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JENNIFER LANG

Around Town
Trinity grads

TWO TERRACE residents are completing un-
dergraduate degrees from Trinity Western Uni-
versity.

Jeff Town is graduating with a Bachelor of
Arts in Communications. Benjamin Kerby is
graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Math
with distinction.

The pair were among more than 500 stu-
dents taking part in this year’s spring gradua-
tion ceremonies at Trinity Western, a
Christian liberal arts university located in Lan-
gley, B.C.

Each graduate received a small Nalgene
water bottle bearing the words “TWU Alumni”
on the side as a token of their achievement - a
gift from the alumni department.

MOM Pam Haldane with her beautiful
new baby Sasha.

A good gift

IT MAY NOT contain everything a new parent

needs to promote healthy speech-language and .

hearing development in their newborn child -
but it’s a great start.

Local parent Pam Haldane, who pave birth .

to her daughter Sasha earlier this month, took
home a special gift - a baby’ basket ‘filled with
a variety of toys and other items sponsored by
the B.C. Association of Speech-Language Pa-
thologists and Audiologists.

Sasha, who is a new sister to Yaya, 5, and
Keel, 7, was born on May 1, the first day of
Better Speech and Hearing Month.

Pat Sloan, a speech-language pathologist

with the Northern Health Authority, who pre-
sented the basket, says gifts included a rattle —
' which encourages babies to respond to noise; a
rubber duck and- wash clothes to ‘encourage
talking at bath time; and even bubbles — which
_can help promote early words like, “wow”,
“pop”, and “all gone!”
_ The basket also contained information
pamphlets and tips on how to use the toys to
promote speech and hearing development,

’ A perfect hand

IT DOESN'T happen very often, Some say it
‘only happens once in a life time.

Long-time cribbage player Fran Lindstrom
y is savouring a rare
achievement.
The Terrace senior re-
cently played a hand of
29 at cribbage — the
4 game’s highest-scoring ~
m and therefore rarest —
@ hand.
It’s the first time it’s
A happened to Lindstrom,
although she’s a regular
B player.
The event took place at
Lindstrom’s usual crib-
bage haunt, the Happy
Gang Centre.
She gets together with
other regulars to play the game twice a week,
often joined by her husband, Otto.

NWCC students

join grad ceremonies

NEARLY 300 Northwest Community College
graduates will be recognized for their achieve-
ments this Saturday at the R.E.M. Lee Theatre.
In all, 269 people are graduating from 22
college programs in Terrace and in Kitimat.
The graduation list includes the 26 people
who, earlier this year, completed the first-ever
licensed practical nursing program held by the
college.
. Programs producing graduates range from
associate of arts to business administration to
“carpentry and joinery to computer technology
. to heavy duty. mechanics to social: service
worker training to welding.
Graduation ceremonies begin at 2 p.m. May
31 but the grads will be there early. to line up
..for-a ceremonial entry which begins at. 1:30

Fran
Lindstrom

: [> p.m. There’ will be guest. speakers and student. -
-P addresses, A’ tea at the: college. follows the’ cer
1, emonties.

~ and her parents Mario and Olivia

By JESSIE GIES

RAIN PATTERS on the plastic
roof of 4 Pear Street greenhouse.
Maria Coutinho is in the garden
with her family as usual. Though
the air is bone-chilling, the close-
knit quartet works the earth the
way their ancestors in Portugal
have for decades,

“It’s a lot of work,” Coutinho
says, but admits gardening brings
the family joy. “We're just like a
team.”

The Coutinho garden is one of
LO featured in this summer’s An-
nual Perennial Garden Tour, spon-
sored by Terrace Women and De-
velopment,

Coutinho, her husband Jose,

Henriques, have grown flowers in
their backyard for more than 20
years, selling them iccally.

They spend their retirement
tending to apple trees, lilac
bushes and tulips.

Her family endured many
struggles on the journey from Por-
tuguese farmers to gardeners in
Terrace. Through desperate cir-

gett,

ye
yet

. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 28, 2003 - B1

tt

our

638-7283

How gardening turned into
one family’s lab

of love

FAMILY: Mario Henriques (from left), wife Oliva and daughter Maria Coutinho will welcome guests
into their three-acre yard June 1 as part of the perennial garden tour.,

JESSIE GIES PHOTO

cumstances, the family was se-

parated. But strong will, uncondi-
tional love, and a common pas-
sion for agriculture saw them
through,

In the mid-1950s, the Henri-
ques earned a living through the
family farm in Portugal and a
modest wine business. But the

wine supplier suddenly went
bankrupt, sending the family on a
search to save the farm that led
Henriques and his brother Alberto
to Canada.-

The Henriques brothers found
work on a farm outside of Mon-
treal paying 75 cents an hour. The

men sent most of their payche-
ques back to their family in Portu-
gal, leaving the ‘brothers barely
above the starvation level.

_ Then a job offer came by way.

of Alcan.- The brothers began
working in Kitimat for a $1.25 an
hour, almost double what: they

were making in Quebec.

Mario Henriques was able to
buy a house from John and Her-
mani¢ Lips in June of 1963. By
November, the ‘family was reuni-
ted after more than seven years of
painful separation.

Continued Page BS

y

Probing DNA’s deepest secrets

UVic Phd candidate searches for something no one. else has ever even.seen .

MELANIE CONRAD calls’ her esearch work

just one tiny piece of the huge puzzle. of what.

makes humans tick.

A 1993 Caledonia grad, Conrad is now pur-
suing a PhD degree at the University af Vic-
toria, where she’s using the most sophisticated
of equipment to probe the innermost secrets of
life —- DNA modelling and T-cells.

“It’s like a war, T-cells are the generals of
the inner system,’ Conrad says.

While scientists know some of what goes
on, there’s so much that remains: unknown.
And that’s where Conrad is concentrating her
efforts.

“There's both the thrill and the expectation
of the finish,” Conrad adds. , ,

Her research alone costs $20,000 a month —
financed through government grants — and one
piece of equipment she uses is worth $500,000.

Conrad attributes her cutting-edge research
to a childhood fascination with insects. Grow-

_ptovide-a closer look at the world

ing up, she had a microscope to

of bugs.’

After graduating from Cal, she
spent one year at Northwest Com-
munity College before transferring
to University College of the Cari-
boo in- Kamloops,

- She earned her Bachelor of
Science there, and then moved on
to Victoria for post graduate work,
culminating in her PhD research
quest.

“I’m looking for something —
looking at stuff no one else has
ever seen before,” Conrad says.

It’s been a good time to get
into research, she notes, because

Melanie
Conrad

- of recent advances in scientific equipment.
- “When I started, it would take two years to
get the components of one DNA sequence and

now it can be done in a month, "

she says. FS espe)

“Before, the work was spent crank-
ing out the data and now the em-

phasis is on studying it” —

Her work and interests have taken
her to international scientific con-

ferences.

When not concentrating on her re--
search, Conrad acts as a volunteer

advisor with elementary school tea-

chers on teaching science;in class,

speaks to elementary’ classes,

f judges science fair entries and. acts
as a mentor with Big Brothers and
Big Sisters, She’s also a member of
the UVic speakers bureau,

Conrad’s. advice to high school stu-

dents is to pay attention to grades if they wish
to attend a post secondary school and to
choose the appropriate classes they'll need.

Why the Wesleys have five — count
‘em — live NWCC grads ‘In the family

By JESSIE GIES
FIVE OF Mamie and
Paddy Wesley's children
will have a chance to do
something they couldn't do
— graduate from a post-
secondary institution.

All five will be on stage
this Saturday at the R.E.M.
Lee Theatre as they and
other Northwest Commun-
ity College graduates re-
ceive certificates and di-
plomas.

“To have this many
children all together back
in school is very special,
very rewarding to us,”
Mamie says.

Her daughter April, 22,
and son Armin, 23,. are
both graduating from
NWCC’s professional
cooking program. Aaron,
33, will receive his car-
pentry diploma while both
Roxanne, 28, and Sandy,

WHAT A FAMILY: the Wesley family stands in front of the sign at NWCC's

Terrace campus. (Aaron Wesley is not pictured.) JESSIE GIES PHOTO

ways.”

April and Kerby are
moving tc Kamloops next
year for internships. Armin
will likely do his inter-
nship in Edmonton,

Sandy is finishing her
commerce degree ‘in’ Vic-
toria, where Sonny ‘will
complete his automotive
apprenticeship,

Aaron will start his.own
carpentry business in Glen
Vowell and Roxanne will
slay in Terrace to upgrade
at NWCC next year.

Although Mamie ‘said
she might find it hard to be
separated from her child-
ten, she believes the fami-
ly’s story sends a positive
message to the commun-
ity,

“You're neither too
young or too old to go to
school. [ think our family

39, studied business ad-

demonstrates that,” she
said.

-Kerby Gates,

_fience, Ss, : .
The Wesley family, otis

ginally ‘from Glen Vowell .

ministration,

To top it. off, when
Sandy decided to go to
school, her husband Sonny
Olson decided. to enrol in
the automotive ‘program,
which happened to be the
same area of study for
April's

in the Hazelions, says it’s
merely a coincidence.
Each has a different reason
for going to school,
Roxanne wants to set a
positive example for her
two children, whom she
hopes will also seek a

post-secondary education

after high school,

tion in Terrace is not pro-

April said the job situa ;

mising, compelling her to
go to school.
“There’s no work; we

had to do something,” he :
said,
Each agreed having fae

mily support has helped
them feel -comfartable
about. their new school en-
vironment. :
Sonny °said having 30

- much family around has

all go

also helped his education.
“I’ve worked on a lot of
their vehicles this year,”
he laughed...

Mamie said. the family
is very close-knit and ga-

‘thers just for the sake of

being together.

“Year after year, we get
_ together, This year will be

different because they will
their separate

Her husband, Paddy,
agreed,

“T really feel pood
about them taking this dir-
ection,” he sald, “I'm. very
happy that they’re doing
this.”

“The Wesleys have an-
other daughter ‘with post-
secondary training. Rhoda

_is-a registered nurse living

in the Kispiox,