I feel so lucky to have you all in my life for the past 18 years at Dawson from which almost 8 years I spent working in the Library. Thank you for your generosity, well wishes and kind words which almost made me sad to leave you!
I wish you all well and hope that at least with some of you, sometime, somewhere, au revoir!
-Submitted by Stephanie Vonka
Tom Fox, an award-winning Dawson Math teacher who personified the title Renaissance man has passed away at the age of 73. He will be remembered for his wry humour, his love of math, music and family.
A short excerpt from his obituary captures the essence of Tom’s passion for teaching: “Teaching was an opportunity to make people aware of the beauty of Mathematics and of the importance of that beauty. Teaching came naturally to him. […] His passion for Mathematics provided the context for the teacher he was to become. Fox was a legendary teacher, he made Mathematics accessible to all, inspiring many a student to choose it as a field of study. In 2009 Fox won the Teaching Excellence Award at Dawson College, and in 2020 he was awarded the Principal's Prize for Excellence in Teaching in the Course Lecturer Category at McGill University.”
Click Read More for the obituary describing Tom’s storied life.
We were saddened to learn of the passing of long-time Humanities secretary Yasmin Hassan on Aug. 20. Yasmin was a Dawson employee for 30 years, having retired in 2005. She was pre-deceased by her husband Faruq in 2011, who had been a English teacher at Dawson for 30 years between 1974 and 2004 when he retired. Yasmin moved to Toronto some years ago to be closer to her son, CBC personality and comedian Ali Hassan and his family. He said of her passing: “She leaves behind a legacy of kindness, humility, and unrelenting positivity.” Those who knew her at Dawson can attest to those qualities as well as to her collaborative spirit with colleagues.
We regret to inform you that retired English teacher Pamela Sachs passed away on Sept. 11. Click Read More to go to the obituary.
Donna Varrica, Dawson’s former Communications Coordinator (2001-2019), will be back in her position for a period of six months to a year which began on Monday, replacing Megan Ainscow. Since leaving Dawson, she has worked on various communications and teaching projects with Concordia University, École Polytechnique, the English Montreal School Board, and the Institut de recherche clinique de Montréal. Happy to be back, she is looking forward to reconnecting with the community and meeting the new and evolving challenges the College will face in the next several months.
We are sad to share the news that the daughter of Sabine Sautter-Léger (Faculty, English), Chloé Sautter-Léger, has passed away suddenly.
Click Read More for the obituary.
It was a big week for the Dawson community! Many employees returned to campus to work on site for the first time since March 13, 2020.
To mark the occasion and to recognize the efforts of everyone during this extraordinary pandemic period, Dawson's managers and directors invited all employees to drop by the Peace Garden on Aug. 18 and 19 to receive honey from Dawson's own honey bees and to choose a plant for their office.
Dean of Creative and Applied Arts Andréa Cole (left) was one of the managers on welcome duty Aug. 18.
Nasreddine (Nas) Boucherit began his new role as Coordinator of Renovations in Facilities Management in mid-June. He has over two decades of construction, renovation and maintenance experience gained while travelling the world, notably, the Middle East, Europe and North America. He has worked in a variety of fields, including hospitality, real estate and health care. Nas came to the College because of his interest in history and architecture and he is looking forward to all of the upcoming projects.
Tommy Diamantakos (Class of 2002, Cinema | Communications) is happy to be back at Dawson.
In July, Tommy began his new role as Associate Dean of Creative and Applied Arts working with Dean Andréa Cole to support teachers and students. We are working hard to ensure everything is in place for a smooth start, he said, and added: “I’m excited to see the students and teachers return to campus.”
Tommy is especially looking forward to the end of year activities and the Vernissage Season.
Prior to coming to Dawson, Tommy served as Coordinator of Continuing Education at Vanier College. Other experiences include working at Heritage College as Associate Academic Dean, and teaching English as a second language.
Meet new Academic Dean Robert Cassidy in a two-minute video prepared to welcome new students to Dawson.
Robert officially begins at Dawson on Monday, Aug. 30.
Click Read More to watch the video.
Last Modified: November 3, 2021
