Gérald Vallée recounts his Olympic experience

Interview conducted on January 16, 2026.

[Gérald Vallée is seated next to a mannequin dressed in his bright yellow uniform from the 1976 Olympic Games: straight-leg trousers and a jacket with a tri-colour ribbon running down the sleeves. Buttoned over a white shirt, the jacket has the Montreal Games logo embroidered in white on the pocket. Around the mannequin's neck hangs a laminated employee ID card.] Gérald Vallée:  My name is Gérald Vallée. I worked as a crowd controller during the 1976 Olympic Games. I was 19 years old and in my last year of CEGEP. [There is a close-up of the ID card, which includes the following elements: the Games logo, "COJO 76," the name Gérald Vallée, a black and white photo of him, his job title and the number 001.] I was looking for a job. There was no Internet back then, but there were student employment offices and they needed a lot of students to work at the Olympics. I was very, very, very lucky. [A photograph shows young Gérald Vallée in his uniform, leaning against a low concrete wall in front of the Olympic Stadium.] I worked at the Olympic Stadium. Not just in the stadium, but in the press section. The athletes would come, and we'd take them to meet the reporters. We started early in the morning and, sometimes, we finished late in the evening. It was pretty intense. We were fortunate to have this incredible outfit to wear every day for the two weeks of the Games. People often ask me, "Why did you hang on to all of this for 50 years?" I wanted to keep a souvenir of the Games. So I held on to it, thinking I'll show my kids one day. And now, 50 years later, it's in the Museum. I was at the finish line, so I saw everything, all the events, all the races. And obviously, the opening ceremony, which was quite spectacular. [Two archival photographs of the opening ceremony are displayed. The first depicts the large Canadian delegation dressed in red and white, marching along the running track in the packed stadium. In the second, Sandra Henderson and Stéphane Préfontaine are lighting the Olympic cauldron.] I was really, really lucky. When I went to the stadium that first day, and saw all these people from so many countries, it made me feel like we were the centre of the universe. For two weeks, everybody focussed on Montreal. It was stressful, but also really amazing. Imagine you're a 19-year-old kid, and you go there, you open the door, and it's like being at the United Nations, because there are people from every country. It was part of the charm of the whole Olympic ambience. [In a photograph of the opening ceremony, a large group of people in costume, some carrying flags, are performing choreographed movements on the running track of the Olympic Stadium. People in official uniforms are standing on the field and around the track.] I watched races, like the 100-metre hurdles. I'd never seen a hurdles race before. It's extraordinary to see how fast these people are running, and how close they are to the hurdle. [A photograph depicts four female athletes jumping over hurdles in the 100-metre hurdles race.] The high jump event was really impressive. Greg Joy won a silver medal at the Olympic Stadium. He was a high jumper, and I missed him. I wasn't there. [A photograph shows Canadian athlete Greg Joy raising his arms in victory from the landing mat, next to the crossbar.] Before the Olympics, I had bought tickets to see some judo events at the Velodrome, next door. So I got someone to take my shift that day and missed the big moment, Greg Joy's jump. I was a little dazzled by how amazing these people were. Sometimes, there less glamorous moments. The marathon finished in the stadium. I'm not talking necessarily about those who won, but those who arrived at the end, those who didn't pace themselves properly. I think that's the real Olympic spirit. It's not necessarily about winning a gold medal, it's the chance to participate, to compete. It made a big impression on me. [A photograph of the closing ceremony appears. In the centre field of the Olympic Stadium, a crowd of people dressed in bright colours are walking around a tall yellow teepee. Behind the packed stands, a giant screen displays: Farewell, Montreal. 'Til we meet in Moscow! ] I found the closing ceremony very touching because it was a little sad, in the sense that it was all over. The last evening, nearly the entire team of employees got together on the field in the Olympic Stadium. We started running around the track, as if to say, "We did a good job, and this will be our last run around the track." [A photograph shows the young Gérald Vallée sitting on a low concrete wall in front of the Olympic Stadium. He is smiling, dressed in his bright yellow uniform.] My two weeks at the Games were the happiest two weeks of my youth. I have so many memories of that time, memories that, 50 years later, are still fresh in my old 69-year-old body. [The McCord Stewart Museum logo appears in white on a black background. Copyright: McCord Stewart Museum, 2026, appears in the lower right corner of the screen.]