SFU

Happy Retirement Lionel!

Lionel TolanMy first job in my chosen career was technologist in the Technical Support Workshop of the Computer Services department at Simon Fraser University. I worked there for almost five years in the early 80s. It was a great starting job, a great place to work, and I made some life-long friends. And there's even a few people up there who remember me, though now there's one less.

Lionel Tolan ran the Operations section when I started at SFU. He was extremely personable and boy could he tell a story. And he had ideas. He was one of a handful of people there that made a big impression on me, though at the time I wasn't quite sure what to make of him. Little did I know then I was talking to a future mover and shaker in the SFU community. I moved on to a better job and Lionel ultimately became Director of University Computing Services. After 38 years at SFU Lionel decided to retire.

It was with pleasure I was able to attend Lionel's farewell reception last Wednesday. It was clear from the testimonials he's extremely well respected by both the people working for him and the academic community. An incredible feat, especially if you know any of the history of computing at SFU. And he still has the same spark that impressed me 25 years ago.

Once again, all the best Lionel! I'm sure this isn't so much retirement as a career change. Best of luck in what ever you do next.

Photo by Grant Dimock

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