Alumni Almanac

Alumnus receives 70 year pin

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Faculty of Arts & Humanities Dean Michael Milde presented alumnus Thomas Plant, BA’42, with a certificate from Western president Amit Chakma, a pin and gifts from Homecoming to mark his 70^th anniversary of graduation from Western in October. Dean Milde and Jo Jennings, communications officer for the faculty, heard fantastic stories of the Faculty in the ’40s, Mr. Plant’s D-Day history, and got to see his original transcript.

Plant regaled them with stories of all of his old professors, most of whom he remembered by name; he also had to justify his grades to his wife and granddaughter.

Plant graduated from the Arts and Humanities Faculty at Western in 1942. He arrived at Western in 1939 and did an accelerated degree so he could travel abroad to fight in World War II. He was a navigator in the navy and landed in Normandy on D-Day before returning to Canada.

“When I decided to attend Western for my undergraduate studies he could not have been more proud,” said granddaughter Amanda Grant, BA’10, MA’11 (Journalism). “Our experiences at the university brought us closer together and in my second year he joined me on campus for his 65th Homecoming.”

Plant speaks of his time at Western with such pride and passion, recalling his classes in University College and the conversation he had with professors in their homes.

“Every time he comes to visit me in London we do a drive through campus and he tells me about how the campus has changed and admires the students crowding the walkways,” says Amanda.

(Visiting with Arts and Humanities Dean Michael Milde on October 4 was Amanda Grant, her mother Nan Grant and Thomas Plant and his wife, Dorcas Plant).

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