UNews - Mary Jane Crooks

Donation provides more work-integrated learning opportunities for ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students

caroline.zentner — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 20:35:53 +0000

A $1-million gift from Art and Mary Jane Crooks will help ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students apply what they learn in the classroom to a paid-work setting.

The Crooks Work-Integrated Learning Program in Liberal Education will give students the opportunity to critically examine the world around them and obtain practical hands-on experiences, whether in research, volunteer or community roles, that allow them to develop their professional skills and prepare to enter the world of work after graduation.

“Today, more than ever, it is essential that graduates have skills and experience to go along with their classroom learning,” says Art Crooks. “We are pleased to be able to support this innovative and integrated approach.”

The School of Liberal Education will oversee the program, with priority given to learning opportunities in community projects in business, non-profit or other organizations. The program is open to undergraduate students from any discipline and will be run in collaboration with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Career Bridge Centre. Students undertaking these internships will be supervised by a ULethbridge professor and a business or community supervisor. Suitable projects will be eligible for Independent or Applied Study credit or Co-op designation and can be full- or part-time.

“We are so grateful to Art Crooks and his family for providing this support for students, in addition to their donation that founded the Evelyn Hamilton Chair in Liberal Education,” says Shelly Wismath, dean of the School of Liberal Education. “This program will provide students with practical hands-on experience in way that allows them to analyze and apply the knowledge they’ve gained in the classroom.”

At ULethbridge, liberal education focuses on breadth, connections across disciplines, critical thinking and citizenship. This approach exposes students to the arts, humanities and social and natural sciences and helps them develop problem-solving skills, social responsibility and become global citizens who are engaged in their communities.

“We know from years of students participating in co-op work terms or other research or job opportunities, that they’re more professional in their student work and they’ve seen the reason why they’re learning theoretical knowledge,” says Wismath. “They see where it’s used, what it’s good for and how it matters in the community.”

Community organizations with inquiries or a potential project are invited to submit an expression of interest by email to Career Bridge at career.bridge@uleth.ca by Friday, April 29. Students interested in a paid internship are invited to apply with a cover letter and resume to Wismath at wismaths@uleth.ca by Friday, April 29. For more details visit the Crooks Work-Integrated Learning Program.

About the donors

Art Crooks attended Amherst College in Massachusetts and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1961. He pursued a Masters of Business Administration at the then-��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Western Ontario, now Western ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Following graduation, Art took a job in sales and quickly rose through the ranks to become a regional and then national sales manager.

Mary Jane Crooks, although she was accepted at McGill ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, chose to pursue a career in advertising. She started at Eaton’s in Toronto and later worked with advertising agencies, where she won a copywriting award for her series on the carousel slide projector.

In 1971 when he was 30, Art interviewed for a Canadian Tire franchise and was approved to purchase his first store in Blenheim, Ont. As the couple worked to establish the business, Art and Mary Jane did the jobs of three people to save money on a salary. While Art placed orders, worked at the parts counter, unloaded trucks and stocked the store, Mary Jane did the books. Profits were modest in the beginning, but they persisted. A year later, they purchased the Pembroke store in the Ottawa Valley and, in 1979, they jumped at the chance to open the first store in Lethbridge. The business succeeded and grew, as did their family of three children. In recent years, Art and Mary Jane have turned their focus to giving back to the community that provided so much to them and their family over the last 40 years.

U of L establishes Evelyn Hamilton Chair in Liberal Education

caroline.zentner — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 19:53:02 +0000

Thanks to a $2-million donation from Art and Mary Jane Crooks, the Evelyn Hamilton Chair in Liberal Education at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will honour Art’s mother and her lifelong desire to learn.

“We are very grateful to Art and Mary Jane for this generous donation,” says Mike Mahon, U of L president and vice-chancellor. “Art’s mother, Evelyn Hamilton, is a perfect example of someone who lived the values of liberal education and we are proud to name the Chair of Liberal Education in her honour.”

Evelyn Hamilton and her husband, Hew Crooks, resided in Ontario, where Art grew up. Art and Mary Jane moved from Ontario to Lethbridge in 1979 to open the city’s first Canadian Tire Store. Since then, they have been benefactors to many organizations in the city and elsewhere.

“We wanted to establish the Evelyn Hamilton Chair in Liberal Education in dedication to her memory,” says Art. “My mother had an expansive and inquisitive worldview and her standards were exacting. She had many talents and embodied lifelong learning. Throughout her life, she was grounded by her core values of self-reliance, self-discipline and intellectual rigour.”

The Evelyn Hamilton Chair will be engaged in teaching and evidence-based research within the School of Liberal Education. The position is designed to instill among students the liberal education goals of rigorous inquiry, the pursuit of knowledge and critical thought grounded in evidence-based reasoning. The Chair will advance a culture that educates and promotes discussion among students, the public and decision makers on how to think clearly and carefully about issues and assess evidence and impact.

Mary Jane and Art Crooks.

“This Chair is a great fit for the vision we have for the School of Liberal Education and we are absolutely thrilled to have this happening,” says Dr. Shelly Wismath, dean of the School of Liberal Education. “Liberal education is our foundational teaching and learning philosophy and this Chair is going to heighten that. We’re going to be looking for someone to help in the areas of critical thinking, but within that, to look at things like media literacy, how to teach students to be thoughtful consumers of what they see and read in the media, to question the sources of things, to think about viewpoints being presented and to engage in open and careful discussion of issues.”Evelyn Hamilton is described as a relentless force, a distinctive combination of prairie thrift, grit and self-reliance fused with a lifelong desire to learn, travel, explore and expand her view of the world. Along with being a gifted artist, Hamilton was a demanding teacher, a strong feminist and a staunch defender of the environment.

Her philosophy of life is evident in her words, taken from a 1931 letter to her fiancé, Hew Crooks:

“I want to feel that we are using to the full the gifts that we have, and that we are lifting ourselves inwardly as well as outwardly above the average run. This does not mean that we will be snobbish or self-satisfied. In fact, I believe it means that we will be in a better position to be true friends to those about us and truly helpful to the world. I do feel that one can fulfill a worthwhile mission in life by being worthwhile, not being afraid to take a stand for what you consider right, and by lending a helping hand to those about you whenever possible.”

Born in Saskatchewan in 1904, Hamilton spent her early childhood in the Crowsnest Pass where her father operated Leitch Collieries. She graduated from high school in Lethbridge at age 15 and spent a year studying music at the Winnipeg School of Art before entering the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba. After graduating in 1924, she returned to Passburg, a small town in Crowsnest Pass, to become the schoolmistress at a one-room school.

As the town of Passburg was in decline, Hamilton returned to Winnipeg and became a decorative specialist and model home stylist for Eaton’s. The job allowed her to travel to major cities, including New York. The city’s energy captivated her and she obtained a position at a major department store on Fifth Avenue. When the Great Depression occurred, the loss of her work visa forced an early return to Canada.

She met her future husband, Hew, while working at Eaton’s in Toronto. The Depression spelled some hard times for Hamilton and her family, and they eventually settled in Guelph, Ontario. When the Second World War broke out, Hew enlisted and spent the next six years overseas. During this time, Hamilton taught high school and studied early childhood education. She also obtained a position as a student of and assistant to Group of Seven-member Arthur Lismer. Hamilton continued to paint throughout her life.

Following the war, Evelyn and Hew settled in London, Ontario. She was active in public service and a pioneer in advocating for working women. Her steadfast efforts were key to establishing the city’s first day-care centre. Hamilton was also at the forefront of preserving the historic character of the city. After her children were grown, she continued her education, learning Spanish and earning an MFA from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Guadalajara in Mexico. Back in London, she became an arts superintendent and taught high school French and Spanish. Hamilton passed away in London in 1990.

The investment is part of the U of L’s SHINE campaign and highlights the community’s involvement in supporting students and promoting opportunities for them to thrive while working to achieve their academic goals and become engaged citizens of the world.

UNews - Mary Jane Crooks

Donation provides more work-integrated learning opportunities for ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students

Related Topics

U of L establishes Evelyn Hamilton Chair in Liberal Education

Related Topics

Donation provides more work-integrated learning opportunities for ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students