Being present in our lives: the Christopher Perrin Beatty Lecture 2019

As part of the annual Student Awards Ceremony evening, the lecture is to be held at 5:30 p.m.  on January 24, 2019, in the Andy and Helen Spriet Learning Commons in the Darryl J. King Student Life Centre.   Dr. Carrie Arnold, Assistant Professor, Thanatology, will be presenting the lecture entitled “Living Fully, Intentionally, and Purposefully” as the annual Christopher Perrin Beatty Lecture. All are welcome to attend.

While Thanatology is the study of death and dying, Dr. Arnold felt, during such an event as the Student Awards Ceremony, she should turn the focus on life and seeing an opportunity to examine our lives.

“Many of us recognize that we can get caught up in things that are rather insignificant. Knowing that life is finite and death is an ever present reality, we can be intentional about how we spend each day and what we consider to be most important in our lives,” Dr. Arnold says.

Dr. Arnold says she chose the topic even before learning more about the late Christopher Perrin Beatty ’07.  After reading about his life, travels and connection to King’s, the topic seemed even more appropriate.

“Christopher was someone who lived fully, embraced life, and welcomed new experiences. Although he had a short life, he seemed to have deeply meaningful relationships and was truly loved by his family and friends. I would imagine that he embodied the very things that will be presented in the lecture,” Dr. Arnold says. “I hope that people will attend to learn how to be more present in their lives, in their relationships, and for themselves. I often hear that people feel they are frazzled, juggling too many things, or feeling they are on autopilot. Hopefully, people will feel a bit more connected and present after attending the presentation.”

Dr. Arnold was the 2018 recipient of the King’s Part-Time Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has since been appointed to full-time faculty in Thanatology. In addition to the Academic Excellence Award, the full-time recipient will have the opportunity to receive a cash award up to $900 and the honour of guest speaking at the annual Christopher Perrin Beatty Lecture, which takes place during the Student Awards Ceremony evening each winter. In the event that the full-time recipient is unavailable to fulfill this obligation, the committee will consider the part-time recipient for the cash award and lecture. This important lecture was established by the Beatty family to honour the memory of their son Christopher Beatty, a 2007 alumnus who passed away in 2008 at the age of 23.

For more information on the Student Awards Ceremony and the Christopher Perrin Beatty Lecture, please visit: https://www.kings.uwo.ca/alumni/events-and-chapters/upcoming-alumni-events/student-awards-ceremony/