I arrived in Montreal with no housing as a 17-year-old American arts science major. The Zeta Beta Tau fraternity found me and offered me housing and good friends at 3483 Peel Street. This gave me a sense of belonging and quick access to Montrealers and Westmount society. I made lifelong friends and am still in touch with many who live all over the world – in New York, Toronto, Paris, Tel Aviv, and Hong Kong.
McGill was my wife and family, and Montreal was my mistress. What a great mix of restaurants, night clubs, hockey, museums, prominent guest speakers, motivated profs, and campus life. I came as a teenager left as a sophisticated traveller and entrepreneur.
I switched my major to chemical engineering and worked in London during the summer of 1959 as an engineering intern. I graduated in 1961 and got my MBA at night school in 1965. I went on to have three successful careers: DuPont engineer, 1961-1968; executive recruiter of engineers and scientists, 1968-1982; and travel agency owner, 1982-2016.
I have been married for 57 years to a teacher in New Jersey and have four sons and seven grandkids. Now retired, I am a great observer of humanity and politics.