In memory of Myron Galan
On Wednesday, November 11, a friend on Facebook informed me that Nadine Pirotte, Myron Galan’s wife, was trying to reach me and left me her phone number. So I immediately called her.
“Myron passed away with Covid-19 on Monday, Nadine explained. One of the last things I was able to tell him was that Trump had been defeated. He smiled with content. Could you reach out to his former students and fellow teachers at °®¶ą´«Ă˝to let them know? I’d like to organize a memorial in his honour but when and where, given the Covid-19 situation, remains to be seen.”
The following day, I posted the news of his death on my Facebook page, and commented that Myron had coordinated North-South Studies for one year, accompanied North-South students to Nicaragua in December 1997, and created and managed for several years the North-South Studies website.
Myron was very much appreciated by both his students and fellow teachers. Teaching for him was a passion and though discovering that he had MS hit him like a ton of bricks and rapidly confined him to a wheelchair, he continued doing what he loved doing.
“He only stopped teaching at °®¶ą´«Ă˝five years ago and never mentioned death,” Nadine commented.
As soon as I posted my message on Facebook, the reactions started pouring in.
Katie McKenna, a North-South student I remembered was very close to Myron and is presently the executive director of : “Hi Ovide – I just heard the news about Myron and am just so sad.”
Marie-Pierre Wallace: “Oh this is so sad – he was one of the most wonderful teachers I’ve ever had!” Ashley Kathryn: “My heart is very heavy. A wonderful man and a teacher that will always be remembered for inspiring us.”
Cristina Marziale: “Such sad news. He was one of my favourite teachers.” Diane Shea: “He cared about his students and gave his most. He always stood up for social justice and I am touched that one of the last things he heard was that Trump was defeated and this made him smile.”
Erica Lagalisse, author of : “Myron really helped me through the program, he bought $280 of coffee off me once, and took me out for lunches cuz I was starving, and even when I went to see him for that coffee years later, I don’t think I impressed enough how much that meant to me, I wish I had.”
In 1997, we had taken down to Nicaragua more than 20 used bicycles. Myron accepted to store these in his basement and repair them, with the occasional help of a couple students.
I vividly remember when, at the very end of the semester, I had bicycled to his place to pick up an article he had written for the North-South 1997 Nicaragua Journals publication. As I was turning to leave, I noticed his face suddenly overcome by an immense sadness: “Ovide, do you realize that we’re not going to see the North-South students anymore?,” he commented after a few moments of silence.
The absence of Trump made Myron smile. The absence of students, the raison d’être of much of his life, was a catastrophe…
Submitted by Ovide Bastien
Entrelacs, November17, 2020
