PROFILE: College Board veteran, President Hilda Rizun

Hilda Rizun was born in a small coal
mining town in Alberta. Her family
subsequently moved to Langley where she
graduated from high school and Psychiatric
Nursing School. Hilda spent several years
working in the field of psychiatric
nursing, with particular emphasis on
children with special needs. She and

Steve were married in 1953 and have two
grown children.

During the many years that she and her

family lived in isolated communities in.

British Columbia, Hilda learned a valuable
lesson—if you want anything done you must
do it yourself. She also learned to provide
her own entertainment. Throughout their
busy lives Hilda and Steve have always
been very involved with the community. They
have been instrumental in much community
development from the building of community
halls to public swimming pools, as well as
in community social activities of every
kind.

Through her community work, Hilda developed
an interest in young people and in
education (which obviously rubbed off—her
children are both working as teachers in
secondary education). When she and her
family moved to Squamish in 1964, it was
not long before she was deeply involved in
the life of that community.

Loggers' Sports Day in Squamish has
developed into abigand very sophisticated
annual event, but when Hilda was first
involved it was in its infancy. An
opportunity for encouraging the young
women of the community to look outside the
confines of their small town and to gain
skills and self-confidence presented
itself in the form of a local pageant. This
pageant has, in its lifetime, grown into
one of the highlights of the year and,
much to Hilda's gratification, happily
launched many a young woman into life
beyond Squamish. In addition to these
activities, Hilda worked with several
service organizations—all while being
self-employed in the accounting field.

After campaigning for Howe Sound to become
part of the Capilano College region at the
time of the referendum on that subject,
Hilda was appointed to the Board of the

College as a "community" representative
Tas distinct—at that time—from a
"political" representative). She threw
herself into the affairs of the College
with such characteristic energy and
dedication that in her 12 years on the
Board she has served on each of its
committees, was appointed Vice Chairman in
March 1976, and has been Chairman since
1981.

Hilda Rizun has been motivated throughout
her adult life by an interest in youth and
in education, but particularly by the
conviction that for people in smal]
communities the community college is an
especially important means of providing
opportunities for growth and life-long
learning—it is often 'the only show in
town.'