Geography Department Faculty and Staff Members Celebrate 100 Years Combined Service in 2015
Four faculty and staff in the Geography Department received service awards this year: Charlie Conway (35 years), Norm Catto (25 years), Trevor Bell (20 years) and Pam Murphy (20 years).
Charlie has worked in the Geography Department for his full 35 years of service. He began as a student in the department in the Fall of 1970, bringing his total time at MUN up to 45 years! I asked him what it was like being a student back then.
"Once you got to know people and could find your way around campus, it’s probably no different than being a Geography student today (tech advances aside)! MUGS was certainly bigger (in numbers) than it appears today. Cartography was certainly different–a lot more interaction and discussion with classmates about map/lab assignments with more time and late nights spent in the lab."
I asked if he had a favourite memory of his time here; what stands out for Charlie over his 45 years at MUN are the memories of people and projects that have made his work experience so enjoyable:
"I have been fortunate to have worked with a lot of great faculty and staff, both past and present...I must not forget the students whom I have met both as a student myself and as a staff member in the department."
Charlie is the "go to" person for anyone with mapping needs in the department–I asked him if he has any maps that are special to him.
"My most memorable maps are/were those that I spent countless hours bent over a light table scribing or using technical drawing pens and the even more hours in the darkroom producing the filmwork for the final product. The digital environment has extended my career–shaky hands and poor eyesight are not a drawback. But more importantly, digital production has given me greater latitiude in design, creativity and flexiblitiy."
Charlie has provided such a wealth of skills and experience to the department over the years. On behalf of the department, thank you for your support and expertise, Charlie.
Here are some samples of maps that Charlie has created over the years as the department cartographer.