A Magazine for Alumni and Friends
Walter Hachborn passed away on Dec. 17 at the age of 95. The co-founder and president emeritus of Home Hardware Stores Ltd., Hachborn was known locally in Waterloo Region, nationally and internationally for his work helping establish Home Hardware as one of Canada’s most-admired corporations. Hachborn served on Laurier’s Board of Governors for 10 years and the university presented him with an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1985. Laurier’s Walter and Jean Hachborn Award of Distinction is also named in his family’s honour. Hachborn was a member of the Order of Canada and a recipient of the Queen’s Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals.
Robert Harvey Lines passed away on Feb. 16 at the age of 74. He will be missed by his family, friends and neighbours. Lines’ education at Laurier allowed him to make a positive contribution as an employee of Georgian College.
Patricia O’Reilly, a faculty member at Laurier’s Brantford campus since 2009, passed away on Feb. 5. O’Reilly taught in Laurier’s Criminology and Law and Society programs and conducted research in the field of victims’ rights. A lawyer who practiced in the legal aid system for many years, she was actively involved in social justice issues throughout her life.
Nyron Sookraj passed away in Mississauga, Ontario on Oct. 1 at the age of 67. Sookraj will be remembered for his positive perspective, wisdom and promotion of growth and change. He valued the potential and uniqueness of all people and places, as well as how cultures connect. Sookraj loved travel and appreciated architecture, the arts, music and sports. His professional legacy includes working for 33 years as a social worker and manager with the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto.
Long-time Laurier faculty member and former department chair James Wong passed away on Dec. 4. After earning his PhD in philosophy from the University of Toronto, Wong and his family moved to Waterloo in 1998. He joined the faculty at Laurier the same year, first with the Department of Communication Studies, where he served as chair from 2002 to 2004. Wong was also chair of Laurier’s Department of Religion and Culture from 2011 to 2012 and chair of the Department of Philosophy from 2011 to 2014. He most recently served as associate professor in the Department of Philosophy. Wong’s research interests included epistemic injustice and the democratization of knowledge. He was also interested in the intersection between values and knowledge.