In 1979, Sue MacPherson made her way to StFX from Châteauguay, Quebec.
“I worked for a year after high school, and during that time, I went to visit a friend who was attending StFX for Homecoming. I had such a wonderful time that I ended up saving my money and enrolled at X the following year,” said Sue.
In her third year, Sue met Bernadette Jordan when they were both living at TNT residence.
“I’m from the South Shore. I really wanted to get away and meet new people, so even though my friends were going to Acadia, I came to X—and I never looked back,” said Bernadette.
TNT FRIENDSHIPS
The two quickly became fast friends, along with a group of women at TNT—one of those women was Sandra MacPhee.
"She would lift people up without even realizing she was doing it. She’s always been such an encouraging friend.”
Sue remembers meeting Sandra: “She is brilliant, a really good athlete—she played both soccer and hockey. She is one of the smartest and kindest people you’d ever meet. She would lift people up without even realizing she was doing it. She’s always been such an encouraging friend.”
Back then, it was common to stay in residence throughout your entire time at X.
“It’s not like it is now. You lived on campus for all four years. You got to know everyone so well because of that,” said Bernadette.
LIFE AFTER GRADUATION
Those TNT friendships have lasted more than four decades.
After graduation, a group of them moved to Ottawa, where Sue and Sandra were roommates. The memories from those years are endless.
“We started the Nova Scotia Beach Party in Ottawa—it was the third weekend in January. Through a connection in Sandra’s family, Terry Kelly performed, and we even flew in Wheel Pizza for the event,” said Sue.
Bernadette, who was living in Halifax at the time, once called to say she was driving up for the weekend. But when she arrived, Sue had forgotten she was coming—and had gone to Boston. Sue laughed, “It was a quick drive home!”
Sandra eventually moved to Toronto for her job with IBM, but the friendships endured, despite the distance.
ALZHEIMER'S DIAGNOSIS
About 10 years ago, when Sandra was in her early 50s, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Her condition progressed quickly.
“We met as a group of friends just before the pandemic, and it was really noticeable. We met again a year or two into COVID, and her condition had significantly changed. Not long after that, Sandra needed to go into care,” said Sue.
A TRIBUTE AT THE 40 YEAR REUNION
In May of last year, as their 40th class reunion approached, Sue found herself thinking about Sandra and how she wouldn’t be able to be there to celebrate with them.
“I feel emotional just thinking about it—the idea of all of us gathering together and she wouldn’t be there. I started thinking about how we could celebrate Sandra in some way at our reunion.”
Sue contacted Sandra’s husband, Lawrence, and her sister, Loreen, to ask if they were comfortable with creating a fund in Sandra’s name. They fully supported the idea, so Sue reached out to Bernadette to help get things started.
“Of course, I said yes. We started planning right away. We wanted to do something that represented Sandra,” said Bernadette. “We could have raised money to support many areas on campus because Sandra is such a dynamic person, but we settled on a bursary for a female-identifying leader from any field of study. No matter what Sandra was doing, it always circled back to lifting women up.”
Although Bernadette had some fundraising experience, they didn’t know what to expect. They initially set a goal of $15,000—but surpassed it in just two weeks. The momentum kept building, and by Homecoming, they had raised nearly $96,000.
“This initiative was so special to me because it really brought the Class of ’84 together,” said Bernadette. “We were just the catalysts, but the response truly showcased the impact Sandra has on people.”
At Homecoming 2024, a special ceremony was held to celebrate the creation of the fund. Sandra’s family attended – including her children, and Terry Kelly performed a tribute song—it was incredibly moving.
Bernadette recalls Sandra’s children being so touched by the number of people who contributed to the fund and attended the ceremony. It showed them “how much Sandra means to so many people.”
Sue reflected on the fund and what it means to her, “The fund truly honours Sandra’s legacy. It speaks to her character. She excelled in her career but never lost sight of her connection to StFX and the impact it had on her. Sandra is all things StFX—she served on the Board of Governors, she always visited campus when she came home to Cape Breton, and she is an incredibly proud X grad. She would be so humbled to know this was done in her honour.”
