Creating strong family ties
John and Shirley Westeinde
John Westeinde, BESc’62, and family have pledged $25,000 to support construction of Western’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified facility, to be known as the Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion in the Faculty of Engineering. This adds to $25,000 donated two years ago to create the Westeinde Family Continuing Award in Environmental Engineering.
The Westeinde family’s ties to Western run deep and wide.
In addition to John receiving a Western degree, his wife Shirley graduated with a Diploma in Public Health Nursing in 1963. Each of their three children are graduates: Jeffrey, BESc’89 (Civil Engineering); Julie, BESc’89 (Chemical/Biochemical Engineering); and Jonathan, BA’92 (Economics).
Jeffrey’s wife also received a degree in Civil Engineering in 1991. Other family members who are Western graduates include: Nicholas Westeinde (John’s brother), Marlise Westeinde (John’s niece) and several members of Shirley’s family: Wayne McLeish, Doug McLeish, Don Prowse, Ryan McLeish and Paul McLeish.
“The Westeinde family has a strong association with Western,” says Jeffrey Westeinde, who is Chief Executive Officer of Quantum Murray LP in Ottawa.
“All of the Westeindes and McLeishs who attended university over the past two generations have received at least one degree from Western. My family has always been very dedicated to giving back to our communities. As a family we have been blessed with much good fortune and recognize the duty this places on us to be pro-active in ensuring a stronger community for everyone. My mother and father have instilled this in all of their kids.”
In recognition of this new gift, pending approval by Western’s Board of Governors, the Women in Engineering Office on the first floor of the Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion will be named The Westeinde Family Women in Engineering Office.
Jeffrey says naming the office is fitting given both his sister and wife are Western Engineers and, with the rest of the family, are dedicated to ensuring women feel welcome in the engineering profession.
The Faculty of Engineering has been committed to welcoming and supporting more female students and faculty over the years. In fact, the number of female students at Western has increased in the last few years. In 2008-09, Western Engineering had 240 female undergraduate students, which was a four per cent increase from last year, and made up about 20 per cent of the student base.
The Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion at Western is a $22-million, four-storey, 45,000-square-foot facility to house laboratories for environmental engineering research and space for student engagement and learning through hands-on design opportunities. This building is expected to be completed this summer. Being a LEED certified building means it has a high rating for environmental sustainability.
For more information about the Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion, contact Virginia Daugharty, Western Engineering, at vdaughar@eng.uwo.ca or 519-661-4209.