Honorary degrees for three survivors
The University of Saskatchewan will honour a trio of survivors whose stories have inspired and informed Canadians.
Max Eisen, Joy Kogawa and Fred Sasakamoose will receive honorary degrees at this year's virtual fall convocation for major contributions to their communities and society.
This year's celebration, to be held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, begins Nov. 10.
Eisen, a Holocaust historian, is the only member of his family to survive the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Second World War. He has spent the past three decades travelling coast to coast, giving his first-hand account of a horrible chapter in human history. He also testified at the trial that led to the conviction of two Nazi SS guards from Auschwitz.
Kogawa, who endured the in
ternment of Japanese-canadians during the Second World War, began her celebrated writing career while studying at U of S in the 1960s. The 1986 Order of Canada recipient has worked tirelessly to educate and earn reparations for Japanese-canadians who were forced
from their homes into camps.
Sasakamoose suffered through a decade in the residential school system after he was taken from his family during the Second World War. He would go on to make history as an Indigenous player in the National Hockey League. The Order of Canada recipient has spent 60 years serving his community of Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation as band leader, chief and elder while being a passionate proponent of creating opportunities for youth.
“We are humbled and honoured to recognize these three remarkable individuals for their respective accomplishments, courage and conviction, commitment to community, and passion and perseverance in sharing stories that need to be told,” U of S president and vice-chancellor Peter Stoicheff said in a news release, adding that he is proud the university will recognize their extraordinary achievements and spotlight their first-hand stories of triumph over tragedy.
This is an opportunity to celebrate the impact the three recipients have made in their communities and country, Stoicheff said.
The graduation celebration website will launch on Nov. 10 and will be accessible through the U of S convocation website.
Honorary degrees, the highest honour bestowed by the U of S, acknowledge the worthy and unique contributions recipients have made to their community and to the world.