- Bluma Appel
Bluma Appel, O.C., O.Ont., Hon.
LL.D (1920/1921 –July 15 2007 ) was a Canadianphilanthropist and patron of the arts.She was born the daughter of Russian émigrés who left Czarist Russia around 1905 due to the anti-Jewish pogroms then being conducted against the Jewish community there. Born and raised in
Montreal, Quebec , she was the founder of CANFAR, theCanadian Foundation for AIDS Research .In 1979, she ran unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate for the
Canadian House of Commons in the riding ofNepean—Carleton . She lost toWalter Baker .She was a big supporter of the
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts , which named one of its theatres in her honour in March 1983 after she made a donation to help renovate the 876-seat theatre where The Canadian Stage Company (CanStage ) performs. She was also a significant force behind Opera Atelier. In June 2005, the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts gave Ms. Appel an honoraryDora Mavor Moore Award "for her exceptional and lifelong dedication" to the performing arts in Canada.Four days after celebrating her 67th wedding anniversary, Appel lost her brief battle with
lung cancer and died in a hospital inToronto , aged 86. She was buried atPardes Shalom Cemetery , north ofToronto . She is survived by her husband Bram, two sonsand five grandchildren.Honors & awards
* In 1988, she was made a Member of the
Order of Canada for being one of a few people "as active in such a broad range of community services as she". [http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=2462]
* In 1998, she was awarded anOrder of Ontario .
* In 2001, she was elevated to Officer of the Order of Canada for continuing "her outstanding volunteer work on behalf of numerous cultural, social and health care organizations".
* In 2005, she was awarded an honoraryDora Award for her lifelong support of Canadian arts and culture, an honor given to only two other individuals, William Hutt andUrjo Kareda .
* In 2006, she was awarded an honoraryDoctor of Laws degree from theUniversity of Toronto .
* In 2007, she was awarded an honoraryDoctor of Laws degree fromBrock University .
*The Bluma Appel Theatre inThe St. Lawrence Centre For the Arts in Toronto is named in her honour.External links
*
*
*
*
* [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070716.wxobappell16/BNStory/Entertainment/home Globe and Mail Obituary]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.