Where are the lockers? How much are gym memberships? Can I book a squash court? These are just a few of the thousands of questions Bruce Farquhar fielded during his 18 years with the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
After helping countless people as a membership services assistant, he celebrated his last day at the Faculty on November 30.
Farquhar joined U of T in 1994 and worked as a residence steward until he joined the Faculty in 1998. Over his career, he represented the front line of the Faculty, answering phone calls and emails, making court bookings, and selling lockers and memberships.
Farquhar is also an accomplished artist, and his retirement party featured an impressive display of his life drawings.
“We’ll miss Bruce’s artistic talents – his artwork decorates the walls of the Main Office,” says Todd Pepper, Assistant Manager of Customer and Membership Services. “We’ll also miss his sense of humour and his ever-changing hair styles. I always said that Bruce looked like Tom Selleck with his moustache – I’ll always remember the times when Magnum PI was working.”
What will Farquhar remember the most?
“I really enjoyed working with lots of students and acting as a mentor, and it was always great to see them return and find out what they were doing.”
Wendy Lopez was one of those students. She worked with him for seven years.
“Bruce was a lot of fun to work with and was a wealth of knowledge,” says Lopez. “Before the days of online registration, we would compete to see who could cash out and do the most transactions in one day – it was always a fun challenge!”
What’s next? Farquhar plans to spend time relaxing with his wife Carol in Whitevale, a heritage community in north Pickering.
“I’m really proud of the work I did with the Faculty and helping our members. Now, I’m moving on to a new chapter in my life and I’m open and ready for new opportunities!”