2019 Recipients
Margaret-Ann Armour, CM, PhD, MSc, BSc, FCIC
Order of St. Stephen's College
Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour is honored posthumously in recognition of the incredible breadth of her life's work in the fields of science, education, and spiritual service to the human community. Educator, innovator, consultant, mentor, and friend were but a few of Dr. Armour's attributes. She has been widely honored for promotion of diversity and equity within the STEM disciplines, particularly through her contribution to the establishment of WISEST (Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science, and Technology) at the University of Alberta. As the University's first Associate Dean of Diversity (2005-2019), Dr. Armour worked widely with elementary schools, secondary schools, post-secondary institutions, and private industry to expand the involvement of women in the STEM disciplines. As a chemist, Dr. Armour is internationally known for her pioneering work in the field of hazardous waste disposal on a small scale. Her academic work, which sought to establish practical, easy disposal procedures that could be implemented by anyone, reflects Dr. Armour's commitment to people on an individual level and her respect for the environment. Taken together, Dr. Armour's work as a chemist and STEM advocate led to numerous accolades, including being named a Member of the Order of Canada (2006) and a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada (1989), as well as scores of awards and honours: a 3M Teaching Fellowship (1996), the McNeil medal of the Royal Society of Canada (1994), a Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), a Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Person's Case (2002), and seven honorary degrees. Running parallel to-and perhaps undergirding-her work in the sciences, Dr. Armour extended her strong faith, care, respect, and understanding to the fields of theological education and to her local faith communities. Dr. Armour served on the Board of St. Stephen's College from 1986 until her death in 2019, including 13 years as Board Chair (2006-2019). She was a lifelong member of the United Church of Canada and offered herself in service to the church in many capacities, including Chairing the committee administering the McGeachy Scholarship Fund, Chairing the National Campus Ministry Committee, and offering ongoing support of the United Church Campus Ministry at the University of Alberta. She was a leader, board member, chorister, and beloved member of her faith communities of Knox-Metropolitan United Church and Southminster-Steinhauer United Church, often using her skills as a chemist to illustrate spiritual concepts in sermons, children's stories, and discussions. In every way, Dr. Armour was a person of Spirit, whose life and work was given completely to the causes she championed. She lived her life with outstanding integrity, generosity, and with full integration of her personal and professional activities.
Nicole Imgrund, MPS, MDiv, CCC
Doctor of Sacred Letters (honoris causa)
Nicole Imgrund is being recognized for her provincial leadership in Alberta's mental health profession, which has led to better public access to better mental healthcare services for all Albertans. Through more than a decade of advocacy work, and countless hours of voluntary service, Ms. Imgrund's efforts led to the unanimous passing of the Mental Health Services Protection Act (Dec 2018) and set in motion the establishment of a new provincial regulatory college, the College of Counselling Therapy of Alberta (CCTA). As a result of her tireless work with the Federation of Associations of Counselling Therapists of Alberta (FACT-A), Alberta is the first province to regulate Addictions Counsellors, the first province to regulate Child and Youth Care Counsellors, the third province to regulate Addiction Treatment Centres, and the fifth province to regulate Counselling Therapy. This new regulation will touch on many fields, including Spiritual Care, Counselling Therapy, Psychotherapy, Creative Arts Therapies, and the like. In addition to this advocacy work, Ms. Imgrund is a past president of the AB/NWT chapters of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), she is an elected member of the Alberta Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health, she received the inaugural (2017) "Unsung Hero" award from CCPA, and she is also recipient of the 2019 Professional Contribution Award from CCPA.
Frances Savage, MEd, BEd
Doctor of Sacred Letters (honoris causa)
Frances Savage (MEd, BEd) stands in a long tradition of United Church folk whose prophetic faith has been revealed in service for the greater good, especially service of the most vulnerable among us. Her life has been characterized by relentless and unwavering advocacy across many domains of public life. She is best known in the field of education, where she is a past President of the Alberta Teachers Association (1990-1993), past President of the Greater Edmonton Teachers' Convention Association, past board member of the Canadian Teachers' Federation, contributor to the Canadian International Development Agency, and a former school teacher and music and visual arts specialist of 20+ years. In each of these capacities, she worked purposefully to advocate for public education, better government and community supports for children, mentorship of young teachers, and to establish initiatives that address children in poverty (both in Canada and in developing countries). Children and family dynamics have always been a central concern for Ms. Savage. As a young teacher and mother, she took in several unwed mothers to whom she provided mentorship and support. These experiences led her to serve on the Canadian Federation of University Women, the Edmonton Welfare Council, and the Community Day Nursery in Edmonton, where she provided leadership in serving the needs of children from all cultural and income backgrounds. Beyond this abundance of board and committee service, Ms. Savage has also advocated strongly for the importance of education in the arts, as well as the need to ensure that students not bound for university receive a quality education in the trades. Beyond the field of education, Ms. Savage has also worked to establish Alberta-based societies that advocate for individuals with brain injuries, she has advocated for the preservation of natural lands and wildlife, and she has been a voice for senior's care. This collective body of work has led Ms. Savage to be named an Edmonton "Woman of Vision", a "Colleague of Grant MacEwan College", and to receive a "Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal" (2002). For more than five decades Ms. Savage has demonstrated a remarkable and inspiring commitment to public service, the well-being of families and communities, and the importance of social justice, health, and education for all.