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A sports field named in honour of the late Judge Lindsay H. Place
The City of Pointe-Claire, in partnership with the Lester B. Pearson School Board, has decided to name the municipal sports field on John Fisher Avenue in honour of the late Judge Lindsay H. Place.
“It was important for the members of Council and for me personally to pay tribute to Judge Place for his sustained commitment to the education of young people for over 30 years, for the benefit of the Pointe-Claire community and all of the West Island. We want to help preserve the memory of this great man and ensure that his name and his history live on, for current and future generations,” said Pointe-Claire Mayor John Belvedere.
“This collaborative effort between the City of Pointe-Claire, the Lester B. Pearson School Board and the Lindsay Place Alumni Association will undoubtedly help ensure that the contributions of Judge Place, in terms of his community engagement and support of West Island youth, continue to be recognized for years to come,” said Mr. Noel Burke, Chairman of the Lester B. Pearson School Board’s Council of Commissioners.
“The Lester B. Pearson School Board is delighted by this collaboration with the City of Pointe-Claire designed to recognize Judge Lindsay H. Place’s leadership and contributions to education in the West Island. In the 1930s, Judge Place played an integral role in establishing and building the Lakeshore School Board, one of the founding boards for what became the Lester B. Pearson School Board in 1998. The renaming of the sports field is a fitting tribute to Judge Place’s extraordinary contributions to our community,” said Cindy Finn, Director General of the Lester B. Pearson School Board.
Lindsay H. Place’s career
The mid-1930s saw the beginning of Lindsay H. Place’s active involvement as a commissioner with the Protestant School Commission of Pointe-Claire and Beaconsfield, which he went on to chair five years later, until 1967.
In the ‘50s and ‘60s, he was one of the key players in the emergence of the Lakeshore School Board, which gradually became a major school board in Québec. A generous man always willing to serve his community, Judge Place was also president of the Quebec Association of Protestant School Boards and president of the Canadian School Trustees Association.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in Civil Law at McGill University, he joined Alcan in 1942, where he held several positions over the years as chief legal advisor and as vice-president of the legal arm of the company. In his free time and in addition to his many commitments to the development of the Lakeshore School Board, he worked at the Downtown YMCA and served as a director of childcare centres. He was appointed a municipal judge in Pointe-Claire and Beaconsfield in 1956.
He passed away in 1978, a few days before his retirement, at the age of 65.
“Mr. Place’s community service is a shining example of generosity and commitment. Young people were his priority, and today he is recognized for his significant contribution to the field of education. This new sports field helps to carry on the memory of this great man and celebrate his commitment not only to Pointe-Claire, but to all of the West Island. His strong and sustained dedication is a legacy for our entire community,” Mr. Belvedere said.
A temporary sign has been placed at the site. A commemorative plaque will be erected at a later date, in memory of Lindsay H. Place.
At the centre, Margot Place, daughter of the late Judge Lindsay Place, accompanied by the Mayor of Pointe-Claire, John Belvedere (left) and Noel Burke, Chair of the Lester B. Pearson School Board Council of Commissioners.
From left to right: Claude Cousineau, City Councillor, district 1 – Cedar/Le Village, Colleen Galley, Regional Director – LBPSB, Kerry-Ann Payette, former Principal of Lindsay Place High School, Judy Kelley, Vice-Chair – LBPSB Council of Commissioners and Commissioner for Ward 4, Marie-Josée Coiteux, Principal of St. Thomas High School, Cindy Finn, Director General – LBPSB, Gary Harvey, former teacher – LBPSB, Cynthia Homan, City Councillor, district 5 – Lakeside Heights, Fran Holt, former teacher – LBPSB, Peter G. Nauth, Treasurer, Lindsay Place High School Alumni Association, David McKenzie, former teacher – LBPSB, Kelly Thorstad-Cullen, City Councillor, district 3 – Valois, Paul Bissonnette, City Councillor, district 2 – Lakeside.
Information: 514-630-1200, communications@pointe-claire.ca