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Continued from page 29 calves, which Samantha raised for beef. Some nights Samantha could hear the train’s whistle from the barnyard, and she knew that her dad would soon be arriving home on the Toronto-Havelock train. “I would run and hide so I could spring out and scare him “School was terrific. Every year was a great adventure with my friends.” .. Samantha Espley as he entered the house,” mischievous Samantha said. “When I was little, he would let me stand on his shoes so we could dance around the dining room.” “School was terrific,” Samantha recalls. “Eve: year was a great adventure with my friends.” Her best friends at school were Janet Lamb and Jackie Skelding. “We were the three musketeers. We did everything together, from Girl Guides to 4-H to school bands and trips... and with our marriages and our own children.” Samantha has been “back home” for school reunions and for Janet’s wedding in Manchester. Otherwise, they “keep in touch the modern way through Facebook.” Up until grade 6, Samantha attended Prince Albert Public School, and then she went on to R.H. Cornish for grades 7 and 8. In 1984, she graduated from grade 13 at Port Perry High School. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the University of Toronto, and a Master’s in mining engineering from Laurentian University. She received the Governor General's Gold Medal for Out- standing Achievement. Dad George was a mining engineer, so “we talked mining” around the dinner table, said Samantha. U of T Chairman Dr. Fred DeLory supported her plan to pur- sue post secondary education in Geotechnical Engineer- ing in 1984. “He looked at my grades and said, ‘without a doubt you will be a great engineer.’” Samantha’s academic success as a student paved the way for future career success. From Grade 6 on she “loved the science fairs.” One of her favourite teachers was “The Whiz” who ran the Enriched Math Program. “We did fun things like Mastermind contests.” A sax player and choir member, Samantha fondly recalls “great music teachers Peter Chellew, Russ Baird and Charles White.” She described her English and drama teacher Mrs. Lackie as “exotic and fun.” Samantha’s active high school days also included cheerleading, drama, pep rallies, music, dances, and serving as yearbook editor and photographer. “We had a great gym and the track and field for run- ning,” she added. Janet and Samantha came dead last when they com- peted in Canoe the Nonquon, which they “blamed on Ox, their trusty canoe!” 80 FOCUS - MAY 2013 (04.MAY.2013-56 pg revised.indd 30 You may remember a teenaged Samantha serving your meal at Haugen’s Restaurant. She also worked at the former Railroad House Motor Hotel on 7A Hwy. Samantha babysat for the Parry’s and dated C Chris Rooney. She admits to “getting into a lot of mischief” with her childhood pals Liz and Tommy Dart. Her idyllic youth included “spending time at Lake Scugog, swimming and eating ice-cream at the Dairy Bar. I spent my summers swimming at Bird’s Eye Park or hanging out at Palmer Park. I enjoyed taking horseback riding lessons at Hoskin’s Stables... I put all that training to use with my own horse, Julia Child.” She describes downtown Port Perry as “beautiful, with lots of great shops and lovely homes. I would ride my bike into town every day and loved the trek down Queen Street (the trek back up Queen St. was another story.)” Samantha’s journey up the corporate ladder took her far away from her hometown. After working at Denison- Potacan Potash corporation in New Brunswick and for Falconbridge Ltd. in Quebec, Samantha joined the team at Vale (Inco) in Sudbury in 1990. As GM of mines and mill technical services, Samantha leads a multi-disciplinary group of more than 200 mining and mineral processing engineers, geologists, metallur- gists, technologists and other staff. She is a past member of the board of Science North, anew board member for the Bharti School of Engineer- ing at Laurentian University, and a founding director of “My dad was a mining engineer, so we talked mining around the dinner table.” .. Samantha Espley WISE Sudbury (Women in Science and Engineering.) Arole model for women in mining and a strong advo- cate for her field, Samantha is also married to a profes- sional engineer, Marc Boudreau. Their eldest children, Amy and Eric, are following in their parents’ footsteps, pursuing degrees in science and engineering. Katrine and Miranda are excelling in a specialized science and tech- nology program at Lockerby High School. Their family home is in Hanmer, just north of the town of Sudbury. On the rare occasions when Samantha has the op- portunity to visit Scugog township, she likes to frequent some of her favourite old haunts, like Haugen’s Restau- rant “for their famous BBQ chicken and special sauce and delicious strawberry pie. “Tike to drive up Highway 12 to Greenbank for some homemade bread and desserts,” added the high-powered executive who has earned great respect for her stellar career in a non-traditional job for women. But the little girl in her “still remembers the home- town smell of Flamingo butter tarts wafting across the farm’s fields in Port Perry.” By Lynn Campbell Focus on Scugog 13-04-21 12:04 PM