Gift from Graham – stained glass coat of arms

There’s a new installation adorning Nipissing’s boardroom and overlooking the main entrance: a beautiful stained glass rendering of the university’s coat of arms, a gift from the recently retired Jamie Graham.

Graham retired this summer after a 25-year career at Nipissing. Most recently he served as Assistant Vice-President Institutional Planning and Registrar. He began at Nipissing in 1993 as the Controller in the Finance Department. 

He presented his gift to the university at a farewell celebration held in his honour this past June.  The stained glass was installed in the boardroom this fall.

Working with stained glass has been a 40-year hobby for Graham, who taught himself the process after a gift from a friend piqued his interest. 

“Each piece of glass has its unique texture, colour and character and coming up with a project that takes advantage of these properties is the exciting part,” he said. 

As his retirement was getting closer to reality, Graham realized that he wanted to give back to Nipissing.

“During my time at the university I have been part of the growth and expansion of the institution. I thought about the many opportunities I have taken advantage of that were there by virtue of my positions at the university.  So I thought that I would give something back and settled on stained glass,” he said.

Graham wanted to do something relatively substantial but also meaningful, eventually settling on the Coat of Arms, especially relevant given the celebrations for Nipissing’s 25th Anniversary. 

In total, from design to completion, the project represents about 70 hours of work. 

It also represents a lovely and meaningful gift from a highly respected and well-liked colleague; and it spruces up the boardroom and the front entrance too.