If there is a big event or major organization in Calgary, odds are Michael Casey has played a major role in it. The 1972 law alumnus has been involved with the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, Calgary Grey Cup Committee, Calgary Airport Authority, Tourism Calgary, Calgary Chamber of Commerce, Calgary Airport Authority and most notable served as president and CEO of the Calgary Stampede.“
The Stampede, many would say, is the very fabric of what Calgary is … it’s just a very special organization to have been involved in,” Michael says.
The long list of community involvement is one of the reasons why Michael has been named this year’s Johnson Award recipient, which is the highest honour bestowed by the QUAA’s Calgary Branch. Michael will be honoured at a reception on Oct. 7.
He took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his career and his experience at Queen’s.
Q: Why did you choose to do you law degree at Queen’s?
A: “Well, that’s so long ago. I can honestly say I had completed a four-year undergraduate program at U of Alberta. I was interested in going to another university just to gain experience and the opportunity came to apply to different schools. I thought it would be interesting to go to school in eastern Canada since I’d never been there at that stage in my life. I didn’t know anything about Queen’s at the time but as it turned out it was probably one of the best decisions I made without a whole a lot of prior knowledge about the quality of the school. I applied to a number of different law schools and Queen’s was one that was good enough to accept me and I just made that decision at that time.”
Q: After finishing your law degree, why did you choose to settle in Calgary?
A: “It was home by then. My family had moved to Calgary after I went into my undergrad. So, Calgary had been home for awhile. I spent some of my summers working in Calgary and had met some people here and felt that it was just a great place to go to work in terms of the nature of Alberta and the economy and what I was interested in at the time. So, [I] had an opportunity to come back with just an excellent law firm, so that was the basis of the decision.”
Q: How does it feel to be this year’s Johnson Award winner?
A: “Humbling. [I was] completely surprised by the whole thing. I’ve not been particularly active as part of the Queen’s alumni in Calgary. I’ve done some things for the law school. So, it was very surprising to receive the phone call but very humbling when I thought about all the other great people that are here and what they’ve done for the community and the university.”
Q: How do you feel Queen’s has helped you both professionally and personally over the years since graduating?
A: “Professionally, it provided me with just an excellent education in law... the law school at Queen’s is just first rate and I was very fortunate to have gone there. The quality of the education, the quality of the professors, the faculty and, perhaps most importantly, the quality of the students when I was there was just terrific and so I was very fortunate. It provided me with the basis for what you need to practice law and that’s terrific. In terms of carrying on in life afterwards, my experience of going down to Queen’s as a young man 21 years-old and experiencing everything there is in eastern Canada, I had a terrific group of classmates. [I’ve] maintained close relationships with many of them since then. The opportunity to visit with many of them and their families when I was down there gave me a huge exposure to Canada and [a different] culture. It was terrific. It was just an amazing three years and really set me up for whatever success I’ve had.”
Q: Not bad for a random choice in a law school ...
A: “Oh, without question. I mean when you ask that question, ‘why Queen’s?’ I think if you ask people now, you know, universities now are so competitive and there’s so many factors it seems that young people have to think about when they’re choosing universities. Back then, it didn’t seem that complex, at least it wasn’t to me. and I was just so lucky that Queen’s had sent me the acceptance letter when they did and I was able to accept.”
Q: Are there any memories from your time at Queen’s that stand out?
A: “Thousands. I think I touched on the one that’s probably the most significant and that was the amazing classmates that I had in Law’72. Just a terrific bunch of people and we’ve maintained those relationships over many, many years. But the quality of the people that I studied with and enjoyed life with for three years was just amazing. You know there are so many memories that come from that itself; you could fill a book. But that’s perhaps the most important. I mean, the culture of Queen’s when you’re there, it’s something Queen’s has to be very proud of because it’s a smaller university. You’re in a university town; you’re not in a commuter campus. It’s a completely different experience to what I had at U of A, which is a much larger university ... but the total experience as a student in a university town like Kingston is something that I’ll never forget and something that I will always value. The atmosphere around the university, the sports and everything that takes place there, the cultural activities, the location of it on the lake, it was just an amazing experience.”
Q: What do you like most about being a lawyer?
A: “That’s a difficult question to answer but number one is the ability to work with companies [and] individual clients on issues that concern them, whether they be problems or whether they be opportunities. To assist people from the legal aspect and be part of that decision making process is, to me, the most important and interesting part of what I’ve done. Secondarily, it would be, if you’re fortunate enough and lucky enough to get into a firm that supports you and you support them. There’s just not a better way to spend your working life in terms of working with a group of people who share common values and interests. You can grow so much, not just as a professional, as a lawyer, but as a person, and I’ve been very fortunate with this firm. It’s just an excellent law firm in so many different ways that has provided me with the base of everything that I can do.”
Q: You are heavily involved in the Calgary community and have volunteered with many organizations, including the Calgary Stampede, Calgary Olympic Committee, Tourism Calgary, and Calgary Grey Cup Committee. Why is giving back important?
A: “There’s that old adage, I think everybody has to pay for the space they occupy and there’s many, many ways of doing that, of course, and one way is to be involved in your community in different organizations that provide some value back to the community. That was the route I chose. But I think it’s very important when you settle into a community that that old adage of paying for the space you occupy is one thing you have to think about and that was something that when I joined this law firm, the senior partners at that time, they were all very active in Calgary and they just anticipated that the people who joined the firm would follow that lead. So I was just extremely fortunate to have been here just after Chief Justice Ken Moore – who was the senior partner – left and then my mentors, Miles Atkinson, Terry McMahon, were both very active in the community and got me involved very quickly and very soon in my career. They were supportive and that’s what they felt was important in the community, in addition to providing good legal advice, so it was an easy transition for me.”
Q: What do you consider to be your greatest professional accomplishment?
A: “I don’t know if there’s an easy answer to that question. Being able to practice in a law firm for your entire career with the quality of people that I was privileged to work with, if that’s an accomplishment? I always look back on that with a great deal of satisfaction. I’ve been blessed with just wonderful partners and associates over my career. To be associated with that group of people for my entire career is probably something I will always consider as a highlight.”
