A memory album designed by Parc employees - Two islands, one park, one city… Parc Jean-Drapeau, a central part of Montréal's history

MONTRÉAL, June 20, 2017 /CNW/ - Laying out the history of Parc Jean-Drapeau, like bookends extending from 1535 to the present day….this is the challenge two Société du parc Jean-Drapeau (SPJD) employees have met, with the collaboration of many colleagues. The result is a one-of-a-kind work: 100 pages of brief and concise texts relating the Parc's history through nine remarkable time spans; the memory album also includes 400 illustrations. In the context of Montréal's 375^th anniversary celebrations and the 50^th year since Expo 67, it was deemed to be an opportune time to convey the memory of a rich historical heritage.

"When a group of employees band together to carry out a project of this magnitude, the organization as a whole comes out a winner," stated Danièle Henkel, Board Chair of the SPJD. "Not only is the memory album a wonderful legacy for the Société, the City of Montréal and the international community, it also shows the great attachment employees have toward the Parc. That is very valuable for an organization, and it says a lot about the level of commitment by its employees. Personally, I take great pride in this initiative and I extend my congratulations to everyone who helped bring this project to fruition."     

Linda Pimparé, an archivist at the SPJD and senior management assistant Manuela Ferron, came up with the idea for the memory album project, and they carried out its designing and production. "The Parc has a rich history, but little is known about it," explained Ms. Ferron. "This great site is a focal point in the lives of Montrealers, and many months of documentary research revealed that every key period in Montréal's history resonated to the Parc."

The idea for the project originated from the extensive findings in the researching of the Parc's history. Archaeological digs on Île Sainte-Hélène show the first traces of a human presence on this island date back to about the 15^th century. The site is also unique and extraordinary, by its history and location in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River. And another reason for the project is the fact the men and women that "live" the Parc experience on a daily basis wanted to pay tribute to it.

For Société du parc Jean-Drapeau general manager, Ronald Cyr, the project is a perfect tie-in to a commemorative year. "The project won me over right from the start, because it brings historical fact back to its human dimension. At a time when the word legacy takes on its true sense of the word, the circumstances were such that Parc employees could take their turn at leaving a tangible testament to their attachment to this site."

The creation of an advisory committee led to the historical validation of the work, and in this regard the SPJD would like to sincerely thank the City of Montréal's archives department and the Centre d'histoire de Montréal. Thanks, too, to the McCord-Stewart Museum for facilitating the task of archives' research.

The memory album Two islands, one park, one city…  Parc Jean-Drapeau, a central part of Montréal's history is available in French and English for just $10. It should be noted that four postcards drawn from the illustrations in the album are inserted at the end of the publication, and readers are also provided with suggestions of places to discover or rediscover in Montréal and at Parc Jean-Drapeau. To find out where you can get your copy of the memory album, please go to the Parc Jean-Drapeau website at www.parcjeandrapeau.com.

SOURCE Société du parc Jean-Drapeau

Véronique Caissie, Social Media and Media Relations Consultant, Société du parc Jean-Drapeau, 514 872-6619, [email protected]