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For those of you who have not met or may not be familiar with James Orbinski and his accomplishments, a quick and by no means exhaustive thumbnail sketch of his life to date is worth reviewing:
1960 Born in the UK
1968 Moved to Montreal
1968 - 1979 Educated at Loyola, Dawson
1980 Came to Trent
1984 Graduated in Psychology
1987 Enrolled in McMaster Medical School
1990 Final Year of Med School spent in Rwanda doing Pediatric Aids Research
1990 - 1992 Ran a medical practice in Orangeville
1990 - He and a group of committed Doctors formed Medecins Sans Frontieres Canada
1992 Worked with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Peru during the cholera epidemic
1992 Worked with MSF during the Somalian civil war
1993 Worked with MSF in Afghanistan during the civil war
1994 Worked with MSF in Rwanda during the Genocide
1996 Worked with MSF in Zaire during the early stages of the civil war
1996 Worked with Canadian Public Health Association in Zambia on the National Immunization Program
1997 Attended the University of Toronto and received M.A. in International Relations
June 1998 - December 2000 President of Medecins Sans Frontieres International.

Dr. James Orbinski
As President of MSF he spent time in Sudan, Kosovo, Albania, Russia, Cambodia, South Africa, many other locations, and delivered the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize Speech on behalf of MSF in Oslo. He negotiated for the release of other MSF workers taken hostage in different parts of the world, as well as taking on the pharmaceutical companies in an attempt to make necessary drugs available at affordable prices to people in developing countries.

Meeting with James, one can't help but feel more than a little guilty. As you sit talking to him you want to keep asking him if there isn't a plane he needs to catch or call he needs to make? Isn't there some place in the world that needs his services more?

The great thing about James is that he is the same person I met 18 years ago at Traill College when he introduced himself as the Don to the third floor section of Wallis Hall. His tremendous sense of decency and high standards of honour are combined with a wonderful, mischievous sense of humour. When I met him recently he greeted me as warmly as if I had just seen him yesterday and then grinned at my obvious discomfort when he gave me, as a true European, a kiss on each cheek.

It is also difficult to encapsulate his experiences in such a short article. However, of the experiences that he has shared with me, two come to mind immediately.

In 1992 I had not seen James for about 2 years. He had been traveling a lot by this point. Fortunately for his family and friends, a broken leg had eventually slowed James down. It would be romantic to report that he sustained this injury in the line of duty, in some war-torn part of the world, but the reality is that the injury occurred in downtown Toronto when he slipped on some ice crossing the street. Since he was stuck in Toronto and marooned in his bedroom, I tracked James down and had a visit. Like most visits with James, there was a bit of beer and a great deal of story telling. However, when I started asking about his then recent experience in Somalia, James let his perpetual cheerfulness slip and described to me in detail what Somalia was really like.

He told how he ended up in Baidoa, how it felt when one by one aid agencies left the city until he and another doctor were the only medical people left. He described the sensation of having a 16-year-old so-called "War Lord", armed to the teeth, try and push him around. It was unbelievable. But he also remembered meeting George Bush when he came to Baidoa after the United States marines had liberated it. Bush had just lost the election to Clinton and when he spoke to Bush, James asked where Barbara was. Bush answered that Barbara was back at the White House, to which James replied, "Oh, is she packing?"

In 1995, I saw James again. This time he was not the old James I knew. He was much more reserved and quiet. Also, he was in town and did not appear to have any broken bones. I knew something was amiss. As with most of our visits, we talked a lot about Trent, our mutual friends and old times. But when I asked him about when he would next be going overseas, he was very quiet. He said he didn't think he would go again. He began to tell me some of the details of what he had seen in Rwanda.

He landed in Kigali on the second or third week of the genocide. It was a planned and systematically implemented plan that tried to murder and massacre all Tutsis in Rwanda. The radio stations were still exhorting the population to kill their neighbours. James was shot at and it was clear that no one was safe. MSF set up one of only two working hospitals in the country. But when you see that much death and when the streets are literally running with blood, it cannot help but affect you in ways that you don't realize at the time.

For two years after Rwanda James stayed in Toronto and concentrated on living a more sedentary existence. He bought a house and worked on a research project at McMaster. But by 1996 he was ready to go back overseas. He spent three months in Eastern Zaire/Congo and two months in Zambia. By June of 1998 he was President of MSF International, living in Brussels, but travelling to war-torn areas once again.

Those of us who are lucky enough to count James as a friend also know of his tremendous love for Trent. Trent University, and in particular Traill College, continue to be extremely important to him. When he first came to Traill he was fortunate to come under the tutelage of Nancy Sherouse who made the college experience both special and significant. John Jennings was his much respected advisor. As he finished his years at Trent, he developed a strong bond with Lynn and James Neufeld. He stays in touch with his Trent friends and, despite the claims of a number of large Ontario Academic Institutions; Trent remains his true Alma Mater.

That James will continue to do great things, there is no doubt. He has a level of energy and commitment that is unparalleled. While his term as President of MSF International is now over, James is continuing to add to his long list of achievements as he gets ready to take up a position as Senior Fellow of Massey College at the University of Toronto. He also continues to work with MSF in ensuring that pharmaceutical companies provide drugs to people in developing nations at affordable costs. James is an excellent example of what the Trent experience can give to a person beyond the classroom. It is also very special for Trent to have the opportunity to recognize one of its own with an Honorary Degree.

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