Fonds 1064 - Helfield/Gallay Family Fonds

Tilya Helfield was born in Montreal in 1933. She received her (BFA) from Concordia University in. She was a writer, printmaker and artist. Tilya died July 29, 2017 in Toronto.

Eric Sidney Helfield was born in Montreal in 1931. (where he lived and went to school) He was awarded a Bachelor’s degree in 1952 and a (BCL, 1955) from McGill University. He was a barrister and served for 14 years, between 1976 and 1990, as City Councilor of the City of Côte-Saint-Luc. Eric Helfield died October 3, 2002 in Montreal.

Mark Ellis was born in Lithuania in 1873. A tailor by trade, he immigrated via London to Montreal in 1895, accompanied by his wife Mary. He established Bellingham Cleaners in the 1930s, at the corner of Bellingham and Maplewood streets (now rue Vincent-d’Indy and Edouard-Montpetit Boulevard) and operated the business for two years. He worked as a tailor during the Second World War for Sterling Clothing on Park Avenue, and at Scott’s Clothing. During the Second World War, Scott's Clothing was involved in the manufacturing and tailoring of uniforms for Canada's armed forces. In 1927, Ellis was involved in the founding of the United Commercial Loan Syndicate, formed by Jewish businessmen who gave loans at low interest rates to Jewish immigrants. He was also one of the founders of the Congregation Shaare Zedek in Montreal. He retired in 1956 at the age of 82 and died in Montreal on December 26, 1965. Ellis was the maternal grandfather of Eric Helfield. Children: Barnett, Mildred, Samuel. Brother of Bluma Ellis Yaffe.

Wilfred Gallay was born June 10, 1906 in Hawkesbury, Ontario. He went to elementary school and later obtained a First Class Teacher’s Certificate in Calgary, Alberta. Gallay studied chemistry at McGill University in Montreal, and was awarded a Ph.D. in 1930. He carried out post-doctoral research at the University of Leipzig and at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin, Germany. On his return to Canada, he worked at the National Research Council in Ottawa, becoming head of the Section on Colloids and Plastics. From 1944 to 1953, he was a consultant to Canadian and American firms and from 1953 until his retirement in 1971, he was Director of Research and Member of the Board of Directors of the E. B. Eddy Company in Hull, Quebec. In the course of his career, Gallay published some 85 scientific papers chiefly in the field of colloid or surface chemistry and was the recipient of several fellowships, awards and honours, including the Bolton Award the Technical Section Medal from the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, and the Plummer Medal of the Engineering Institute of Canada. Gallay was also involved with several scientific organizations and served namely on various committees of the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association and as Secretary General of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. He was a prominent member of the Jewish community in Ottawa. Wilfred Gallay married Birdie Silver in 1932, and was the father of Tilya Helfied. He died in Toronto.