SFU Business remembers Dennis Culver, 1923-2010

Longtime SFU Business alumnus, supporter and friend Dennis Culver passed away on February 7, 2010. His family is holding a public memorial for him at the Segal Room at Simon Fraser University’s Harbour Centre campus in downtown Vancouver on March 26 at 1 pm. Dennis Culver, 1923 – 2010: A Legacy of Devotion to Community and Higher Education It’s difficult to do justice with words to the unique and enduring legacy that an individual like Dennis Culver leaves at Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Business Administration. Over the decades, Culver was a trailblazing graduate business student; a committed and engaged alumnus; and a good friend to SFU Business. Born in Okanagan Falls, British Columbia, and raised in Victoria and Vancouver, he created his chartered accountancy practice, Culver & Co. Passionate about the value of higher education, Dennis graduated from the first class of Executive MBAs at Simon Fraser University, where he forged an enduring relationship with the institution. “Since that memorable beginning in 1968,” he wrote, “I have been proud to be associated with Simon Fraser University over many decades in a number of different capacities, and have had the joy of watching three of my children receive their own degrees from this remarkable university.” Over the years, he was a consistent supporter of the school. He was instrumental in the success of the EMBA Alumni Association, and he chaired the committee overseeing the EMBA alumni endowment – a fund he helped establish. The endowment is used to this day for scholarships for EMBA students. It is also used for an EMBA professorship that was created in his name. In recognition of his contributions to the university, SFU also conferred upon him an honorary law degree. Dennis lived his life by the motto that his father taught him: “Always leave your campsite better than when you found it.” It was a philosophy he not only brought to his passion for outdoor adventure and travel, but also to do his work in the business community. SFU Business remembers Dennis for his unwavering commitment, his strong ethics, and his sense of responsibility to the community and the business school. As the first recipient of the Dennis Culver EMBA Alumni Chair, Dean Daniel Shapiro has particularly fond memories of Dennis Culver. “Dennis was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. It was an honour to share his name, and I have always tried to live up to his standards of excellence and commitment. I am proud that his name will always be associated with SFU Business.” (Editor’s Note: Dennis Culver’s daughter Sue passed along to SFU Business a very compelling article written by Dennis about his earliest experiences at Simon Fraser University. It speaks to his love of writing and detail, and his special relationship with SFU Business. It also tells a unique and worthwhile story about Canada’s first EMBA program.)