Today, three Canadians were elected to the College of Fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS). The RCGS College of Fellows includes many of Canada’s eminent explorers, astronauts, writers, geographers, scientists, artists, anthropologists, soldiers, business leaders, historians, educators and even some former Prime Ministers. RCGS Fellows are deemed to have distinguished themselves by directly contributing to scientific knowledge in the field of geography, geographical exploration or allied sciences (i.e., archaeology, atmospheric sciences, marine biology, zoology, etc.).
In the Society’s own words
“Fellowship in the College has, since its inception in 1929, represented the very best of Canada, including distinguished individuals from many different fields, united in their commitment to the Society’s mission to celebrate the country, its geography and peoples.”
The three inductees are:
Jennifer Thornhill Verma, Ottawa, Ontario. Jennifer is an ultra-talented journalist, landscape painter and non-profit executive from Newfoundland and Labrador, now living in Ottawa. For more than a decade, she has worked in the non-profit sector, converting best-available evidence into accessible language and formats to inform policy and practice decisions. In the past year, Jennifer’s journalism and artwork have been featured on covers of several magazines, and she received a “best new magazine writer” nomination at the National Magazine Awards. She most recently released her first nonfiction book titled “Cod Collapse: The Rise and Fall of Saltwater Cowboys,” a captivating account of the demise of the East Coast cod fishery and its lasting influences.
John de Boeck, Nanaimo, British Columbia. John is a licensed sea captain and began scuba diving in college. He owned and skippered the 61’ M.V. Clavella, a diving liveaboard for 22 years and delivered scuba divers and documentary film crews to unexplored and seldom visited sites. John owns and operates Browning Pass Hideaway Dive Resort is credited for exploring British Columbia’s more remote coastal regions and ancient First Nations village sites.
Read The Scuba News Canada article on Bruce Partridge from Shearwater Research Inc.
Bruce Partridge, Burnaby, British Columbia. Bruce is a technical scuba diver, computer systems designer and programmer. He is the President of Shearwater Research Inc., the maker of the Shearwater Petrel and NERD diving computers. Shearwater has grown into a thriving computer manufacturer and has recently been selected as the sole source for diving computers for the U.S. Navy’s most demanding saturation diving applications.
Congratulations from The Scuba News Canada to the three inductees.
