Olds College conferred an honorary degree posthumously on the late Dot Negropontes during its 104th convocation exercises, held June 1 at the Ralph Klein Centre.
Her husband Teddy accepted it on her behalf.
Dorothy Gail "Dot" Negropontes, 62, passed away May 15, 2017.
Negropontes graduated from Olds Junior-Senior High School (later called École Olds High School), worked there as a teacher and vice-principal, and helped open École Deer Meadow School. In fact, she served as its first principal.
She rose to be associate superintendent with Chinook's Edge School Division.
Negropontes was a major driving force behind the move of ÉOHS to its current location, adjacent to Olds College and the creation of the shared facility known as the Community Learning Campus and Ralph Klein Centre, a $68-million joint venture between Olds College and Chinook's Edge School Division..
She also served as acting dean of the Olds College School of environment and school of animal science and horticulture.
"Dot Negropontes was an exceptional leader who significantly contributed to Olds College," an Olds College convocation program said. "She was passionate about rural education, lifelong learning, developing people and community.
"Dot was a mentor to many of us. She brought out the best in people and lived her life with integrity, compassion, humour and kindness.
"The posthumous awarding of this honorary degree ... provides a lasting tribute to the significant positive impact that she had on education, the community and Olds College."
During an introduction before presentation of the degree, Debbie Thompson, vice-president of academic and student experience, said Negropontes "led a number of program and policy revisions at Olds College, created a provincial focus for collaboration, contributed to an important study on rural education and was co-chair of the provincial dual credit steering committee.
"Dot's belief in treating people with kindness and compassion was highlighted when she led the Anonymous Good campaign in the community of Olds, challenging residents to do 5,000 random acts of kindness," she added.
"Dot sometimes described herself as a seamstress, bringing people together, weaving and sewing together ideas and concepts into something much greater than the sum of (their) parts.
"She loved Olds College and she was proud to call it a part of the fabric of her life.
"Olds College stands for the things that were important to Dot — rural education, lifelong learning, developing people, and community."
At that point, Olds College president Stuart Cullum presented the honorary bachelor of applied science degree to Teddy Negropontes.
It was also announced that Dot's great-nephew, (her sister's grandson) Connor Cartwright, was also convocating that day. He received an agricultural management diploma.
"So that's pretty special and pretty exciting," the crowd was told.
