I was the director of the Community Relations department from 1981 to 1988. Like any department, we had our challenges.

One being that due to a shortage of space, we were located in the storefront space along Stony Plain Road adjacent to the Jasper Place Campus. We received a lot of interesting walk-in visitors there, including one of our regulars who would drop in to serenade us with "Ye Old Rugged Cross." There was also the time the building had an infestation of bees, and the day the Vietnamese restaurant next door caught on fire. Life was never dull in that storefront space.

My favourite moment of my tenure at MacEwan was working with highly efficient and dedicated staff (including the Community Relations department in 1987, from left to right: Cathy Dool, Michelle Leveille, Susan O’Connor, Cindy Reekie, Henry Henschel, Sue Couture and Karen Jacob standing in the back) to make Grant MacEwan Day a significant and memorable event for everyone. Grant MacEwan Day was always special, if only to have Dr. MacEwan on campus. His humble nature is what registered with employees, and he was a protector of the environment long before it was a global concern.

We wanted to give the day a focus or highlight that would honour Dr. MacEwan but also give recognition to our staff. Though I don't remember the exact day we first instituted Grant MacEwan Day, I do remember we brought a covered wagon and a team of Belgian horses to the Seventh Street Plaza campus and Dr. MacEwan rode in the wagon down the back alleys.

I have held numerous corporate positions in the years since, but none ever matched the sense of community that existed at MacEwan. You definitely felt part of a large family and that your work contributions made a difference.

— Karen Jacob