The far-reaching impact of Annette Schmirler, a cashier and manager at Brew & Blendz in the Kinesiology Complex on the University of Calgary campus, continues to resonate through the school’s halls following her untimely death.
The 52-year-old, who succumbed to a medical condition earlier this month, worked at the coffee counter for 10 years where she would go out of her way to remember the names of students and faculty.
“She was awesome,” said Megan Barry who worked alongside Schmirler for the last seven years. “She made it feel like home for every student that came.”
“She was like a mom to me.”
Christine Stapleton, U of C Athletic Director, still recalls her first encounter with Schmirler.
“I was greeted by a smiling face ‘Hey, you’re new. What’s your name?’ I said my name is Christine, I’m second day on the job,” said Stapleton. “From then on, Annette knew me by name, knew my coffee order and always greeted me with a smile.”
“You don’t often get that kind of authentic, intentional interaction with people.”
To honour Schmirler’s memory, Graham Duff, a political science major, circulated a petition calling for the renaming of Baron’s Court, the hall containing Brew & Blendz, to Annette’s Corner.
“My goal was always 1,000 (signatures) and I thought it would take a week or two to get there,” said Duff. “We got there in 36 hours. I was pretty overwhelmed with how quickly it built and I think that’s really a testament to the impact Annette had.”
On Friday morning, Duff met with Dr. Penny Werthner, Dean of Kinesiology, to discuss the proposal which has now garnered 1,700 student signatures.
“She’s 100 per cent supportive of this,” said Duff of his meeting with Dr. Werthner. “We’re just both working with university administration to make sure that this happens.”
Dr. Werthner says Schmirler's memory will live on in the school.
“She was a wonderful person who worked here for so many years and connected with so many students,” said Dr. Werthner of Schmirler. “We will be doing something, there is no doubt.”
‘We need to check with the family (to see) if they’re okay with our suggestions and then we’ll move forward with it over the next month.”
Duff says many students would cross the campus to spend time in the happy environment Annette created. "That’s really what we want to continue with the petition, that this stays a happy place and the positive legacy of Annette lives on.”
The hall was named Baron’s Court in 1988, the year Calgary hosted the Winter Olympic Games, to recognize Pierre de Coubertin, the French baron who started the International Olympic Committee in 1894.
Megan Barry, Schmirler’s coworker, loves the idea of the proposed name change that would see Annette live on well after the current study body graduates.
“Down the road, students won’t know who she was,” explained Barry. “They might ask why it’s named Annette’s Corner and there’s a story to tell about it.”
Many of the students who signed the petition included comments describing the impact Schmirler had on their lives. Duff collected the comments and provided them to Schmirler’s family following her standing-room only memorial service.
With files from CTV's Alesia Fieldberg
