Former Prime Minister Paul Martin Jr. was one of three St. Michael’s alumni named to the university’s Legacy Wall during the 2024 Michaelmas festivities. Other inductees include the late Elizabeth Joan Smith (née MacDonald), the first woman to serve as Ontario’s solicitor general, and Dr. Mimi Marrocco, who founded St. Michael’s Continuing Education division.
The citations, which will be displayed on the Legacy Wall, were read following a lunch attended by Marrocco and members of her family, as well as members of the Martin and Smith families.
The Right Honorable Paul Martin (SMC 6T1) served as finance minister from 1993 to 2002 before becoming Canada’s 21st prime minister in 2003. As finance minister, he erased Canada’s deficit and recorded five consecutive budget surpluses while also paying down the national debt.
As prime minister, he championed health care issues and established the first national early learning and childcare plan. He introduced the Civil Marriage Act, which legalized same-sex marriage, and in 2005 his government delivered the Kelowna Accord, the result of months of talks with provincial governments and leaders from various national Indigenous organizations to improve the standard of living for Indigenous people.
In 2008, Mr. Martin and his family created the Martin Family Initiative, which works with Indigenous communities to advance family, educational and economic outcomes for First Nations, Inuit and Métis children and youth. Mr. Martin joins his father, Paul Martin Sr., in being honoured on the wall.
A philanthropist and politician, Joan Smith (SMC 4T9) helped spearhead the creation of the COOP, the social heart of the St. Michael’s campus, located in Brennan Hall. Her influence, however, was felt far beyond campus.
In the late 1960s, she served on a local Synod to discuss the impact and direction of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Mrs. Smith shared her skills and talent with a range of social services agencies, including the Catholic Children’s Aid Society and the London Housing Authority, and helped establish a new children’s mental health agency, Madame Vanier Children’s Services.
Her desire to improve the lives of others led her first to municipal, and then provincial, politics. In 1987, Mrs. Smith became the first woman to serve as Ontario’s Solicitor General. Following her death in 2016, Joan’s Place, an affordable housing and wellness hub in London, ON, was named in her honour.
After teaching in the University of Toronto’s English Department, in 1986 Dr. Mimi Marrocco (SMC 6T9) became the founding Director of Continuing Education at St. Michael’s. It was her vision behind the creation of Canada’s first recognized professional university credit in Corporate Social Responsibility. The program, now known as the Graduate Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability, thrived under her management and now benefits from her continued mentorship. Her students have described her as a dynamic leader whose talent for teaching is matched by her care for them.
Dr. Marrocco has served on numerous academic and community boards, including as the president of the Ontario Council for Lifelong Learning, as well as president of the Canadian Association of University Continuing Education.
After her citation was read by Dr. Michael Salvatori, who is the new Director of Continuing Education, Dr. Marrocco noted that a key moment of her St. Michael’s experience was meeting her husband, Frank, as an undergrad.
St. Michael’s Legacy Wall was introduced by Prof. Mark McGowan in 2009, during his time as principal. The wall’s purpose is twofold: to honour the efforts and achievements of key community members and to inspire students to greater heights. Those honoured include professors, politicians, and members of the arts community. Today, the wall is located in Brennan Hall, between the Registrar’s Office and the COOP, inspiring students every day.
Learn more about the Legacy Wall and other University honours.