A Bit of "Thisa and Data"

Herschel and Christine Victor (centre, holding certificates) with (left to right): Department of Oncology Director Gerald Batist, MDCM’77; Marvyn Kussner, BCom’50; Hope & Cope Founder Sheila Kussner, BA’53, LLD’90; Principal and Vice-Chancellor Heather Munroe-Blum; Dr. Jimmie Holland; Dr. Richard I. Levin, Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine; and Dr. Hartley Stern, Executive Director of the Jewish General Hospital. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE JGH AUDIO VISUAL SERVICES)

“One of my fondest memories is hanging out at the McGill Union,” says Herschel Victor, BCom’44, of his days as a student. He remembers feverishly writing “Thisa and Data,” his regular column on the front page of the McGill Daily. “I’m not sure where the name came from, but it expressed exactly what I reported on, which was pretty much everything.”

Victor is also a proud McGill Redmen football alumnus. But he was destined for neither the life of a scribe nor an athlete. With commerce degree in hand, he joined his father’s burgeoning men’s suit company, Jack Victor Ltd., where he has put his tenacious spirit and strong business sense to good use for the past 63 years. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer.

Grateful for the many opportunities that McGill gave him, Victor has been a loyal annual donor for six decades. Now, with his wife Christine Victor, his latest gift will make a major contribution to the Faculty of Medicine and its affiliated hospitals. A $1.5-million gift from the Victors – along with $1.5-million from Hope & Cope of the Jewish General Hospital Foundation – will create the Christine and Herschel Victor / Hope & Cope Chair in Psychosocial Oncology.

The new Chair will attract a leading academic, based at the Jewish General Hospital, who will help accelerate interdisciplinary research on cancer survivorship and recovery with an emphasis on enhancing community initiatives. This first-of-its-kind joint venture will build on the academic strengths of McGill’s Department of Oncology as well as the pioneering community engagement of the Hope & Cope Wellness Centre.

"Financial support for research and will hopefully lead to cures for diseases like cancer,” says Victor. “I’m sentimental at heart and truly appreciative of the opportunity to have gone to McGill. I guess this is my way of giving back.”

And give back he has. In the past, Victor has provided for much-needed renovations to the lobby in the Samuel Bronfman Building of the Desautels Faculty of Management. Among many other gifts, he and his wife have also funded fellowships for students in the Faculty of Education. From a student newspaper columnist and amateur athlete, to a successful businessman and dedicated philanthropist, Victor is a man of many talents, who lightheartedly describes his life as “a bit of thisa and data.”

Annette Mahon