Passion
“The memory I will keep of Paul Houde? Passion made man! Whatever the subject discussed, every word was coated with a devouring flame! He was fueled by the pleasure of transmitting the information that his brain had recorded! And this, without boasting, with a smile and constant kindness. His death touches me, although I do not know Paul Houde personally, because it is the death of a gentleman, an exceptional man! »
Jocelyne Kucharski
Namaste, my friend
” I am speechless. Sad and out of breath. I lose a friend, and what a friend! Did you know that Paul, without being a mountaineer, was the greatest expert on all the great Himalayan climbs? We wrote to each other very, very often to exchange our observations on mountaineering and the environment. The mountain, an unknown fact, was a real passion for him, surpassing those he felt for athletics and astronomy. As proof, its gigantic collection of films and reports on high mountain mountaineering. He who had walked (trekked) to the K2 base camp, this expedition was a highlight of his curiosity about geography. One day, to surprise him, I rang his doorbell. I was accompanied by Goran Kropp, a fabulous mountaineer, who had cycled from his native Sweden to Kathmandu and, a few weeks later, stood on the roof of the world, Everest. As soon as he opened the door, staring into Goran’s gaze, it only took a few seconds for him to exclaim: “Goran Kropp!!!! Come in, come in!” I am already bored. I simply hope that the winds carry him all the admiration, friendship and respect that I have for him. Hi Paul, namaste. »
Bernard Voyer
“The happy hour” with Paul Houde
“I worked with Paul around 1974 at the École Polytechnique de Montréal, where Paul began studying engineering which he later left to study geography. Our pleasure was to arrive early in the classroom where Paul, standing at the front of the class before the teacher came, gave us an almost perfect imitation. It was simply hilarious! Imagine, in the context that I would describe as austere Poly at the time, a comedian who comes to lighten the atmosphere. We also had the “happy hour” on Friday after classes, an end of the day where the beer was flowing a little too much, a Paul who went on stage to continue his caricatured imitations of the teachers who, this time, could be present in the room. I have never stopped following his surprising and excellent journey. It is certainly Jesus that he will imitate now on any planet. »
Claude Sauvageau
A geographer who made us proud
“I remember Paul Houde in the fall of 2022 during the congress of the Regroupement des geographers du Québec. He gave a lecture entitled Geography… to know where we are! A mixture of very serious and relevant facts, but imbued with typically Paul Houde humor […]. What a learned man in all kinds of fields! But above all we were very proud to count Mr. Houde among the geographers of Quebec. I remember that he was very generous with his time, even though we knew he was very busy and in high demand. Thank you, Mr. Houde, for everything you were, and God knows now you were many things. »
Pierre Lessard, proud geographer
“He made us better in interviews”
“I remember him as a competent, intelligent host, respectful of his guests. I never hesitated to agree to give an interview to Paul Houde. What politician does not feel a certain nervousness, some anxiety, a few minutes before giving an interview. With Paul Houde at Quebec now, it was easy. We knew that he was motivated only by the desire to inform, that there would be no traps and that he would be respectful. This man did his job as host of the return with nobility and he made us better in interviews. »
Jacques Dupuis
An aviation scholar
“I was interviewed three times by Paul Houde on the radio on subjects related to aviation. It was always a great pleasure. The first time, when I told him that I was coming back from Paris the day before, he stunned me by asking me to confirm that I was flying a Boeing B767-300 and that there must be turbulence. over the Atlantic because of the jet stream. Patrick Lagacé mentioned aviation and weather among the multiple disciplines that this great scholar mastered. I confirm ! »
Jean-Marc Bélanger, retired airline pilot
Paul Houde’s place
“Last year, I learned that I was autistic, at 42 years old. I learned, two months later, that Paul Houde was also [atteint d’un trouble du spectre de l’autisme]. We had this in common. When I see all the people being amazed at Paul Houde’s brain, I know that his phenomenal memory was due to autism. I think it’s a shame it’s not more named. Because Paul Houde, without knowing it, could advance our cause, could demonstrate to people that autism is not a matter of intellectual deficiency. We are these friendly extraterrestrials, with sometimes astonishing abilities, who work in the society which is not quite tailor-made for us, but in which we manage to carve out a place for ourselves. And Paul Houde’s place was undoubtedly deep in our hearts. »
Edith Lemery Frenette