John Purkis

John Purkis, BCom, celebrated his 100th birthday on April 8 at Kingston’s Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, his wife Shirley (Ayers-Brooks), BA’41, by his side. Among the 200 attendees were three of John’s children, John Purkis, MBA’85, Sandra Nandi (Purkis), BA’69 and Lise Purkis; extended family; classmates; and friends from across North America and as far away as France.    Many speakers that day lauded John’s commitment to his family and contributions to his community. BCom’48 classmate Gerry Sutton spoke about their unique class, comprised of many WWII veterans who received government support to attend the university. He also thanked John for his crucial role as class president and champion of the largest of the business school’s class-endowed funds, The Commerce’48 Admission Award, which currently totals $1.27 million.  Dean David Saunders congratulated and thanked John for his continuous strong support of Smith School of Business and for his contributions as a past member of the Queen’s University Council.  Friends in attendance included those John made in Kingston; Kitimat, B.C.; Montréal and Saguenay, Que.; and Spain during his long career in treasury and finance, which lasted until he retired in 1982. Post-retirement, John continued to serve as an elected member of the Alcan Pension Committee until 2010, and also launched a tax-and-accounting small business with son Ian Purkis, BA’86.  John’s lifelong commitment to giving back to society was acknowledged by speakers who touched on his volunteer activities for such organizations as Scouts Canada, the Kitimat Hospital Board, and Junior Achievement, and on his significant role in helping establish the Kingston Seniors Centre. Both John and Shirley were recognized in 2003 when they were named Kingston Seniors of the Year.  When it was John’s turn to speak, he attributed his good health and longevity to “always choosing the positive path and having a plan with reasonable goals,” which now includes a plan for his 101st year. After the speeches, John and Shirley took to the floor, dancing to the applause and best wishes of all in attendance.