HIS STUDIES, CAREER AND MEETING THE MAUFFETTE FAMILY

Lucien Thériault was born on June 9, 1897 in Joliette¹. He studied at the Joliette seminary and went on to obtain a degree in social, economic, and political sciences from the Université de Montréal. He then began a banking career in Joliette, Trois-Rivières and Montréal. However, Lucien Thériault's true passion was the arts. Indeed, music, literature and painting played a major part in his life. It is through his meeting with Guy Mauffette (1915-2005) in 1930, and his marriage in 1937 with Bérengère Mauffette (Guy's sister), that he truly satisfied this passion.

PRODUCER AT RADIO CANADA

Thanks to the Mauffette family, Lucien Thériault developed a network of friendships with many prolific artists and creators of that time. It was also thanks to his brother-in-law that he became the first producer of the French Radio-Canada network in 1937. On December 1, 1937, its inauguration took place with a series of 250 programs devoted to music and theatre known as Au jour le jour. This was the beginning of a productive career as a radio producer during which he produced many cultural programs and broadcasted symphony concerts, plays, and poetry readings. He also directed documentaries about current artists, including the popular Je me souviens by Félix Leclerc. He is particularly well-known for the production of Claude-Henri Grignon's radio series Un homme et son péché, which ran for over twenty years. Even after television arrived in households, Lucien Thériault remained true to his passion and continued to be involved in radio broadcasts until his retirement in 1967.

ÎLE PERROT, DORION AND VAUDREUIL

It is also because of the Mauffette family that Lucien Thériault discovered the area, since they owned a cottage in Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot. In 1940, Lucien Thériault bought a house located at 61 Rodolphe Street in Vieux-Dorion (Vaudreuil-Dorion), which he named La Maison des Trois-Pignons. A few years later, he bought another house on Île-Perrot called La Noiseraie. These two properties became in-house museums in which the couple collected and occasionally presented a fascinating collection of artwork.

THE CREATION OF A REGIONAL MUSEUM

Lucien Thériault wanted to share his knowledge and passion for the arts with the community. Following his meeting with Roger Maillet (1896-1960), he participated in the creation of the Musée historique de l'Île Perrot, whose first founding meeting took place on July 10, 1953. From then on, the two enthusiasts became inseparable and travelled the region and province in search of unique artifacts to build an impressive collection. Up until 1960 when Roger Maillet died, the two friends worked with passion and determination to develop the project and curate a museum collection.

In 1960, the Musée historique de l'Île Perrot moved to Vaudreuil² in the building that had formerly housed the Saint-Michel school (Saint-Michel College), and became the Musée historique de Vaudreuil (Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges). From then on, Lucien Thériault acted as the museum’s director until his death in 1983. Throughout the years, he restructured the museum's foundations, found and managed funds, developed and documented the growing collection, and organized shows, concerts and fundraising events through his strong network of friends and artists. He transformed the "curiosity cabinet" set up by Roger Maillet into a legitimate recognized museum institution dedicated to the preservation of regional heritage even to this day.

Lucien Thériault passed away on October 16, 1983 at the age of 86. His funeral was held at Dorion's Très-Sainte-Trinité Church in the presence of a large delegation from the radio and television artistic community. He was laid to rest at the Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot Cemetery.