SHCS Retirements: October 2020–April 2021

“Rosalie retired from UBC Child Care Services in Dec. 2020 after a long career as an early childhood educator. Rosalie began her career at UBC in 1979 when the child care centres were operated by parent co-ops and housed in UBC owned “huts” located in family housing. The child care programs moved into custom built centres in 1989.

When UBC took over management of child care in 1990, Rosalie, along with many other ECE’s, became a UBC employee. Rosalie participated in the hiring committee that chose Darcelle Cottons as the first director of UBC CCS. She continued to work at Discovery Child Care Centre for several years as the senior supervisor in that program.

In the 90s Rosalie, her husband Ed, and their three young children relocated to Kelowna for several years. However, they missed Vancouver and eventually returned. Rosalie came back to CCS, becoming a member of the “boomerang” club, a name that refers to the many educators who leave for various reasons but make their way back to CCS.

Rosalie joined Chuva Child Care Centre, which at that time offered part-time seasonal child care for children under three years of age. She eventually became the senior educator at Chuva. When Chuva transformed into a full-time full-year program in 2010, Rosalie chose to change programs, as she preferred to work part-time. She moved to Little Goslings, also an under-three program, where she worked until her retirement this winter.

Throughout her career at UBC CCS, Rosalie mentored and inspired many early childhood educators. She frequently taught Early Childhood Education evening courses and supervised dozens of practicum students. Her responsive, kind approach to caring for children influenced students, colleagues and parents alike. She has been a leader in our field, modelling how to be in authentic, reciprocal, respectful relationships with children. As a result, she has had an impact in the lives of many, many children and families both directly through her practice and indirectly through her influence on others.

We will miss Rosalie, her sense of humour and her laugh. We wish her a happy relaxing retirement and we hope that she is able to travel to Australia to visit her two grandchildren soon!”

— Deb Thompson, Associate Director, Program Development, Child Care

“A mediator and facilitator, he kept the peace with everybody! Known for his teamwork on and off the jobsite, Paul was valued by his colleagues, supervisors and managers for his hard work, his positive attitude and his ability to work through conflicts.

While bricks and mortar, tiles and grout formed the backbone of his professional trade, his time for the people with whom he worked will remain his lasting hallmark.  We wish Paul a long, healthy and happy retirement, filled with great people and smooth golf greens!”

— David Kiloh, Director, Facilities & Building Services

“Yu-Hsin’s friendly smile and helpful attitude made him a key lead in our residence back of house operations. He was always willing to help out his co-workers and make sure that the space is clean, tidy and well stocked. Never shy to help out, he has done it all – and always with a smile!”

— Loriann McGowan, Associate Director, Residence Dining, Food Services

“After nearly thirty years, Bev Christian is retiring from UBC Child Care Services. Bev’s first position at Child Care Services, beginning in the fall of 1991, was as an auxiliary on-call educator. Later that winter she became a permanent early childhood educator at Tillicum where she worked for many years. Eventually she became the senior educator in that centre.

In 1999, Darcelle Cottons was seconded temporarily into another position and Bev stepped in as the acting director of CCS. That six-month temporary appointment stretched into a two-year+ assignment, during which Bev developed skills and knowledge about managing a multi-site child care centre. Bev returned to Tillicum for a short time but in early 2002 she became the Associate Director at CCS.

During the nineteen years that she has been in that position, CCS has grown from fourteen licensed child care programs to thirty-seven and the management team has grown from two people to seven. One of Bev’s primary responsibilities has been to enroll children in the “under-age-six” child care programs. Bev has managed a complexity that has included parents’ disappointment, frustration, gratitude, and euphoria within the evolving political realities of child care. Her commitment to providing child care to families drives her and inspires those around her. She has set the ethical tone that guides CCS.

In retirement, Bev plans to enjoy her other passions: outdoor active adventures with her husband Patrick that include camping, kayaking, snowshoeing, hiking, and cycling. They also enjoy wine tasting/purchasing trips to the Okanagan. We will miss Bev in CCS both because she is a committed leader and because she brings humour, joy and thoughtfulness to our team.”

— Deb Thompson, Associate Director, Program Development, Child Care

“Rosalina started with us in 2007 at end of our busy conference season. She was part of the team right from the start and eventually worked as a regular at Marine Drive and St. John’s College. We could always rely on her to do the best job for the students and guests.

She finished her career with the team at Totem Park. Although she is a quiet person, she was always very friendly and kind.  We all wish her the best in her retirement.”

— Claudia Popa, Building Service Manager, Totem Park

“Simon is a very smart guy who was fun to work with. A dedicated employee of over 34 years who put so much pride into his work every day, Simon was proud to feed the students at UBC and enjoyed working with his colleagues.

Always a well-liked member of the team, he was also very patient with new colleagues and took extra time to ensure they felt welcomed in a new environment. Simon was a familiar face at Ike’s Café for both students and staff alike.

Even deep into his career Simon was always willing to learn new things including facing a fully computerized Combi-Oven for the first time. He effortlessly learned how to operate it and was quickly teaching others how it worked.

He was a great member of our team for a long time and he will certainly be missed. We wish Simon a happy and healthy retirement and hope he returns from time to time to share his smile with us again.”

— David Speight, Executive Chef & Culinary Director, Food Services