Emanations from the Corpse of Little Burgundy

About the Book

Little Burgundy was a small vibrant part of Central Montreal. Perhaps somewhat sadly, that area no longer exists, having been changed largely through gentrification. But the area and its residents had many worthwhile stories to tell. However, up till now, I am unaware of anyone undertaking to tell any of them. So in this mini novel, I am adopting the posture of a reporter, who will try to recall some of the most noteworthy stories about this place. Hopefully, the few stories that I have selected will give the reader a sense of what day-to-day life was like for those of us who lived there at that time.

About the Author

Thomas F. Massiah is a graduate of Sir George Williams College (now Concordia University) with a bachelor of science in chemistry in 1947. He later received a master’s in science in organic chemistry from McGill in 1956, and a PhD from Université de Montréal in organic chemistry in 1962. For twenty-two years, Massiah did postdoctoral research work primarily in the area of pharmaceuticals and was granted five patents. He became a chartered chemist in 1984 and was elected as a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada in 1988. Massiah’s biography was listed in American Men and Women of Science. Massiah taught chemistry as an evening division lecturer at Sir George Williams from 1949 to 1964. He was also a faculty member of Seneca College from 1985 to 1991 where he taught chemistry, pharmaceutical science, and mathematics. In 1986, Massiah was appointed to the Ontario Ministry of Health’s Drug Quality and Therapeutics Committee (DQTC) and served on this committee until 1989. He received a book prize from the DQTC at the conclusion of the appointment. He served as president of the Association of the Chemical Profession of Ontario from 1979 to 1981 and received a Certificate of Appreciation from the association in 1986. From 1985 to 1999, he functioned as a consultant in the pharmaceutical field. Massiah is now retired from the active practice of chemistry. Massiah founded the Montreal Negro Alumni Group (MNAG), dedicated to furthering postsecondary education among blacks, in 1953 and was their first president. The MNAG gave more than $30,000 in scholarships and bursaries during its fifteen-year existence. During 1968, Massiah served as president of the University Negro Alumni Club, a Toronto-based group with similar objectives to the MNAG that Massiah founded. Massiah liaised with the Toronto police as chairman on behalf of the National Black Coalition from 1972 to 1975 in an attempt to improve police/community relations. From 1988 to 1996, Massiah tutored black students in mathematics (grades 11 to OAC) at Vaughan Road Collegiate, as a member of the Saturday morning program, sponsored by the York Board of Education, in cooperation with the Canadian Alliance of Black Educators. Massiah was an Anglican church warden from 1977 to 1980. Concurrently, he also served as a fund-raising chairman for Anglicans in Mission.