Between them, Rhonda Wishart and John Cuthbertson have five Dalhousie degrees and now two of their three daughters have added a couple more Dalhousie parchments to the family collection.

Not only that, both Amy (BA’10) and Zoe (BComm’12) lived for a year in Shirreff Hall, which made their mother inordinately excited.

“I think I was more thrilled than they were,” says Rhonda (BSc’76, MSW’78, LLB’81), on the phone from the Calgary law firm Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer LLP where she has worked since graduating from Dal. “I even ran up to my old room, half expecting my roommate (Cathy (Jebson) Seamone BN’77) to be sitting there.”

That sense of engagement with Dalhousie is what has motivated Rhonda and John to give back so generously over the years, supporting such initiatives as the Dalhousie Legal Aid Clinic and creating bursary funds for community-minded law students in financial need and students of business law.

Rhonda’s voice takes on a wistful quality as she describes her attachment to her alma mater. “It has such a beautiful setting. I love the rich Maritime culture, and how close everything is–you can walk downtown and be on the waterfront in no time. It’s just such an attractive place to learn. John is a westerner and he quickly fell in love with the Maritimes, encouraging all of our girls to go East to university. ”

“I think it’s the perfect size for an undergrad experience,” she continues. “You have the opportunity to know your professors; you get involved; you make life-long friends.

Interestingly, Rhonda and her husband John (MBA’79, LLB’79) didn’t meet at Dal, even though their time overlapped at law school. They met during Rhonda’s first day at the firm–can you guess who was assigned to give her the tour?

In addition to supporting Dal monetarily, the couple has written letters to their classmates encouraging them to give too and Rhonda has served on the Dal Alumni Association Board and has hosted twice-a-year recruitment events for high school students and their parents for a number of years.

They’re modest about their giving but enthusiastic about Dalhousie.

“Giving is personal but we do it because we feel an obligation to give back. Dalhousie gave us both so much.”