The story reveals how a gifted Canadian-born black male overcomes many formidable obstacles to become a pioneering scientist and educator more than 40 years ago.
Thomas F. Massiah is a graduate of George Williams with a bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 1947. He later received a Masters in Science in Organic Chemistry from McGill in 1956, and a PhD. from Universit de Montral in Organic Chemistry in 1962.
For 22 years Massiah did post-doctoral research work primarily in the area of pharmaceuticals and was granted five patents. He became a Chartered Chemist in 1984 and was elected as a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada in 1988. Massiah's biography was listed in American Men and Women of Science.
Massiah taught Chemistry as an evening-division lecturer at Sir George Williams from 1949 to 1964. He was also a faculty member of Seneca College from 1985 to 1991 where he taught Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Science and Mathematics.
In 1986 Massiah was appointed to the Ontario Ministry of Health's Drug Quality and Therapeutics Committee (DQTC) and served on this committee until 1989. He received a book-prize from the DQTC at the conclusion of the appointment. He served as president of the Association of The Chemical Profession of Ontario from 1979 to 1981 and received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Association in 1986.
From 1985 to 1999 he functioned as a consultant in the pharmaceutical field. Massiah is now retired from the active practice of chemistry.
Massiah founded the Montreal Negro Alumni Group (MNAG), dedicated to furthering post-secondary education among blacks, in 1953 and was their first president. The MNAG gave more than $30,000 in scholarships and bursaries during its 15-year existence. During 1968, Massiah served as president of the University Negro Alumni Club, a Toronto-based group with similar objectives to the MNAG that Massiah founded.
Massiah liaised with the Toronto police as chairman on behalf of the National Black Coalition from 1972 to 1975 in an attempt to improve police/community relations.
From 1988 to 1996 Massiah tutored black students in mathematics (grades 11 to OAC) at Vaughan Road Collegiate, as a member of the Saturday morning program, sponsored by the York Board of Education, in cooperation with The Canadian Alliance of Black Educators.
Massiah was an Anglican church warden from 1977 to 1980. Concurrently, he also served as a fundraising chairman for Anglicans in Mission.
