Excerpt of hommage from McGill News :
“One of a kind. Genuine and fun. A very special human. A steady and kind presence.
A glance at the tributes flooding Derek Drummond’s Facebook page in the wake of his passing on November 17 tells you just how beloved he was in the McGill community and beyond. If you didn’t know him, you wish you had.
Drummond, BArch’62, wore many hats at his alma mater: He was a professor of architecture for some 40 years, and was tapped for varied senior leadership roles at McGill, a testament to his professional and interpersonal skills. He led the School of Architecture (as it was then called) as well as McGill University Advancement. He also served as interim director of Athletics and Recreation.
With his legendary wit, Drummond entertained McGillians for years as moderator of the Leacock Luncheon at Homecoming – and in other Canadian cities – more than 75 times for over a quarter of a century. The signature Homecoming event featured big-name speakers for decades from Peter Gzowski and Maureen Forrester to Erika Ritter and Preston Manning. But as Drummond’s family rightly noted in a lovely obituary, “it was Derek who was the star attraction.”
As moderator, Drummond was fond of quoting Mark Twain’s “sacred cows make the best hamburger” line and once described the McGill dignitaries and invited head table guests as “the usual assortment of politically correct, marginally gifted and humourless overachievers. You’re glad they’re here, but you don’t want them at your table.”
Drummond’s great pal and former McGill Chancellor Richard Pound was a favourite target.”
To read the obituary from the McGill University Athletics & Recreation…
To read an interview given by Derek Drummond in 1999…
Excerpt of obituary in the Montreal Gazette :
“Derek is survived by his sons Colin (Jyoti), Gavin (Kate), Rob (Linton), and Louis (Vikki); his
nine grandchildren (Kayde, Grier, Charlotte, Francesca, Alice, Trinity, Veronica, Thomas, and
Roxane); and his sister, Barbara Brodeur.
A Celebration of Life will be held at St. George’s Anglican Church, 1001 Av. des
Canadiens-de-Montréal, Montréal, QC H3B 3B3, on Thursday, November 30, at 2 p.m. For
those unable to attend, the service will be livecast.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be sent to the Foundation of the Montreal
General Hospital.”