UPEI Courtyard Named McMillan Hall
A special ceremony today at the University of Prince Edward Island honoured Charlottetown resident Eileen (McQuaid) McMillan and her late husband Dr. Joseph (Joe) A. McMillan. Friends and members of the well-known McMillan family joined UPEI staff and faculty, student representatives, and guests for the official naming of the courtyard area of the Student Centre. From now on it will be known as McMillan Hall.
McMillan Hall is one of the most popular venues for campus and community activities at UPEI. Since it opened in 2002, it has hosted everything from the honorary degree convocation for Princess Takamado of Japan to the Deans' Honours and Awards ceremonies that celebrate academic excellence. It has been the location of federal and provincial political debates, health research conferences and fairs, and a multitude of social and recreational events ranging from music performances to alumni weddings.
The facility holds special significance for the University's alumni because it was constructed on the site of the Alumni Gym that opened in 1951 and was destroyed by fire 50 years later. Dr. Joe McMillan was a member of the fundraising committee for the gym and the building was the location of his honorary degree presentation from St. Dunstan's University in 1967.
"Dr. Joe's volunteer fundraising to build the Alumni Gym, where the Student Centre now stands, and his commitment to the University where he began his extensive post-secondary career stand as examples to all students and alumni," said Student Union President Ryan Gallant. "This is the centre of student life on campus and the naming of McMillan Hall in honour of Dr. Joe and Eileen McMillan recognizes the legacy that they have left at UPEI, and through their family, and celebrates their strong commitment to education."
Eileen McMillan was born in Souris. She completed high school in BC, attended a finishing school in Quebec run by the Ursulan Order, and graduated with a BSc in Home Economics from St. Francis Xavier University (StFX) in 1935. After interning at St. Michael's Hospital, she worked in restaurant management in Montreal. In 1941 she returned to PEI, married Dr. Joe McMillan, and settled in Charlottetown where she became an active volunteer in several organizations including the Belvedere Golf Club, where she was President of the Ladies Branch, and the Charlottetown and Queen Elizabeth hospital auxiliaries. She was a founding member of the PEI Hospital auxiliary and was also involved in the Catholic Women's League and the Friends of the Confederation Centre.
Joe McMillan was a highly-respected PEI doctor. He graduated from St. Dunstan's University (SDU) with a BA in 1926. When he returned to set up medical practice in Charlottetown, he held an MA from Laval, a BSc from StFX, and his MD, CM from McGill. He was the first president of the Maritime Hospital Association and served on the executive of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). He was the first recipient of the CMA medal of service in 1964. In the late 1960s he was a member of the Board of Governors of St. Dunstan's University. He passed away in 1972.
In addition to their interests in medical work, the McMillans' main area of commitment was education. Eileen McMillan was active in the Home and School organization of the1950s and 60s. Dr. McMillan was a member of the Royal Commission on Post-Secondary Education. Students from around the world who came to study at St. Dunstan's were among the many guests they entertained at their home. Their other interests included politics, local hockey, and performances and debates at St. Dunstan's. The couple had four sons and two daughters: Colin, Thomas, Charles, John, Maura, and Eileen, all of whom have made significant contributions to PEI and Canadian society, particularly in the areas of education and health. Five of the six were graduates of SDU and/or UPEI.
Eileen (McMillan) Fulford turned the naming ceremony into a double celebration when she announced that she will leave a substantial bequest to the University of Prince Edward Island in her will. Her irrevocable planned gift, which has been made possible through an insurance policy, will honour her late husband George T. Fulford III as well as her parents.
"My parents encouraged all of us to pursue our educational endeavors to the fullest. St. Dunstan's, and later UPEI, were very much of a part of our lives growing up," she said. "Since I returned to PEI, I have watched UPEI grow, adding the Atlantic Veterinary College, the School of Nursing, and the PEI Health Research Institute. I am very pleased to be able to support the education of future generations of UPEI students," she said.
"The McMillan family has shown leadership in education on Prince Edward Island for many decades," said UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan. "This significant commitment to the Building a Legacy Campaign and the naming of McMillan Hall in honour of Dr. Joe and Eileen McMillan represent a tangible joining of our foundations and our future."
Eileen Fulford graduated in nursing from the University of Ottawa in 1966 and completed two years of postgraduate studies at the University of Western Ontario before returning to Charlottetown to teach in the PEI School of Nursing where she later became assistant director. She joined the nursing program at Sir Sanford Fleming College in Peterborough, Ontario and spent 12 years there, eventually becoming Department Head in Health Sciences. She and her husband George moved to PEI in the mid-1980s. George took a teaching position in the School of Business at UPEI where he was a popular professor for several years. He was also a well-established entrepreneur with interests in the aquaculture industry. He passed away in 1995. There is now a UPEI business prize in his name.
Eileen Fulford's planned gift will be recognized as a contribution to the Building a Legacy campaign, and she is now a member of the UPEI Visionary Society of planned givers. Through living and planned gifts to the Building a Legacy campaign, many individuals, families and organizations are positively transforming the lives of hundreds of students and the historic UPEI campus.
Since returning to her home province Eileen Fulford has been an active volunteer with the Canadian Cancer Society, serving two terms as President of the PEI Division. She was the Chair of the Atlantic Breast Cancer Information Project and now chairs the PEI Breast Cancer Information Partnership, a volunteer group that distributes information kits to breast cancer survivors across the province. She is also well known in PEI as one of the Island's best senior women golfers.
