In Memoriam

Harvey Shulman

The Concordia community mourns the loss of one of its most beloved members. Harvey Shulman passed away on Dec. 12.

“When you use your mind, you don’t use it up,” he used to say. “The more you use your mind, the more you’re capable of using it for other things. It’s the beginning of an education for life.”

Harvey adhered to this philosophy not only in theory but in practice. He was a founder of Concordia’s Liberal Arts College (LAC) and one of the university’s most passionate and respected thinkers.

Provost Martin Singer knew him for more than 30 years. “Those of us who knew Harvey were fortunate to have him as a friend, colleague and teacher. His contribution to Concordia University was without equal, and he will be missed by all of us.”

Singer and President Claude Lajeunesse extended their condolences to friends and family.

“Harvey was not only a gifted, committed and generous teacher, but he was a concerned Concordian,” Lajeunesse said. “I will always cherish the memory of Harvey welcoming me at the Liberal Arts College and explaining in detail the accomplishments of ‘his’ students.”

Shulman received his undergraduate degree at Sir George Williams University, one of Concordia’s founding institutions. He did graduate work at Ottawa’s Carleton University before returning to teach at Sir George in 1971.

He was a member and sometime chair of the Political Science Department, where he researched and taught American politics, political thought and the civil rights movement.

Frederick Krantz, Shulman’s friend for more than three decades, recalled their first encounter in his eulogy.

“There was a knock on the door of my office… and a large young man introduced himself.

“Someone told me, he said, that you know something about Thomas Aquinas. I pled guilty, and we began to talk — and we didn’t stop talking for the next 34 years.”

Together, they founded the LAC, where they impressed their love for the great books, art and music of the Western tradition upon their students.

Part of the College’s interdisciplinary experience is its annual trip to New York City, one of Shulman’s favourite places. “He loved New York’s theatre, its rhythm, and its kosher delis,” Krantz said.

Many remember his jovial sense of humour and his ‘files’: colourful stories clipped from the newspaper and kept in his shirt pocket. Once he mastered a computer, he would email articles to friends whom he kept organized into lists based on their interests.

His assistant of 17 years, Lina D’Iorio, said he taught her that nothing is impossible. “Harvey always thought that people should have a second chance, and gave it to them because he believed in them.”

He always helped students who were struggling academically or financially. If a student couldn’t afford to go on the College’s NYC trip, Shulman would make it his mission to get the funding so he or she wouldn’t miss out, D’Iorio said.

Shulman worked tirelessly on several university committees, including the Board of Governors and the Senate. He was vice-president of the Concordia University Faculty Association, and was a driving force in negotiating its most recent collective agreement.

He is survived by his wife Celia and his sister, Barbara Shulman, to whom we extend our sympathies.

 

Francis Joseph Hayes

Frank Hayes, a founding member of the Economics Department and Lonergan College, died in Montreal on Dec. 30.

He started teaching at Loyola College in 1949 and retired 47 years later, in 1996. During his career, he served as chair of the Economics Department, and played a role in planning Quebec’s public health care system.

With his wife, Anita, he was a longstanding supporter of the Montreal West Operatic Society. His friends and family recall his dry, British sense of humour, his generosity, and his integrity.

Our sympathies are extended to his widow and his seven children and 12 grandchildren.

 

Patricia Gail Boland

Pat Boland, who died Jan. 7 in Toronto, was an inspirational leader of Recreation and Athletics at Concordia.

Appointed Director of Women’s Athletics in 1971, she was tireless in her promotion of women’s programs, fighting for bigger budgets, better coaches and more opportunities at a time when sport was just opening up to young women. Notably, she established an annual women’s basketball tournament at the university that attracted top competitors from across the country.

She was a member of the Canadian women’s basketball team in 1967 and manager of the team for three years, 1981 to 1984. She served on the National Advisory Council on Fitness and Amateur Sport. She was also a columnist for the Montreal Star and a CBC commentator at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

Pat was inducted to the Concordia Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.

Her funeral was held in Toronto at St. Michael’s College School, where she was a librarian. Her friends are invited to donate to the newly established Pat Boland Student Bursary at the school.