{"id":112019,"date":"2026-10-05T12:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T16:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=112019"},"modified":"2026-10-05T17:04:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T21:04:47","slug":"drama-grad-honoured-for-decades-of-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2026\/10\/drama-grad-honoured-for-decades-of-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Drama grad honoured for decades of impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly 60 years ago, David MacKenzie (BA \u201974) made his Brock debut as the sole member of the University\u2019s computer department.<\/p>\n

MacKenzie originally attended the University of Waterloo to study computer sciences but moved back to Niagara before completing his program. He began working full time as Brock\u2019s Data Processing Manager in 1968, just four years after the University launched.<\/p>\n

\"A

David MacKenzie (BA \u201974) played Polonius in a 1970 production of Hamlet while studying Drama at Brock.<\/p><\/div>\n

Eventually, he returned to full-time studies at Brock with the goal of earning a degree and advancing his career. Short a humanities credit, MacKenzie enrolled in Dramatic Media 195: Practical Drama, taught by Mary Jane Miller<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking that course, it just changed my life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

After graduating from Brock with a degree in Drama, MacKenzie built a career as an actor, playwright and arts professional. He wrote more 20 plays for Carousel Players and spent decades portraying William Hamilton Merritt, the driving force behind the Welland Canal, bringing local history to life for audiences across Niagara.<\/p>\n

Decades later, MacKenzie has been honoured with the 2026 Brock University Alumni Association David Betzner Award for his significant volunteer contributions to Brock and its alumni community.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on his unconventional career path, MacKenzie advises students to \u201clook for the work, not for the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

His own work led him deep into historical research. As well as writing plays about the Welland Canal, transportation, railways and figures from the War of 1812, MacKenzie became a lead writer for the Canadian board game Trivial Pursuit.<\/p>\n

Throughout his career, MacKenzie stayed connected to Brock<\/a>. He supported bursaries, fine arts initiatives and fundraising efforts at the University and helped to build Brock\u2019s Sean O\u2019Sullivan Theatre. An active member of the graduate community, he designed the Brock University Alumni Association\u2019s (BUAA) official 50th Anniversary tartan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2009, MacKenzie received the BUAA\u2019s Faculty of Humanities Distinguished Graduate Award.<\/p>\n

A lifelong Niagara resident, MacKenzie has been a stalwart supporter of the local arts scene and volunteered with the Community Support Services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he stepped up to drive fellow residents to medical appointments.<\/p>\n

Whether through theatre, history or volunteer service, MacKenzie says much his life, and happiness, can be traced back to that unexpected course he took at Brock more than 50 years ago. Receiving the David Betzner Award is another chapter in a relationship with the University that has continued long after graduation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it weren\u2019t for Brock, it wouldn\u2019t have been this life,\u201d Mackenzie said, \u201cand I love this life.\u201d<\/p>\n

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