Mr. Chancellor,
I have the honour to present to you today Mr. Herman Smith Johannsen.
In presenting this man, known to some as "The Jack Rabbit" or "The Chief" I do so not only because of his engineering achievements in Panama, Cuba, United States and Canada but because he is, to many, "The Grand Old Man of Skiing".
Wherever business took him, he spent his spare time exploring the environment and enjoying the out of doors, sharing his enthusiasm with family and friends of all ages. To understand the countryside and to be able to find his way in unknown territory were to him the most important facets of life. And, it was in this attitude that he plunged wholeheartedly into developing the sport of skiing in Canada.
Not only did he conceive and lay out the now famous Maple Leaf Trail which meanders through the Laurentian countryside but his achievement in design of trails throughout "ski country" have opened the way to enjoyment for hundreds of thousands of winter enthusiasts. By his efforts and his example he has encouraged healthy attitudes among people of all ages in our increasingly complex society.
Mr. Chancellor, on behalf of the University Council and by authority of the Board of Governors, I present to you Herman Smith Johannsen that you may confer on him the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.
* deceased
