Loretta Leibel — A Tribute
Loretta Leibel
November 14, 1930 – August 7, 2024
Painting by: Mary-Anne Dubé, Campion B.F.A., ‘97
With heavy hearts, we pay tribute to the life and services of a beloved member of the Campion family, Loretta Leibel, who passed away on August 7, 2024.
Samira B. McCarthy, Campion College 1968-2009, Professor of English and Dean Emerita, provided the following tribute for Loretta.
Twenty-five years ago, I wrote a Tribute to Loretta Leibel for The Brag, on the occasion of her retirement from Campion College, where she started as Faculty Secretary in 1969, and eventually served as a much beloved Registrar until 1999. This article is almost verbatim what I said in that Tribute.
Loretta’s name became synonymous with Campion. She came to embody the College’s spiritual and practical goals; caring, patient, just, wise and efficient, she made sure that the students were well-served. She made each and every student feel that he or she was the most important person in the world; she worked 12-hour days at times to make sure everyone was well-counselled and every academic record accurate. She kept tabs on each and every one of their individual files, making sure they fulfilled all requirements for graduation, advising them when she thought they were making an unwise move on their programmes.
Over the years, hundreds of cards, letters, phone calls and flowers poured into her office from grateful students. The messages echoed one another: “I could not have done it without you”; “I cannot thank you enough for all you did for me”; “I am a success today because of your help and encouragement”; “YOU ARE ONE OF A KIND!” Long after they left university, many alumni kept in touch with her, calling her, dropping by her office, writing to her; and she kept track of countless of them, rejoicing in their successes and mourning with them in their losses.
In the course of her career, she dealt with numerous changes both at the college and the university. She saw the student body at Campion grow from 300 to 1200 in her time (a growth many attributed to Loretta’s reputation!), and eventually accepted some of the values of the computer, though never losing sight of the human factor essential in our dealings with students. Forced to give up the “Blue Folders” in which students were once registered into classes, she instigated practices that ensured students’ rights and convenience were not sacrificed to the computer systems being put in place.
And always, there was her smile and her gentle laughter. She was the centre of calm at the College, firm as steel when it came to what she believed to be right, always putting aside her own moments of crises and problems, welcoming faculty who came to her with questions, problems, crises – and gossip. To the constant amazement of all, she could handle three or four things at the same time. While speaking attentively to a student, she could also field faculty questions, answer the phone and search for a file—without missing a beat. “Years of practice,” she would say. She kept track of students with various files on her desk marked “Problems,” “To be done,” and “Done.”
Never moody, she rarely showed her anger or displeasure, and never in front of students. She was, for all of US, the best example of patience, equanimity, generosity, and professionalism. This generosity and dedication to the College and to her profession was exemplified even after her initial retirement in June 1998; when asked to return to the College to replace the Assistant Registrar who went on maternity leave, Loretta put aside her plans and came back as assistant to the registrar. Her reputation was legendary, and at her retirement, she was awarded the prestigious Service Award by the Western Association of Registrars of Universities and Colleges in Canada. Refusing a gala celebration (which would have filled the Centre of the Arts!), she was surprised with a quiet party by faculty and staff at Campion on January 22, 1999. In her retirement, Loretta’s spirit and legacy continued to live on in the College. In her own way, she shaped much of what Campion is today. She taught us to put a human face to the bureaucracy and the technocracy of the university and to remind ourselves constantly that the student is the most important person in the university community.
An article by Kathryn Fahey from the Prairie Messenger dated November 11, 1985, titled “Loretta Leibel enfleshes spirit of Campion College” beautifully captures her essence. Described as “a petite woman with a warm smile and a friendly voice, whose first question inevitably is, what can I do for you?” Lorette’s open-door attitude made students feel welcome, stating, “We often tell students that if you have a problem, you just come to us, and we’ll do what we can for you.” The article says that at the University of Regina, Loretta was known as one of the most “helpful and caring” individuals on campus.
During the college’s 75th anniversary in 1992, Campion President Joseph G. Schner, S.J., stated, “Loretta, over the past 20 years, has been the person to whom students, professors and staff have turned to for help…She has made sure that all the important events of the College from registration to convocation, run smoothly.”
Campion College opened the Loretta Leibel Student Centre on the third floor to mark Loretta’s 30 years of service and dedication to our students. This space honours her genuine concern for helping students and ensures future students will have a central place to get advising and guidance.
In the spirit of prayer, we thank the Lord for the gift of Loretta Leibel. Her legacy of service and dedication will continue to inspire us. Please join me in offering our prayers and support for her family at this time of grief.
Pre-deceased by her husband Charlie six years ago, Loretta spent her final years in Russell, Ontario, where her daughter Kathy lives, and died peacefully there on August 7. She is survived by her children Kathy, Patrick, Jane, Jim, and their families, and countless members of her clan. She will never be forgotten by all whose lives she touched.
The Funeral Mass will take place on July 8th at 11 am at St. Anne’s Catholic Church, 1701 Cowan Crescent, Regina.
A Memorial Mass will be held at Campion Chapel at a later date.
