Class Notes

Catch up on classmates, housemates, faculty, and friends.

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Marking career and personal achievements, special milestones and the birth of future Queen's alumni - Class Notes helps you stay in touch with former classmates, housemates, and faculty.

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  • 1990s

    Jodi (Rossman) Nathanson

    – ArtsSci’98, ConEd’99

    Winter 2023

    Jodi Nathanson has been a high school English teacher (Grades 9-12) at TanenbaumCHAT in Toronto for over 20 years. She has filled the role of co-head of the English department, and has recently published articles in Canadian Teacher Magazine, The Literary Yard, The Wilderness House Literary Review and The Bangalore Review by Spanning Minds. Those interested are encouraged to read her articles: , Sept. 26, 2023; , Aug. 23, 2023; , July 2023

  • 1980s

    John Wynne and Denise Hawrysio

    – Artsci’83 and BFA’81

    Winter 2023

    Showing support for Ukraine, John and Denise’s latest art installation, “and quiet that splinters the winter”, was exhibited at At Home Gallery – a former synagogue built by the Slovak Jewish community in the early 20th century – in Samorin, Slovakia in the fall. The installation asked how – and if – art can respond to the Russian invasion of the country. Hawrysio’s family were part of the early 20th-century Ukrainian diaspora in Canada, and she grew up hearing her grandmother’s stories of the traumatic circumstances that caused her to leave Ukraine. Since February 2022, both artists have felt compelled to search for ways to respond to the atrocities in Ukraine through their work. Denise's collages are being sold to raise funds for the Ukrainian Civil Defence through , a project started by artist Taras Polataiko in Chernivtsi, Ukraine.

  • 1980s

    Ian Burwash

    – Meds’85

    Winter 2023

    Ian Burwash was awarded the Distinguished Teacher/Mentor Award by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society for his outstanding contribution to cardiovascular health and care in October 2023. Ian, as a University of Ottawa professor and director of Echocardiography at the Ottawa Heart Institute, continues to train medical students, cardiology residents and echo fellows. Ian thanks Queen's, Dalhousie and University of Washington for his training.

  • 1970s

    George J.A. Vassos

    – Com’76, Law’80

    Fall 2023

    George J.A. Vassos is a partner in the Toronto office of Littler LLP and has been recognized in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada in labour and employment law. George has practiced employment law for 40 years and has been consistently recognized in the industry as a leading employment lawyer in Canada by Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (over 25 consecutive years) and Chambers Canada (five consecutive years). He publishes extensively on employment law issues including statutory and case law developments and was also recognized as a 2022 thought leader in employment law by JD Supra.

  • 1970s

    Barry Kuretzky 

    – Law’78 

    Fall 2023

    Barry Kuretzky is a partner in the Toronto office of Littler LLP and has been recognized in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada in labour and employment law. Barry has been an acknowledged resource on Canadian employment and labour law for over four decades and has been consistently recognized by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as one of the country’s top lawyers for over 25 years. 

  • Andrew Rathbun

    1990s

    Andrew Rathbun

    – Artsci’92

    Fall 2023

    Andrew Rathbun is pleased to announce that his album, The Speed of Time, was released on Sept. 15. ֱ the album, Andrew says: “The pieces on Speed of Time are all connected with how the world has unfolded over the past few years. They are not necessarily ‘pandemic pieces’ per se, but influenced by the strange fluctuations of my perception of time during that period and beyond.” The saxophonist has been recording steadily since the late 1990s and his latest album is published by Steeplechase Records.