The Macdonald Distinguished Alumni Award was created by the Macdonald Branch of the 91社区 Alumni Association to recognize distinguished graduates for their outstanding professional contributions, scholarly distinction and/or service to the community at large. The first Awards were presented at Homecoming 2006 and are awarded at Homecoming every year.
In 2009, we were pleased to introduce the Macdonald Distinguished Young Alumni Award, which recognizes the achievements and contributions of our younger alumni.
2024 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
Dr. Allan Armitage: A Visionary in Horticulture | BScAgr鈥�67
Dr. Allan Armitage is a celebrated leader in ornamental horticulture, having garnered numerous awards throughout his distinguished career. His journey began at Macdonald College, where he earned a BSc in Botany. He then worked at Aylmer/Del Monte Food Company in quality control and product development. However, his talent for communication led him to return to Macdonald College to earn a teaching certificate, after which he spent seven impactful years as a high school teacher at Beaconsfield High School in Quebec.听
Eager to deepen his knowledge and contribute to plant science, Dr. Armitage pursued an MS in Horticultural Science at the University of Guelph and a PhD from Michigan State University. His academic career blossomed at the University of Georgia, where he served for 35 years, receiving numerous accolades for his ground-breaking research, engaging teaching, and significant service to the horticultural industry.听
Dr. Armitage has authored 17 books, many used as key texts in horticulture programs, and published over 70 peer-reviewed papers alongside more than 500 industry articles. His expertise has taken him to lecture across Europe, New Zealand, Australia, China, and North America, making him a global figure in horticultural education.听
Beyond academia, he founded the National Association of Specialty Cut Flowers and established the renowned Trial Gardens at the University of Georgia, benefiting ornamental plant breeders worldwide. He has also bred numerous popular ornamental plant cultivars and continues to consult with leading nurseries and greenhouses.听
In addition, he launched Garden Vistas, a travel company that organized tours of the world鈥檚 most beautiful gardens, and developed Armitage鈥檚 Great Garden Plants, a widely-used app for plant enthusiasts.听
His two daughters reside in Georgia and his son in Oakville, Ontario. Dr. Armitage and his wife Susan live in Athens, Georgia and make regular visits to friends and family in Canada.
2024 Distinguished Young Alumni Award Recipient
Ophelia Sarakinis FMT鈥�19
Raised in Montreal suburbs, Ophelia Sarakinis' backyard was filled with chickens and a blooming vegetable garden, sparking her deep-rooted love for ag. She went from volunteering at her nearest organic farm in high school to eventually studying conventional agriculture at 91社区.
After graduating, Ophelia realized the urgent need to create more sustainable farming methods, so she set up her own little indoor farm in her parents鈥� attic. Tired of hard, tasteless strawberries and concerned about their consistent rank at the top of the dirty dozen list (due to high levels of synthetic pesticides), she knew exactly where to start. Through trial and error (and little help from neighbouring bumblebees and ladybugs) she discovered that farming vertically in urban spaces is a viable solution towards a sustainable future.
GUSH officially started running their vertical farm in 2020, setting out to grow the best strawberries.听
