All-Canada University Association of Washington, DC

By Jean van der Tak
Edited by Ignatius Hsu

The Early Years

I believe we are the oldest All-Canada University (ACU) Association and one that probably inspired others. The concept started in 1977 when the University of Toronto was celebrating its 150th anniversary. As then-president of the Washington-Baltimore branch, I was determined to breathe new life into the regional network. I contacted McGill University alumni with the idea that if we hosted a joint dinner in the Washington DC area, we might attract the Canadian ambassador, "Jake" Warren, as our keynote speaker. We recruited Mr. Warren and also invited local Dalhousie University, Queen’s University and University of British Columbia alums, whose names we received from their alumni offices.

The inaugural event was such a smashing success that we repeated it the following year. This time, it was held with another embassy speaker and expanded to accommodate alums and spouses from more Canadian universities. These first two gatherings were co-hosted by the Toronto and McGill Washington-Baltimore alumni branches.

In March 1979, Dalhousie University had the honor of becoming the first host university of the ACU dinner. Its then-president, Dr. Henry Hicks, flew down to attend and speak at the event. The University of British Columbia hosted the event in 1980. Its president, Dr. Douglas Kenny, filled the speaking engagement.

We plan our gatherings for the springtime, when Washington is at its best – close to Easter, but avoiding that weekend, and Passover.

Playing Host and Entertaining Guests

We continue to follow this pattern of pairing a host university paired with its president as keynote speaker, or, on occasion, another of the institution’s leaders and luminaries.

In more recent years we infused the program with "entertainment" oriented activities.

Windsor University, the host in 2001, invited comedian David Broadfoot to entertain us. In 2002, host university St. Mary’s of Halifax brought down the Maritimes singer/musician Terry Kelly. The following year, an instructor duo led us in ballroom dancing. In 2007, we had a square dancing encore of our 1997 event, both held at Smokey Glen Farm.

As we’ve grown, our alma maters have stayed committed to the event. For instance, the University of Toronto hosted our 2003 event to mark its 175th anniversary from the prior year.

The Price is Right

In 2003, we set the ticket price at $45 per person. At the time, it was the most we had charged, but still modest for a preliminary cocktail hour complete with music and hors d'oeuvres, a three-course sit-down dinner with wine, music, dancing and a cash bar. The bill has increased in recent years with venue and service costs, taxes and many incidentals piling up.

Location, Location, Location

The venues have varied from close-in suburban hotels to downtown Washington, DC. We held the event at the National Press Club during 2000 and 2003 and the Canadian Embassy a number of other years. Both venues are excellent but have their limitations. The Press Cub is prestigious but an expensive site, and the Canadian Embassy is popular, but forbids sit-down dinners.

Capturing History

Various photographers have helped us capture the moments we've enjoyed through the years. At one time, even I was the photographer. I keep a library of photo albums from all the events, which we put o display each year at the dinner.

In the summer of 2007, we engaged in efforts to preserve some of these photographs. We scanned and digitally restored several dozen handpicked photographs spanning the first event in 1977 to the last traditional photographs taken in 2005. These photos are now available through this website. Beginning with the 2006 dinner, our photography is stored digitally and all the pictures are shared online.

(Editor's note: this passage was written on April 22, 2003 in the run up to the 2003 event hosted by the University of British Columbia. The text was edited August 22, 2007.)