impacted him and as an adult, when he had made his fortune, he became a very substantial contributor to philanthropic causes such as hospitals and medical research. The Lévesque Foundation, established in 1961 and today run by his daughter Suzanne Lévesque, has provided significant financial support to universities and other charitable organizations. Major benefactors include J. Louis Lévesque's alma mater, the University of Prince Edward Island, plus the University of Moncton in New Brunswick, and Laval and Concordia universities in Quebec. He donated to the Florida Heart Research Institute, where he had a winter home, and gave more than $10 million to the Montreal Heart Institute. Other medical institutions that have benefited from his philanthropic foundation include the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, and the Montreal General Hospital. As well, Lévesque provided support for the Gaspé Museum in Gaspé, Quebec. Included in his numerous laurels, Jean-Louis Lévesque received several honorary degrees from Canadian universities. In 1972 he and his wife were recipients of the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and the Pope made him a Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great. In 1976 he was made a member of the Order of Canada and in 1991 an officer of the National Order of Quebec. Jean-Louis Lévesque died in Montreal on December 28, 1994, and was interred in the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery in Montreal. References General Jean-Louis Lévesque: a biography - Jules Belanger (R. Davies Multimedia - 1998) Canadian racehorse owners and breeders Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees Canadian stockbrokers Businesspeople from Quebec Stock and commodity market managers Members of the Order of Canada Officers of the National Order of Quebec Sovereign Award winners People from Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine Philanthropists from Quebec Quebec people of Irish descent 1911 births 1994 deaths 20th-century philanthropists Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Owners of King's Plate winners