Robert Zend (1929 — 1985), poet, author, documentary producer and inveteate doodler, emigrated to Canada in 1956 following the Soviet invasion of Hungary. He received his undergraduate degree from the Péter Pá:zmány University in Budapest in 1953 and an MA in Italian Literature from the University of Toronto in 1969. He was a prolific poet in both English and Hungarian and his work appeared in numerous journals and literary magazines. Zend's visual art was exhibited in Budapest (1968), Florence, Italy (1984) and Toronto (1986).

Starting as a shipper with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 1958, Zend worked through the ranks as a film librarian and film editor, eventually becoming a radio producer. As a member of the CBC "Ideas" program team, he researched, wrote, directed and produced over one hundred radio programs featuring such notables as Nothrop Frye, Glenn Gould, and the Dalai Lama.