Flashback

My 1992 graduation ceremony at York University was a triple win. Not only was I receiving my hard-earned BA in math for commerce, that day I was also getting to share the spotlight with two Canadian music legends – jazz great Oscar Peterson, then York’s chancellor, who conferred the degree, and my grandfather, Lou Applebaum, a pioneering cultural force who had been teaching music composition at York just a few years before. My grandfather was my inspiration and the reason I ended up working in the music industry in various capacities – including as comptroller and artist manager for PolyGram records – just a couple years after this photo was taken of me and both grandparents at convocation. I grew up backstage, watching my grandfather organizing orchestras and composing music for the Stratford Festival, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Roy Thomson Hall and the Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto, to name just a few. I experienced first-hand the work needed to make a difference, and it made an impact on me. My career today is as a wealth advisor, and I still keep up an active interest in music and the arts. My education – both in and outside the classroom, saw to that. ■

— Jordan Applebaum