Concordia will award four honorary doctorates at this year’s Fall Convocation ceremonies to be held on Friday, November 13, 2009.
The recipients are AA Bronson, Robert Walsh, Elizabeth Comper and Tony Comper.
Their biographies are as follows (lire en français):
AA Bronson
Artist, co-founder of General Idea
Born Michael Tims in Vancouver, AA Bronson is an award-winning artist, writer, curator and healer whose work has been widely exhibited.
In 1969, along with Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal, he founded the artist’s group General Idea. The trio lived and worked together for 25 years, published the influential FILE magazine, and produced over 100 solo exhibitions and countless temporary public art projects worldwide. Well known internationally for their early involvement in punk, queer theory, and AIDS activism, they also created Art Metropole, a non-profit artist-run archive and distribution agency for artists’ publications and other materials in Toronto and were active in the formation of the artist-run network across Canada.
In 1994, Mr. Bronson’s partners passed away of AIDS-related causes and his work became more focused on the concept of healing.
He is currently president of Printed Matter, a non-profit center for artists’ books, and artistic director of the Institute for Art, Religion, and Social Justice, both in New York. He is studying for his Master of Divinity.
AA Bronson is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the City of Toronto and the Governor General’s Visual Art and Media Award. In 2008, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Robert Walsh
President, Forensic Technology
Robert Walsh, President and Founder of Forensic Technology, is an innovative engineer, inventor and entrepreneur whose pioneering work has helped make the world a safer place.
His Integrated Ballistic Identification System (IBIS) revolutionized the way that firearm crimes are investigated and solved in more than 48 countries. Crime labs which are connected to the IBIS network, can now trace gun crimes by sharing digital fingerprints of bullets or cartridges.
As new technology emerges, IBIS is continually evolving and updating their processes. Robert Walsh is a prime example of the creativity and excellence of Canadian engineering.
After graduating from Loyola College in 1963, Mr. Walsh went on to study mechanical engineering at McGill. Among many awards, he was honoured by Ernst & Young in 2002 with the Québec Entrepreneur of the Year Award and became a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.
His company has garnered significant recognition, including R&D Magazine’s prize for advancement in the field of forensic science and the 2002 Mercuriades Award for technical innovation, research and development.
Elizabeth Comper
Philanthropist and teacher
Elizabeth Comper started her career as an elementary school teacher and never lost touch with her desire to change lives. She earned a BA at Concordia while working full-time as a teacher and then pursued her master’s in library science at McGill.
Giving back to the community has always been second nature for Mrs. Comper, who served on the board of directors of the Tarragon Theatre for 10 years. She is a member of the board of trustees of the Art Gallery of Ontario and is a director of the Ontario Arts Council Foundation, the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews.
With her husband, Tony, she helped found Canada’s largest theatre arts award, the Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize, which alternates among directors, playwrights and designers.
Mrs. Comper is a recipient of the Scopus Award from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Arbor Award from the University of Toronto and a Human Relations Award from Canadian Council of Christians and Jews.
Tony Comper
Immediate Past President and Chief Executive Officer, BMO Financial Group
Tony Comper joined BMO in 1967 after receiving his bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto. From the personnel department to the Operations and Systems Group, Mr. Comper made his mark and played a central role in developing BMO’s innovative computer system. He was appointed president in 1990 and CEO in 1999.
In addition to his remarkable success over the course of nearly four decades with the bank, Mr. Comper has contributed countless hours to local organizations. He and his wife Elizabeth founded FAST (Fighting Antisemitism Together), a coalition of non-Jewish Canadian leaders to fight anti-semitism. The couple also created the Tony and Elizabeth Comper Fund for New Works at the Necessary Angel Theatre Company in Toronto.
Mr. Comper also dedicates his time to numerous councils, including the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Canadian Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies, Canadian Centre for Architecture and the Advisory Board of the Conference Board of Canada/Spencer Stuart.
Mr. Comper was honoured with the Human Relations Award from the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews in 1998 and the Award of Merit from B’nai Brith Canada in 2003. He is a recipient of the Scopus Award from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
For a full list of dates and times for the Fall Convocation ceremonies, visit Concordia’s News and Events page.
Posted on October 8, 2009
