240 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 80 PART 2 MARCH 2022
It also seemed important to mark just how much Wes is missed and
remembered.
Douglas Harris established the W. Wesley Pue Memorial Fund in Law together
with Professor Karin Mickelson and W. Wesley Pue’s family. For a memorial celebrating
W. Wesley Pue’s life, see “Nos Disparus” (2021) 79 Advocate 264.
STEVEN VOLRICH MEMORIAL BURSARY
Steven Volrich was a friendly but rather shy, private guy with an amazing,
bright smile. All of us knew him, but what we did not all know at the time
was that Steven was battling stomach cancer while attending law school. I
was privileged to have become his friend and helped him through the
rigours of law school exams. I met all his family members. His mother
adored him, his father was so very proud of him and his little sister looked
up to him just like any little sister would. As time went on, I realized how
sick he was; however, he never complained or looked for sympathy. He confronted
his illness with humour and courage.
We all graduated law school, but tragically Steven was never called to the
bar along with the rest of us, since the cancer eventually took his young life
during articles. His family was devastated. I wanted to honour and preserve
his memory, so with his family’s permission, I set about establishing the
Class of 1984 Steven Volrich Memorial Bursary to help those struggling with
any form of disability or illness while attending law school. In the face of
such great adversity, Steven graduated with the Class of 1984; I wanted to
help others facing similar challenges do the same. My classmates continue
to honour Steven’s memory by contributing to the bursary at our reunion
events, where we honour him and our other colleagues who have since
passed on.
Diane Bell, Q.C., established the Steven Volrich Memorial Bursary together
with fellow Allard Law alumni Jane Shackell, Q.C., Anne Giardini, OC, OBC,
Q.C., Jackie Morris and Steven Volrich’s family.
IRENE M. STEWART MEMORIAL AWARD
Fraser Litigation Group was inspired to establish a scholarship in Irene
Stewart’s name because she was such an exceptional lawyer for a career
that spanned nearly five decades.
Irene specialized in corporate and commercial law. Lawyers in this field
do not receive the attention and accolades given to lawyers in other fields,
and Irene never sought out personal recognition, but their importance cannot
be understated. It is often forgotten that practitioners of corporate and
commercial law are essential to the functioning of our economy. In partic-