Denis Landry was born in Azilda, Ontario, on May 16, 1919. He began his academic pursuits at the age of seven and matriculated from Azilda Public School #2 at fourteen with an eighth grade education. Landry was unable to continue formal academic pursuits due to economic reasons and began to work on the family farm where he pasteurized milk and took care of the animals. Landry married his wife Thérèse Paquette on January 6th, 1945 and they had seven children. In order to support his family Landry worked as a miner for Inco at the Levack Nickel Mine Deposit where he held many positions. Despite his work, Landry still found the time for his family, and his community.
Landry was a devote catholic and enjoyed religious music. Denis was a member of the “paroisse de Chelmsford” choir and when the “paroisse Sainte-Agnès” was formed in 1953, he became leader of orchestra and remained so for 20 years.
Landry was an important figure for the education sector in the Azilda - Chelmsford area. He played a significant role during the creation of the Roman Catholic Separate School Section No.1 in 1955. Landry was appointed trustee for the RCS.S No.1 from 1955 to 1956. Thanks to Landry and other trustees, the Roman Catholic schools in the No.1 and No.2 district merged in 1961 and two new Separate schools were created “l’école St-Patrick” and “l’école St-Dominique-Savio”. In 1965 Landry was appointed to serve as trustee for the Chelmsford Valley District High School Board to represent all the Separate Schools in the areas of Rayside Balfour, Chelmsford, Dowling, and Levack. He spent six years as a trustee with the Chelmsford Valley District High School Board, to ensure that Catholic children from the area have an opportunity to pursue their studies at the secondary level. In 1968, the Ministry of Education warned the school boards of its intention to establish larger administrative units. Landry was appointed by the Chelmsford High School Board to serve in the “ADD-Hoc” committee in order to prepare the documents needed to restructure the School Boards in Ontario. Denis was then elected to represent the Western Separate Schools in 1969. He was honored to serve as a representative for the Western Separate Schools for the following 12 years. Denis Landry’s 32 years of service as a trustee for Separate Schools, gave generations of French Catholic children in the Azilda, Rayside area the opportunity to learn and grow in a proper education system.
Landry retired from Inco after 43 years of service. After his retirement he went on to work as a Real Estate agent. He was a strong supporter of the French culture in the community. His passion for education, the town of Azilda and the French culture inspired him to write a book entitled “Azilda comme je l’ai connue”.
Landry was also a member of the “Coopérative funéraire” and the “Club d’âge d’or d’ Azilda” (one of the founding members). For the remainder of his retirement Landry continued to devote himself to his pastimes, his community and his family. Denis Landry passed away on May 6th 2008 at the age of 88.
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Title based on the content of the fonds.
This fonds consists of school board minute books, photographs including priests, and rough drafts of the chapters involving education from Denis Landry's book Azilda, comme je l'ai connu : document historique 1890 à 1972.
ACC2010-008 & ACC2011-008, Janet Landry
Further accruals are not expected.
Records were donated by Denis Landry's daughter-in-law, Janet Landry in 2010 and in 2011.
Some records are restricted.
Series, File, and Item lists available.
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Series consists of a typed, annotated, carbon copy minute book of the Roman Catholic Separate School Section No. 1 & 2 School Commission [la Commission Scolaire Separee R.C.S.S.U. No. 1 & 2] Rayside Township, Azilda, Ontario. Trustees included President Denis Landry, Donat Leduc, Roger Landry, Elzéar Beausoleil, Roland Landriault, and Secretary A- Emile Maheu. Conference attendance, faculty and staff employment, property costs, purchases, construction costs, budget allowances, building renovations, school openings and closures, supplies, operation costs and other topics are discussed. Reports of elected positions in the Roman Catholic Separate School Section No. 1 & 2 school commission are included within the minutes.
For privacy reasons and at the donor's request, these records are blocked until 2038. Access copies have been created for researchers by the archives with all the privacy issue sections removed. For more information about access restrictions, please ask the archivist.
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Series consists of various records conserning the Chelmsford Valley District High School Board.
Some records are restricted.
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File consists of two typed, annotated, Chelmsford Valley District High School Board minute books. Reports of the three committees formed by the board, Finance & Education, Property & Maintenance, and Building & Transportation are included within the minutes.
Some records are restricted.
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Item is a typed, annotated, minute book for the Chelmsford Valley District High School Board. Trustees included Chairman Cyril Villeneuve, Vice-Chairman Gordon Pirie, S.A. Gauthier, Denis Landry, E.T. Littlefield, N. Mainville, W. Petersen, and G. Pirie. Conference attendance, teacher upgrading courses, faculty and staff employment, building renovations, supplies, socials, changes in the curriculum, and other topices are discussed. Reports of the three committees formed by the board, Finance & Education, Property & Maintenance, and Building & Transportation are included within the minutes.
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Item is a typed, annotated, minute book for the Chelmsford Valley District High School Board. Trustees included Chairman Cyril Villeneuve, Vice-Chairman Gordon Pirie, S.A. Gauthier, Denis Landry, E.T. Littlefield, N. Mainville, W. Petersen, and G. Pirie. Board affiliations with other trustee associations, conference attendance, teacher upgrading courses, faculty and staff employment, building renovations, supplies, field trips, renting school space to the Blezard-Hanmer High School Board for teaching, changes in the curriculum, smoking by students at a graduation dance, windstorm damage to school building, creation of a playing field at the back of the school, a contract with Canadian Union of Public Employees, instillation of a punch clock and other topics are discussed. Internal correspondence between the school board and the trustees (including a letter with two photostat pages attached concerning the Canadian Union of Public Employees and Chelmsford Valley District Composite High School Board non-teaching employees), a xerox copy of a Disposition of Dispute between the Chelmsford Composite School Board and the non-teaching employees, a certified true copy of an item of business that transpired at a special meeting of the Chelmsford Valley District High School Board on February 24th, 1966 involving Section 89 of the Labours Relation Act section 202 RSO 1960, non-teaching staff strikes, a memorandum concerning unlawful picketing at the school and the need to send letters to ratepayers with a copy of the salary schedule of the janitorial staff, and handwritten notes on lined paper are also included in the minute book.
For privacy reasons and at the donor's request, this record is blocked until 2043. An access copy has been created for researchers by the archives with all the privacy issue sections removed. For more information about access restrictions, please ask the archivist.
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Series consists of typed and handwritten rough drafts of various chapters of the book Azilda, "comme je l'ai connu : document historique 1890 à 1972." These chapters all involved education and three photocopied newspaper clippings are also included as inserts in the rough drafts.
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Series consists of seven photographs and two annotated colour photocopies of a picture of Azilda.
Original order has been lost for these photographs.
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File consists of two postcards from Chelmsford, Ontario.
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One postcard of a dog sled race in Chelmsford, Ontario.
Item has been digitized. Prints of image may be requested. Email archives@greatersudbury.ca for more information.
The moose were captured in the vicinity of Chelmsford, Ontario, in 1939. (They were caught very young. One by a trapper and one by a fence.) Moose and Silver never actually raced, instead they ran the track during intermission for audiences at the Chelmsford race track and attended events throughout Ontario and the United States.
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One postcard, made by Love Unlimited Studios, of two wild moose named Moose and Silver being driven by Albert Vaillancourt in a sulky for harness racing.
Item has been digitized. Prints of image may be requested. Email archives@greatersudbury.ca for more information.
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File consists of two photographs of priests. One of these images is printed as a postcard.
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One postcard with a photograph of Father Stéphane Côté, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Chelmsford, Ontario from 1906 to 1945.
Item has been digitized. Prints of image may be requested. Email archives@greatersudbury.ca for more information.
Father Fortin was a priest at Ste. Agnes Church in Azilda from 1959-1971.
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One photograph of Father Laurent Fortin standing beside a tabernacle inside a church.
Item has been digitized. Prints of image may be requested. Email archives@greatersudbury.ca for more information.
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File consists of three photographs of buildings; one of a Municipal Building in Rayside Balfour, one of Ecole Ste. Marie in Azilda, and one of a sky view of buildings in Azilda. File also contains two annotated colour photocopies of the sky view picture of Azilda.
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One photograph of the Municipal Building in the town of Rayside Balbour. The Fire Hall is also inside the building.
Item has been digitized. Prints of image may be requested. Email archives@greatersudbury.ca for more information.
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One photograph of Ecole Ste. Marie in Azilda, Ontario.
Item has been digitized. Prints of image may be requested. Email archives@greatersudbury.ca for more information.
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One photograph of (clockwise from top left) the C.P.R. Section house, Antonin Landry's house, Louis Paquette's garage, Stekalasa house, Lavallee Store and apartments, Rich & Florence Soini's house, Armand Henri's store, restaurant, and apartments, and Swedland Street.
Item has been digitized. Prints of image may be requested. Email archives@greatersudbury.ca for more information.