Although Don has lost touch with many of his TT classmates, he is very grateful to TT
because of the lifelong friendships that have stood the test of time to this day. He loves
getting together with Randy Soifer, Glenn Cohen and Ron Samuels a couple of times a
year for lunch and golf.

He recalls with fondness cooks Mike and Lisa’s hot dog lunches on Fridays, as well as
the wooden door. “Some of my classmates who read this will remember.”

Following grade 6, Don went on to Westminster Jr High, Ross Sheppard High School
and then to the University of Alberta. His friends from TT were right there with him. They
then went their separate ways. “I went to B.C. to be part of the Okanagan Sun coaching
staff. I spent five years in Kelowna and was very involved with the small Jewish
Community. I even blew Shofar during high holidays. Some of my Hebrew teachers
would be schlepping naches!”

While in Kelowna Don’s personal athletic pursuits switched from team to individual, as he pursued long distance running and triathlon. “I was lucky enough to wear the Israeli team colours in two Ironman triathlons and one Olympic distance.”

(Picture: Don and his Dad at the Canadian Ironman Championships in Penticton 1992.)

Don’s career has been long and varied, but the last 25 years after he came back to
Edmonton have been spent in the nonprofit sector. Currently, after being retired for 2.5
years, he was recruited to work with the Prostrate Cancer Centre in Calgary to bring a project to Edmonton and Northern Alberta. As a prostate cancer survivor himself, this is a passion project for him.

If you would like to reconnect with Don, please email
nataliesoroka@talmudtorahsociety.com