2023 Black & Gold Inductees

May 13, 2023 at the 4th Black & Gold Dinner, we celebrate each of these extraordinary Vic High alumni. They will join sixteen current members of the Black & Gold Honour Roll, from Emily Carr, VHS 1888 to Sam Dunn, VHS 1992. A video about each past inductee is linked from the full list here.

Lawrie Wallace, VHS 1930 (1913 – 2006) 

Lawrie Wallace, 1913-2006, was a student at Vic High (VHS 1930), returning as a teacher for several years before joining the BC Public Service. His influence as Deputy Provincial Secretary and Deputy Premier was legendary. He was a key figure in Vic High’s 1976 Centennial Celebration, along with Sylvia Hosie and popular teacher and drama coach Tommy Mayne, a 2018 Black and Gold Honouree. Wallace was the driving force behind the 1948-49 fundraising for the Memorial Stadium, and was instrumental in helping create the Victoria High School Alumni Association. In recent years the beautiful Vic High Auditorium was renamed in his honour.

 

 

 

 

Jill Wallace, VHS 1966 (1948 – 2011)

Jill Wallace, 1948-2011, was the school’s top student in 1966, and also spent her life championing Vic High. She followed in her father’s footsteps in public service, eventually becoming BC’s Deputy Attorney General. She was a tireless and valued member of the Alumni Association, and spent countless hours helping organize and promote the school’s valuable archives and museum collections until her untimely death in 2011.

 

 

 

 

Sylvia Hosie, VHS 1961

Sylvia Hosie, VHS 1961, is one half of “The Hosies”, Victoria’s legendary entertainment couple whose love story began on the Vic High auditorium stage about 60 years ago. Sylvia has carved a name for herself as an actor, choreographer, director and writer while husband Bill, VHS 1960, had CBC starring roles as a singer and comedic and serious actor. Sylvia went on to a teaching career at George Jay Elementary and was instrumental in developing the performing arts department at Claremont Senior Secondary school.

 

 

 

 

Timothy Vernon, VHS 1963

Victoria High School’s musical gift to Canada, Maestro Timothy Vernon, a grad of 1963,  wraps up a 43-year gig with Pacific Opera Victoria next June. But he’s not leaving POV empty. The founding director of POV in 1980, Timothy has programmed the company’s next two season, adding “I’ve got 10 years of energy and ideas and plans left.” His many awards include the Order of Canada, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Lieutenant Governor’s Arts and Music Award and Opera Canada’s Ruby Award. Timothy has been the guest conductor at every Canadian professional opera company: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Nova Scotia. In recognition of his highly acclaimed work, the maestro has received honourary degrees from the University of Victoria and Royal Roads University.

 

Mohammed Elewonibi, VHS 1983

The Super Bowl ring belongs to Mohammed “Mo” Elewonibi, a member of the Washington Redskins when they won the 1992 NFL championship. Nigerian-born Elewonibi, VHS 1983, played rugby, soccer and basketball at Vic High and began playing football seriously in Utah. In 1989 he won the prestigious Outland Trophy, awarded to the best lineman in U.S. football. 1997-2005 he played for the BC Lions, then the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

 

 

 

 

Pamela Madoff, VHS 1972

Pamela Madoff is her name and Victoria’s heritage is her passion. A 1972 Victoria High School graduate, Pam served a quarter of a century on Victoria City Council. One of her biggest, most successful projects was working to keep Victoria’s Old Town district intact. Her passion for heritage preservation also included advocating to keep Vic High’s 1914 Grant Street building, currently under major renovation and seismic upgrading. Vic High was founded in 1876 on the grounds of what is now Central Middle School, and 2026 will mark its sesquicentennial. The Grant Street building was finished and occupied in 1914, added on to in 1956 and 2011, and will re-open January 2024, 110 years ‘new’. Pam’s work has gained her many honours, including Heritage B.C.’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her tireless efforts to keep historic sites from disappearing. She chaired the Victoria Heritage Advisory Committee, was a B.C. governor of the Heritage Canada Foundation and served on the Advisory Design Board and Civic Trust.

 

 

Ian McDougall, VHS 1956

The Grammy belongs to Ian McDougall of the Canadian group The Boss Brass, which won the 1983 Grammy Award for best jazz instrumental album. McDougall, VHS 1956, grew up in Victoria where at age 11, he joined the Victoria Boys Band hoping to play drums. But there wasn’t a full drum kit there, so he looked at the trumpet. “Play the trombone, son,” his father said. “Because a good trombone player is never out of work.” And play the trombone he did. At age 13, he began playing venues around Victoria and became so good that by 1960, he was touring Great Britain with the John Dankworth band. He returned to B.C. two years later and played with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra before earning Bachelors and Masters degrees in music at UBC. He then taught music at UVic from 1988 until he retired as Professor Emeritus in 2003.

 

 

 

Ann Kipling, VHS 1951

Ann Kipling, VHS 1951, is an impressionistic artist who has received national recognition for her work. She attended the Vancouver School of Arts in the 1950s, long before it changed its name in 1978 to Emily Carr University of Art and Design, after another former Vic High student and worldrenowned artist. In 2004 she was awarded the inaugural Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts, one of Canada’s most prestigious honours. She’s also received an honorary doctorate from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and the Canada Council Victor Martyn LynchStaunton Award.