Social Work given 'wonderful collection'

Thanks to a generous donation from a retired therapist, the social work department recently acquired a comprehensive collection of books.

Peter Dunphy, who retired from Ridgewood Addiction Services in Saint John this past May, spent more than 26 years in the field of addiction treatment and rehabilitation.

When Mr. Dunphy decided to leave Ridgewood, he concluded that his special body of books required a new owner. Consequently, he wanted to ensure his texts could be relocated to an owner who would frequently use the collection. “I’ve known a number of St. Thomas students who have done their placements at Ridgewood,” Mr. Dunphy says, “and a lot of those students enjoyed using [the books] extensively.”

“It’s an absolutely wonderful collection,” relates social work chair John Coates. “It’s an up-to-date assortment of books on addictions, understanding them and their treatments. It spans a great number of years.”

Dr. Coates says the social work department is interested in housing the books in the common room of the Professional Studies Building to make them conveniently available to students and faculty.

“It’s a tremendous addition for our students who have interests in working with addictions,” he says. “It complements and adds to our number of resources currently available. Mr. Dunphy has given us an incredibly generous gift.”

Social Work Potluck

The Social Work department held its annual potluck on Monday, November 5, in the James Dunn cafeteria. All proceeds went toward the Sherry Lynn Taylor Bursary. Approximately 50 people enjoyed home-cooking prepared by the students, staff and faculty of the department.