Education • Photo Restoration • 56 • Gabičko • University

September 22, 2016 Gabriel Dusil 1 Comment

• Engineering was the hardest four years of my life. I studied seven days a week, usually till late into the evenings, with only Friday or Saturday night to unwind. Physics didn’t come easy to me. Semiconductor theory, special & general relativity, radio communications, quantum physics, nuclear science – all of it was hard. I had to find a way to visualize what I was learning, and that was my biggest challenge. I nearly failed physics in the second year, while enrolled in the Engineering Physics program! To this day I honestly believe that physics professor would have failed me. I can’t say for sure, how I passed, but, but I’m certain that he let me go because he saw I had passed my other courses. I scraped by with my lowest grade ever: 52%.

• I was petrified of failing any course. Not for fear of failure, but because I knew that if I failed any course, it meant adding an additional year to my studies. From 19 students, I managed to graduate in the top half. During the week of my graduation I visited the Dean of Engineering, Gary R. Purdy and thanked him for accepting me into the engineering program. According to the Top 500 Universities in the World, there are four Canadian universities in the top one hundred. McMaster University ranked 90 in 2014.

• After graduation I realized there weren’t many options for me. I could have pursued a Master’s degree, which was a logical direction for some of my colleagues. That didn’t interest me. I struggled so much in the undergraduate program I felt I didn’t have the brain capacity. Another option was to go for an MBA, but wanted to get some work experience first. Also, my graduating class entered the middle of a recession in 1991. So applying for any engineering job was a crazy affair. I recall submitting my resume to a job that had 2000 applicants. In hindsight I wasted two years before realizing I should have just gone for that MBA while I still had the cognitive capacity. By the time time I wrote the GMAT, I had missed that boat, acing the math, but fairing poorly on the English part.

• This year commemorates the 25th anniversary of my graduation.

• Gabičko

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• Photo Restoration

• 7 minutes 20 seconds

91.May - Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Engineering graduation photo) — 91.May – Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Engineering graduation photo)

91.May - Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Engineering graduation class) — 91.May – Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Engineering graduation class)

91 - Hamilton · McMaster University · Engineering Physics Class — 91.May – Hamilton · McMaster University · Engineering Physics Class

91.May - Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Engineering Physics, degree) — 91.May – Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Engineering Physics, degree)

91.May - Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Engineering Physics, brochure) — 91.May – Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Engineering Physics, brochure)

• 1991 May 31 • Hamilton, Ontario, Canada • McMaster University, Convocation

91.May - Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Convocation, photo) — 91.May – Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Convocation, photo)

• My mother only paid for my first year of studies. I managed to finance the latter three years from my summer jobs and working as the bookkeeper at my mother’s animal hospital.

91.May - Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Convocation Ceremony) — 91.May – Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Convocation Ceremony)

91.May - Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Rituals of Convocation) — 91.May – Hamilton · Gabriel Dusil (McMaster University, Rituals of Convocation)

Gabriel Dusil

Family • Celebration • Daddy’s Birthday

September 18, 2016 Gabriel Dusil Leave a comment

Today my precious boys surprised me with this video production for my birthday. Thanks for everyone’s birthday wishes today. Enjoy!

Education, Friends, Gabriel Dusil

Friends • Photo Restoration • 55 • Gabičko • Bullies

September 15, 2016 Gabriel Dusil Leave a comment

• In elementary school, I wasn’t overly bothered by the physical nature of bullying. What really got under my skin was the hatred in their eyes. Ally Kennelfry*, Jell Ruleimi*, and their leader, Jean Hopenix* – this trio were Holy Rosary’s mean girls in my day. I still remember seeing the disgust in their eyes when I would catch their stare. Following their lead was the class alpha-male, Canon Sooner*. What shocked me the most was when I bumped into them individually – they would be nice all of a sudden. But as soon as they were together their nastiness came out like fireworks. On a few occasions I witnessed how herd behavior manifests itself, when kids turn from observers to participants. The students would feed off of collective hysteria and find themselves as fellow bullies. Thankfully, by the seventh and eighth grade new kids joined our class. As they became new targets, the bullies attention diverted away from me. Maybe puberty had a part to play, as well.

• I had to deal with a lot of anger issues from the many years I spent in that war zone. I had built up many layers of defense, The problem is that the bullied often becomes the bully. I first realized this when my cousin Roman pulled me aside after swim practice one day. I had joined the Burlington YMCA swim team when I was eleven years old. Roman started six months later. He said that the other kids didn’t like me because I was being mean to them. I was shocked to hear that, and it became a turning point in my behavior. I started to be nicer to everyone on the swim team, realizing that I needed to segment my behavior from school.

• Being bullied either makes you stronger, or it can break you down. I often look back at those years and feel that I kept my sanity because I had three sets of friends: Those on the swim team, my Czechoslovakian friends, and then there were the school kids. Since I was only hated at school, I managed to rationalized that the problem wasn’t in me.

• When I watch movies with an antagonist, I often wonder if real life bullies identify with the villain, or with the hero. I have always identified with the hero, even if I have played both sides at different stages in my life.

*Names have been modified to protect the guilty.

• Digital Photo Restoration

• 6 minutes 8 seconds

94 – Prague · Gabriel Dusil (Rocc Computers)

93.Nov - Prague · Gabriel Dusil (empty beer) — 93.Nov – Prague · Gabriel Dusil (empty beer)

93.Nov - Prague · Gabriel Dusil (cigar & beer) — 93.Nov – Prague · Gabriel Dusil (cigar & beer)

94.Jun - Prague · Gabriel Dusil — 94.Jun – Prague · Gabriel Dusil

95 - Prague · Gabriel Dusil — 95 – Prague · Gabriel Dusil

96 - Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (sleeping) — 96 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (sleeping)

97.Aug - Prague · Gabriel Dusil — 97.Aug – Prague · Gabriel Dusil

99.Oct - Antigua · Gabriel Dusil (beach) — 99.Oct – Antigua · Gabriel Dusil (beach)

99.Sep.25 - Prague · Gabriel Dusil (wedding reception) — 99.Sep.25 – Prague · Gabriel Dusil (wedding reception)

99.Sep.25 - Prague · Gabriel Dusil (wedding, getting ready) — 99.Sep.25 – Prague · Gabriel Dusil (wedding, getting ready)

Family, Pets

Family • Photo Restoration • 54 • Mamička • Horses

September 8, 2016 Gabriel Dusil Leave a comment

• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November

• My family didn’t share my fascination with animals. My parents didn’t understand how the odor of animals and farmland could fill me with delight. Whenever we traveled through the countryside I’d bath in the smell of freshly fertilized land. My mom found it funny that I liked the smell of manure. As I’d breathe in, my imagination would fly. When I would ride on the train I’d looked out the window and day-dream of galloping horses through the meadow, alongside the rail cars. For my two brothers it was just a countryside stench. My oldest brother Csaba didn’t like animals, but Attila loved them. We were city people. Animals were associated with farming and peasants. In Communist-Socialism, science and engineering were revered far above agricultural disciplines. My parents asked themselves, “How can our child ,from the city, have such rural interests?” They were still supportive of my interests.

• The Slovak countryside is hilly, interspersed with farmland owned mostly by co-op farms. There were many sheep and cows grazing, with peasants bent over tilling the land. In those days horses were used mainly for transporting farm produce. At Hotel Schalkház on Roosevelt Street where I lived, there was a station for horse drawn carriages. I went there frequently to admire them. Seeing how they would stand endlessly for most of the day made me feel sorry for them. Sometimes they’d have bags over their noses. Through my never-ending questions to the coachmen I learned that this was how they were fed. Their bags consisted of grain, or some mixture of molasses.

• Mamička

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• Digital Photo Restoration

• 6 minutes 16 second

61.Jul - Barca · Eva Kendeova (braking horses, teaching to kneel, Jednotné rolnícke družstvo) — 61.Jul – Barca · Eva Kendeova (braking horses, teaching to kneel, Jednotné rolnícke družstvo)

61.Jul - Barca · Eva Kendeova (horses, Jednotné rolnícke družstvo) — 61.Jul – Barca · Eva Kendeova (horses, Jednotné rolnícke družstvo)

61.Jul - Keszthely · Eva Kendeova (horses, riding) — 61.Jul – Keszthely · Eva Kendeova (horses, riding)

61.Jul - Královský Chlmec · Eva Kendeova (horses, Steeplechase team) — 61.Jul – Královský Chlmec · Eva Kendeova (horses, Steeplechase team)

61.Jul - Královský Chlmec · Eva Kendeova (horses, Steeplechase riding team) — 61.Jul – Královský Chlmec · Eva Kendeova (horses, Steeplechase riding team)

61.Jul - Košice · Eva Kendeova (jumping Ramona at Veterinary Collage) — 61.Jul – Košice · Eva Kendeova (jumping Ramona at Veterinary Collage)

84.Jun - Burlington · Eva Dusil (Horses, Babe, parking lot) — 84.Jun – Burlington · Eva Dusil (Horses, Babe, parking lot)

84.Jun - Burlington · Eva Dusil (Horses, Babe, jumping) — 84.Jun – Burlington · Eva Dusil (Horses, Babe, jumping)

84.Jun - Burlington · Eva & Alica Dusil (Horses, Babe, parking lot) — 84.Jun – Burlington · Eva & Alica Dusil (Horses, Babe, parking lot)

87.Sep.1 - Burlington · Eva Dusil (dressed up) — 87.Sep.1 – Burlington · Eva Dusil (dressed up)

Education, Gabriel Dusil

Education • Photo Restoration • 53 • Gabičko • High School

September 1, 2016 Gabriel Dusil Leave a comment

• The summer before going to high school terrified me. I had anxiety in anticipation of five more years of bullying. In the first week of my freshmen year I breathed a sigh of relief after realizing all the kids that had bullied me went to a different high school. I started with a clean slate, and established new friendships.

• I had five great years at Aldershot High school. I made friends that have lasted a lifetime. I was also lucky to have an older cousin, and a few tough friends to create a protective aura throughout middle school. While swimming throughout my teens I decided to try my hand at Karate, and a bit of weight lifting in between to stay in shape. In hindsight we were all lucky to be in a relatively calm social environment in Burlington, Ontario compared to the level of youth aggression experienced in metropolitan cities.

• Gabičko

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• Digital Photo Restoration

• 11 minutes 19 seconds

Gabriel Dusil (Class photos, Holy Rosary & Aldershot High School '74-'87) — Gabriel Dusil (Class photos, Holy Rosary & Aldershot High School ’74-’87)

74 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Holy Rosary, kindergarten)	75 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Holy Rosary, grade 1)	76 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Holy Rosary, grade 2)
77 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Holy Rosary, grade 3)	77 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Holy Rosary, communion)	78 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Holy Rosary, grade 4)
79 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Holy Rosary, grade 5)	80 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Holy Rosary, grade 6)	81 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Holy Rosary, grade 7)
82 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Holy Rosary, grade 8)	83 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Aldershot High School, grade 9)	84 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Aldershot High School, grade 10)
85 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Aldershot High School, grade 11)	86 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Aldershot High School, grade 12)	87.Jun – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (Aldershot High School, grade 13, graduation photo)

Family, Pets

Family • Photo Restoration • 52 • Mamička • Farm

August 25, 2016 Gabriel Dusil 2 Comments

• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November

• The first two years of middle school were hard on me. We learned about farming, agriculture, and how to work the land. But my studies had little to do with animals, and that demotivated me. I was immature and undisciplined. It also aggravated my teachers, and subsequently upset my mother. She frequently had to come to school to smooth things over. I was bored with sitting in class when all I wanted to do was be on the farm. By the third year I found my calling since we were finally allowed to spend time on the school’s farm. I loved to be around the horses. I befriended one of the shepherds and many of the farmers. I was in my element, but quickly learned that the horses were not bred for the aristocratic activities that I had imagined. Instead, once they were mature they were sold to co-ops for farm labor.

• One summer my father kept pestering my mother, asking why I was spending so much time on the farm. He didn’t know what I was doing, or even if I was lying about my whereabouts. Most teenagers my age spent their days at the city pool. I did as well, but then went to the farm in the afternoon. By this time my father had retired. My mother eventually had enough of his nagging and told him to go see for himself. So he dressed up elegantly and accompanied me on this one and only visit to the farm. It was the closest he had ever come to such a grassroots lifestyle. When we arrived he talked to the farm employees and I showed him how I taught a mare to kneel, rear up on her hind legs, and kick on command as I tickled her rump. He was amused and it satisfied his curiosity. Then he watched as I disappeared into the distance on my dappled horse. My father had an excellent sense of humor so it became a running joke, among family and friends, that his daughter was more interested in four legged animals than the two legged kind.

• Mamička

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• Digital Photo Restoration

• 5 minutes 41 seconds

71.Dec - Bampton · Eva Dusil (gallbladder surgery) — 71.Dec – Bampton · Eva Dusil (gallbladder surgery)

72.Jul - Orlando · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (Disney World) — 72.Jul – Orlando · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (Disney World)

78.Oct - Kitchener · Eva & Vaclav Dusil (Octoberfest) — 78.Oct – Kitchener · Eva & Vaclav Dusil (Octoberfest)

74.Dec.24 - Burlington · Stefan Kende & Eva Dusil (dinner) — 74.Dec.24 – Burlington · Stefan Kende & Eva Dusil (dinner)

74.Dec - Burlington · Eva & Alica Dusil (bedroom) — 74.Dec – Burlington · Eva & Alica Dusil (bedroom)

73.Sep - Brampton · Gabriel & Eva Dusil (1st day of school) — 73.Sep – Brampton · Gabriel & Eva Dusil (1st day of school)

73.Dec - Burlington · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (Kwanas skating) — 73.Dec – Burlington · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (Kwanas skating)

91 - Burlington · Karol, Inchy & Eva Dusil (guitar) — 91 – Burlington · Karol, Inchy & Eva Dusil (guitar)

95.Dec.24 - Burlington · Gabriel, Eva & Alica Dusil (christmas) — 95.Dec.24 – Burlington · Gabriel, Eva & Alica Dusil (christmas)

99.Sep.25 - Prague · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (wedding ceremony) — 99.Sep.25 – Prague · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (wedding ceremony)

Education, Friends, Gabriel Dusil

Education • Photo Restoration • 51 • Gabičko • High School

August 18, 2016 Gabriel Dusil Leave a comment

• Physics was my passion as far back as high school. It’s thanks to Mr. V. Cantlon, my grade 13 physics teacher from Aldershot Secondary School. He was also my favorite teacher from middle school. The subject wasn’t particularly my strong point, but I felt I enjoyed the subject enough to pursue it into my undergraduate studies.

• My other favorite teacher was Mrs. L. Tessler, my ninth and eleventh grade English teacher, giving me the passion to express myself in words. Mrs. Tessler had the most wickedly teaching voice. It hypnotized me every time I listened to her, going as far as falling in love with her voice. I always wanted to impress her with my writing skills. But I could never seem to exceed an 80% grade on my essays. It wasn’t until I read the words of a 90% English student that I realized what it takes to get to the next level.

• Gabičko

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• Digital Photo Restoration

• 5 minutes 56 seconds

86 - Burlington · Gabriel Dusil, Tim Steele & Doug Little (Aldershot High School, lockers) — 86 – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil, Tim Steele & Doug Little (Aldershot High School, lockers)

86 - Burlington · Tim Steele, Gabriel Dusil & Doug Little (Aldershot High School, lockers) — 86 – Burlington · Tim Steele, Gabriel Dusil & Doug Little (Aldershot High School, lockers)

87.Jun - Burlington · Mr. Cantlon, Eva & Gabriel Dusil (high school graduation) — 87.Jun – Burlington · Mr. Cantlon, Eva & Gabriel Dusil (high school graduation)

87.Jun.11 - Burlington · David Forsyth, Gerry Galea, Drew Schemmer, Doug Little & Gabriel Dusil (high school prom) — 87.Jun.11 – Burlington · David Forsyth, Gerry Galea, Drew Schemmer, Doug Little & Gabriel Dusil (high school prom)

87.Jun.11 - Burlington · Doug Little, Gerry Galea, Drew Schemmer, Gabriel Dusil & David Forsyth (high school prom) — 87.Jun.11 – Burlington · Doug Little, Gerry Galea, Drew Schemmer, Gabriel Dusil & David Forsyth (high school prom)

87.Jun.11 - Burlington · Blake Paterson & Gabriel Dusil (high school prom) — 87.Jun.11 – Burlington · Blake Paterson & Gabriel Dusil (high school prom)

97.Dec - Burlington · Geoff Baxter, Gabriel Dusil, Ian Hawkins, Doug Little & Drew Schemmer (christmas party at Drew's, 1) — 97.Dec – Burlington · Geoff Baxter, Gabriel Dusil, Ian Hawkins, Doug Little & Drew Schemmer (christmas party at Drew’s, 1)

97.Dec - Burlington · Geoff Baxter, Gabriel Dusil, Ian Hawkins, Doug Little & Drew Schemmer (christmas party at Drew's, 2) — 97.Dec – Burlington · Geoff Baxter, Gabriel Dusil, Ian Hawkins, Doug Little & Drew Schemmer (christmas party at Drew’s, 2)

99.Sep.22 - Prague · Doug Little, Geoff Baxter & Drew Schemmer (stag) — 99.Sep.22 – Prague · Doug Little, Geoff Baxter & Drew Schemmer (stag)

99.Sep.25 - Prague · Doug Little, Geoff Baxter & Drew Schemmer (wedding, best men) — 99.Sep.25 – Prague · Doug Little, Geoff Baxter & Drew Schemmer (wedding, best men)

Family, Gabriel Dusil

Family • Photo Restoration • 50 • Mamička • Inspiration

August 11, 2016 Gabriel Dusil Leave a comment

• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November

• My early inspiration to veterinary medicine was from a veterinary student named Karel Šestak. He was renting a room in our apartment, and was studying at our local Veterinary College. Thanks to him I knew that I wanted to be a veterinarian. I was ten years old at the time. When I told him my aspirations, he smiled, as if not believing in a young girl’s dream. But he wished me well. Little did he know that one day we would become professional colleagues. Karel lived in our apartment until he graduated. He married the neighbor’s daughter and went on to work as a county veterinarian not far from where we lived.

• I was in ninth grade when I decided which middle school to attend. At that time in Czechoslovakia, we had two types of middle school. There were high schools called “gymnasium”. They prepared students for academic university studies such as engineering, law or medicine. Gymnasium is where the intellectuals went, and were viewed by the communists as the future leaders of the country. Then there were ‘technical’ schools for machinery, administration, or agriculture. Veterinary studies at the time was not considered an intellectual discipline because it fell under the umbrella of farming and husbandry. It was possible to attend university from a technical middle school, but it was much harder to get in. Luckily a veterinary technical school called Poľnohospodárska Technická Škola (PTŠ) was close by my home, on the outskirt of the city. I began my studies there in 1960. Little did I know that my future husband had just finished his final year at the same middle school, three months earlier.

• Mamička

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• Digital Photo Restoration

• 8 minutes 31 seconds

61 - Košice · Eva Kendeova (holding cat) — 61 – Košice · Eva Kendeova (holding cat)

68.Feb.24 - Košice · Eva Kendeova & Vaclav Dusil Wedding (vows) — 68.Feb.24 – Košice · Eva Kendeova & Vaclav Dusil Wedding (vows)

68.Feb.24 - Košice · Eva Kendeova & Vaclav Dusil Wedding (priest) — 68.Feb.24 – Košice · Eva Kendeova & Vaclav Dusil Wedding (priest)

68.Feb.24 - Košice · Eva Kendeova & Vaclav Dusil Wedding (portrait) — 68.Feb.24 – Košice · Eva Kendeova & Vaclav Dusil Wedding (portrait)

69.Feb - Košice · Valeria, Iveta, Stefan Kende, Eva & Gabriel Dusil (Slavo's front porch) — 69.Feb – Košice · Valeria, Iveta, Stefan Kende, Eva & Gabriel Dusil (Slavo’s front porch)

69.Feb - Košice · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (smiling) — 69.Feb – Košice · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (smiling)

69.Oct - Paris · Gabriel & Eva Dusil (park stroller) — 69.Oct – Paris · Gabriel & Eva Dusil (park stroller)

69.Oct - Paris · Gabriel & Eva Dusil (park chairs) — 69.Oct – Paris · Gabriel & Eva Dusil (park chairs)

69.Oct - Paris · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (bushes) — 69.Oct – Paris · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (bushes)

75.Dec - Buenos Aires · Gabriel, Eva & Alica Dusil — 75.Dec – Buenos Aires · Gabriel, Eva & Alica Dusil

77.Jul - Mexico City · Alica & Eva Dusil (dinner) — 77.Jul – Mexico City · Alica & Eva Dusil (dinner)

Family, Gabriel Dusil

Family • Photo Restoration • 49 • Dusil • Canada

August 4, 2016 Gabriel Dusil Leave a comment

• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November

• According to communist propaganda, only rich people could attend university in the West. They told us many lies, trying to convince us that Socialism was superior to Capitalism. Constant propaganda brainwashed citizens in believing that the West was an evil imperialist empire. History has told a different story. Either way, the borders were essentially closed to the public, except for a select few who were allowed to travel and see the real picture with their own eyes. This included politicians and top athletes. Communist leaders told us that they were protecting our borders from the evil capitalists. But the ongoing joke was asking why border guns were facing their own citizens, and not the enemy.

• The younger generation believed much of what was told to them. When you grow up seeing, hearing, and reading propaganda, you believe it. Especially when you don’t know any different. Most citizens didn’t have any idea what the West was like. When we finally immigrated to Canada in 1969, our stories filtered back to family and friends in Czechoslovakia. The Canadian government offered us English language courses for free, and financial help get us on our own feet. We bought a cheap camera and took pictures among the fruit stands of a grocery store, to show our parents we weren’t starving. In those days our friends and family had to line up for toilet paper, potatoes, bread and other daily necessities. Store shelves in Eastern Europe were practically empty. Once in Canada, our eyes finally opened to the success of democracy and freedom. It was hard for the Communists to keep that a secret.

• Dusil

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• Digital Photo Restoration

• 5 minutes 43 seconds

70.Dec.24 - Toronto · Vaclav, Eva, Gabriel, Sona, Erika, Roman, Gabriel Dusil (birthday cake) — 70.Dec.24 – Toronto · Vaclav, Eva, Gabriel, Sona, Erika, Roman, Gabriel Dusil (birthday cake)

72 - Brampton - Erika, Karol, Vaclav, Eva, Robert Sr., Vlasta, Roman, Gabriel & Sona Dusil — 72 – Brampton – Erika, Karol, Vaclav, Eva, Robert Sr., Vlasta, Roman, Gabriel & Sona Dusil

71 - Brampton · Roman, Gabriel, Sona, Vlasta, Vaclav, Kajo, Eva, Robert Sr., Erika Dusil — 71 – Brampton · Roman, Gabriel, Sona, Vlasta, Vaclav, Kajo, Eva, Robert Sr., Erika Dusil

72 - Brampton - Karol, Robert Sr. & Vaclav Dusil (living room) — 72 – Brampton – Karol, Robert Sr. & Vaclav Dusil (living room)

72.Sep.18 - Brampton · Sona, Vaclav, Gabriel & Roman Dusil (Gabriel's birthday) — 72.Sep.18 – Brampton · Sona, Vaclav, Gabriel & Roman Dusil (Gabriel’s birthday)

76.Jul.12 - Burlington · Vaclav, Eva, Vlasta, Erika, Gabriel, Roman, Alica & Sona Dusil (birthday) — 76.Jul.12 – Burlington · Vaclav, Eva, Vlasta, Erika, Gabriel, Roman, Alica & Sona Dusil (birthday)

80.Jul - Lake Nippising · Sona, Vlasta, Gabriel, Alica & Roman Dusil (rock beach suntan) — 80.Jul – Lake Nippising · Sona, Vlasta, Gabriel, Alica & Roman Dusil (rock beach suntan)

78 - Burlington · Erika & Vaclav Dusil (sharing coat) — 78 – Burlington · Erika & Vaclav Dusil (sharing coat)

76.Sep.18 - Burlington · Roman, Alica, Gabriel, Vlasta, Noel, x, Sona Dusil (Gab's birthday) — 76.Sep.18 – Burlington · Roman, Alica, Gabriel, Vlasta, Noel, x, Sona Dusil (Gab’s birthday)

75 - Burlington · Roman, Gabriel, Sona, Karin, Vlasta, Anika, Alica Dusil — 75 – Burlington · Roman, Gabriel, Sona, Karin, Vlasta, Anika, Alica Dusil

Education, Gabriel Dusil

Education • Photo Restoration • 48 • Gabičko • University

July 28, 2016 Gabriel Dusil Leave a comment

• During our first week of orientation, the keynote speech was delivered by the Dean of Engineering. He told us to look to our left, then then to our right, “Before the first term is completed one of you won’t be here anymore.” That prediction ultimately came to fruition.

• In the first year we were taught the fundamentals of science, math, and technology. Essentially it was to equalize all freshmen into the program, from varying levels of high school education across the country (and abroad). If you made it past the first year you picked an Engineering discipline. I distinctly remember asking my cousin which one to choose. It was a Friday evening in the summer of ’88. We were waiting at the entrance of The Phoenix pub, at McMaster University. I told him I was on the fence to choose Engineering Physics or Electrical Engineering. He was entering his fourth year of Electrical Engineering at McMaster University. He said that if I chose electrical then I could potentially work for a big company like Bell Canada – the incumbent telecommunications operator in Canada. But I cringed at the thought, imagining that I would be installing telephones for the rest of my life. At that very moment I decided to go into Engineering Physics. I reasoned that if I started in the hardest discipline then I could transfer to an easier one in the middle of my studies with minimal damage to my established course prerequisites. After four years in the undergraduate program, only 18 students graduated from the 40 that started.

• In the late 80’s there was an unwritten hierarchy to engineering disciplines: Physics was considered the top, followed by Electrical. Mechanical was in the middle and Civil was somewhere at the bottom. The rest: Chemical, Material Science, and Computing fit somewhere in between. This categorization may cause emotional outbursts, but it was my observation when talking to other students.

• I wanted to study Physics because I loved the subject. That passion came from my grade 13 Physics teacher, Mr. Cantlon – a phenomenal teacher. His lessons were a work of art. I also migrated to Engineering because I was good at math. So Engineering Physics seemed the perfect fit for me. But it wasn’t long after graduation when I felt I had chosen the wrong path. My personality was more inclined to business. Pursuing a Master’s degree or PHD in Physics was out of the question – the undergraduate program was hard enough, and another two to four years would have probably broken me. Joking aside, I also realized I didn’t want to work in a nuclear power plant for the rest of my life. In hindsight I felt my cousin was right all along, and I should have gone into Electrical from the beginning. The employment options would certainly have been better. Even though many of my courses were shared with electrical engineering students, I never quite grasped the intricacies of their topics to the same intuitive level as they had. But I have no regrets. I never really had the passion to be a career engineer.

• As things turned out, I migrated to marketing and sales roles in the years that followed. University taught me mental endurance, how to learn, how to work hard, and it motivated me to pursue my life goals. Engineering Physics gave me a unique ability in marketing and sales to understand complex IT (Information Technology) topics and translate those concepts for business decision makers. I often considered myself strengths in being a liaison between the technical world and the business world. A manager once told me early in my career, “Gabriel, if you can understand it, then everyone will.” So I always wrote proposals, presentations, and articles, with the confidence that as long as I can explain it to myself, then everyone reading my work will also understand.