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Glendon humanities Professor Emeritus Alain Baudot was one of six individuals to be awarded the medal of Chevalier de L’Ordre de la Pléiade on May 12 during a ceremony at the residence of Ontario Lieutenant-Governor David Onley.
Onley presented the six medals together with MPP Jean-Marc Lalonde, president of the Ontario section of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF). The APF created the Ordre de la Pléiade in 1976 as an international award to recognize the exceptional merits and contributions of individuals who have promoted cooperation and friendship among members of the Francophonie in significant ways.
Baudot is an outstanding example of such an individual and a pioneer of francophone studies. He has published over a hundred learned articles and has created a set of teaching tools for universities in Ontario, Quebec, Europe and the United States. His work has been disseminated at numerous conferences and he is the founder of Glendon’s Research Group in Francophone Studies (Groupe de recherche en études francophones – GREF) in 1984, as well as Les Éditions du GREF, which publishes important works of francophone literature and the French language. Les Éditions du GREF has given voice to numerous francophone authors living in Ontario, enabling residents to read local works in French.
Left: From left, MPP Jean-Marc Lalonde, Professor Emeritus Alain Baudot and Lieutenant-Governor David Onley
He called the ceremony “unforgettable” and “a highlight” of his career. “It was all the more moving, since six individuals were honoured from Ontario among only 40 across the whole world,” said Baudot.
During the award ceremony, Baudot was praised for his editorial work, for being a guiding light for many writers, for his dynamism and professionalism, and for enriching the Franco-Ontarian literary scene.
As founder and former director of the Department of Multidisciplinary Studies, Baudot has created several courses offered in French at Glendon. He has also been an active participant in the Association of Fully or Partially French-language Universities (AUPELF), as well as in the Biennial Conference on the French Language. In 1988, he was one of a six-member scientific committee under the aegis of the Francophone Literature Network of UREF (University of French-Language Networks), a worldwide network of the francophone in the field of science. Through his research, his social engagement and his work as publisher, Baudot has contributed significantly to the dialogue between the two cultures and has played an essential role in the blossoming of Ontario’s Francophonie
Right: This year's Ontario winners of the Ordre de la Pléiade. Baudot is on the left in the back row and Onley is centre front
Baudot has also been a music critic for Radio-Canada and CJBC, Toronto’s French-language radio station; educational adviser and host of TFO – Ontario’s French-language television station; and founder and director of the Glendon Symphony Orchestra.
Baudot’s honours include being a member of the Royal Society of Canada, an officer of the Crown of Belgium, an officer of the Ordre des Palmes académiques and the Toronto Alliance Française award. In addition, he holds a Médaille d’honneur from the Sociétés musicales et chorales de France, an award of distinction for volunteer services to the Ministry of Citizenship & Cultural Affairs of Ontario and a Médaille d’honneur of the city of Bayeux. He was the president of the Salon du livre de Toronto, the annual French-language book fair, from 1998 to 2005.
Submitted by Marika Kemeny, Glendon communications officer