Accolades
Ronald Rudin (History) was quoted in a story in The Gazette about efforts by Parks Canada to interest more Canadians in Charles-Michel de Salaberry, hero of the 1813 Battle of Châteauguay. De Salaberry’s action saved British Montreal from being overwhelmed by the U.S., but that’s not a popular cause these days, Rudin remarked. “What’s the value of a French-Canadian military hero who saved an empire?” In Quebec in 2006, not much.
Pamela Bright (Theology) was interviewed on CBC’s Daybreak about Opus Dei, the conservative lay organization affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church which figures in The Da Vinci Code. She said Opus Dei has learned a lot from the attention it got because of the novel, and is likely to be less secretive in future.
Congratulations to Janine O’Leary Cobb (BA Sociology 75), who won in the Health and Science category of the Y’s Femmes de merite competition recently. Cobb is the best selling author of Understanding Menopause and is the president of Breast Cancer Action Montreal.
George W.M. Harrison (Theatre) has edited a book, Satyr Drama: Tragedy at Play, published by the Classical Press of Wales/Duckworth. He sent the following explanation:
“In ancient Greek drama, as performed at Athens, each set of three tragedies was followed by a light-hearted, shorter play using the same case [topic].
“The 12 contributions in this book, five of which are by Canadians, examine aspects and issues of satyr drama, which is not as well known or preserved as tragedy or comedy.
“My own contribution to the collection explored how satyr drama had to change to adapt to the dramatic conventions and theatre design during the Roman Empire.
Congratulations to Barbara Davidson (right, BFA 90). Together with seven colleagues, she won a Pulitzer Prize for news photography for the Dallas Morning News for their coverage of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Early in her career, she took photos for Concordia’s Thursday Report in the early 1990s. Davidson was the subject of a major illustrated feature story in The Gazette, and will be featured in the next issue of the Concordia University Magazine.
Congratulations to Steve McLeod, currently studying for a Minor in Canadian Irish Studies. He has been awarded a scholarship to attend the 10th Annual Trieste Joyce School, which will take place in Italy from June 25 to July 1. The School draws its inspiration from the history, culture, architecture and institutions of Trieste, and leaves participants with a sense of why Joyce came to describe the city as his “second country.” McLeod also won the $1,000 J. Armand Bombardier Scholarship in Canadian Irish Studies last fall.
The Montreal Mirror’s annual Best of Montreal list hit the stands on May 11. Concordia’s Bookstore nabbed the only slot in the top five New Bookstore list not taken by a big chain. Meanwhile, the Concordia Community Solidarity Co-op Bookstore, located in the Hall Building, found itself among the top five Used Bookstores. No other university bookstore was mentioned in either category.