A Quiet Beginning to a Lasting Legacy

How a Lifelong Library Lover Is Giving Back

At 12 years old, Jack Cunningham walked into a neighbourhood library in Montreal and found something he wasn’t looking for—but would carry with him for the rest of his life.

Having recently arrived from an army base—and never stepping foot in a library—he wandered the stacks and landed in the psychology section. There, he picked up a slim book of poetry, The Cliff’s Edge (Songs of a Psychotic), written by a teenager living with schizophrenia. Its haunting imagery stayed with him. “It resonated,” Jack says. “It opened a door.” That moment sparked a lifelong exploration of human behaviour, mental health, and healing—one shaped by the library at every turn.

By the late 1960s, Jack was settled in Toronto, building a career in the arts. However, money was tight, and he relied on access to his local Toronto Public Library branch to explore new ideas and perspectives. “Books were my teachers,” he says. Through them, he explored psychology and self development, eventually discovering a career path beyond the arts.