About Our Website

Baron Byng High School, was the alma mater of generations of Jewish, Greek and other immigrant kids in Montreal, many of whom went on to excel in numerous fields.

The website baronbynghighschool.ca (Baron Byng High School Museum) was created to preserve its history and capture its spirit (“The Spirit of Byng”) for generations to come.

In the summer of 2011, a group of Baron Byng High School (BBHS) alumni during a class of 60 reunion first came up with the idea of creating a museum about their cherished and famous school to keep the spirit of “Byng” alive.

Initially the idea was to create a physical museum in the school’s former site, 4251 St. Urbain Street, Montreal, which at the time was home to the Sun Youth Organization.  When this proved to be unfeasible, the committee headed by Ted Rotsztein decided to go virtual by creating the web site baronbynghighschool.ca.

The web site was launched on June 6, 2016 at the University Club of Montreal where more than 120 alumni attended.  Notable alumni that were present were, retired Supreme Court justice Morris Fish, former MNA Harry Blank, artist Rita Briansky, former McGill University dean of medicine Abe Fuks, former Quebec Court of Appeal judge Joseph Nuss,  businessman and engineer Lorne Trottier (a major sponsor of the project), famous writer Mordecai Richler, Sydney Shulemson, the highest-ranking Jewish officer during World War II, actress Marilyn Lightstone, NDP leader David Lewis, former Quebec justice minister Herbert Marx, and Rudolph Marcus who won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1992.

Over the years, the Baron Byng High School Museum evolved into an extensive online project where memorabilia, yearbooks, and videos about the famous school can be accessed. The Baron Byng Museum and Hall of Honour pays homage to the history and life of BBHS and traces the evolution of the high school from its opening in 1921 to its closing in 1980 due to the Quebec language laws.

In April of 2023 the web site was suspended due to cost overruns.  A campaign to raise the needed funds ($1,400.00 per year) was started but was unsuccessful.

In July of 2023 Peter (Eftimios) Tzanakos, a graduate of Baron Byng High School, class of 1975, an IT professional with over 35 years of experience, heeded the call …“I can not allow the legacy of Baron Byng High School to be forgotten!  I have to do something to keep the Spirit of Byng alive”.  

Mr. Tzanakos, at his own time and expense with the input of Simon Assouline (BBHS 1966), George Sand (BBHS, 1959), and Patrick, focused on preserving most of the content of the original website, rebuilding the new website, and streamlining the yearly operational costs to $160.00 per year to ensure that the “Spirit of Byng” would continue for years to come.