University set to launch new coffee-table book of campus photos, memories
BY MARY DICKIESON
Everyone will have to pick their own favourite photo, but for me, it's the page 48 image of a tree and trunk and branches reflected in the water of Wild Goose Swamp at the Arboretum. It's a view of the University campus you can't see or capture on film without making a considerable effort, which come to think of it, is just what photographer Richard Bain has been doing for the last year.
Bain has visited U of G many times, in all kinds of weather, to photograph the campus. One hundred and twenty pages of his photos have been published in a new coffee-table book that will be introduced to the University community at a Nov. 24 book launch in the University Centre courtyard.
All members of the University are invited to the 3 p.m. event hosted by president Alastair Summerlee. Special guests will include Bain and chancellor Lincoln Alexander, who was photographed at convocation for the new book.
The University of Guelph photo book will be on sale at the launch for $40 and afterwards at the University Bookstore.
Chuck Cunningham, director of Communications and Public Affairs, co-ordinated the photography project in response to numerous requests from alumni and U of G staff.
“This is the University keepsake that many people have been asking for,” he says. “Richard Bain's photographs depict both the beauty and diversity of the University. He's also captured the excitement of being a University of Guelph student, the dignity of our important traditions and an array of seasonal landscapes that I know will evoke many great memories for all members of the University family.”
The book includes a foreword by former Canadian astronaut Roberta Bondar, who completed her undergraduate degree at Guelph in 1968. The pages of photos are also enriched by reflective quotes from several other notable graduates, as well as current students and members of the campus community.
The chancellor's photo on page 104 will certainly be the favourite of the smiling graduate he was greeting when the picture was taken. Many other students are featured in the book along with faculty, staff and campus visitors on the main Guelph campus, as well as on the regional campuses at Kemptville, Ridgetown, Alfred and Vineland, and at the University of Guelph-Humber.
A noted photographer whose work has been published across North America and Europe, Bain has produced several other photo books, including books that document Waterloo County, the Niagara region, the Stratford Festival, the Thames River and his hometown of London.
His own favourite U of G photo appears on pages 94 and 95 of the book. It was taken at College Royal during teddy bear surgery at the Ontario Veterinary College. He says the interaction between a student and two young visitors says a lot about the character of the university he has come to know over the past year.
“Through the University's diversity, a common thread exists, and that is the spirit and friendliness of the students, staff and faculty,” he says. “The University of Guelph is a place that truly grows on you, a campus filled with people and places that touch your heart. I hope this book keeps the memory alive for those of you fortunate enough to have an affiliation with this great university.”
