Gordon Sheppard (1937-2006)
Gordon Sheppard passed away Sunday afternoon.
Visitation will take place on Thursday, February 23rd from 2 to 5pm and from 7 to 9pm in the evening, and again Friday the 24th at 9am. All this will be at Alfred Dallaire Memoria on St. Laurent and Rachel in the downstairs space where Sheppard had his photographic exhibition of Watervisions last summer. The funeral will take place Friday 11am at St. George's Church on Peel and LaGauchetiere. (online guestbook)
View some of my photos of the reception, after the funeral services. I didn't take many. The whole funeral was filmed as were the last several months apparently. Look for a documentary film as directed by Francine Pelletier, journalist and filmmaker.
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'His brilliance broke down barriers'
Gordon Sheppard was an award-winning filmmaker, photographer and author perhaps best known for HA!, his book about the suicide of Quebec literary luminary and separatist Hubert Aquin.
Sheppard died of cancer Sunday at the Montreal General Hospital at age 68.
"He was at the front ranks of whatever he was doing, be it filmmaking, photography, writing, or restoring and renovating a Victorian home," veteran Montreal film producer Harry Gulkin said. "He was at an extreme level of being there, no matter what he was into.
"Gordon was not a shy person. His brilliance broke down barriers. He not only moved but was accepted in French circles.
"He had a facility and an ability to get into the culture. He mastered the French language, both spoken and written. While he retained a certain order of personal priorities - he was a strong federalist all his life - his brilliance broke down barriers. He counted separatists among his closest friends."
Gordon Harry Sheppard was born in Montreal on April 9, 1937. He grew up in Toronto, where his father was president of IBM Canada. Sheppard obtained a bachelor of arts degree in political science and economics from the University of Toronto in 1957, then spent three years studying history at Oxford University, where he obtained his master's degree. Montreal Gazette paid subscription
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Ron Burnett, B.A., M.A. (Film and Com.), Ph.D. (Com.), McGill University, muses on the work of Hubert Aquin in a couple of his recent weblog posts.
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Toronto Star Obit. (link is already bad as of 10 March 2006.)
Globe & Mail Obit.
Marilyn Gear-Pilling on Gordon Sheppard.
Visitation will take place on Thursday, February 23rd from 2 to 5pm and from 7 to 9pm in the evening, and again Friday the 24th at 9am. All this will be at Alfred Dallaire Memoria on St. Laurent and Rachel in the downstairs space where Sheppard had his photographic exhibition of Watervisions last summer. The funeral will take place Friday 11am at St. George's Church on Peel and LaGauchetiere. (online guestbook)
View some of my photos of the reception, after the funeral services. I didn't take many. The whole funeral was filmed as were the last several months apparently. Look for a documentary film as directed by Francine Pelletier, journalist and filmmaker.
__________
'His brilliance broke down barriers'
Gordon Sheppard was an award-winning filmmaker, photographer and author perhaps best known for HA!, his book about the suicide of Quebec literary luminary and separatist Hubert Aquin.
Sheppard died of cancer Sunday at the Montreal General Hospital at age 68.
"He was at the front ranks of whatever he was doing, be it filmmaking, photography, writing, or restoring and renovating a Victorian home," veteran Montreal film producer Harry Gulkin said. "He was at an extreme level of being there, no matter what he was into.
"Gordon was not a shy person. His brilliance broke down barriers. He not only moved but was accepted in French circles.
"He had a facility and an ability to get into the culture. He mastered the French language, both spoken and written. While he retained a certain order of personal priorities - he was a strong federalist all his life - his brilliance broke down barriers. He counted separatists among his closest friends."
Gordon Harry Sheppard was born in Montreal on April 9, 1937. He grew up in Toronto, where his father was president of IBM Canada. Sheppard obtained a bachelor of arts degree in political science and economics from the University of Toronto in 1957, then spent three years studying history at Oxford University, where he obtained his master's degree. Montreal Gazette paid subscription
____________________
Ron Burnett, B.A., M.A. (Film and Com.), Ph.D. (Com.), McGill University, muses on the work of Hubert Aquin in a couple of his recent weblog posts.
____________________
Toronto Star Obit. (link is already bad as of 10 March 2006.)
Globe & Mail Obit.
Marilyn Gear-Pilling on Gordon Sheppard.
posted by John MacDonald at
Monday, February 20, 2006
6 Comments:
Sad news, John. You were his most inspired reader, and the only person I know who unwaveringly championed his life and work.
I best get at it, Ha?
Stephen
Thanks, Stephen. There were many others who were just as inspired by his landmark opus on the suicide of Aquin and his work in the arts. Damn that prostate cancer!
is this the same Gordon Sheppard that married the first Playboy Playmate of the Year? Ellen Stratton? Did Ellen attend the funeral?
As to your first question: Can't confirm this. Though it may appear to be the same Gordon Sheppard. I do not know if she attended the funeral, though I doubt it.
Hi John et al,
Yes - Gordon was married to Ellen...
He also wrote, directed, and produced the first feature film that launched the career of Tommy Lee Jones.
Check out this piece he wrote in 2005 telling about how he came to make the film "Eliza's Horoscope."
http://bisson.googlepages.com/themakingofeliza'shoroscope
Lubin
Lubin, my friend. Thanks for dropping by to confirm this. I felt it would be irresponsible to confirm this fact because he hadn't told me himself. Although Morley Callaghan's son, Micheal, did mention this to me in a conversation a couple of years ago but failed to disclose her name to me.
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