Jan and Helen Novotny

For Jan and Helen Novotny, a passion for education and strong belief in helping the next generation of students were the reasons behind their planned gift, which created The Novotny Scholarship Fund at Fanshawe College.

Jan and Helen’s journey to Canada and eventually Fanshawe College was an adventurous one that started in their homeland of Czechoslovakia and led to Calgary, Deep River and Port Elgin before ultimately settling in London. However, it was their seven-year stay in Saudi Arabia that held the most excitement. In 1980, after working with Ontario Hydro and Bruce Power, Jan was offered a job overseeing a training centre for Aramco, the largest oil producing company in the world based in Saudi Arabia. For both, the opportunity to work with young people from all walks of life who were eager to learn was rewarding and exhilarating.

When they returned to Canada in 1987, Jan was hired as the Chair of Continuing Education at Fanshawe College in what was then the Division of Technology. At that time, there were three employees and the department offered 200 part-time computer and technology courses. By the time he retired in 2005, there were over 25 employees and the course offerings had expanded significantly. Helen also developed her own affinity to Fanshawe College and enrolled in art and painting courses at the College for more than six years.
Both Helen and Jan passed away in 2013.