The general manager of the Toronto Argonauts and three-time Grey Cup champion is getting an honourary degree from the University of Guelph.
Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons headlines a group of five who will be given one of the highest honours at the university during convocation later this month.
Considered a longtime friend to the university, Clemons was considered “instrumental” in bringing the CFL's Toronto Argonauts to the U of G for spring training.
The first Black head coach to win a Grey Cup is also called an inspirational athlete and leader on and off the field. He established the Pinball Clemons Foundation, which helps to “inspire youth through literacy programs, scholarships, bursaries and employment opportunities, aligning with U of G’s commitment to improve life," a news release explains.
Zanana L. Akande, the first Black woman to be elected into the Ontario legislature will also get a degree. The university called her a “passionate and determined advocate for social justice.”
The other three honourees include Isabel Bassett, considered a trailblazer whose contributions to social justice and women’s issues have been recognized with several awards.
The former Minister of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation was also the chair and CEO of TVOntario between 1999 and 2005.
Vaikuntam Iyer Lakshmanan is considered an “integral connection” for intellectual collaboration between Canada and India.
He is also the only Indo-Canadian to get both the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award from India – considered the highest honour in the country for overseas Indians – and named to the Order of Canada as an officer.
Ottoline Leyser is being recognized for her work in making discoveries in plant hormone signaling. She is a British plant biologist working at the University of Cambridge.
“Among the first rank of scientists of the last quarter-century, Leyser has advocated for women in science and for the development of young scientists and has been at the forefront of the movement to improve public understanding of science,” U of G said in a news release.
All five will get their degrees when summer convocation happens June 11 to 14.
