In 2009, we were pleased to introduce the Macdonald Distinguished Young Alumni Award, which recognizes the achievements and contributions of our younger alumni. Like the Distinguished Alumni Award, this award recognizes outstanding professional accomplishments and/or service to the community at large.
This year at Homecoming, we honoured two graduate whose accomplishments are of such excellence that they provide inspiration and leadership to future generations of Macdonald graduates.
Distinguished Alumni Award
Freeman Lester McEwen, BScAgr’50
Freeman McEwen was born in Prince Edward Island. He graduated from McGill University, Macdonald Campus, obtaining a B.Sc. in entomology in 1950. He then went on to the University of Wisconsin to get his Masters and PhD.
His varied career in entomology has taken him from the Canada Department of Agriculture in Charlottetown, to the N.Y. State Agricultural Experimental Station at Cornell University, and finally to the University of Guelph, first as professor, then departmental chair and finally Dean of the Ontario Agricultural College (University of Guelph), a post that he held from 1983-1990.
Freeman’s areas of interest have always been in teaching and research of biology and control of insects in vegetables and on pesticides and the environment. He has been honoured by several societies for his contributions. He has published more than 400 papers and has been co-author or co-editor on several books. Since retirement, he has been farming and consulting in the areas of environment, food, pesticides and sustainable agriculture. He is currently promoting environmental stewardship leadership for the City of Guelph and the University of Guelph.
Distinguished Young Alumni Award
Anne Desrochers, BScAgr’02, MSc’04
Anne graduated from McGill University, Macdonald Campus, obtaining a B.Sc. in soil sciences in 2002 and a M.Sc. in agricultural and bioresource engineering in 2004. Anne is an active member of Quebec's Order of Agronomists since 2005 and of Quebec's Plant Protection Society since 2006. After graduating from McGill, Anne worked as a research assistant at the Bellairs Research Institute in Barbados and continues to work as a crop protection project officer at the 'Conseil québécois de l'horticulture'. She has offered support to growers in the field of crop protection, promoting the principles of integrated pest management and reducing pesticide related risks to the environment and to human health. Anne has been involved in international volunteer work for a number of years: in 1999 she volunteered in Guatemala for a period of five months as an international observer for the 'Projet accompagnement Québec-Guatémala'. Anne currently lives in Jacmel, Haiti since April 2008 and has been volunteering with SUCO as a co-operant and temporary representative, offering support in coordinating projects related to composting, irrigation, food security and education.