When she graduated from high school in the late 1970s, Deborah Janes intended to become a medical-lab technician.

She enrolled at the College of Trades and Technology (now known as the College of the North Atlantic) only to find that the sight of blood made her uneasy.

A career change was in order.

She returned to the college to study office administration instead, and after graduating in 1981, she accepted a temporary position at the Marine Institute.

In those days, the Marine Institute was still located at the Parade Street campus and operated under its original name: the College of Fisheries, Navigation, Marine Engineering and Electronics.

What Ms. Janes didn’t know at that time, was that her temporary position would lead to a lifelong commitment to the Marine Institute and its students. She didn’t know that her dedication, care for students and personal touch would be woven into the very fabric of the institution’s identity.

Over the years, she’s worked with admissions, with field workers and with the Telemedicine project at Memorial. Now, a career that started by covering another staff members sick leave has advanced to working directly with leadership in the Office of the Vice-President.

She was working in student services when the Marine Institute (MI) joined forces with Memorial University in 1992.

The change meant that some of MI’s programs were transferred to the College of the North Atlantic. Some faculty and staff transferred with those programs, and Ms. Janes admits that it was difficult saying goodbye to people, some of whom she had known when they were students.

But when it came to the future of MI, she says, “It was the best thing we ever did.”

She’s happy knowing that the change has created more opportunities for students, who can now move from diploma programs into undergraduate degrees and then the advanced master’s and PhD programs.

 

Deborah Janes in the pedway that connects the Marine Institute with the College of the North Atlantic campus on Ridge Road in St. John's (2025). Photo from Memorial University Archives.

 

Through all these changes, Ms. Janes has remained a constant at the institute.

In her varying roles, she’s met the Governor General of Canada, the Prince of Wales and the Prince and Princess of Norway.

But when asked to recount stories of her days at MI, she remembers the little things.

She remembers a student who was preparing for a job interview but was nervous because he didn’t have a tie. Ms. Janes searched the campus and found one for him.

She remembers a career fair when a student had a slight wardrobe malfunction, and in an institute filled with world-class marine technology, she managed to track down a simple needle and thread to sew the seam.

Now, she’s learned to always keeps a multi-purpose kit on hand. It holds ties of different colours, stain remover, a sewing kit, nail polish, panty hose, static guard and other “emergency response” items that students might need on graduation day or at any time.

“You never know what you’ll encounter in the run of a day,” she says.

It’s this caring nature and attention to people that Dr. Angie Clarke finds so special about Ms. Janes’ contribution to the Marine Institute.

“For over 40 years, faculty, staff and students at MI have benefited from Debbie’s dedication, knowledge, compassion and hard work. Even on the busiest of days she always makes time, steps up and does everything with the biggest of smiles.”

When MI was preparing to join Memorial, Ms. Janes’ fear was that the institution would lose its identity as a close-knit community. But she says that never happened.

Despite being a world leader in the oceans sector, MI has maintained its special sense of community.

Perhaps Ms. Janes underestimated the role she would play in that continuity.

After 40 years of dedication to MI, Ms. Janes loves the institution and its students, so she is actively avoiding retirement.

But when she does retire, she knows that MI will always be a part of who she is.

And what those who have worked with her know is that thanks to her warmth, dedication and caring spirit, Deborah Janes’ presence will always remain at the heart of MI.