MacLennan Society warmly welcomes new members

At Dalhousie's annual Celebration of Philanthropy in December 2021, President and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini welcomed new members of the MacLennan Society. Established in 2017, the MacLennan Society recognizes Dalhousie's most loyal supporters, and is named after Dr. Rod MacLennan (BSc’60, LLD’98) — the first alumnus to reach 50 years of consecutive giving to the university.

The Black-Eyed Susan symbolizes encouragement, motivation, and growth. It is the symbol of the MacLennan Society, representing our most loyal donors who provide Dalhousie with the encouragement and motivation needed to truly grow.

Previously, new members were welcomed into the society’s bronze level upon making a gift in 10 of the previous 15 years. Those who had given in 25 of the previous 30 years were elevated to the silver level, and subsequently acknowledged as gold-level members upon giving in 50 of the previous 60 years. In its first year, nearly 6,500 donors were welcomed into the MacLennan Society. Since then, approximately 250 new donors have been recognized each year.

In 2021, Dalhousie revised the MacLennan Society’s parameters and now recognizes MacLennan Society members upon achieving 10, 25 and 50-year giving milestones, regardless of timespan. As a result, we were pleased to welcome more than 1,500 new or elevated members from more than one thousand households.

The 2021 honourees included six new gold level members, whose incredible generosity and commitment to Dalhousie is most inspirational:

  • Professor Edwin Harris (BComm’54, LLB’58)
  • Dr. Norman Layton (DDS’56) & Mrs. Mary Layton (BSc’56)
  • Dr. Allan MacDonald (MD’63) & Ms. Lorna MacDonald (BSc’89)
  • Mr. Herbert Wyman (LLB’53)

Interestingly, the Laytons share a personal connection to the MacLennans: Along with being long-time neighbours in Truro, N.S., Rod and his wife Robin were dental patients of Norman’s, and they continue to attend the practice of his and Mary’s son Michael (DDS’95).

“It is a great feeling to be able to give back to Dalhousie, particularly as members of the MacLennan Society,” says Dr. Layton. “We have known and admired our friends Rod and Robin for over 50 years. They are setting a fine example by their generous support of our local community, as well as by their long-time contributions to Dalhousie.”