Steven Heighton (1961 – 2022)
‘He was brilliant at everything’
The former Concordia writer-in-residence leaves behind a legacy with faculty and students.
‘A true force’
Nalie Agustin, BA 12, a best-selling author, public speaker and cancer-awareness advocate who shared her journey on social media, passed away on March 22, 2022. She was 33.
The Department of Communication Studies alumna was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, shortly after graduating from Concordia. Agustin shared everything — the struggles of dealing with chemotherapy, mastectomy, radiation and reconstructive surgery — on her blog and YouTube channel, amassing a large following of supporters and fellow advocates.
‘He was brilliant at everything’
The former Concordia writer-in-residence leaves behind a legacy with faculty and students.
John Visentin (1962 – 2022)
Business leader and Concordia alumnus Giovanni “John” Visentin, BComm 84, passed away on June 28 in Riverside, Conn., following an ongoing illness. He was 59.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia, Visentin pursued a career in technology and business, quickly rising through the ranks — first at IBM and then at HP, among other major companies — before serving as chief executive of Novitex Enterprise Solutions from 2013 to 2017. He then joined Xerox as CEO and vice-chairman in 2018, leading the company through the COVID-19 pandemic — a position he held until his death.
Visentin is survived by his wife and five daughters.
Ned Goodman (1937 – 2022)
‘He left an undeniable mark’
Ned Goodman, LLD 97 — a champion of Concordia and architect of Canada’s modern investment management industry — passed away on August 7, 2022. He was 84.
Mel Hoppenheim (1937 – 2022)
‘A visionary builder’
Mel Hoppenheim, LLD 09 — film-industry entrepreneur and namesake of Concordia’s cinema school — passed away on July 27, 2022. He was 84.
Michael Perceval-Maxwell (1933 – 2022)
Remembered as one of the most celebrated history graduates of Sir George Williams University — one of Concordia’s founding institutions — Michael Perceval-Maxwell passed away on May 21. He was 88.
Perceval-Maxwell had a long career at McGill University’s Department of History and Classical Studies, where his influential books and articles on 17th-century Ireland cemented his reputation as an expert in the field of Irish and British history.
In his service as department chair and dean of arts, Perceval-Maxwell helped sustain McGill’s reputation in the humanities, while establishing his department as a vibrant centre for the study of Irish History and remaining a close friend of Concordia’s Department of History.
In 1997, he and Robert Tittler, distinguished professor emeritus at Concordia, established the Montreal British History Seminar, hosted at McGill and Concordia alternately — which continues today.
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