Red River College will pay tribute to a pair of industry trailblazers this week, awarding honorary diplomas to film/TV producer Lisa Meeches and business owner Larry Vickar as part of its spring convocation ceremonies.

The honorees will pick up their diplomas at convocation ceremonies taking place Wednesday, June 4 at the Centennial Concert Hall. Meeches will receive a diploma in Creative Communications, while Vickar will receive a diploma in Business Administration.

“Both recipients are leaders in their community; their contributions are widely known and well respected,” says Richard Lennon, Chair of RRC’s Board of Governors. “The College is committed to improving the social and economic well-being of Manitobans and we are happy to honour those who share those values with us.”

The president of Eagle Vision Inc., Meeches is a four-time Canadian Screen Awards nominee, and a two-time winner for the docu-drama We Were Children, praised by residential school survivors for its power to heal the wounds of the past.

She has received critical acclaim for a number of past projects, including The Sharing Circle, Canada’s longest-running Aboriginal TV series; Tipi Tales, a Parent’s Choice Award-winning children’s series; the Gemini Award-winning TV movie Elijah; and the CSA-winning Jack, among many others.

She’s also been crucial to the success of the Manito Ahbee Festival since its inception eight years ago — first acting as board chair, and now, as Executive Director — and sits on the national board of the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Vickar has been a fixture in the automobile industry for the past 44 years, working his way from office, finance, credit and sales positions to the head of Vickar Group of Automotive Dealerships, which includes six operating companies representing four manufacturers.

In the past, he’s served as president of the Manitoba Motor Dealers Association and the Transcona Rotary Club, and has championed a number of local and international initiatives – helping to build a village in the Philippines and a water project in Israel, and nurturing Winnipeg’s L’Arche Tova Café, a place to showcase the talents of those with developmental disabilities

Vickar currently sits on the executive of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, The Jewish National Fund, the St. Boniface Hospital Foundation and the Manitoba Hydro Electric Board.