Egan’s spirit moves walkers


	Egan's daughter, Anna, far left, leads to way as participants in the Walk for Sean start their 3.5-km trek.

Sean Egan surely would have loved the concept. Along with Egan’s daughter, Anne, more than 100 people took a healthy 3.5-kilometre walk along the Rideau Canal during lunch on March 24 to raise funds for the Sean Egan Memorial Scholarship. Later that day, a crowd gathered at the “1848,” the University’s new bar for the “Rock for Sean,” another fundraising event featuring a concert by local bands.

Egan, a long-time professor with the School of Human Kinetics, in the Faculty of Health Sciences, died April 29, 2005 of a heart attack, while attempting to become the oldest Canadian to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Throughout his life he championed fitness and encouraged people to adopt healthy habits and attitudes in all facets of their lives.


A young walker, Abijah Zwiers, with his mother Melissa

The day’s activities were coordinated by Saunya Dover and Chantal Faubert, two students from the School of Human Kinetics. Overall more than $16,000 was raised for the scholarship fund, whose first beneficiary is Anne Vant Erve, a fourth-year human kinetics students. The young woman walked a distance of almost 1,000 kilometres last year to raise funds for spinal cord research and raise awareness of this issue.

Vant Erve said she was “privileged” to be one of Egan’s students for two years. “He showed us we could have an impact globally,” she added, “by living healthy lives ourselves” and promoting healthy living habits in the community.

Terry Kell, who accompanied Egan on his 2005 Everest trek, described him as “a facilitator” who “opened doors for people and encouraged them to learn and experience things.” Kell is president of Kanatek Technologies, the major sponsor for Egan’s expedition. He is a prime mover of the Ad Astra campaign to raise funds for a school for orphans in Katmandu and to promote a number of fitness initiatives, including a soon-to-be-completed documentary film. Ad Astra means, “aim high” and it was one of Egan’s life principles.