Governor General honours Concordians
The Governor General recently named several Concordians to the Order of Canada. Among them are famed CBC broadcaster Stuart McLean and the first principal of Concordia’s Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Maïr Verthuy, a renowned feminist, scholar and social activist.
Stuart McLean
When Stuart McLean showed up as a wayward undergraduate at Sir George Williams University (SGWU), he probably didn’t imagine that one day he would be recognized as one of Canada’s most beloved broadcasters and be awarded the title of Officer of the Order of Canada.
“I was a confused young guy,” he recalls. “I entered Sir George without a lot of confidence, and not a lot of belief in myself, and I left feeling that there was a place in the world for me.”
The storyteller behind the Vinyl Café, a popular CBC radio show featuring stories, essays and music, fondly recalls his years studying at what would become the downtown campus of Concordia University.
“I was in applied social science with some tremendous people: Hedley Dimock, Bob (Robert) Nagy and Dick McDonald — all great teachers. I got my sea legs studying with them. They had a profound effect on me.”
McLean remembers having what he calls “therapeutic moments of great insight […] where I felt I was understood and heard, and where I fit in.”
When he began producing radio documentaries at the CBC, embarking on his lifelong dream to be a broadcaster, he says one skill he learned at university served him particularly well.
“Applied social science was about group behaviour and group development. We learned how a group behaves by studying our group, and so I learned how to listen to people, which served me mightily when I began my work as a journalist.”
McLean was named an Officer of the Order of Canada “for his contributions to Canadian culture as a storyteller and broadcaster, as well as for his many charitable activities.” He says the recognition affirms that the Vinyl Café is reaching Canadians. “I’m very mindful of some of the things the country stands for and has stood for. I feel this is a confirmation that we’re doing the right thing, and that we’ve been heard.”
Maïr Verthuy
When Maïr Verthuy joined the French department at Sir George Williams University in 1965, she was surprised to discover how few works by women were included in the syllabus. “They didn’t teach about women at all! AT ALL!” she says. “I was stunned by that. So I spent a lot of time introducing women into courses like the history of French literature, making sure women had their place.”
Verthuy devoted her professional life to championing feminist causes, whether through her research, her teaching, or her activism. Now she has been named a Member of the Order of Canada for her tireless efforts on behalf of women and for her advancement of francophone literature.
“I’m particularly pleased that it’s not only about women. It’s not that I resent working for women; on the contrary, that’s my choice. But they did recognize all that I’ve done for Quebec literature in Canada, women writers, and immigrant writers in particular.”
Verthuy developed and gave the first course ever on Quebec women writers. She wrote the first bibliography of Quebec feminist writers, and introduced her students to legions of unheralded, unstudied immigrant women writers. In 1978, she became the first principal of Concordia’s new Simone de Beauvoir Institute, established to provide a foundation for the interdisciplinary teaching of, and research in, women's studies.
In 1982, she organized the first worldwide conference on Teaching and Research Related to Women. Before that, she planned a Canadian version. “I brought in a Métis woman from out west, Maria Campbell, and some black women from Halifax. No one had ever contacted them before to come and speak at an academic conference.”
The retired academic traces her fight for social justice and the recognition of women to her childhood in Wales. She was raised by progressive parents who taught their children to defy racism and sexism. “I’ve always fought for the integration of minorities. I’ve always been anti-racist,” says Verthuy, who also received the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case in 2008 for her outstanding work on behalf of feminist causes in Canada.
Other Concordians honoured
Lawrence S. Bloomberg was named a Member of the Order of Canada for his social engagement and philanthropy, notably in the areas of health care and education. Bloomberg graduated from Sir George Williams University in 1963 with a Bachelor of Commerce. He established the Lawrence Bloomberg Endowed Chair in Accountancy at the John Molson School of Business in 2001, and received an honorary doctorate from Concordia in 1996. Bloomberg lives in Toronto.
Michael Meaney completed his BA in Psychology in 1975, an MA in Applied Psychology in 1977 and his PhD in psychology in 1981 at Concordia. He was named a Member of the Order of Canada for his contributions to neuroscience, notably through his research on the effect of early adversity on neural development. A professor at McGill University, Meaney is primarily known for his research on stress, maternal care and gene expression. His research team discovered the importance of maternal care in modifying the expression of genes that regulate behavioural and neuroendocrine responses to stress, as well as hippocampal synaptic development.
David W. Scott, who graduated in 1956 from Loyola College and earned a commemorative degree from Concordia in 2005, was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contribution to the legal profession and for his charitable activities. Scott lives in Ottawa, where he is counsel and co-chairperson of the Borden Ladner Gervais law firm. He has received numerous awards for his legal work, and in 2010 he was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Lexpert Zenith Awards for his pro bono contributions.
Related links:
• Order of Canada - full list of recipients as published in the Globe and Mail
• Stuart McLean’s profile on Vinyl Café site
• Concordia’s Simone de Beauvoir Institute
• Concordia’s Lawrence Bloomberg Endowed Chair in Accountancy