On May 13, 2019, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society had good reason to celebrate. We officially opened the new Center for Geography and Exploration at 50 Sussex Drive in Ottawa. It will serve as the headquarters for the society, Canadian Geographic Magazine and Can Geo Education. But there were even more reasons to celebrate. Our Honorary President Alex Trebek and his wife Jean attended the opening as honored guests even though they have been facing challenging times in their lives. Alex was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. Despite finishing what we hope will be his final chemotherapy treatment a few days prior to the event, they flew up to preside over the receptions and formal opening attended by Canada’s Prime Minister. We’re so grateful and are inspired by his energy and sense of humor that you’ll hear in this podcast. Prime Minister Trudeau had kind words for the Trebeks and the RCGS. As a child, he was permitted to watch Jeopardy each afternoon. It was the only program that he and his siblings were permitted to watch. Trudeau is a former school teacher and graduate of Environmental Geography and thus the event had special significance for him.
For me, the event was unforgettable. The speeches were thoughtful. The crowd was jubilant and I also had the honor of recognizing Inuit educator, actor and explorer Johnny Issaluk as the newest Explorer in Residence for the Society.
