Those We Lost

Peggy Delaney 1924-2010

Peggy Delaney, lovingly known as the “matriarch of the Irish community” in Toronto, Canada, died April 5 of cancer. She was born and raised in Dublin and arrived in Canada in 1954 after a career with Radio Eireann, the Abbey Theatre and Aer Lingus. In the 1960s, she served as district sales manager for the Canadian division of Avon Cosmetics, and in the 1970s served as director of Eaton’s Art Gallery, where she worked with senior management of the Bank of Montreal to advise them on their acquisition of the Nicholas de Grandmaison Collection of ninety portraits of North American Indians. In the mid-1980s, Delaney joined cosmaceutical firm Cellex-C International.

While raising four children, Delaney was one of the founding members of the Ireland Fund of Canada, as well as its first executive director. She was involved with cultural and aid organizations including the Irish Immigrant Aid Society, the Toronto Irish Players (of which she became president in 1994), the Rose of Tralee, Inner City Angels and the Canadian Rhett Syndrome Society. She was Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 1997 and Irish Person of the Year in 1998. Delaney is survived by her sister, four children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Dr. Patrick H. Hughes 1935-2010

Professor and researcher in the field of drug addiction and treatment, Patrick Hughes died March 27 at age 75 in Fort Myers, FL. Born in Latrobe, PA, he graduated from Columbia University, did his medical internship at Stanford University and earned his MD from the University of Pittsburgh.

In the late 1960s, Hughes’ seminal work in drug addiction and recovery played an important role in the changing understanding of drug addiction as a disease rather than a moral failing. Hughes worked with the Black Panthers and other groups in his research as a University of Chicago professor, then published the book Behind the Wall of Respect on his findings. He traveled to Indonesia, Iran, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, India, Burma and other countries to understand drug addiction around the world, as Principal Investigator for the World Health Organization. He then served 20 years at the Tampa Bay Pines V.A. and researched physician drug abuse at the University of South Florida. He was a featured doctor in People magazine in 1978. Hughes is survived by a daughter and four siblings.

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