Dr. Cal Stiller, who owns and operates successful harness racing breeding operation Stonebridge Farm in Arva, Ont. with his wife Angie, was recently promoted to an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
The Order of Canada, one of our country’s highest civilian honours, was established in 1967, during Canada’s centennial year, to recognize a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to community and service to the nation. Over the last 40 years, more than 5 000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order. Stiller was promoted for his "leadership as a medical entrepreneur and for his advancement of scientific research and innovation."
Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Dr. Calvin Stiller's magic touch as a builder pervades every phase of his career. A physician, scientist, administrator, policy innovator and entrepreneur, Dr. Stiller developed one of the most dynamic organ transplant programs in the nation and championed countless other initiatives that have enriched research enterprise in Canada. He is called a visionary with organizational genius.
Dr. Stiller was Canada's major voice in organ transplantation during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s when the field transformed from a risky experimental undertaking to a reliably successful venture. It was Dr. Stiller who, in the late 1970s, obtained the promising new drug Cyclosporine and organized its first multi-centre clinical trial in kidney transplantation in North America, creating the foundation for subsequent studies that put Canada on the world stage. Cyclosporine remains today as the drug of choice to combat tissue rejection after transplantation. He was responsible for the controversial but groundbreaking research that showed that cyclosporine, an immunosuppressant, could halt the progression of Type 1 Diabetes demonstrating that it was an immune disorder.
In a lifetime, an individual might be successful in creating one institution or program. Dr. Stiller has been the architect of many, including The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, Robarts Research Institute, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, MaRs, and the Stiller Centre. From 1984 to 1996, he established and led the Multi-Organ Transplant Service (MOTS) at The University of Western Ontario's University Hospital, the first of its kind in Canada and one of the first in the world. During this time, Dr. Stiller had a remarkable run as a crusader for organ donation and the organ donor card, and popularized, if not coined, the term Gift of Life.
Dr. Stiller's appointment to the board of the Medical Research Council of Canada in 1987 coincided with his shift towards medical entrepreneurship, along with a belief in the role of productive partnerships between the private, public and voluntary sectors. In 1996 he was named Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year. Convinced that there was a serious lack of capital available to Canadian bioscientists, he honed his idea of involving the private sector in stimulating a real Canadian-grown life sciences industry. Accordingly, he built four venture funds the largest being Canadian Medical Discovery Fund that served as the catalyst for biotechnology in Canada and developed early-seed investments in discoveries coming out of universities.
A recipient of numerous prestigious awards and honours, Dr. Stiller is a Member of the Order of Canada (1995) and the Order of Ontario (2000), and has received the Queens Jubilee Award (2002) and the Canada Gairdner Wightman Award (2010).
Recognized for Life Time Achievement by the Canadian Society of Transplantation (2003), he also holds three honourary doctorate degrees and was named as a Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Laureate in 2010.
(with files from the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame)
Dear Lynne; The generosity
Dear Lynne; The generosity of parents like yourselves in the face of heart-wrenching anguish and personal loss never fails to move me.
On behalf of those recipients who cannot express their gratitude directly to you I would like you to know that they go to sleep every night thanking their unknown donor and their family for the opportunity to dream of a future and, in many instances, live out a life that also reflects kindness and generosity in return.
Two weeks ago I received a Christmas card from Japan, from a 22 year old patient who came from Kyoto and received a liver transplant here in London 18 years ago at the age of 4. He and his mother send me a card with a picture each Christmas expressing that very sentiment.
Patrick still lives on in the spirit of your giving and in real terms through the lives of his beneficiaries, as you know.
Thank you for what you and your husband have done. It is a noble act of the highest degree.
Cal Stiller
In reply to Dear Lynne; The generosity by Cal Stiller
Thank you for your kind
Thank you for your kind words, Dr. Stiller. Knowing that part of Patrick lives on in another deserving body gives us some peace.
Congratulations Cal. Erna
Congratulations Cal. Erna and I are so happy for your great recognition and hard work over the years. May you and Angie enjoy this great honour.
I would like to thank you,
I would like to thank you, Dr. Stiller, for being instrumental in the development of the organ donation program at University Hospital in London, Ontario. My 17 year old son, Patrick, was killed by a drunk driver in July, 1994. He had only had his driver's licence a year but the first thing he did when it came in the mail was turn it over and sign as a donor. On July 5th, 1994, my husband and I made the most painful, agonizing decision to remove Patrick from life support and, following his wishes, to donate his organs. Many of them were transplanted or used for research. The Gift of Life program gave us and Patrick a chance to see others benefit from a senseless, needless loss of a young, precious son.
I just read that the Cam Fella Award for 2011 does not have a recipient. I would suggest that Dr. Stiller would have been a suitable candidate for all of the reasons stated in the article on Standardbred Canada and his valuable contribution to the harness racing industry.
Angie and I want to thank
Angie and I want to thank you all (Jack, Murray, Robert, Blair, Garnet, Joanne, Brian and Greg) for such warm and gracious responses. The comments posted here, and received personally, reflect a wonderful community that we are proud to be a member of and to be able to call you all "friends".
This honour is not so much a personal one as a collective one for all the colleagues, students, and patients (because many of them participated in my research as subjects in clinical trials) who partnered with me in the various endeavors.
We are all so inundated with news of the problems that we face in our sport (for it is a sport first and an industry second) that we lose sight of the extraordinary richness of our network of friends and competitors that make up this dynamic and frankly spectacular area. I sometimes think that if we could only get the public to meet and talk to one of you (and many others like you involved in Harness Racing) that they would have a completely different view of our sport. Actually I know they would!
Thank you again for your kindness and may your 2012 be a year of personal fulfillment and give you many opportunities to share with others. Cal
Congratulations Dr.Stiller.
Congratulations Dr.Stiller. I was sitting last year with family and friends and somebody asked me being in horse business you must have met some famous people. I said the most famous person I know and is a good friend of myself and Jackie's, is Dr.Cal Stiller. Congratulation on The Order Of Canada and all the best to You and Angie in 2012.
In reply to Congratulations Dr.Stiller. by larry drysdale
Thank you Larry. They don't
Thank you Larry. They don't make them any better than you and Jackie and we are honored to be a friend.
May 2012 be spectacular for you both.
Angie and Cal
Congratulations on what must
Congratulations on what must be quite an honour! A remarkable achievement!
Congratulations Cal. It is
Congratulations Cal. It is an honour to know personally someone who has contributed so much to the welfare of society. Your contributions are remarkable and I am reminded of your intervention on behalf of dozens(if not hundreds) of people connected with our great sport/industry over the past 40 years. The medical advice and influence you continue to impart has brought comfort and a sense of serenity to many, many horse people and their families.
Thank you for what you do and Happy New Year to you and Angie,
Brian and Gay
We in the Standardbred
We in the Standardbred Industry are proud that You & Angie are involved and so passionate about your breeding and racing operation. Stonebridge horses are "top shelf". Your medical accomplishments have helped people all over the world. Well done!
This summer @ Mohawk I
This summer @ Mohawk I approached Mr. and Mrs. Stiller leaving the winner's circle after presenting the trophy to the winner of The Peaceful Way Stakes. I wanted to mention that I was a huge fan of Peaceful Way and ask how she was doing. Within one minute, Mrs. Stiller invited me to "come by the farm and visit her anytime!". It was wonderful talking with these two fine people who had absolutely no idea who I was, yet, spared a few minutes to chat and seemed to enjoy reminiscing about the great trotting mare's career. Mr. and Mrs. Stiller are a credit to the sport and terrific ambassadors. Congratulations and continued success Mr. Stiller.
Congratulations Cal. Erna
Congratulations Cal. Erna and I are so happy for your great recognition and hard work over the years. May you and Angie enjoy this great honour. Another great Saskatchewan person building a great legacy.
Congratulations Dr.
Congratulations Dr. Stiller;you are a most deserving recipient of this as well as your many other honours . The fact that you have also chosen to be a part of the sport and business of Harness Racing is truly a blessing to ALL .
Congratulations Dr Stiller
Congratulations Dr Stiller on a well deserved honour.
Congratulations Cal. Wow,
Congratulations Cal. Wow, what an impressive resume and a well deserved honour. You are a huge source of pride for our horse racing industry.