Honourable colleagues, I stand before you today in tribute of a dear friend and a great Canadian who was laid to rest last Thursday in Vancouver after losing his battle against an aggressive form of brain cancer. Only 68 years old, Professor Andre Gerolymatos was a highly respected historian and key member of our great nation’s vibrant Hellenic community, who received his MA in Classics and PhD in History from McGill University. For the past 25 years, Dr. Gerolymatos lived in Vancouver where he held the Hellenic Canadian Congress of British Columbia Chair in Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University. He served as a director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies at SFU.

Colleagues, Dr. Gerolymatos’ professional achievements are far too numerous for me to give justice in a short statement. A prolific researcher and writer, he published hundreds of scholarly articles and books during his illustrious academic career that focused upon the history of modern Greece, the Balkans, foreign policy and diplomacy. He was a highly respected security expert, having served as co-director of the Terrorism, Risk, and Security Studies Professional Master’s Program at SFU.

Honourable senators, this superb academic also used his expertise in the direct service of our country. His impressive résumé includes mandates as an advisor to the Minister of Heritage earlier in his career and, more recently, as a member of the National Security Advisory Council from 2010 to 2012.

As impressive as his scholarly achievements may be, everyone who knew Dr. Gerolymatos agreed that his exceptional work as an educator and community leader set him apart. He worked with thousands of students during a nearly 40-year career that began in Montreal, where he established the Hellenic Studies Centre at Dawson College. It was at Dawson that he began his service within the Hellenic community, acting as an advocate and working with the Hellenic Congress of Quebec as well as the Hellenic Canadian Congress on a wide range of issues, including the recognition of the fact that Macedonia of Alexander the Great was Hellenic, the horrors of the Pontic genocide and more. This was the work that eventually brought him to Simon Fraser University, where, as chair, he worked with the world-renowned Stavros Niarchos Foundation to build the largest Hellenic study centre outside of Greece.

Colleagues, Dr. Gerolymatos was a great Canadian, who deserves recognition on many levels. I ask you to join me in offering condolences to his wonderful wife, Beverly, and their family and friends. He will be remembered as a pillar of our country’s academic sector and a true leader of our Hellenic community.

God bless his soul. Dear friend, rest in peace.