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Olga Melikoff, Murielle Parkes and Valerie Neale were leaders of the parent group behind the creation, in 1965, of Canada's first bilingual education program, at Margaret Pendlebury Elementary School in the Montreal suburb of Saint-Lambert, Quebec. Their education activism laid the groundwork for the French immersion system in Canada. As a result of their efforts, Melikoff, Parkes and Neale are often referred to as Canada’s “founding mothers" of French immersion.

George Baird, CM, architect, critic, educator, author (born 25 August 1939 in Toronto, ON).

Jean Bédard, philosopher and social supporter (b 1950). Jean Bédard appeared like a meteor on the literary scene. In 1996, at his riverside home at Saint-Fabien-sur-mer near Rimouski, he inaugurated seminars for reflective thought on Western culture and modernity.

Richard Bruce Wright, novelist, editor, teacher (born 4 March 1937 in Midland, ON; died 7 February 2017). Richard Wright's novels frequently explore lives in urban Canada and crises of personal identity in modern cities.

Maryvonne Kendergi, Armenian pianist, broadcaster, teacher, musicologist, administrator (b at Aïntab (now Gaziantep) Turkey 15 Aug 1915, naturalized Canadian 1960, d Montreal, 27 Sep 2011).

His paternal forebears settled in Nova Scotia in 1760. Both parents were musical and encouraged the development of his talent. In Victoria he sang in the Anglican Cathedral choir directed by Stanley Bulley and studied piano at the age of six with Ogreta McNeill, then with Gwendoline Harper.

Al Baculis (Joseph George Alphonse Allan). Alto and tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, teacher, b Montreal 21 Nov 1930, d Seminole, Florida 22 Jan 2007; L MUS clarinet (McGill) 1951.

Charles Margrave Taylor, CC, GOQ, philosopher, political theorist and public intellectual (born 5 November 1931 in Montreal, Quebec). An internationally celebrated Canadian philosopher, Taylor’s work bridges the gap between philosophical theory and political action. His writings have been translated into more than 20 languages, and have covered a range of subjects including multiculturalism, modernity, humanity, morality, artificial intelligence, language, social behaviour and Canadian politics.

Robert (Henry) Cooper. Choral conductor and clinician, radio producer, teacher, tenor, b. Fredericton, NB, 7 Apr 1948; B MUS (Western) 1972, M MUS (Western) 1975. He sang leading roles in high school musicals and later with the Orpheus Operatic Society of Ottawa.

Guillaume (Ladislas) Dupuis. Teacher, choirmaster, b Montreal 3 May 1887, d there 25 Apr 1954.

Malcolm Ross, humanist, educator (b at Fredericton 2 Jan 1911; d at Halifax, N.S., 4 Dec 2002).

Marta (Iren) Hidy. Violinist, teacher, conductor, b Budapest 11 Jan 1927, naturalized Canadian 1963, d Hamilton 4 Nov 2010; Performance Diploma (Franz Liszt Academy) 1946, honorary FRHCM 1978.

Mary (Elizabeth) Munn. Pianist, teacher, administrator, b Montreal 28 Jun 1909, d Calgary 10 Oct 1991; LRAM 1928, RAM Certificate of Merit 1929, M MUS (New England Cons) 1967, DMA (Boston) 1973, honorary LLD (Lethbridge) 1991.

Stanley (Llewellyn) Osborne.

Louisa (Sister Marie-Valentine) Paquin. Lexicographer, teacher, b St-Barthélémy, Que, 23 Jan 1865, d Lachine, near Montreal, 9 Jun 1950; honD MUS (Montreal) 1937.

Angelo (McCallum) Read. Teacher, composer, organist, b near St Catharines, Canada West (Ontario), 22 May 1854, d Port Maitland, Ont, 15 Jul 1926. His early musical training took place in St Catharines and in the USA.

Alvin (Harry) Reimer. Bass, teacher, b Winkler, Man, 5 Jun 1940; Bachelor of Religious Education and Diploma, Sacred Music (Mennonite Brethren Bible College) 1965, BA (Waterloo Lutheran) 1968, Künstlerische Reifeprüfung (Academy of Music, Detmold) 1978.

Rosette (Rose Madelaine) Renshaw. Teacher, ethnomusicologist, translator, born Montreal 4 May 1920, died New Paltz, NY, 13 Mar 1997; BA (McGill) 1942, B MUS (Toronto) 1944, D MUS (Toronto) 1949. She attended the École Vincent-d'Indy 1936-8 and studied with Alfred Whitehead and Claude Champagne.

W. (William) Bramwell Smith Jr. Trumpeter, bandmaster, composer, teacher, administrator, b Ottawa 3 Mar 1929, d Toronto 4 Aug 1993. Bramwell Smith began learning cornet at age 10 in Ottawa from his father and uncles, who were professional trumpet players.

Margaret Christakos, poet, novelist, editor, teacher (b at Sudbury, Ontario 1962). Margaret Christakos is an award winning, internationally recognized experimental writer who works in both poetry and prose.