Last fall we shared the news that Professor Emerita Blanche Lemco van Ginkel was being recognized with an honorary degree from McGill University. In May, she traveled to Montreal for McGill’s spring convocation, where she was presented with a Doctor of Science.

Annmarie Adams, Director of McGill’s School of Architecture presented Prof. Emerita van Ginkel to the graduates assembled.

“During a career that has spanned seven decades, Blanche van Ginkel has played a preeminent role in shaping architectural and urban ideas the world over,” said Adams. “Acclaimed for her achievements in safeguarding Montreal’s cultural heritage, this architectural giant is universally respected for the depth of her convictions and the strength of the modernist principles that infuse every aspect of her work. The first woman to serve as head of a Canadian architecture school, at the University of Toronto, and the first Canadian president of the association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, van Ginkel is a visionary, a mentor extraordinaire, and a true citizen of the world.”

You can see Adams’ speech and watch van Ginkel receive the honorary degree in the video below.

For more information, and to read Blanche van Ginkel’s message to students, visit McGill’s School of Architecture website.