By Frederick Klein
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I first met Pierre when I was a fifteen year-old student newly arrived at Chomedey High, where he was the librarian. Pierre and I quickly discovered our common interests in books, history and especially hockey, which was a particularly fascinating topic of discussion as Pierre was a fountain of knowledge.
We bonded while watching the 75th anniversary film of the Montreal Canadiens on a screen in the library. Pierre was glad to share his knowledge of hockey with me. Pierre could often be seen on “Hockey Night In Canada” in his regular seat three rows above the visitor’s bench at the old Montreal Forum. Pierre related an amusing anecdote from his early childhood attending a Habs game in those seats with his father at a time when Maurice Richard was like a god. When Richard tripped and fell to the ice, a young Pierre turned to his father and proclaimed “Richard a tombé!” Pierre’s father smiled.
Pierre had a wealth of knowledge on topics as diverse as the French Revolution, the partition of Poland and Medieval Spanish literature. His library reflected it and Pierre welcomed visitors from college campuses in Montreal who visited Chomedey just to use his library. When I needed a book, Pierre knew where it could be found, be it Crane Brinton’s “Anatomy of Revolution”, Isaac Deutscher’s “Stalin”, or just a county atlas.
Pierre’s office at Chomedey High was like a mausoleum of history, which included a framed autograph by Vladislav Tretiak on a mustard-stained paper bag. Behind Pierre’s desk was a portrait of her Majesty, for Pierre was a monarchist with the proviso the current monarch should be known as Elizabeth II in England, but Elizabeth I in Canada and I agreed he was right. Another wall had a framed black & white photograph of Pierre laughing in front of a chalkboard during his teaching days in Washington DC. Each object had a story behind it. Pierre loved cats, history, the streets and architecture of Montreal and all things antique.
Pierre had a developed sense of cynicism, a healthy distrust of society and deep resentment toward the Laurenval School Board, of which I share all three. When asked what he studied at McGill, Pierre jokingly replied “With a name like Pierre LaRocque, what else could I study? Geology!” Pierre inspired me to become a librarian and was my mentor when I attended library school, gave me an opportunity to volunteer in his library and followed my career progress afterward. “Be sure to take courses with Peter McNally” was Pierre’s advice and I did. Pierre excelled at languages and adored being called by Latin variations on his name such as Petrus Antonius, Petrus Lapidus or on social media, Petrus Benefactus. Pierre also supported my writing projects and often volunteered as French editor or translator. Pierre gave meaningful feedback and shared his frank insight and encouragement like few others and gave me a feeling of validation.
Pierre was my friend for thirty-five years after graduation from Chomedey High and we kept in touch across the decades. Through Pierre, I met Jane who has also become a friend and they joined my other friends and me for Chinese suppers when I lived in or visited Montreal. In his autumn years, I was able to help Pierre discover his love of disco music for the first time. An accidental discovery at his favourite local pizzeria, Pierre LOVED Boney’s M.’s “Ra-Ra-Rasputin” and declared it to be one of his favourite all-time compositions on a par with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”. It was four decades late, but Pierre loved that song and its creative celebration of Russian history!
I celebrate Pierre’s life and the enduring positive effects he had on myself, a graduate of the class of 1984. I wish my heartfelt and sincere condolences to his family. When the Habs will win their 25th Stanley Cup, I shall certainly think of and remember Pierre.
