With more than 60 years at Niagara College between them, Betty Ann and Rick Chandler have been a fixture of life at NC, and NC been a fixture of their lives.
It’s become routine for the couple, who have been married for 42 years, to set out from their Niagara-on-the-Lake home each morning and arrive at the Welland Campus together to begin their workday, and depart for home together at the end of their day’s work.
They’ve both attended NC as students and enjoyed rewarding careers at NC. Their children attended NC and their grandchildren talk about their plans to attend NC someday.
At the end of June however, Betty Ann and Rick will make the trip home from campus one final time before they embark on a brand new chapter in their lives – retirement – together.
They have countless treasured memories from their days at the College as they prepare to say goodbye to their friends and colleagues.
“This place has been the most amazing place to work,” says Betty Ann. “We have been so blessed to have been employed in this place, to work with the people we’ve worked with, and to have had the opportunities we’ve had. It’s unbelievable.”
Their NC years
Both Betty Ann and Rick are long-time faculty at NC – Betty Ann teaches ESL in the International department and Rick teaches the Primary Care Paramedic program, Community Health Studies for the School of Allied Health.
They were married in 1971, long before they arrived at NC.
Before she began her career at the College, Betty Ann had spent 13 years working as a registered nurse. She came to the College for a critical care course and taught a part-time course for RPNs for one term. She began working at NC in August 1983 as a teaching master in the nursing program.
Rick, who graduated from NC in 1978, began working as a full time teaching master in Ambulance and Emergency Care in 1982.
The Chandlers have definitely left their mark on NC and the community. In fact, many people saving lives in Niagara have been taught by either Betty Ann or Rick.
Betty Ann recalls several highlights from her time at NC over the years. She has been highly active in the NC community. She was on the first organizing committee for the Seafood Gala, sat on the Alumni Foundation board, and has chaired the United Way committee. She still takes pride in the fact that she nominated NC’s first-ever winner of the Award of Excellence years ago, and in 2010, she won a faculty Award of Excellence which she considers a great honour.
“My acceptance speech for the Award of Excellence is that all I ever wanted in my life was to be a nurse, and that in my life as a nurse I was able to help people get well or to die with dignity,” she recalls. “When I went into teaching, all of a sudden I realized I was teaching young people what I love to do and what an honour it was to be able to teach.
“Many of the nurses in the Niagara region, I’ve taught at one time. Then, when I went into International, I became able to interact with students from all over the world.”
After joining the International department in 1997, Betty Ann embraced opportunities to travel. She has been to Taiwan on recruiting trips and taught in Saudi Arabia on several occasions.
NC also brought the world to the Chandler home. Betty Ann and Rick participated in NC’s homestay program for 15 years. Several international students became a part of their family during their time at NC and the Chandlers enjoyed being homestay ‘parents.’ They still keep in contact with students who stayed with them as part of the homestay program.
Rick has been integral to the College’s paramedic programs. Rick was recently honoured by Niagara Paramedic Association for 44 years of service. (Read more here.)
“Everywhere we go, we see a paramedic, and everybody knows Rick,” says Betty Ann.
He has won a place in many of his students’ hearts. A known Chicago Blackhawks fan, he fondly recalls how moved he was when students surprised him tickets to the Stanley Cup playoff game in Chicago in 2010. He hosted a lunch for them as a gesture of his gratitude.
During his time at NC, Rick has had the opportunity to teach his own children who have been students in the College’s paramedic programs – Carolyn who graduated from Advanced Care Paramedic and David who graduated from Primary Care Paramedic.
Whether his own children were receiving their diplomas or any of his students over the years, convocation has always been a highlight for Rick.
“I take great pride in my students,” he says.
Celebrating their retirement
Retirement was a difficult decision for Betty Ann and Rick, but they look forward to what lies ahead. They plan to travel, and spend time at their Lake Ontario property working on various projects such as refurbishing their old sailboat with their grandchildren.
When it comes to leaving NC, Betty Ann and Rick want to leave NC with a “big blowout.” A retirement celebration will be held in their honour on June 14 at The Core. In lieu of gifts, they are hoping to receive donations to the Betty Ann and Rick Chandler Scholarship fund.
“The College has been so good to us and we wanted to give back,” says Betty Ann. “We know how difficult it can be for students and we wanted to do something to help them.”
Don’t miss The Chandler’s Retirement reception on June 14. For more information about the event, click the following links:
