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 Dawson 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 Dawson 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 The Leap: “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 Occult Features of Anarchism: “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