Published in: Summer 2015