John and Donna’s Story
Who is the most influential person in your life?
He was on the high school football team and she was a cheerleader. It is the genesis of dreams and of movie plots but for Donna and John, it was the beginning of a true story of life-long love and a commitment to doing good in the world. However, it wasn’t on the football field where John made an impression on Donna. In 1954, in high school, he was running for student council and when he gave his campaign speech, Donna turned to her girlfriend and said, “He is so funny”. That comment set the wheels in motion and soon, Donna’s sister’s boyfriend had set them up on a double date. Donna and John were both shy but there was a spark nonetheless and very soon, they were dating. So, 67 years later when asked, “Who is the most influential person in your life?”, it is not surprising that John’s answer is, “Donna”.
For Donna, there is no doubt that, other than John, the two most influential people in her life are her parents. They were her role models. They led by example and they instilled in Donna the spirit of volunteering as she watched them not only take care of their own family but also take care of their “extended family”, that circle of people in their lives that included friends and neighbours. Donna’s parents always extended a helping hand to those who needed assistance and, by witnessing her parents’ actions, the flame of volunteerism was ignited within Donna. She started volunteering in high school and has never stopped.
What was a significant moment in your life?
After graduating from high school, John started working as a toolmaker apprentice with General Electric in Peterborough, Ontario. Peterborough was hometown for John and Donna and their plan was to stay there and raise a family. However, after a few years, John was laid off and a passing conversation at that time with a fellow apprentice changed the course of John and Donna’s lives. This man told John of a unique new university opening up in Waterloo. Intrigued, John looked into it further and decided to “give it a try”! To take the preliminary entrance test for the University of Waterloo, he took a risk and paid the $10 exam fee – half his weekly salary at that time!! The gamble paid off and John was accepted into the university’s first class.
Before starting his studies at the University of Waterloo, John received some sage advice, “It’s not the smartest people who are going to pass, it’s the people who try their hardest”. He took these words to heart. In 1962, John’s last year at Waterloo, the university bought a computer – “just a limited thing and you had to write in actual machine language”. John found this “machine language” surprisingly easy to understand so when the university set up a forum to introduce students to potential future employers, he made a connection with IBM. The company liked John and he liked the company so, upon graduation in 1963, John started working as a systems engineer with IBM in Toronto. John and Donna got married, packed their belongings and moved to Toronto – the beginning of a new adventure and the beginning of experiencing life from different perspectives.
It was also the beginning of the computer age and an exciting time for a young man to be working for IBM. IBM was an excellent employer and John was able to grow along with the computer industry. “I never had a bad day with IBM. It was so challenging. There were far more things I wanted to do than time to do it.”
During this time, Donna embraced her new life in Toronto; raising their young family and all the while finding time to volunteer in the community. One of the most impactful experiences for Donna was her role as a volunteer with the “York Region Mentally Delayed Association” in Markham (just outside of Toronto). There she witnessed the social stigma faced by people living with disabilities and she became determined to help improve their lives while also working to dispel these negative stereotypes.
After a long and satisfying career at IBM, in 1992 there was a downturn in the economy and IBM needed to lay people off and once again, John and Donna made the best of the situation and new opportunities opened for them. John used his computer experience to set up a consulting business and then moved to Dallas for four years and from there to the Silicon Valley for another four years. With her passion for volunteering, Donna quickly found new opportunities to contribute her time and skills in each new place they lived. Then, in 2000, they saw the signs of another economic downturn on the horizon and decided it was time to return to Canada. By then, their two sons were grown and both living in Vancouver so, instead of returning to Peterborough, Donna decided they should follow their children and move to North Vancouver. John’s words to Donna, “The best decision you’ve ever made in your life! I think North Vancouver is one of the better places to have lived.”
For Donna, a significant moment in her life was the trip by train in the late 1950s that she and her sister took to Buffalo, New York. She still wonders why her father let his two teenage daughters go alone on a shopping spree to the US – it was quite unusual of him to do so! Growing up in small town Peterborough, Ontario, the trip to Buffalo was quite an eye-opener. The United States was still very much a racially segregated country at the time and signs of racial discrimination were apparent throughout the city. For the first time in her life, Donna had a deep realization that not everyone “looked like her”. When she returned to Canada after this short trip, she started to look at Canada and the world in a different way; her awareness was raised about the racial inequities in both Canada and the world.
In the years that have followed, Donna and John have been very fortunate to travel and see much of the world together. Upon retiring, John chanced upon an opportunity to teach computer classes on board Princess Cruises! Always ready for an adventure, John accepted the position and together, he and Donna visited places in the world they never previously imagined. The longest cruise they took was a transatlantic one that lasted 105 days! John worked on “sea days” but was free on “port days”, giving him and Donna plenty of time for exploring. These experiences only added to Donna and John’s interest in the world and deepened their respect for cultural diversity, both at home and abroad.
Finding Parkgate
It was again one of those serendipitous moments. After moving to North Vancouver Donna was out for a walk, exploring her new community on the North Shore. She decided to walk around the golf course but lost her bearings in this new environment and wandered upon Parkgate Community Centre: she decided to go in. As a lifelong volunteer, Donna sensed right away that this was a place where she would like to spend some of her time. She interviewed for a volunteer position to make and serve coffee. She asked the woman interviewing her if, “there were many people in the line ahead of her for this volunteer position?” The woman, Dee Norris, laughed and looked at her a bit strangely. Needless to say, Donna started volunteering right away! She hasn’t stopped and, soon after, John started volunteering as well. Both Donna and John are well-known in the Parkgate community and continue to devote many volunteer hours to helping people live life better. However, the volunteerism doesn’t just end with Parkgate. Both Donna and John have volunteered in many capacities in and around North Vancouver including the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Ironman, and the Gran Fondo races to Whistler. They are a volunteering duo with tireless energy and enthusiasm!
Both Donna and John live very active lives. You will often see Donna walking the local trails and John still plays hockey 3 times a week and snowboards on the weekend.
Donna and John live their lives guided by the desire to make a positive difference in the lives of others and the Parkgate community holds a special place in their hearts. However, for John and Donna, their greatest accomplishments in life are their long marriage and their two exceptional sons.
