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Remembering “boisterous bureaucrat” Al Adlington
With files from Ken McLaughlin.
Alan K. Adlington, the chief financial officer at the University of Waterloo for its first 15 years, died on Saturday, September 30.
Adlington was born in England and immigrated to Canada in 1930, serving in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. After the war, he completed an economics degree at the University of Western Ontario and took a job at Dominion Electrohome Industries in Kitchener.
Adlington left Electrohome in 1955 to join Gerry Hagey’s initiative to develop the tiny Waterloo College into a university, joining the institution as its business manager and bursar. “He was intrigued by the title of Bursar and had no idea what this might involve,” writes Kenneth McLaughlin. “What resulted was a remarkable career when, with Hagey, Adlington assisted in the creation of the University of Waterloo.”
“Adlington had moved from the ambiguous title of Bursar to become Vice President Finance and Secretary of the Board of Governors and ultimately in the face of the University’s rapid growth he was appointed to the pivotal role of Vice President, Administration,” McLaughlin recalls. “It was Adlington’s genius and his persuasiveness, along with Hagey’s determination to build a full scale university, that barely four years after the University’s charter had been proclaimed led them to obtain a 733-acre block of land adjoining the original campus giving Waterloo the largest integrated campus in Ontario.”
Adlington’s job titles evolved at the same rapid pace as the new University of Waterloo, from Business Manager and Bursar to Comptroller to a slew of vice-presidencies: Finance, Administration, and finally, Operations.
“Adlington was a larger than life figure on campus in academic, planning and financial meetings and also as a leading participant in FASS night,” writes McLaughlin. He took a particular interest in the theatre scene, being actively involved in the K-W Little Theatre and serving as president of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra Association. He was also a proponent of building a Shakespearean-style theatre on the University’s campus.
Mike Brookes, the University’s first Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds, described Adlington this way when he explained the building of the Theatre of the Arts: “As with most things then, the first step was to consult Al Adlington, our bold Vice-President Finance, without whom UW would not have come about. Al always took an open-minded and constructive approach to a proposition. If it was a good idea Al supported it, even though it might be far from clear (at any rate to me) how it would be paid for.”
His status was such that to recognize his departure, the Gazette printed a two-page special issue that was as much a send-up as it was a tribute.
After leaving Waterloo in 1970, Adlington went on to become the Vice-President, Administration and Finance at the University of Western Ontario, now Western University, serving as its Acting President in 1984 and 1985. Later he became Ontario’s Deputy Minister of Colleges and Universities.
In 1982, Adlington was among the 16 recipients of a special 25th anniversary medal granted in recognition of the key roles they played in the development of the University of Waterloo. The University granted Adlington an honorary degree in 1987. Adlington’s creativity and foresight were further recognized when he was named a “founder” of the University of Waterloo in the celebration of the University’s 40th anniversary in 1997.
“In his heart Al Adlington retained a deep affection for the University of Waterloo and was a regular visitor to its campus,” McLaughlin writes.
“Though our paths never crossed professionally, I do recognize Al’s immense contributions to the making of our institution – he was a career problem solver who used his skills and savvy to build a strong foundation for the University of Waterloo that still stands today,” says President and Vice-Chancellor Feridun Hamdullahpur. “I offer my condolences to his family and to the University community.”
Thank you, Bonnie Oberle!
A message from the Office of Advancement.
After enthusiastically serving the Office of Advancement for 32 years, Bonnie Oberle is embarking on a thrilling new journey into retirement. Her impact on Advancement and the University cannot be understated, and while we’ll miss her deeply, we’re excited to celebrate her many accomplishments.
Over the course of her career, Bonnie has touched nearly every area of Advancement with her generous spirit and her passion for our campus community. A tireless champion of the University, she built both our Keystone Campaign and our Leadership Giving program — initiatives that have raised over $27 million to date. Her successes have been recognized with several awards and accolades from our professional organizations, including CASE, CCAE and AFP Golden Horseshoe, along with awards for community service from Waterloo’s MP and MPP, the United Way and from the University itself.
As proud Waterloo alumni, Bonnie and her husband, Kevin, also give generously to the University. They’re inaugural members of the Laurel Society (part of our Planned Giving program), lifetime members of the President’s Circle, and creators of the Neufeld Oberle Scholarship: an endowed award fund that enables students to pursue international experiences. Named in memory of Bonnie and Kevin’s fathers, the award is open to anyone who wishes to contribute.
Please join us in celebrating Bonnie and wishing her well as she moves on to her next adventure. Thank you, Bonnie, for your many gifts to Waterloo!
Support the Neufeld Oberle Scholarship
Oktoberfest Women of the Year named
The Oktoberfest Rogers Women of the Year for 2017 have been named, and include a number of women with University of Waterloo affiliations.
The celebration "takes time out to recognize and pay tribute to outstanding women in the community." The event was held at the LOT 42 event space in Kitchener.
44 women were nominated in ten categories. Winners with a University connection include:
- Professor Diana Parry of Recreation & Leisure Studies, who also serves as Associate Vice-President Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion, in the Professional category that "recognizes women for dedicating themselves to the pursuit of excellence in their chosen careers";
- Alumnus Nancy Regehr who won in the Arts & Culture category; and
- Alumnus Julia Biedermann, who won in the STEM category.
Congratulations to all nominees and to the winners.
What's open and closed this thankfully long weekend
Give thanks, for Monday is a statutory holiday, which means most University services and operations (and buildings) will be closed.
Students will have an even longer break from campus, as the second in a three-year Fall Break pilot takes place next Tuesday and Wednesday. Students will return on Thursday October 12, which will be run on a Tuesday class schedule.
The Physical Activities Complex and the Columbia Icefield will be open Saturday, October 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and closed Sunday and Monday.
The Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries will be open normal hours on Saturday and Sunday, and from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
All Retail Services stores and Media.doc locations will be closed on Saturday and holiday Monday. Additionally, the Book Store, Campus Tech, Waterloo Store, Media.doc and Write Stuff will be closed from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 11.
Most Food Services operations will be closed on holiday Monday, with the exception of Mudie's in Village 1 and the new Market at UWP in the New Residence Building, which is open on Saturday, October 6 from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from October 7 to 10, and 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 11.
Browser's Café in the Dana Porter Library will be closed Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8.
A number of Food Services operations will extend their closure to cover the Fall Break Study Days on Tuesday, October 10 and Wednesday, October 11, including:
- Brubaker's in the Student Life Centre
- CEIT Café in CEIT
- Eye Opener Café in the Optometry building
- FRSH in the AHS Expansion
- H3 Café in the Hagey Hub
- ML’s Diner in Modern Languages
- Liquid Assets in Hagey Hall
- PAS Lounge in the PAS
- Pastry Plus in Needles Hall
- South Side Marketplace in South Campus Hall
- Tim Hortons in UWP
- Williams Fresh Café in Environment 3
REVelation in Ron Eydt Village will be closed from October 7 to 10, opening from 4:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 11.
Some operations will be open Tuesday and Wednesday next week, including:
- Browser’s in the Dana Porter Library, open 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Starbucks in the AHS Expansion, open 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Starbucks in the Science Teaching Complex, open 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Subway in the SLC, open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Tim Hortons in the Davis Centre, open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Tim Hortons in Modern Languages, open 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Tim Hortons in South Campus Hall, open 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Tim Hortons in the Student Life Centre, open 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Tim Hortons Express in the Davis Centre, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
As always, the University police (519-888-4911 or ext. 22222) will be at work, the Student Life Centre (519–888-4434) will be open, and the central plant will monitor campus buildings (for maintenance emergencies call extension 33793). The campus should be back to normal on Tuesday morning. Enjoy your long weekend!