JOHN JAMES COTE

Condolences & Memories (3 entries)

• MY FAVOURITE PROFESSOR: In Memory of John J. Coté 1933-2011 The sign on his door read J.J. Coteʹ so, in our typically borderline adolescent/adult way, we referred to him as John-John. It was the mid-sixties and University life pretty much everywhere was caught up in the various ‘freedom movements’ of the time. Little were we to know then that ‘free thought’ rather than ‘free love’ would be the more lasting and radical challenge to established social and political order. Undergraduates, of course, are prone to idealize certain teachings and teachers but, to me, John was the freest thinker I had ever encountered. He introduced me, and those of us who were fortunate enough to share his Psychology lectures, to the stimulating yet all-too-frustrating process of thinking in an original and challenging manner. He was a natural teacher. Original perceptions seemed to come effortlessly to him and his observations and musings from the superficial to the profound seemed, equally, a labor of love. His unique skill was to speak with great insight yet apparent spontaneity on matters to which he had clearly given much prior thought. He once interrupted a lecture to talk passionately and movingly about a film that he and his wife, Betty, had been to see the evening before. It was a Swedish art film called ‘Dear John’. It was the simplest of love stories but it moved John – and, in turn, us – deeply, as he spoke about it so eloquently from the heart. Who needed textbooks for the mind when we had John-John for the soul? He set a standard for his students to follow that has influenced me, and I am sure many others, to this very day. He was a neighbour of ours in River Heights so I also got to know his family. He was father to three sons when I first knew him: Christian, Jonathan and Aaron and, later, a daughter, Sarah. He was husband to Betty who ‘proof-read’ some of his lectures and the essays of his students and encouraged his career with tact and enthusiasm. She also wrote the occasional humorous poem to his students poking fun at their professor, which he read out in class, He took a sabbatical year in 1969-70 and traveled with his family to India where he taught for two terms at the University of Calcutta. They then returned to Europe by ship via Cape Town with the intention of spending a few months on the (then) idyllic Balearic Island of Ibiza. In the meantime, I had moved to England after graduation and kept in touch with John’s career and travels. I was therefore able to make my way to Ibiza to join them, at Easter 1970. We had sangria-fueled discussions late into the evenings about whatever came into our heads. As usual, John was able to make the most trivial or mundane subject take on great importance and meaning. Through him, I came to understand that ‘modest learning’ could also be ‘great learning’ and that the mundane and the ordinary are as important in life as the profound. I kept in touch with him and his family over the years. When I returned to Winnipeg for holidays with my family, he and I would usually manage a drink (or two) and swap stories in one of the Manitoba Capital’s more colorful bars. How many knew, for example, that John was a contemporary and friend of Leonard Cohen’s at McGill? Or that he reviewed movies on CBC radio? It was his eldest son, Christian – who, as young boy, aided by Jonathan and Aaron buried me in the sand on Cala Bassa beach in Ibiza – who informed me of John’s death. I knew, of course, that he had been battling dementia for some time - a tragic demise for such a beautiful mind. Betty nursed John tirelessly during his last few years. She was his beautiful mind. He once told me how much he loved her in the most matter-of-fact and prosaic manner but it came across as the most deeply loving testament of a man’s love for a woman, I had ever heard. Dear John, your students are many and your legacy is immense - we will all miss you but remain grateful for the love of learning you bequeathed us. David Millar Class of ‘68 [JDavidMillar@gmail.com] - Posted by: David Millar (Past student) on: Feb 16, 2020

• Dr. Côte was the reason I attended United College/University of Winnipeg. I was taking a summer course, Introduction to Psychology, at the U if M in 1966 when United College was still a branch. The course was taught by video in huge lecture halls, and one of the sections was taught by Dr. Côte. I studied at United Coolege because it was closer to my home, and when walking past his office on the second floor of Manitoba Hall with my text, bumped into Dr. Côte. Noticing the text, he asked me where I was taking the course. I told him I had watched him on the big screen at the U of M campus, and he suggested that I switch campuses and take my next courses from him in person. I'm so glad that I did, and am ever so grateful to him for his encouragement and instruction. My reports in his course, Experimental Psychology, suffered from poor writing. My writing improved when I took to heart his wry comment: "You tend to wax pedantic and verbose, confounding rather than clarifying the report. Attempt to be more parsimonious in your selection and use of language." Dr. Côte served as one of my honours thesis advisors. - Posted by: Bruce Sarbit (Student) on: Jul 28, 2019

• To an uncle I believe I never met ...RIP - Posted by: Michel Côté (Nephew) on: Feb 23, 2012