Dr Thomas A Brzustowski of Ottawa, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), has had an exemplary career as a scholar, academic administrator, senior government official and international leader for the support of engineering and science research in Canada.

Among his many honors are his election as a Fellow of the Canadian society for Mechanical Engineering in 1987, election as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 1996 and the Julian C Smith Medal, awarded by the Engineering Institute of Canada in 1997. The acknowledged Canadian leader in academic research policy and funding, Dr Brzustowski has led Canada to an unprecedented level of support in University-based research.

Mr Wayne Gretzky, OC, originally from Brantford, Ontario, is internationally recognized as one of the greatest hockey players of all time, as an outstanding role model for youth, and a strong supporter of charitable groups and associations.

A member of the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St Louis Blues and New York Rangers, his gentlemanly conduct, sportsmanship and astonishing talent made him a role model, both on and off the ice, for thousands of young hockey players.

The time and effort he commits to many service organizations parallel his devotion to sport. He is involved with countless worthwhile causes, endeavors and charities. Often in association with a corporation with which he is involved, a charitable entity will be the beneficiary of his work. The CIBC, with their Youth Vision program which provides scholarships to young students, and the Hudson's Bay Company, which raises funds for their Pebbles project from the sale of clothing in the Wayne Gretzky Collection, are examples of the combined efforts of Mr Gretzky and his corporate associations.

Over the decades, Mr Gretzky has kept an ongoing relationship with several entities including the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, the Special Olympics and the RCMP Drug Abuse programs for youth. By assisting the many national and international charities that seek his assistance to benefit the less fortunate, he continues to be a role model for the ages.

Louis Davies Hyndman, OC, QC, of Edmonton, a former Chancellor of the University of Alberta, has had a distinguished career in the fields of law, public service and community service.

An alumnus of the University of Alberta, he received his BA (1956) and LLB (1959) degrees from this institution. Upon being admitted to the Bar in 1960, he began his law career as a general practitioner with the Edmonton firm of Field and Field. In 1994 Mr Hyndman was elected as the 15th Chancellor of the University of Alberta. During his four-year term he provided strong leadership to both the Senate and the Board of Governors and succeeded in building many bridges between the University and the communities it serves.

Now Chancellor-Emeritus, Mr Hyndman continues to be a role model for public service, community service and the profession of law. He continues to be active in charitable and educational organizations and serves a sterling example of the positive effect an honourable and altruistic individual can have.

James M Stanford of Calgary, the Chairman of the Board of Petro-Canada, is an individual who embodies the ideals and principals of outstanding community service and unparalleled business leadership.

Mr Stanford is particularly committed to the fine and performing arts, education and national unity. He is a long-time supporter of the Council for Canadian Unity, was a director from 1994 to 1996 and is currently a director of the Alberta Chapter and head of the Calgary fundraising campaign.

Mr Stanford's many contributions in the area of community service include membership on the Business Council on National Issues, the Alberta Performing Arts Stabilization Board, the University of Alberta's Board of Directors and the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation. As a business visionary, an activist for national unity, and a supporter of the arts, Mr Stanford reflects a well-rounded desire for the betterment of his community - both locally and nationally.

Dr Jozef Straus of Ottawa, one of the leading figures and pioneers of the Information Age, is proof that curiosity-driven research can significantly affect the world in which we live, our quality of life and our stature in the global community.

Dr Straus received his BSc(Honours Physics) from Czech Technical University in 1968. Later that year, he moved to Alberta from Czechoslovakia in order to enroll in the Physics program at the University of Alberta. In 1969 he entered the PhD program in the Department of Physics where he specialized in the study of the quantum tunneling effects in normal metals. Upon graduation in 1974 he accepted a position at Bell Northern Research where he held various research and management positions in the area of fibreoptic technologies.

He is one of those rare scientists who have gone into business and been able to continue their personal growth and emerge as an effective and respected senior executive as their enterprise becomes a major global corporation. He has the ability to apply his scientific expertise to the world outside the laboratory, to envision how the world is evolving, what potential new technologies offer, what new products are required, how to design, manufacture and deliver them, and what their societal implications might be.

Dr Straus is a distinguished Canadian who has proven that one need not leave Canada to build a global, high technology company. He brings great distinction to his alma mater and his country.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu of South Africa has lived an outstanding life as a spiritual church leader and a peace and human rights activist. He is highly respected and admired worldwide.

Archbishop Tutu was born in Klerksdorp, South Africa in 1931, the son of a schoolteacher and a domestic worker. At the age of 12 he first met and was later greatly influenced by Father Trevor Huddleston, an Anglican cleric in the Johannesburg township of Sophiatown and an outspoken early critic of apartheid. In 1984 he received the highest award the world offers, the Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of his leadership in the non-violent struggle for liberation from apartheid.

He retired from office as Archbishop of Cape Town in June 1996 and was named Archbishop Emeritus in July 1996. Archbishop Tutu continues to shape South African Society. He has not been afraid to criticize the new government and remains an outspoken advocate for social justice, freedom, and equality in South Africa and around the world.

Archbishop Tutu has single mindedly pursued truth and justice throughout his life and is a strong example to the world that it is possible to make a difference by standing up for what is right.