Born,
1935, Camp-Perrin, Haiti, Alphonse Boisrond completed his secondary education
at the Philippe Guerrier School in nearby Cayes. Upon graduating in Medicine,
University of Haiti, 1963, Dr. Boisrond began his practice by serving five
villages on the out-skirts of Port-à-Piment. He then learned that
Canada needed doctors. Upon immigrating to Canada, 1965, fleeing political
unrest in Haiti, he settled in Montreal where he enrolled at the University
of Montreal, specializing in thoracic surgery. After completing 30 months
training in anaesthesiology at Hôtel-Dieu and St. Justine hospitals,
Dr. Boisrond established a family practice, 1973, in St-Léonard,
faithfully serving Montreal’s Haitian community until 1997, at which time
he was forced into retirement due to impaired vision. In 1975, understanding
that Haitian immigrants in Montreal needed help in adjusting to an adopted
homeland, Dr. Boisrond co-founded Mouvement Fraternité Haiti-Québec
(MFHQ). He also co-founded a Haitian community centre to meet the needs
of a growing Haitian community. As well, 1980, Dr. Boisrond founded le
Centre Haitian d’Archives et de documentation. Suffering from deteriorating
vision, he founded the Haitian Association for the Blind and People Suffering
from Amblyopia, 1992. In the 35 years he served Montreal’s Haitian community,
Dr. Boisrond gave one day a week of volunteer service to the Mouvement
Fraternité Haiti-Québec, the equivalent of four years work
without monetary gain. [Photo, courtesy Dr. Alphonse Boisrond]