LCS Foundation Recognizes Paul Desmarais Jr. ‘73 For his exceptional leadership as Honorary Chair of the foundation and his 40+ years of involvement at LCS On June 23, the Lakefield College School Foundation Trustees had the pleasure of recognizing Paul Desmarais Jr. ’73 for his exceptional leadership as Honorary Chair of the foundation, and for the profound impact he has had during his 40+ year association with LCS. Paul arrived as a Grade 9 student at The Grove in the fall of 1969. He returned to the school several years later as a Junior Master in Memorial House—coaching soccer, teaching French and assisting in residential duties. Paul reflects, “Placing trust in me and making me a Junior Master was a defining moment for me. It allowed me to contribute to the school.” Paul’s involvement with the school was reignited when his sons joined the community: Paul III ’00, Alexandre ’03, Nicolas ’03 and Charles-Edouard ’11. He has served as a member of the Board of Governors of LCS, a trustee of the school from 1997 to 2004 and as the inaugural Chair and Honorary Chair of the LCS Foundation. Paul’s passion and commitment to LCS is inspiring. As Honorary Chair, he provided exceptional leadership and exhibited steadfast dedication to the school, overseeing the successful implementation of the Securing Our Future campaign, during which time an unprecedented $66M was raised to allow for tremendous capital improvements to the school, to enhance academic programs and to grow the school’s endowment in order to make LCS even more accessible to deserving young people. Paul has played an integral role in the creation of our innovative governance structure—a key element of our success and unique among independent schools, and he has been an incredible Admissions ambassador referring many new families from the Montreal area and around the world. Paul and his wife Hélène have been magnificent LCS philanthropic leaders with generous gifts including the Paul and Hélène Desmarais Family Academic Wing, the Paul and Hélène Desmarais Family Outdoor Education Wing, the Desmarais Family Indoor Climbing Wall and the Desmarais Family Endowed Bursaries (which have provided countless deserving young people
20 | Grove News Summer 2013