"The Rabbit Town Learners Program has a waiting list of 111. The T.I. Murphy Centre has an extensive waiting list. The St. John’s Learning Centre … has a waiting list… Why are so many [high school students] coming out of school with such a low rate of literacy and numeracy skills? How serious is the problem?… I believe that every single child has the right to come out of primary school able to read the very best that he/she can, That reading ability should not be measured by criterion referenced tests. It should be the result of every teacher being able to ask every child, ‘Do you read as well as you would like?’ If the answer is ‘no’ then let’s do more reading not more testing."

— Ed Wade (BA’76, BA(ed.)’77, M.Ed.’86) in his community column in the Telegram, Feb 18

Three memorial graduates have joined the prestigious ranks of Fellow of the Chartered Accountant entitling then to the designation FCA. These include Pauline A. E. Downer B.Comm.’81 (Hons.), MBA ’98, Gerry C. Smith, B.Comm.’72 (Hons) , Paula M. Sturge, B.Comm.’84 (Hons).

"[Premier Danny Williams] should put collective bargaining back in his vocabulary or he’ll be back practicing law in 2007."

— Cyril S. Shugarue Jr. (BA (Ed.)’70, BA ’78, M.Ed.’91) in a letter to the editor supporting the union position on the need for the provincial government to take pensions off the table in the upcoming round of collective bargaining. The Telegram, Feb. 11

Former Memorial President Dr. Leslie Harris, BA’56(Hons.) MA ’59, LLD ’99 will receive the Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year Award on March 31.

"I plead with [Leo] Puddister [president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees] and his fellow union leaders to remember it is the 50,530 members of the public service and their pensioners who have the most at stake with unfounded retirement benefits totalling $4.9 billion Surely this is reason for them to make a real effort to work with government."

— John C. Crosbie (LLD’99), Chancellor of Memorial University, recommending ways and means for the province to cope with fiscal realities. Telegram Forum, the Telegram, Feb 21

T. Alex Hickman (MUC '44) former chief justice of St. John's, and Harold Boyd Thomas Strong (BA '71) of Old Perlican, Trinity Bay were two of the 44 people to receive the Order of Canada from Governor General Adrienne Clarkson on Feb. 20

I see Grenfell as playing a significant role in the Western Region of the province, not just as an educational provider but as an institution that sponsors research and development.

— Adrian Fowler, principal Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, commenting on his vision of the evolving role of SWGC. The Telegram, Feb 10/04.

Researched and compiled by Debbie Connors.