THE INFORMER PAGE 2

FEBRUARY 18, 1992

Brian White: "Old Timer" taking on new challenges

Brian White introduced himself to.outdoor recrea-
tion long before the Capilano College program became
reality.

In summers in the late ’60s, between terms at uni-
versity, he took a job as a logging surveyor on Vancou-
ver Island. He spent most of his leisure time in the
woods. He learned to kayak, climbed mountains and
explored abandoned pioneer and native settlements.

“I became absolutely fascinated with the human
history and ecology of the West Coast of Vancouver
Island,” he said.

Now, as coordinator for the Outdoor Recreation and
Tourism program at Cap, Brian looks back on those
days as the beginning of a lifelong interest in the wil-
derness and a starting point for his career.

He calls himself one of the Cap College “old-timers,”
not meaning he’s old, meaning he was one of the Col-
lege’s early faculty. In 1971 he was hired as coordinator
for geography. It was a great first teaching position, he
said, especially for a young man with “longish hair” still
working on his Master’s degree.

At that time Outdoor Recreation Leadership was a
pilot course run by the College at the Lynn Canyon
Ecology Centre. In 1972 it became a full-time program,
and Brian was asked to take over. Since then, Outdoor
Recreation has remained a two-year program, but it has
evolved to fit the changing marketplace.

Outdoor Recreation Leadership became Outdoor
Recreation Management in 1973, and at the same time

Wilderness Leadership, begun by Don Basham, was
added to the program. In the mid-’70s the Outdoor
Recreation Management practicum grew from a part-
time stint at work experience to a full-term practicum.
Meanwhile, the program began to shift away from
topics such as statistics and focus on human relations
skills.

In the mid- to late-'70s other programs emerged
from the Outdoor Rec umbrella: Fitness Leadership,
Leisure Counselling, and Adventure and Challenge
Training. The recession of the early ’80s and market
saturation in fitness caused their end, but quickly new
objectives arose.

Expo year, 1986, marked a turning point in the pro-
gram. Brian put together a two-page proposal and
received a $64,000 Local Economic Renewal and Devel-
opment grant. With the addition of $20,000 from the
provincial/federal Travel Industry Development Sub-
sidiary Agreement and $30,000 from Employment and
Immigration Canada, he developed a Tourism program
for Whistler. The program was first held evenings, then
it changed to days. In 1988 it became a one-year certifi-
cate program at the Lynnmour and Sechelt campuses.

Since then, the Tourism program has served as a
model for similar programs at 13 B.C. colleges, and the
program is being developed internationally. The Cap
College program continues to lead the pack by staying
on top of trends such as environmental tourism. Also,
the program has been preparing students for work
around the globe by coordinating practicums in Austra-
lia, the Caribbean, New Zealand and other countries.
Often the practicums offer students novel work-adven-
tures, such as llama trekking in California.

“The amount of change there’s been in the depart-
ment has been absolutely breathtaking,” Brian said.
The most recent change came in January with the
beginning of the two-year Tourism Diploma program.

At the end of May, Brian will take a leave from the
College to do Ph.D. research in geography. Just before
that, Outdoor Rec will have its 20-year reunion. Brian
says it will be great to see the people who have gradu-
ated since ’74. “It’s been very much an extended family
kind of feeling in the department. We've always been
very close.”

When he finishes his Ph.D. work and returns to
Cap, he vows to tackle new ground in Outdoor Rec, but
he is confident that while he’s gone his replacements
will add enthusiasm to the program. “I believe in giving
younger people the chance to grow,” the young “old-
timer” said. “It keeps the College from giving in to
institutional aging. “