Gryphon Gallery: Paul Parizeau

July 15, 2022

Alumni

Stuart Brambley, Archivist Stuart Brambley, Archivist photo

In 1932, Paul Parizeau was attending St. Michael’s School (much earlier days before its amalgamation with University School) and was heartbroken to hear that his favourite teacher, Edward Wilkinson, was let go because there was an insufficient number of students registered. When Paul heard his beloved “Wilkie” was joining Major Simpson in the founding of Glenlyon, he persuaded his parents to send him to the new school, and he was the first to register.

Paul attended Glenlyon Norfolk School (Glenlyon Preparatory) from September 1932 until June 1935. Before leaving for higher education, he collected the signatures of all 33 students, the two teachers, the Matron, and the two assistants. 60 years later, from this list, an anniversary dinner was held for many of the returning signatories and their partners.

Paul’s boyhood hobby of studying nature turned into a career path, and after earning his PhD in marine biology, he successfully started the Northwest Biological Services. For many years, he supplied specimens and supplies for clients all over Vancouver Island, among which was GNS’ science department.

Paul’s time at Glenlyon was spent entirely at the St. David Street’s address, leaving the same year the school was to move to the Rattenbury property. This would prove to be most valuable to the school’s archives, as in his retirement, Paul wrote a 70-page history document, containing not only his anecdotal memories, but copies of maps, photographs and other contemporary textual records of Glenlyon’s first home. In fact, it was he who proved that the rented schoolhouse on St. David had been used by Norfolk House School as a boarding house for the five previous years, an interesting harbinger of the future amalgamation between Glenlyon and Norfolk House.

Paul Parizeau passed away in 2000, but his connection to GNS will remain for as long as the school treasures its past. *Photo: Paul Parizeau is standing second from the right.