John Noonan was Assistant to the Registrar at Loyola College from 1965 to 1967, he then became Registrar (and automatically Secretary of Loyola Senate), replacing Rev. Gerald W Tait, S.J. He held the position until the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University in 1974 when he became Associate Registrar at Concordia until 1976. Meanwhile, he was Concordia Secretary of Senate from October 1973 until his retirement on November 1, 1997. After his 32 years of service to Loyola College and Concordia University, he was named Secretary of Senate Emeritus of Concordia University on November 28, 1997.
Kenneth E. Norris was born in 1903 in Perth, Ontario. He graduated from McGill University with a bachelor of arts degree in 1929. Following further studies in psychology at McGill, he received a Ph.D. in psychology and education in 1939. His doctoral thesis is entitled The Permanence of School Learning as Indicated by a Study of Unemployed Men.
He joined the Montreal YMCA staff in 1926 as an executive secretary and first arrived at Sir George Williams College in 1929 as registrar and bursar. In 1935, he was appointed principal; he held this position until his retirement in 1956, when he was named principal emeritus. He was the author of the book The Three R's and the Adult Learner: The Survival of Learning in the Basic School Subjects among Unemployed Men, published by McGill University in 1940.
In 1948 he coordinated the securing of university status for the college, and in 1956 he saw years of hard work rewarded with the opening of a large new building for Sir George Williams University. He died in 1957, at the age of 54.
On December 19 2005, Chairman of the Board of Governors Peter Kruyt and University President Claude Lajeunesse announced that David P. O’Brien, a Loyola College graduate, had been named Chancellor for a three-year term, effective January 1, 2006. O’Brien was installed as Concordia’s sixth Chancellor at the June 12, 2006 Spring Convocation. He was then Chairman of both the Royal Bank of Canada and EnCana Corporation. O’Brien was honoured as outgoing Chancellor at the Fall 2010 Convocation ceremonies.
- In 2008, O’Brien made a gift of $2 million towards sustainability. His donation assisted in establishing the David O’Brien Centre for Sustainable Enterprise (DOCSE) and the David O’Brien Distinguished Professorship. DOCSE was inaugurated on November 16, 2009 by the Chancellor himself.
- In 2009, O’Brien was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada for his contribution as a respected corporate leader and his generous support of post-secondary education in Canada.
- O’Brien was appointed to Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year Advisory Board in 2009.
John W. O'Brien was born in Toronto in August 4, 1931, and died in Montreal on December 16, 2011. He received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from McGill University. He also studied at l'Institut d'études politiques in Paris. He began to work at Sir George Williams College in 1954 as a lecturer in economics. He was appointed assistant professor of economics in 1957. In 1961, he was appointed associate professor of economics and assistant dean of S.G.W. In 1963 he was appointed dean of the Faculty of Arts. From 1965 to 1996 he was professor of economics.
John W. O'Brien was active for a number of years in inter-university and university-government relations. From 1969 to 1976 he sat on the Council of Universities which advised the Quebec Minister of Education on university matters. He was chair of the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities ( = CRÉPUQ, the Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec) from 1974 to 1977; he had been a member of the Conference since 1969. In 1975 he was named a member of the Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
He was principal of Sir George Williams University from 1969 to 1974, the year of its merger with Loyola College, and he became the first rector and vice-chancellor of the resulting institution, Concordia University, positions he held until 1984, when he was named rector emeritus. He was appointed speaker of the Senate of Concordia University in 1996.
In 1976 he received honourary degrees of Doctor of Civil Laws from Bishop's University, and Doctor of Laws from McGill University.
He is author of the book Canadian Money and Banking, among others.
The O’Farrell Family owned and operated a general store in Saint-Malachie, Quebec. James O'Farrell (1846-1893), merchant farmer, operated the general store. He also served as the Secretary Treasurer for the town of Saint-Malachie. James O'Farrell was married to Catherine Reid (1849-1910). Their son, James T.A. O’Farrell (1886-1973), was a farmer. He was married to Susan Cassidy (1887-1946). Together they had four children, Francis (1919-1992), Norman, James J., and William. Francis O’Farrell was married to Berthe Renaud (1923-2010). Together they had three children, Kevin, Glenn, and James. Francis O’Farrell was elected as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly in Dorchester, Quebec, in 1964. Norman O’Farrell was married to Mary-Sarah Paulmert. James J. O’Farrell was married to Madeleine Selway. William O’Farrell was married to Ruth O'Rourke. Mary Bridget O'Farrell was the niece of James O'Farrell and cousin to James T.A. O'Farrell.