In memoriam Alan B. Gold

 

Members of the Concordia community learned with sadness of the death on May 15 of former chancellor Alan B. Gold at the age of 87.

He was a remarkable man in many ways: chief justice of the Quebec Superior Court from 1983 to 1992, a legendary labour negotiator, a superlative law professor at McGill University, a role model for several generations of lawyers, and a generous contributor to the community.

Concordia President Frederick Lowy said this week, “Judge Gold was an educator at heart, encouraging, challenging and cajoling. He saw it as his responsibility to play a role in university governance.

“In fact, he held various positions of influence at three of Montreal’s four universities. He was named Chancellor of Concordia University in 1987 for a five-year term and his influence was so profound that the university elevated him to the post of Chancellor Emeritus in 1992. He added luster to the office of Chancellor and brought dignity and respect to the university as a whole.

“The honours bestowed on Alan Gold were numerous, ranging from honorary doctorates, including one from Concordia in 1992, to the ranks of Great Montrealers and the Order of Canada. The Concordia University Alumni Association also recognized his contributions to education by awarding him an honorary life membership, even though he was not a Concordia graduate.

“I had the pleasure of dealing with Judge Gold on a personal level. He was intelligent, witty and charming, but what impressed me most was his sense of fairness. A colleague of mine told me that lawyers were always pleased when Judge Gold was assigned to their case, regardless of which side they were representing. Praise indeed.

“He told Dawson College’s spring convocation in 1989, ‘Remember that learning consists of knowing what to ask: of your family, your neighbours, the world around you and, above all, what to ask of yourself.’ ”

“Alan Gold asked much of himself, and he always delivered.”