James Richards, a familiar figure at Dawson for almost 20 years, died on Saturday, Feb. 12 at the age of 73. James began at Dawson as a security guard in 1994 before joining the staff of Plant and Facilities (now Facilities Management). He retired in 2013.

Apart from his good humour and helping hand in performing his duties, James was an outstanding Dawson volunteer. He spent many hours of his free time preparing and staffing Dawson’s often prize-winning St. Patrick’s Day float for 15 years. And every December for too many years to count, he could be found behind the bar serving drinks with a wink and a joke at Dawson’s holiday parties.

James is survived by his partner Yvonne, his daughter Tara (Chris), grandchildren Dalia and Domenic, and his stepdaughter Vanessa.

We were saddened to learn of the passing of long-time Humanities secretary Yasmin Hassan on Aug. 20. Yasmin was a Dawson employee for 30 years, having retired in 2005. She was pre-deceased by her husband Faruq in 2011, who had been a English teacher at Dawson for 30 years between 1974 and 2004 when he retired. Yasmin moved to Toronto some years ago to be closer to her son, CBC personality and comedian Ali Hassan and his family. He said of her passing: “She leaves behind a legacy of kindness, humility, and unrelenting positivity.” Those who knew her at Dawson can attest to those qualities as well as to her collaborative spirit with colleagues.