Derek Drummond, architect, professor, administrator, former Director of the McGill School of Architecture (1976-85, 1990-96), former McGill Vice-Principal, Development and Alumni Relations (1996- 2003), former McGill Interim Athletic Director (2005-2007), famously irreverent moderator of the Leacock Lunch (1993-2019), gifted watercolourist, talented photographer, skilled amateur athlete, keen birdwatcher, devoted husband, father and grandfather, has passed away, three days shy of his 85th birthday, after a life of academic distinction, professional success and unwavering public service. The cause was complications from pneumonia, but he died with his four sons by his side, under the care of the diligent staff at the Montreal General Hospital.
Derek was born in 1938, in Montreal, and attended Lower Canada College and Trinity College School before moving onto McGill to study architecture. There he met the late Anne (Lafleur) Drummond, who was to be his wife for over 60 years. Graduating in 1962, he joined Durnford, Bolton, Chadwick and Ellwood, where he had worked for the past several summers, starting as an office boy. The partners soon recognized that unlike many architects, he had exceptional people skills, and was soon being sent as far away as St. John’s, Newfoundland, to help smooth the way with tricky clients.
In 1964, Derek started his own firm with three contemporaries, Donaldson Drummond Sankey. As this was during the bustling period that preceded Expo 67, business was brisk. Among the buildings he designed at that time was the Town of Mount Royal Library, and he might have stayed in private practice; but that same year, John Bland, his former teacher and the Director of the School of Architecture, invited him to lead a course at McGill, kick-starting a career that endured for six decades. Also in 1964, he and Anne moved into their home in Westmount, and had their first of four sons. They stayed in that house for the rest of their days, raising their boys, cherishing their dogs, making and keeping friends, and serving as beacons of decency, grace and good humour in their community and beyond.
Derek’s career at McGill was as distinguished as they come. But also as varied. At age 37, he was appointed Director of the School of Architecture, a position he held (with periodic breaks) until the late 90s. In 1996, however, Principal Bernard Shapiro asked him to shift gears to become Vice-Principal, Development and Alumni Relations - which Derek always referred to as “VP, Spare Change.” But perhaps the most abrupt shift in Derek’s profile occurred a few years earlier, when his colleagues suggested that he would be the ideal person to host the Leacock Lunch, the signature event at McGill’s Homecoming Weekend. Derek agreed, a decision that led him to emcee over 75 of these events over 26 years, starting in Montreal, then eventually in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.
Standing behind the podium, in his bright red tie and professor’s glasses, Derek was easy to underestimate. But although the lunch was billed as an opportunity for invited guests to make a funny speech - drawing luminaries such as Peter Gzowski, Will Ferguson and Bob Rae - it was Derek who was the star attraction. As one former speaker put it, “Following Drummond was like being the body at an Irish wake.” Quoting Will Rogers, Derek claimed “he knew no jokes - he just watched the government and reported the facts” and that “sacred cows make the best hamburger.” Every year, in addition to his opening speech, in addition to his report on the news of the past few months, it was a tradition for him to introduce the head table with a burst of rapid-fire jokes. As each high-achiever awaited their turn, you could see them visibly wince.
Derek’s final post at McGill was as Interim Athletic Director. Just short of retirement, when many might grab the opportunity to relax into a caretaker position, Derek did the opposite, vowing to attend at least one match and one practice of every single sports team at McGill. He also bought a telephoto lens, and began photographing intercollegiate games, becoming so skillful that his photos were often published by the McGill Athletics Department, and sometimes even shared with other universities and news outlets. After his term ended, he kept his love of McGill sports alive by becoming an unofficial - and then official - advisor to the McGill Martlets, at a time when the women’s hockey team was becoming the top program in the country.
Derek was a famously funny man. But his true gift was his way with people. Whether they met at one of the many McGill committees or other organisations that he advised as a board member or trustee (including the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Westmount Architectural and Planning Commission, the McGill 175th Anniversary Celebrations, the McCord Museum of Canadian History, the McGill University Health Centre, Selwyn House School, Bishop’s College School and the Mount Royal Cemetery); or at the Montreal Badminton & Squash Club (where he was a member for decades), he was unfailingly generous with his time, open and curious, always ready to engage with whoever managed to capture his attention. For the family, it has been truly heartwarming to hear how much he meant to his friends, his colleagues, his neighbours, and even those who knew him for only a short time.
Derek is survived by his sons Colin (Jyoti), Gavin (Kate), Rob (Linton), and Louis (Vikki); his nine grandchildren (Kayde, Grier, Charlotte, Francesca, Alice, Trinity, Veronica, Thomas, and Roxane); and his sister, Barbara Brodeur.
A Celebration of Life will be held at St. George’s Anglican Church, 1001 Av. des Canadiens-de-Montréal, Montréal, QC H3B 3B3, on Thursday, November 30, at 2 p.m. For those unable to attend, the service will be livecast.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be sent to the Foundation of the Montreal General Hospital.