Eight will receive doctorates

 

These remarkable international activists and local philanthropists will receive honorary doctorates at five convocation ceremonies on June 13, 14 and 15 at Place des Arts.

Shirin Ebadi, lawyer and Nobel laureate, is one of the best-known defenders of democracy and human rights in the world today. She was the first female judge in Iran, and founded the Association for the Supportof Children’s Rights in Iran. Photo copyright by the Nobel Foundation.

Former pro football player John Forzani is chairman and CEO of Canada’s largest sporting goods retailer, the Forzani Group Ltd., which includes more than 450 corporate and franchise stores with sales of nearly $1 billion and some 10,000 employees.

Danish physiologist Bengt Saltin, seen above orienteering, created the Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre, which has provided significant research on the effects of exercise, and inspiration to others in the field..

Grand Chief Ted Moses, born on his parents trapline on James Bay, helped create Canada’s first local self-government legislation and win consultative status for the Grand Council of the Crees from the United Nations.

Robert Daudelin, founder of the Cinématique québécoise, has been committed to the preservation of film for more than 35 years.

Also receiving honorary doctorates are the following distinguished Montrealers.

Norman D. Hébert is a businessman, philanthropist and strong supporter of Concordia University. He founded his first car dealership in Montreal in 1969; Groupe Park Avenue now generates over $250 million in sales. He established the Norman D. Hebert Master’s Fellowship for research in automotive engineering.

As longtime CEO of Air Canada, Claude Taylor transformed the company into a world leader and has become an internationally respected authority on civil aviation. He retired in 1998 after more than 49 years of service to the airline, and has served as chair of the Concordia’s Board of Governors.

The late Leo Goldfarb, president of Ringold Enterprises, was dedicated to promoting health care, education and cultural causes. In 2003 he was named an Associate of the Chancellor of Concordia University in gratitude for his decade as a member of the Board of Governors. He died on Nov. 23, 2004, and his widow, Shirley Goldfarb, will accept an honorary doctorate in his name.