Monday, April 25, 2022
Pandy was a great man. he was a trail-blazer in the area of Indigenous education in the early 1970s, at the forefront in the development of several education programs targeting teacher training. Pandy subsequently became committed to implementing the principles of these programs internationally in Swaziland and Malawi. He approached both tasks with a level of passion that was unparalleled. I gained respect for him as a professional when I first met him in the mid-1970s, and my level of admiration only grew through the numerous occasions, both within and outside Brandon University. I became aware of his actual reach in the field of international education when we both travelled to Swaziland and Malawi in the late 1980s to represent Brandon University at various levels in those countries. That trip (and an earlier visit at the home of the Canadian International Development Agency-CIDA) helped me gain an understanding of how respected he was the community of students, scholars and administrators, and how proud he was that his approach had been "co-opted" why other countries involved in International development, something that helped put Brandon University on the map. That trip also gave me an opportunity to get to know him as a person, learning more of his cultural background (in many ways very similar to my own as an "outlier" in both his country of origin and in Canada) and of his values and beliefs which, as anyone who knew Pandy will remember, he held on steadfast.
Brandon University can be very proud to have had Pandy in its ranks. He is a worthy representative of what may be referred to as "the first generation of scholars" who added valuable applied research to what was already a well-known teaching college in the early years of its development as a university.
Pandy will be missed. His many contributions to education and his human qualities will be fondly remembered. Yorgo, Peter and grandchildren, please accept my sincere condolences on his passing.
Meir Serfaty
