NUMBER 51 ■ WINTER 2016 ■ $2.00 ■ ROCH CARRIER AT THE LITERARY FEAST ■ GEORGE-ÉTIENNE CARTIER’S CHAIR MEETS CARTIER’S DESK ■ 2016: A RECORD-BREAKING YEAR The Morrin Centre is managed by the Literary & Historical Society of Quebec. Society Pages are published with the assistance of Canada Post. Quebec Heritage News Subscribe Now! Quebec’s English-language heritage magazine. Popular history – Profiles of remarkable people and events – Contemporary issues in heritage conservation – Book reviews – Insightful commentary – and much more. Individual: $30 for 1 year; $75 for 3 years; $120 for 5 years Institutional: $40 for 1 year; $100 for 3 years; $160 for 5 years To pay by cheque, please mail payment to: QAHN, 400-257 rue Queen, Sherbrooke QC J1M 1K7. or pay by Paypal to: [email protected]. For more information, call (819) 564-9595 Toll free: 1-877-964-0409. EDITOR Deborah van der Linde LAYOUT Patrick Donovan PROOFREADING NUMBER 51 ■ WINTER 2016 Louisa Blair ■ PUBLISHER CONTENTS Literary & Historical Society of Quebec 44 Chaussée des Écossais Quebec, Quebec G1R 4H3 PHONE Letter from the President 1 Barry Holleman 418-694-9147 FAX From the Executive Director 1 Barry McCullough 418-694-0754 GENERAL INQUIRIES Transactions [email protected] WEBSITE If a Chair Could Talk 2 Jeannine Malchelosse www.morrin.org Science Lectures at the Lit & Hist 3 Louisa Blair ■ Library Pages LHSQ COUNCIL [email protected] On the Shelf: Genealogy 5 Britta Gundersen-Bryden Barry Holleman, President Ladd Johnson, Vice-President On the Shelf: Kids’ Holiday Edition 9 Britta Gundersen-Bryden Gina Farnell, Treasurer Diana Cline, Secretary New Acquisitions 10 Donald Fyson, Honorary Librarian Bruce Laurie, Member at Large Library Christmas Wish List 11 Jacob Stone, Member at Large Peter Black Miscellanea Jack Bryden Katherine Burgess Literary Feast 2016 12 Alicia Lamontagne Arthur Plumpton Grant Regalbuto Recent & Upcoming Events 13 Alicia Lamontagne Hélène Thibault 150 Members Objective 13 Deborah van der Linde Sovita Chander, Ex-Officio David F. Blair, Ex-Officio Kitchen Corner 13 Gail Cameron Tomas Feininger, Ex-Officio Meet our Rentals Coordinator 14 Cameron J. MacMillan, Ex-Officio Morrin Calendar 14 Rosemarie Fischer ■ Delivery Room Playlist 15 Barry McCullough DIRECTOR Barry McCullough Executive Director [email protected] FULL-TIME STAFF Gail Cameron Accounting & Financial Clerk LIBRARY HOURS [email protected] Rosemarie Fischer Library CLOSED Dec 24, 25, 26, 31 and Jan 1, 2 Administrative Assistant [email protected] Manon Fortin Sunday 12:00PM-4:00PM Interim Rentals Coordinator [email protected] Stefanie Johnston Monday CLOSED Guided Tours Coordinator [email protected] Alicia Lamontagne Tu e s d ay 12:00PM-8:00PM Interim Development and Communications Director [email protected] Wednesday 12:00PM-4:00PM Deborah van der Linde Library Manager Thursday 12:00PM-8:00PM [email protected] ■ Friday 12:00PM-4:00PM The mission of the Morrin Centre is to share and foster English-language culture in the Quebec City region. Saturday 10:00AM-4:00PM The Morrin Centre is administered by the Literary & Historical Society of Quebec. Front cover: Roch Carrier, keynote speaker at the Literary Feast (photo: Dylan Page). SOCIETY PAGES LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear members, friends and fund cultural programming. The mood in the room was partners, warm and vibrant, which was helped along by a long- term pledge made by Mr. Charest to the Centre on As the year comes to a close, I behalf of Industrielle Alliance. This support is a would like to reflect on the past testament to all that we have accomplished in the year. I am delighted to report that development of our Three Pillars. I would like to thank 2016 was another record-setting everyone who made the evening so special. year for total attendance from all activities (tours, events, rentals and We are elated to have such strong support from the library). None of this would be possible without you, region’s business leaders; we still need your support for our loyal and dedicated members. I would like to thank the Centre to continue providing the engaging you for your continued support of the Centre and your programming to which you have become accustomed. unwavering participation in our events and activities. In Our annual fundraising campaign kicked off at the particular, I would like to highlight the overwhelming beginning of December and I ask you to please consider response to the My Morrin initiative, which allows a donation before the end of 2016. members to help shape our programming. I encourage you to look for more community-driven events in I hope you all have a fantastic holiday season with your 2017. families and I look forward to seeing you in 2017. The 2016 Literary Feast also set records thanks to our Yours sincerely, wonderful lineup featuring keynote speaker Roch Carrier and Honorary President Yvon Charest. During Barry Holleman the evening, we raised over $43,000, which is used to President FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Members, Friends and Partners, Arts Alive was back for the second consecutive year and its reception was even stronger than it was the year As I write this, December is before. In addition to having Pascale Picard to headline arriving like a lion as we get pelted the festival, several local English-language artists were with our first big snowstorm. It’s featured, such as Randall Spear, Gilles Sioui, Jane now time to look back on the busy Ehrhardt and Vibrant Voices. Over 1,000 people year that just passed. We’ve had stopped by for the performances and to visit the kiosks another extremely busy one and, of local artisans and community organizations. by the time all is said and done, the Centre will have seen more than 46,000 people come ImagiNation 2016 was our most successful to date and through its doors. the planning for the next festival is well underway. Please stay-tuned to our website and Facebook page as We have had a number of successes in 2016, including we plan to start announcing authors in early 2017. In our Hong Kong and the Home Front exhibit which looked addition to ImagiNation, we have a lot of exciting at the Pacific Theatre in the Second World War. It programming coming up this winter and spring. I think examined the contributions of Quebec City’s English- you are going to like what we have in store, so I hope speaking regiment, the Royal Rifles. to see you down at the Centre. The My Morrin series has been very well received by I wish you and yours Happy Holidays and a safe and our members and we have received many great happy 2017. applications. We are happy to see such a strong interest and we plan on making it a permanent part of our Barry McCullough annual programming. Executive Director PAGE 1 WINTER 2016 TRANSACTIONS IF A CHAIR COULD TALK By Jeannine Malchelosse, translated by Sameera Magar Visitors to the library can see, next to Sir George-Étienne today. Every year, each member had to write an article Cartier’s desk, the chair that originally went with it. This has to be published in the society's annual booklet, the been leant to the Society by Mme Jeannine Malchelosse, Cahier des Dix. The last journal of Cahier des Dix, with whose father was one of the founding fathers of another papers from its historical collection, was published in great Quebec learned society. She tells the story of this 2015. We can only wish a long life to this learned historic chair. institution. I remember seeing my father, Sir George-Etienne Cartier had Gerald Malchelosse, working at his bequeathed his chair to his friend desk in his study, sitting in a chair and protégé Benjamin Sulte, who that once belonged to Sir George- was Secretary in Parliament in Etienne Cartier. He referred to this Ottawa, a writer, poet, historian room as his great library. Its walls and member of several cultural were covered with shelves, and the institutions. Benjamin Sulte, in turn, shelves were loaded with books gave it to my father, a long-time from floor to ceiling. friend whom he regarded as his spiritual son. After the death of During the week, for three hours Sulte in 1923, my father classified each evening, he would sit there and published many of the writings pursuing his historical research. of his honoured mentor, Benjamin Sulte, in a book entitled Mélanges We, his four daughters and four Historiques. sons, respected his ‘devoted time’, knowing we could only interrupt In 1963, my father offered me this him to discuss important matters. historic armchair when he left Montreal to take up a new position The study was also a place where at the Université Laval Library in he would entertain his friends, who, Québec. There he oversaw like him, were also fascinated by Canadian books, and worked at history. For years, they would get George-Étienne Cartier’s chair Laval until he passed away in 1969. together, usually on the last Saturday of each month. After sharing a meal, often It is an honour for me to lend this precious piece of prepared by my mother and older sisters, they would furniture to the Literary and Historical Society, which go upstairs to the study where they discussed their will display it at the Morrin Centre in its prestigious and work and personal discoveries. In these discussions they well-preserved library, located in a building loaded with shared their knowledge with each other, each with his history. For the pleasure of all visitors interested in our different area of expertise. They enjoyed these national heritage, this armchair will be placed next to exchanges and their mutual friendship.