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A Visit With Jean-Théo Picard, Man of Faith and Action |
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A Visit With Jean-Théo Picard, Man of Faith and Action |
by Marie-Pierre Tremblay
September 2000
At the age of 84, Jean-Théo Picard* is as upright as an oak tree. Hale and hearty, with a strong voice and overflowing energy, he has never really left the NFB. This past May 28, at his municipal library, he launched the Vidéo Famille Saint- Lambert project.
"It's an idea that came to me some time ago, " he says, "when I was serving as parish churchwarden. The bishop had asked us what we could do to help families deal better with daily life. I immediately thought of giving them access to certain videos. And the thought was father to the deed - although it took a while because the Saint-Lambert library was then going through renovations. "
During the 20-odd months when the project was on hold, Jean-Théo got busy forming a committee with about 10 members (including several young people between the ages of 18 and 20); this group screened films, planned a start-up campaign (logo, slogan, brochure, poster, news release) and prepared an evaluation form. He also found several sponsors to cover operating costs. Today over 30 titles, such as Les Enfants de la télévision, End of a Millennium and Père pour la vie, are loaned without charge within his community. 'I still have 2,000 brochures to distribute," he says. "I met the people responsable for parent-teacher relations at all the schools in Saint-Lambert, and they all asked me for copies... 200 here 300 there. Next, sometime during the year, I am going to organize two or three information sessions to show people how to use the films. And then I'm going to visit librarians in Saint-Hubert, Longueuil, Ville Lemoyne, La Prairie and Greenfield Park. I'll tell them what we did here in Saint-Lambert, and I'll invite them to do the same."
"No, this certainly is not the only project connected with the NFB that I have carried out since I retired. When François Macerola was Commissioner, he gave me a very small budget for conducting interviews throughout Quebec. Joan Pennefather did the same. But when I went to see people with my tape recorder, they said to me, «Why are you making voice recordings instead of filming us, Théo? You people at the NFB make films, don't you?» In any case, no one ever used those interviews to write a history of Quebec Distribution, which was the aim of the project. And the cassettes are here, carefully filed in a cupboard. "
"Aside from that, my wife and I have travelled a lot. From 1981 to 1994, we went to Europe every year. We also do a lot of volunteer work for the Red Cross, Soupe et Pain, Festival de Saint-Lambert and other organisations. What do you expect, everyone knows us and we know everyone; my wife was a municipal councillor and I've been quite active too. So serving on one committee leads to another, and then another, and so on. "
"When I retired, I had just remarried and I took part in 'suitable' activities. I took courses in flute playing, but I didn't keep it up. Courses in weaving Assomption arrowhead sashes... but I didn't have the patience to do more than half of one." His real lifelong passion is the scouting movement: "l started the Saint-Jacques-de-Montcalm troop when I was still in my teens. Then I continued in Saint-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu. When I went to the celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of this troop, people thought that I was Baden-Powell himself!' Théo gets up and comes back at once, proudly flourishing his scout shirt covered with badges, stars and ribbons, his scarf woven by the Sisters of Sainte-Anne, his sky-blue shorts. "I was clan chief for seven years. Camp provided the training for chiefs who in their turn could pass on the values that make real men. I have tried to live according to these values and I dont regret it. The only thing I regret is having loaned my hat. I never got it back and you can't get them anymore. In Quebec, the hats were replaced by berets. "
You wouldn't happen to have a scout hat (size 7) in your cupboard, would you? If so, send it to Théo! lt would probably be the perfect gift for our friend, whose totem is the Leaping Moose. ________________________
* Jean-Théo Picard was the NFB's first Francophone distribution officer (aside from the late Luc Forest for a brief period). He was hired in Quebec City in 1944 and criss-crossed the province as a travelling representative in an old 1934 Chevrolet. In 1946 ha was posted to the "district office" in Saint-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu, where he worked for 35 years. During this time he was a member of the board of directors of the Fédération des cinémathèques de la Province du Québec (1959-60), served for six years on the provincial committee of the Association des bibliothèques publiques and acted as technical adviser to the Fédération des Conseils du film (1957-67). He reluctantly ended his career at the NFB in 1981, when he reached the compulsory retirement age of 65.
