On July 5, Dean Ian Holloway presented a white hat to Shirley Stevens, of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (on the right, with Professor Arlene Kwasniak), at a special white hat ceremony at the Faculty of Law. Shirley’s first cousin, Arlene Kwasniak, is a full professor at the Faculty of Law. Arlene started teaching at Calgary Law in 2003. In late 2009 it became apparent that she needed a kidney transplant very soon. Shirley stepped up to the plate. Fortunately she was a match, and at the scheduled time she and her husband Al Stevens flew up to Calgary for the kidney transplant. The surgery was in January 2010 at Foothills Hospital. Recovery well underway, Shirley and Al returned to the U.S. a month later, and Arlene returned to work full time in April 2010. Shirley and Al Stevens are excited to be in Calgary with Arlene and her husband, Allen Carlson to celebrate the Stampede.
The Dean and the Faculty presented the white hat to Shirley to thank her for her courageous and selfless act in donating a kidney, and for saving a valuable member of the Faculty of Law. “The gift of life is the most precious gift of all”, said Dean Holloway, “and Shirley Stevens’ gift was an act of selflessness that benefitted all of us at Calgary Law who love Arlene so much.” He added, “It was a treat for us to be able to show our thanks to Shirley through this very special Calgary tradition.”
For photos of the white hat ceremony, see the Photo Gallery here.
