U of C approves Brew & Blendz plaque to honour Annette Schmirler

By Scott Strasser, January 10 2017 —

At their meeting on Dec. 16, the University of Calgary Board of Governors approved setting up a plaque in Baron’s Court in the kinesiology complex in memory of Annette Schmirler.

Schmirler, who managed the Brew & Blendz in Baron’s Court for 10 years, passed away on Oct. 14, 2016. She was a popular figure among U of C students and had a knack for remembering customers’ names and what they liked to order.

Following Schmirler’s passing, fifth-year political science student Graham Duff started a petition to rename Baron’s Court to Annette’s Corner, which he sent to university administration once it reached 1,000 signatures.

According to Duff, more than 1,700 people signed the petition, which also garnered support from U of C staff and faculty.

“I really want to thank everyone who signed and shared the petition for making this happen,” Duff said. “The support I received was overwhelming and it’s fantastic to see the Board of Governors take action to make it a reality.”

While the name of Baron’s Court will not change as the petition originally sought to do, the plaque recognizing Schmirler will be set up in the vicinity of Brew & Blendz, pending the franchise’s approval.

Faculty of Kinesiology dean Penny Werthner said it was important for the university to recognize Schmirler’s legacy.

“She made the environment a great place for students,” Werthner said. “Students sit and study in that space all the time. When she died, it was quite a difficult number of days for students. What came out of that was students thinking, ‘how can we remember her’?”

According to Werthner, the Faculty of Kinesiology will unveil the plaque sometime in January.