Two UNB alumni to receive Order of New Brunswick
Author: Tim Jaques
Posted on Aug 14, 2024
Category: UNB Fredericton
This fall, two University of New Brunswick (UNB) alumni will be invested into the Order of New Brunswick.
John Leroux (PhD’20), from Fredericton, and Karen O. Taylor (BA’72, MPA’88), from Woodstock, were among five announced on New Brunswick Day.
“We are incredibly proud of John and Karen,” said Michelle McNeil (BBA’03, MBA’09), executive director of UNB’s Associated Alumni.
“They are leaders in the community and their active engagement with our university and alumni has had a lasting impact. We are honoured to count them among our distinguished alumni.”
The order recognizes individuals “who have demonstrated a high level of excellence and achievement in their field.”
Leroux was selected for “his outstanding vision, dedication and commitment to the future of the province’s architecture and to the protection of historic buildings, and for his passion for building an improved quality of life for generations to come.”
He has authored 18 books on architecture and visual culture, including Building a University: The Architecture of UNB.
Leroux said he was “deeply honoured.”
“As an architectural practitioner and cultural historian, the influence of UNB on my life has been profound,” he said. “The campus and its buildings have inspired me over the decades, and I have tried to give back to this great institution by being as vocal a champion as I could on its architecture and its resonance with who we are and who we can be as a province.”
Taylor was honoured for “her lifelong dedication to addressing injustice, improving other people’s lives and supporting initiatives that make her community, province and country better.”
Taylor said she was “deeply honoured and humbled” to be chosen as a recipient and share the recognition with “the many wonderful volunteers and people with whom I have worked over the years.”
“As a proud UNB alumna, I have fond memories of my time as a student and my involvement in later years with the Board of Governors, the Senate, the Associated Alumni and as president of the Associated Alumnae Executive Council. I am pleased to currently be a member of the advisory board of the faculty of management.”
Leroux and Taylor will be formally invested alongside Kassim Doumbia of Shippagan, Carmen Gibbs of Grand-Bouctouche and Robert K. Irving of Moncton at Government House this fall.