First person, last word: ‘Many doors were to open beyond the clouds’
Members of the 1962-63 Garnet Key Society: Front row from left: Vivianne Schinasi-Silver, Vernon Chang, Helen Bahr, Joel Silcoff, Barbara Clarke. Back row from left: Tom Raudorf, Phil Macdonald, Judith Davies, Pat Whyte, Linda Gordon, Joanne Fyfe, Jim Fraser, the late Fred Lackstone (Missing: Ron McCarthy)
I recently came across a treasured memento of my university days. My Garnet Key Society blazer — which I wore 60 years ago — brings back a flood of happy memories and a recognition of how instrumental the Key has been in my life’s journey.
It all began with Sir George Williams University, one of Concordia’s founding institutions, giving me a chance in life, the opportunity to better myself and realize my potential.
In 1960, I was a recent immigrant to Canada, having arrived in 1957 with my family as exiles from Egypt after the Suez Crisis. My parents could not afford to send me to university, but I learned that employees of Sir George Williams could benefit from free tuition as evening students.
I soon got a job at the university library, in the original Norris building on Drummond Street, where I would meet my future husband, Brahms [BA 63, MA 96]. I am happy to say that we will soon be celebrating 60 years of marriage.
By fall 1962, I had saved enough to leave my job to become a day student. I was then able to apply to the Garnet Key Society. Members of the honour society acted as university ambassadors at various events.
I still remember how jubilant and proud I felt when I put on my uniform for the first time. At my first formal function, I believe we hosted the prime minister of Barbados, who was in Montreal on an official visit.
Brahms and I were married in 1963 and I graduated the following year. Just two weeks later, I became the proud mother of our firstborn son, Jeffrey. I had written my last exam sitting sideways at my desk, while my son’s kicks cheered me on.
That autumn, I worked as a part-time receptionist in the guidance office at my alma mater, where I tutored students with their French or English literature courses. I discovered my love of teaching — and it became my profession. I taught for the next 43 years at Montreal’s Dawson College and John Abbott College, retiring in 2012.
Brahms and I went on to have two more sons, Jonathan and Joshua. The latter graduated from Concordia in 1996, alongside his father who received a master’s degree in Judaic Studies. I deviated somewhat, earning a master’s degree at McGill University in 1985, yet I always treasured my connection to Concordia.
Fifty years after my arrival in Montreal, I published a memoir, 42 Keys to the Second Exodus, in 2007. In it, I discuss being part of the last generation of Jews to have lived in Egypt, my family’s immigration to Canada, as well as my experience at Sir George Williams University and profound gratitude to the Garnet Key Society.
Being a Garnet Key gave me a sense of confidence and self-esteem — and the courage to aspire to the possibility of higher achievement. It helped me to be in touch with an inner sense of commitment and integrity, which I carried throughout my life.
Many years ago, Brahms and I attended a lecture given by famous author and poet Maya Angelou, who shared reflections of her own life’s journey. She spoke of the rainbows in the clouds — the ones that come along and give you hope.
The Garnet Key was one such rainbow for me. Many doors were to open beyond the clouds. It was indeed a transformational experience.
Vivianne M. Schinasi-Silver, BA 64, is a writer, educator and community leader, and volunteer docent at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. She was a member of the sixth Garnet Key (1962-63).