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October 04, 2004

U of S Announces Sharon Butala as the Fall 2004 Honorary Degree Recipient

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 4, 2004 2004-10-01-OTHER

U of S Announces Sharon Butala as the Fall 2004 Honorary Degree Recipient

Sharon Butala, an accomplished author and supporter of the preservation of
nature will receive an Honorary Degree from the University of Saskatchewan
at Fall Convocation, Saturday, October 23, 2004 at the Centennial
Auditorium.

Butala was born in Nipawin, Saskatchewan and earned a B.A. in Art, and a
B.Ed from the University of Saskatchewan. She also earned a post-graduate
diploma in the Education of Special Children, and became a faculty member of
the College of Education, University of Saskatchewan. Subsequently, she
moved to Eastend, Saskatchewan where she and her husband ranched and she
embarked on a career as a writer of fiction and non-fiction, her subjects
being the lives of rural people, and the ecology of the short grass prairie
in southwestern Saskatchewan.

"Butala's literary accomplishments, her close connection with the people of
Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan, make her an obvious and
excellent candidate to be granted an honorary degree from the University of
Saskatchewan," said U of S President, Peter MacKinnon.

She is the author of fourteen books, among them the Canadian bestsellers:
Old Man on His Back, The Perfection of the Morning, Wild Stone Heart, and
Coyote's Morning Cry. Her work has been consistently recognized by the
literary community and has garnered many prestigious awards and nominations.

Her contributions in all fields have led to many other honours including the
Canada 125 Commemorative Medal, the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, the
University of Saskatchewan Alumni Honour Award, the Saskatchewan Writer's
Guild Achievement Award, the Marian Engel Award, and she is invested as an
Officer of the Order of Canada.

Butala is one of the most significant Saskatchewan writers to emerge in this
province since the days of Sinclair Ross and W.O. Mitchell. As well, she
has been a committed advocate of the preservation of nature and the unique
ecology of southwestern Saskatchewan. In 1996, she and her husband Peter
donated part of their ranch to The Nature Conservancy of Canada to establish
The Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Preserve.

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For more information, please contact:

Gordon Barnhart
University Secretary
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-4632
Email: gordon.barnhart@usask.ca

To interview Sharon Butala or to obtain a photo, please contact:

Erin Taman
Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6919
Email: erin.taman@usask.ca

(Posted October 04, 2004)