Tragedy struck in 1978

By Joel Goldenberg, October 31st, 2012

Sophie Wollock spent most of her working life as an activist through the causes she pushed in her creation, The Suburban, and she died in the midst of pursuing that very activism.
On Oct. 22, 1978, Sophie and her husband Max were covering and participating in a Simchat Torah rally at the Snowdon Y, in support of Jews who were trying to leave the Soviet Union. That cause was promoted many, many times in the newspaper, with strongly worded articles and numerous photos of past rallies.
It was while she was dancing that she collapsed and later died, dealing a heavy blow to, first, her family; The Suburban itself and her many readers who looked to her for support.
Nevertheless, three days after the tragedy, the paper came out on schedule, with a message of determination from husband Max, son Michael and The Suburban's staff.
“[We] will carry on that tradition of helping people to help themselves and will continue to give them the courage to fight those daily battles that must be fought for a people to retain its dignity and self-respect,” the front-page message said.
In this and the next few issues of the paper, staffers, columnists and freelancers wrote their personal reminiscences of Sophie.
“What made Sophie run?” wrote Florence Belfer in the Oct. 25 issue. “What made Sophie rush headstrong into battle, wielding her verbal cudgels? I will never forget what she told me, very brusquely, one day when events were shaping up hot and heavy. She alluded to the Holocaust, and said, 'I will never forgive myself for not having done more, sooner.”'
And in this and some subsequent issues of the paper, numerous longtime advertisers and political figures submitted condolence notices. One of the most touching, and the most prestigious, came from then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who lauded Sophie for her activism, “clear mind and independence of soul.
“What a tragic loss for all of us,” Trudeau's bilingual notice said. “Sophie was a friend, my friend. I shall miss her stimulating wit, her frankness and her intense involvement in the day-to-day life of Côte St. Luc, the federal constituency of Mount Royal and the broader constituencies of the province of Quebec and Canada.... A woman who loved life, who lived courageously, has left us.”
Sophie's death dealt a bruising body blow to The Suburban, but we have carried on with the legacy she has left.n