Peggy March - March 10, 2018

Everything is connected to everything else!

I recently wrote an article on Ken Bragg of Safe Software & in the course of our conversation when Ken said he had attended COGS, I asked if he knew Dave MacLean. It turns out that he graduated before Dave started teaching, but that he had heard of him.

For years, I have interacted with geospatialists in education, government, and industry from across Canada and from around the world at conferences, meetings, and on social media. A good number of them knew about (or asked if I knew) Dave MacLean at COGS, so it was natural to infer that Dave and COGS are synonymous ...

As with all COGS’ faculty, Dave is well-revered in geomatics and education circles in Nova Scotia, and all have had the privilege to influence a great number of students. Those graduates have gone on to wonderful, fulfilling careers.

In time, I met Jon Murphy from Ottawa of GoGeomatics through the Royal Canadian Geographical Society of which we are both Fellows. Jon later connected me with Ted MacKinnon. Sure enough, Jon and Ted had gone to COGS. They both knew Dave MacLean too, through COGS and GANS. Turns out that Ted and Dave are both Fellows, too. More connections!

As an educator, one of my favourite quotes is, “A teacher affects the future.” Therefore, I could only conclude that Dave, as an instructor and role model, has been influential in mentoring countless students, leaving a valued legacy to his profession.

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