Class Notes

Craig Jones has co-written Chasing the Blues: A Traveler’s Guide to America’s Music published by Backbeat Books (September 2021). Jones completed his doctorate in international political economy in the department of Political Studies under the supervision of Charles Pentland and went on to teach at Loyalist and St. Lawrence Colleges before returning to full-time research and policy analysis at the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research and the Centre for Studies in Primary Care. He later headed two NGOs: the John Howard Society of Canada, during the rollout of the Harper crime agenda, and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, during the run-up to cannabis legalization. With co-author Josephine Matyas, Jones toured and researched across the Mississippi Delta to produce a traveller’s guide to the headwaters of one of America’s truly distinct contributions to world culture: the blues.

Jeanette Rice recently retired from commercial real estate firm CBRE where she was Americas Head of Multifamily Research, and one of the leading housing economists in the U.S. Her career spanned nearly 40 years, all in commercial real estate economics. While based in Texas, through her professional career, Jeanette has returned to Canada frequently and she hopes to have many more opportunities to visit Canada in retirement, when she is not globetrotting to more distant lands.

After a 32-year career in the Canadian Forces and a three-year stint as the chief of staff at Campbellford Memorial Hospital, I have retired from the practice of medicine to spend time on my 18-acre estate near Stirling, Ont. There, with my wife Nancy and my stepdaughter Kristin, I lounge by the pool, maintain my grounds, target shoot, and enjoy my vinyl record collection. P.S. I still have that 1973 MGB!

Andy was appointed to the role of vice president and head of Application Services for Fujitsu Americas. Andy lives in Carp, Ont., with his partner Elisabeth Cocco.

Robert McCann, FRSC (BScH ‘89) was named a Canada Research Chair in mathematics, economics, and physics at the University of Toronto in 2021. Robert looks back fondly on the training he received at Queen’s, as he shares his knowledge and discoveries with Canada’s next generation of scientific leaders. He lives in a semi-detached home in Toronto, which he shares with his wife, Carolyn, their three sons (born in 2012, 2014, and 2016), and his mother Daisy. His nearest neighbour is a fellow Queen’s Musical Theatre alumnus from the 1986 production of Company. He would be happy to hear from former associates at Queen’s, including classmates, QMT, Queen’s Orchestra, and Kingston Symphony alumni. Cha Gheill! Learn more about Robert and his work.

I write children’s books now that I am retired. The Teacup Tree is about a friendship between a tree stump, a lonely grandfather, and his chatty granddaughter, which will melt the hardest heart. The best thing to do after reading this story is for every parent or grandparent and grandchild to give each other the biggest bear hug imaginable and then go outside to hug a tree, together. This beautifully illustrated story is geared for children ages six to nine but will warm the heart of everybody who feels that every moment with their child is precious.