My goal was to have at least one name
for each day of the year! Believe it or not, it took 20 years. But hey, I
made it! Want to know who was born the same year as you?
Check out the
Famous
Canadian Women's Historical Timeline!
Want to find out about other Canadian women of achievement?
"On-The-Job". Has over 3100 mini profiles of Canadian Women
Use your mouse pointer to touch a
date on the calendar below
to see which Famous Canadian Woman has a birthday on
that date.
Allyn Ann McLerie. Born
December 1,1926, Grand Mere, Quebec. Died May 21,
2018, North Bend,
Washington, U.S.A. Allyn and her widowed mother
moved to the United States when she was just one
year old. Allyn become an actor having made
films from the 1940's through to the 1980's. A
listing of her TV appearances is like a listing
of the classics, Bonanza, The
Walton's, and Dynasty to name a few
of the shows in which she appeared. She married
Adolph Green, a lyricist, in 1945 but they
divorce in 1953. She married a second time to
actor George Gaynes (1917-2016) and the couple
had two children. She retired from acting in
1993.
Sylvie Daigle. Born
December 1, 1962, Sherbrooke, Quebec. Sylvie
began speed skating when she was 8 years old.
She would go on in her sport to win an Olympic
gold medal at the Olympic Games, Calgary,
Alberta 1988 in the 1500m event and sliver
medals in the 1000m and 3000m events. this time
as part of the short track relay event. In the
1992 Winter Olympic Games Albertville, France
she was a member of the Canadian Short Track
Relay team which won a gold medal and in the
1994 Winter Olympic Games Lillehammer, Norway, a
silver medal. She was also a ten time Canadian
National Champion and five time Overall World
Champion for 1979, 1983, 1988-1990. She studied
medicine at l'Université de Montréal. She was
awarded the Elaine Tanner trophy for Best
Canadian Junior Athlete in 1979 and again in
1983. The Canadian Sped Skating Association
named her Female Athlete of the Year in 1988,
1989 and again in 1991. In 1990 she earned the
Velma Springstead Trophy as Canada's top female
athlete. In 1991 she was inducted into the
Olympic Hall of Fame.
December 2
Sheila Watt-Cloutier.Born
December 2, 1953, Kuujiuaq, Quebec. Sheila's
mother was a well known healer and no doubt
taught her daughter about living with the
environment. Her
brother, Charlie, is a Canadian member of the
Senate, and no doubt accounts for some of her
interest in politics. She was sent at 10 years
of age, to Nova Scotia and then Churchill,
Manitoba for her education. She continued
studies at McGill University in Montreal. A
mother of two children she has been a life long
social activist who has gained international
clout. She is recognized for her all out efforts
on behalf of the Artic indigenous peoples world
wide. She is a contemporary champion against
persistent organic pollutants (POP’s) and has
served as President of the Inuit Circumpolar
Conference
(Canada).
In 2002 she earned a Global
Environment Award from the World Association of
Non-Government Organizations in Washington, D,
C. U.S.A. and in 2004 she was presented with the
National Aboriginal Achievement Award from the
National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation. In
2005 she was awarded the generous and coveted
SOPHIE Award from Norway for her efforts to draw
the world’s attention to the devastating effects
of climate change and of emissions of toxic
chemicals, the Champion of the Earth Award from
the United Nations Environmental Programme as
well as the Governor General's Northern Medal.
In 2006 she was inducted as an Officer of the
Order of Canada and her work continues to garner
her recognition. (2019)
JenniferRobinson. Born
December 2, 1976, Goderich, Ontario. Figure
skating is her 1st love. Her heroine was 1988
Olympic medal winning skater Elizabeth Manly.
Jennifer won the Canadian Junior Championship in
1994. In 1996 she won her 1st Canadian Senior
Championship title. She has been Canadian ladies
figure skating champion six times. In 2002 she
married skating coach Shane Dennison and the
couple have one daughter. In 2004 she became a
radio host on a Saturday night retro show in
Barrie, Ontario. She was a commentator at the
2010 Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver, British
Columbia for CTV. In October 2010 she was
elected as a city counsellor in Barrie but poor
health caused her to resign in 2012.
December 3
Mary H. Wilson Alloway. née
Wilson. Born December 3,1848, Montreal, Quebec.
Died January 11,
1919. She married Clement Alloway, a veterinary
doctor, in 1877. She was the author of Famous
Firesides of French Canada which was
published in Montreal in 1899 and the novel,Crossed
Swords, which was published in Toronto in
1912. (2017)
Gayle Hitchens Borthwick. Born
December 3, 1944, Regina, Saskatchewan. The
family relocated to British Columbia and Gayle,
in 1961 won the Canadian Junior Girls Golf
Championship. She won the British Columbia
where she won the provincial Ladies’ Golf title
in 1962 and then went on to win the ladies’
Canadian Amateur title. She defended her
provincial titles in 1963. In 1994 she was the
Canadian Ladies Senior golf champion. In 1994
she tool the Canadian Ladies’ senior
championship, a title she successfully defended
in 1995, 1999 and 2000. In Ontario she won the
Ontario Senior Ladies’ Championship in 1994,
1996, 1998. 2000 and 2001. In 1996 she won her 1st international
solo title, as the U.S. Women’s Senior Champion
which she won again in 1998. She has been a
member of numerous team spanning four decades.
She has relocated to Ontario where she
volunteers in golf administration and in
fundraising. She was inducted into the Canadian
Golf Hall of Fame in 1997. (2018)
December 4
Edna May 'Deanna' Durbin. Born
December 4, 1921, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Died
April 20, 2013, Neauphle-le-Château,
France. Known
as 'Winnipeg’s Sweetheart', this glamour
actress of the 1930’s and 1940’s had a real
star status in Hollywood. She began her
career in 1926 and had 23 credits behind her
by 1948. In 1938, at 17, she was awarded at
the Academy Juvenile Award. In 1941 Deanna
married assistant movie director, Vaughn
Paul and they divorced in 1943. In 1945 she
married a second time to writer/actor, Felix
Jackson (1902-1992). The couple had one
daughter but were divorced by 1949. Then she
simply dropped out of the Hollywood life. In
1950 she married producer/director Charles
Henri David (died 1999) and the couple lived
in a farmhouse near Paris, France with her
daughter and their son. She has not given an
interview of any kind since she 'dropped
acting' up until her death fan mail was
still sent to the reclusive actor.
Barbara Joan
Estelle Amiel. Born
December 4, 1940, Hertfordshire, England. Barbara
emigrated with her family to Canada and settled
in Hamilton, Ontario. Barbara graduated from the
University of Toronto with her B.A. in 1963. At
university she was an active communist and was a
delegate to the 1962 World Festival of Youth and
Students in Helsinki, Finland. In 1964 she
married George Smith but this was followed
shortly by divorce and she married a second in
1965 to George Bloomfield. This marriage ended
in divorce in 1971. She married a third time to
poet, broadcaster and author George Jonas in
1974 but again the marriage ended in divorce in
1979. In 1978 she published her own selected
poems. She married a fourth time to businessman
David Graham from 1984 to 1988. July 21,1992 she
married she married media baron Conrad Black. A
writer, journalist, and editor, Barbara was
editor for the Toronto Sun newspaper and
a long time columnist with MacLean's. She
has published four books between 1977 and
1983. She has won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for
best face crime book and was the “Woman of
Distinction” in 1989. In
1995 she earned the position as vice president
editorial at Hollinger International. In
November 2006 a biography of the couple by Tom
Bower, Conrad and Lady Black: Dancing on the
Edge was released. She stuck by her husband
when he was convicted of fraud and served 6.5
years in prison form 2007-2012. (2018)
Anna McGarrigle. Born
December 4, 1944, Montreal, Quebec. Along with
her sister and singing partner, Kate
McGarrigle (1946-2010) ,
Anna began singing in coffee houses in Montreal
in the 1960's. Anna studied at the Ecole des
Beaux-arts de Montreal from 1964-1968. In 1976
they produced a record album together and won
the Melody Maker Best Record of the Year. Other
albums followed including an all French album in
1982 and the duo would win Juno Awards for their
works. Anna married journalist Dane Lanken and
the couple have two children. The McGarrigles
were named to the Order of Canada in 1994. In
1999 the sisters received the Women of
Originality Awards. In 2006 the singers received
a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of
Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of
Canada (SOCAN).
December 5
Roberta Lynn Bondar. Born
December 5, 1945, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario.
Roberta's 1st university degree was earned at
the University of Guelph in 1968. Her post
graduate studies began at the University of
Western Ontario with a Master of Science in 1971
followed
by a PhD from the university of Toronto in
1974.She earned her medical degree from McMaster
University, Hamilton, Ontario in 1977.
As Canada’s 1st woman astronaut had flair. She
took her favourite food, Girl Guide cookies,
into space with her. She brought from space a
real sense of just how delicate our small blue
planet really is and is now using her
photography to help show and save our earth’s
environment. She was inducted into the Order of
Canada in 1992 and the Order of Ontario in 1993.
She is a Specially elected Fellow of the Royal
Society of Canada in 1999. She has been awarded
the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. In
2003 she began a tenure of service as Chancellor
of Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario the
same year that Canada Post brought out stamps
honouring our individual Canadian astronauts.
She also has a Star on Canada's Walk of Fame in
Toronto. She has served on numerous boards of
directors of organizations and served as well
government committees. A respected and busy
motivational speaker in 2017 for the 150th
anniversary she toured the country to encourage
youth to take the Bondar Challenge in
photography. She encourages youth to study
science and follow their dreams. Sources: Canadian
Who's Who; Personal knowledge. Image
copyright Famous Canadian Women
Pearl Calahasen. Born
December 5,1952, Grouard, Alberta. After studies
at the University of Alberta and the University
of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A. for her
Masters degree in Education she worked to
develop Cree language for elementary and adult
education. She was the 1st woman to teach at a
minimum security prison in Alberta. Her desire
to improve education and social policy have led
her to political positions such as Alberta Human
Rights Commissioner, Member of the World
Congress on Education, the Métis Nation of
Alberta and Alberta Minister Without Portfolio,
Responsible for Children's Services. Her
political achievements have earned her the
privilege of being addressed as the Honourable
Pearl Calhasen.
Julie Khaner. Born
December 5, 1957, Montreal, Quebec. This
accomplished actor played Alana on Street
Legal (CBC series) and Emily on Jake and
the Kid (Global TV Series). She is also a
regular on the CBC series Newsroom. Her
TV guest roles have included Aderly, Night
Heat, My Secret Identity and many more. In
2012 she had a recurring role in the TV series The
Firm. Julie also has also appeared in the
popular TV series Murdoch Mysteries. She
also enjoys live stage work and has played
various roles at the famous Stratford Festival
located in Ontario.
December 6
Susanna
Moodie. née
Strickland. Born December 6, 1803, Bungay,
England. Died April 8, 1885, Toronto, Ontario.
Susanna wrote her 1st children's book in 1822
and went on to publish other children's stories
in London, England. On April 4, 1831 she married
a retired military officer John Moodie. In 1832
Susanna, John and their daughter immigrated to
Upper Canada settling just outside of
Lakefield. Susanna lived the difficult life of a
settler in Upper Canada and she wrote about her
adventures in a famous book calledRoughing
it in theBush. By 1853, living in
Belleville, Upper Canada she wrote Life in
the Clearings Versus the Bush. She was also
an early Canadian journalist writing for the
best of the Canadian literary journals of the
day. She was very suspicious of the “Yankee”
(American) influence on early Canada. Her
sister, Catherine Parr Trail (1802-1899) was
also a famous Canadian author. September 8 2003
Canada Post issued as special commemorative
series for the 50th anniversary of the National
Library of Canada which featured Susanna and her
sister.
Mabel
Frances Timlin. Born
December 6, 1891, Forest Junction, Wisconsin
U.S.A. Died October 19, 1976, Saskatoon
Saskatchewan. 'Timmie' moved to Saskatchewan
from the United States in 1917. She worked as a
secretary while studying at the University of
Saskatchewan. In 1940 she earned a PhD at the
University of Washington, Seattle, U.S.A. and
returned to the University of Saskatchewan to
teach economics. She would go on to write some
of the basic Canadian economic works of the
1950's and 1960's. She would become the 1st
woman to be elected to the executive committee
of the American Economics Association from
1957-1960. Among her many awards were the Canada
Centennial Medal 1967 and the Order of Canada.
December 7
Margaret Ruth Pringle
Carse. Born
December 7, 1916, Edmonton, Alberta. Died
November 14, 1999, Ponoka, Alberta. This ballet
dancer was a true pioneer of her profession in
Western Canada. She founded the Alberta Ballet
Company and it's associated school of dance. She
studied with several leading institutions
including the National Ballet of Canada and in
New York City. An injury in 1954 forced her to
retire from the stage. She turned her talents to
teaching the youth of Western Canada. She was
winner of the Dance Canada Award in 1989 and she
holds the Order of Canada.
Tracy Wright.
Born December 7, 1959, Toronto, Ontario. Died
June 22, 2010, Toronto, Ontario. In 1989 Tracy
was a founding member of the Toronto Augusta
Company along with her future husband Don
McKeller. One of Tracy's first major film role
was in Highway 61 in 1991. As well as appearing
in numerous films she appeared on television in
such shows as Kids in the Hall and Twitch City.
In January 2010 she married fellow actor Don
McKeller (1963- ). In 2011 she was
posthumously presented along with Co-star Molly
Parker with the Best Actress at the A C T R A
Awards for her role in Trigger. This role also
saw her nominated for the Genie Award for Best
Actress. (2021)
December 8
Edith Josie. Born
December 8, 1921, Eagle, Alaska, U.S.A. Died
January 31,2010, Old Crow, Yukon. She was a
member of the Vuntut Gwitchin Tribe, “People of
the Lakes. Along with regular schooling, Edith
learned the traditional sills of her peoples
related to hunting and
living from the land. The family moved to the
Yukon Territory upon the death of an Uncle. In
the Yukon she would raise two of her three
children and care for her aging parents. In 1957
she was appointed Justice of the Peace in her
community of Old Crow. In 1962 Edith became a
correspondent at the Whitehorse Star newspaper
it was not long before her column “Here are the
News” became popular and syndicated! She wrote
of the everything and anything of interest to
Old Crow and her readers were charmed with the
description of everyday life in the Yukon bush.
Her article went our each week on the local
supply air route. Grammar, spelling and sentence
structure with of little import to Edith. She
wrote as she spoke. The writing style endeared
her to her rapidly growing fan base which
eventually reached across the globe, and was
translated into several languages. Her work also
became the base of several books. Her life was
opened to CBC TV viewers, readers of magazines
such as Weekend Magazine and Life. With
all her success she remained humble and genuine.
She received many honours such as the Canadian
Centennial Medal of 1967, the Order of Canada in
1995 and the Aboriginal Achievement Award. She
wrote her last column in 2005 but continued as
an active elder in Old Crow.
Hayley Wickenheiser. Born
December 8, 1978, Shaunavon, Saskatchewan. Team
sports are her favourite. She played in
competition in the World Junior Softball
Championships in 1995. Then it was hockey. She
played with a gold medal team at the 1997-99
World hockey Championships and the silver medal
team at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. She was
invited to play with the Philadelphia Flyers
training camp which she found a great
opportunity to learn at the NHL level. She was
a member of the Canada women's national ice
hockey tem for 23 years from 1994 until
retirement in January 2017. She represented
Canada at the Winter Olympics five times
capturing four gold medals and one silver medal.
She also represented Canada in softball at the
2000 summer Olympics. She is considered the
greatest female ice hockey player in the world.
In 2002-03 she played in a Finish men's hockey
league and on January
31, 2003 she became the 1st woman to score a
goal in a men's professional hockey league. In
2011 her hometown recreational complex in
Shaunovon was named in her honour the Crescent
Point Wickenheiser Centre. On June 30, 2011 she
was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. She
authored the book Gold Medal Diary: Inside
the World's Greatest Sports Event. On February
20, 2014 she was elected to the International
Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission and
that same year she earned a star on Canada's
Walk of Fame in Toronto. In 2013 she earned a
degree in kinesiology and went on to earn a
Master's degree in 2016 from the University of
Calgary. Hayley retired from competitive hockey
in 2017 to spend more time with her adopted son
and to continue her education. In 2018 she began
studies as the Cumming School of Medicine at the
University of Calgary. In August 2018 Hayley was
appointed Assistant Director of Player
Development for the National Hockey League
Toronto Maple Leafs. (2019)
December 9
Annie Charlotte Armitage Dalton. née Armitage. Born
December 9, 1865, Berkby, Huddersfield, England.
Died January 12, 1938 Vancouver, British
Columbia. As a child Annie suffered from and eye
weakness and was hearing impaired. She was
educated privately and enjoyed writing from and
early age. In 1891 she married businessman
Willie Dalton (1866-1953) in in 1904 the couple
emigrated to Canada where they became parents to
a daughter. Her home in Vancouver, British
Columbia became a meeting place for the writers
and readers of the area. She would serve on the
executive of the Vancouver Poetry Club and was
an executive member of the Lower Mainland Branch
of the Canadian Author’s Association and the
Dominion Council. Left partially deaf from a
childhood disease she became known as the Poet
Laureate of the Deaf for her work on their
behalf. She authored several books including
The Marriage ofMusic, Flame and
Adventure, and Lilies and Leopards. In
1935 she became the
only woman, at the time, to
become a member of the Order of the British
Empire.Sources:
Collections notes UBC, Simon Fraser University.
(2019)
Annie Buller-Guralnick. née
Buller. Born December 9 1895, Ukraine.
Died January
19, 1973. She immigrated to Montreal from the
Ukraine with her parents when she was a
child. She studied Marxism at school and joined
the Workers' (Communist) Party of Canada in
1922. She devoted herself to the politics of her
party. She would help workers of all trades,
from mining to dressmaking, form unions to
better their working conditions. She retired in
the late 1950's but continued to lend her
experiences to the Party organization until her
death. While Communism never gained a strong
foothold in Canada, her devotion to the
betterment of workers lives and the bravado she
displayed in her beliefs is a strong legacy for
all Canadian women.
December 10
Ibolya ' Lbi' Szalai
Grossman. née
Szalai. Born December 10, 1916, Pécs,
Hungary. Died March 11, 2005. In 1931 she joined
the Zionist movement. In 1939 in Budapest she
married Zoltan 'Zolti' Rechnitzer and the couple
had one son. In 1944 Zolti was taken to a Jewish
labour camp and never seen again. Her parents
and two half sisters were taken to the Auschwitz
gas champers. Liberated by the Russian army Lbi
tried to escape Hungary but was arrested a
jailed. In 1957 she was successful to escape and
came to Toronto where the following year she
married Emil Grossman. Lbi was a self-described
“ordinary woman”. She was also a survivor. She
survived the physical and mental horrors of the
Hungarian Holocaust. She survived to escape to
the west. She survived the obstacles of being a
European immigrant Jew. She survived the change
to a new and foreign culture and way of life in
immigrating to Canada. She did all of this after
her husband, her mother, father, and her sisters
died in the death camps. She survived to write
her story in the hopes that the horrors will not
happen again. Her book was entitled Ordinary
Woman in Extraordinary Times was published
in 1990.Janice Elspeth Dickin Cameron
wrote her biography 'Write everything just as
you know it: A portrait of Ibolya Szalai
Grossman' as a chapter in the book Great
Dames. (2019)
Jessica Steen. Born
December 10, 1965, Toronto, Ontario. There was a
lot of time to practice acting in Jessica's
house. There was always an annual Christmas
skit, and trips to the theater with her director
father. She had her 1st television role at the
age of eight. In the mid 1960's she appeared in
a TV movie with Lindsay Wagner and schoolmate
Keanu Reeves. She has had roles in Touched by
an Angel; The Outer Limits; ER; Due South;
Heartland. If her busy schedule between TV
and movies allows it, she enjoys kayaking and
rock climbing. She is also a volunteer with
environmentalist David Suzuki. She is a
certified diver and is skilled at several circus
arts including walking on stilts and fire
eating.
December 11
Paulinee
Jewett. Born December
11, 1922, St Catharines, Ontario. Died July
5, 199, Pauline would use her own
educational background at Queen’s, Radcliff,
Harvard, Oxford and London School of
Economics as a background for being a
politician, educator and professor of
political science. She was an elected member
of parliament in the 1960's and again in the
1980's. She was appointed president of Simon
Fraser University in 1974, the first woman
to be head of a major co-educational
university in Canada. She was appointed
Chancellor of Carleton University in Ottawa
in 1990, a position she held until her
death. In 1992 Carleton University renamed
its women's studies program to become the
Pauline Jewett Institute of Women's Studies.
She was also an Officer in the Order of
Canada.
Carolyn Jane Waldo-Baltzer. Born
December 11 1964, Montreal, Quebec. After nearly
drowning at the age of 3 years she took 7 years
to overcome her fear of the water. In the 1984
Olympics she captured a silver medal in
synchronized swimming! At the World Aquatic
Championships she and partner Michelle Cameron
won gold and Carolyn also took gold in the solo
event. In the 1988 Olympics she won gold in
solo and again with Michelle won gold in
duet. She became the 1st
Canadian woman to win 2 gold medals at one
Olympics.In 1989 she married
Thomas Michael Baltzer. Also in 1989 she was
invested as an officer of the order of Canada.
She currently perusing a career in sports
broadcasting. She has also served as
spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police's National Drug Awareness Campaign. She
has also received the Queen's Golden Jubilee
Medal in 2002 and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee
medal in 2012.
December 12
Doreen Paterson Reitsma. née
Paterson. Born December 12, 1927, Vancouver,
British Columbia. Died April 30, 2000, Delta,
British Columbia. In 1949, while working at the
front desk of the Hotel Vancouver, Doreen was
inspired by meeting Eleanor Roosevelt, the
former 1st Lady of the United States.
Doreen took steps to make her dream of serving
in the Canadian Military come true in 1951. She
made history as the
1st to enlist in the new Women's Division of the
Royal Canadian Navy. She
began training October 2, 1951 as an elite radio
intelligence operator for the top-secret
wireless communications base in Cloverdale, New
Brunswick. She also served a term at the Naval
Radio Station at Churchill, Manitoba in 1953-54.
On January 26, 1955, Doreen Patterson helped
inspire Prime Minister Louis St Laurent and his
cabinet to create a permanent and fully
integrated regular force for women in the Royal
Canadian Navy. This decision—the 1st in the
Commonwealth—paved the way for thousands of
Canadian women to follow in her footsteps.
Doreen married Gerard 'Bill' Reitsma, a Korean
War veteran, on August 18, 1960 and was the
mother of two adopted children.Source:
“Doreen Nettie Paterson Reitsma” by Raymond
Reitsma , The Vancouver Hall of Fame,
online
Mina Suingai Shum. Born
December 12 1965, (sometimes reported as 1966)
Hong Kong. Her family immigrated to Vancouver
British Columbia where Mina was raised. Mina
studied for a degree in Theatre and then Film
and TV Production at the University of British
Columbia. She is a writer and producer of films
and is perhaps best known for her work in short
films. In 1993 her work Me, Mom and Mona, won
a special Jury Citation for Best Canadian Short
Film. She has won a Genie Award for Best Actress
and Best Editing and she has been nominated for
seven Genies in the categories of Best Picture,
Best Direction and Best Screenplay. In 2015 she
earned the Artistic Merit Award, Women in Film
and Television Vancouver from the Vancouver
International Film Festival.
December 13
Emily
Carr. Born
December 13, 1871, Victoria, British Columbia.
Died March 2,1945, Victoria, British Columbia.
Emily is perhaps one of the most famous women
painters in Canada. Her works bring alive the
beautiful West Coast scenes with vibrant and
distinct images. The swirling stokes of her
brush created unique images of her paintings.
Her canvases hang in many art galleries
including the National Gallery in Ottawa. Totem
poles of West Coast native peoples were also one
of her favourite studies. Did you know she also
wrote books? After suffering a couple of heart
attacks in the late 1930's Emily lived with her
sister Alice to recover. In 1940 and 1942 she
suffered a stroke and anther heart attack. She
turned her attention to writing with her 1st
book Klee Wyck, published in 1941,
garnered her the Governor-General's Award for
non-fiction. You will find books showing her art
and the books she wrote at your local public
library.
Image: Public Domain
Michelle Tisseyre.
née Ahern. Born December
13, 1918, Montreal, Quebec. Died December 21,
2014, Montreal, Quebec. Michelle joined
Radio-Canada in 1941
and did pioneering work as a broadcast
journalist on both radio and television as the first woman to
present a 15-minute newsletter broadcast in C B
C's French services. Fluently
bilingual she was an asset to the C B C and was
assigned to C B C International Service from
1944-1946 where she was hostess for the show La
Voix du Canada for the French armed services. In
1936 she was the first French Canadian to study
history and philosophy at McGill University,
Montreal. She dropped her college studies and
married Jacques de Braband in 1937. During the
second world war her husband left her and they
divorced in 1946 leaving her with their one
child. On January 17, 1947 she married Pierre
Tisseyre (1905-1995) and the couple had four
children together. After 1947 she became a
freelance broadcaster and was a director with
Radio-Canada from 1953 through 1960. In 1948 she
started to perform for theatre with a radio play
and continued to act for theatres in Montreal
until 1970. In 1970 she became a translator
working with her husband at Les Editions Pierre
Tisseyre. in 1975 she would earn the Governor
General's Award for translation of Winter by
Morley Callaghan. She also translated worked
from English by Margaret Lawrence, W. O.
Mitchell and Robertson Davies. She also became
an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2001. At 80
in 2001 she returned to college and graduated in
2006 with a Bachelor of Arts from McGill
University, Montreal. In 2012 she received the
Queen Elizabeth ll Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Source: Canadian Encyclopedia
December 14
Blanche Lemco van
Ginkel. née Lemco. Born December
14,1923, London, England. Blanche studied
architecture at McGill University, Montreal and
graduated in 1945. In 1950 she studied city
planning at Harvard University, Cambridge,
Massachusetts, U.S.A. She was a professor at the
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,
Harvard University, the Université de Montreal
and McGill University. Blanche and her husband,
Sandy Van Ginkel (1920-2009) are Architects and
urban planners. The couple founded their own
firm in 1957 in Toronto. They have worked on
plans for old city of Montreal, new Montreal,
New York City, Calgary, and even development
sites for the Canadian Arctic. They were also
involved in the planning of Expo 67. She was
the 1st woman to
hold a leading position at a Canadian School of
architecture when she served as Dean of
Architecture, University of Toronto, 1980-1982.
She was elected as an officer and a fellow of
the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and
was the 1st Canadian woman to serve as president
of the Association of Collegiate Schools of
Architecture.
Grace Ledoux Zoldy.née
Ledoux. Born December 13, 1933, Camperville,
Manitoba. Still speaks the Michif, Cree and
Saulteaux languages. She has been a lifelong
active member of the Manitoba Métis
Federation where she became A spokeswoman of
Métis Women in Manitoba. She married Gaspar
Zoldy and the couple has 3 children. Grace
worked for 7 years at the Sanatorium at The Pas
in the kitchen and dining room. After two years
of training she became a Home Advisor for
Northern Affairs, a job she held for ten years.
She also a passionate and advocates for the
preservation of the Michif language and is
active in the Manitoba Métis Federation’s Michif
Language Program. With Heritage Canada she has
participated in language focus groups in
national heritage languages as well as being an
active member of the National Michif Speakers’
group that was founded in 2006. Grace visited
California to learn from Native people who were
actually delivering the a language program
which is a complete immersion program where the
speakers, usually elders, commit to teaching the
language on a one-on-one basis in the home and
in the community. The California program is a
community-centered approach that allows speakers
to effectively pass on their language to
learners without classrooms, books or language
experts. She has been paramount in introducing
this program in the teaching of the Michif
language. She published in 2003 Li
Liivr Oche Michif Ayamiiawina: The Book Of
Michif Prayers. In 2010 she was
honoured at the Keeping the Fires Burning
aboriginal awards celebrating female leaders for
preserving First Nations culture and serving as
role models for younger generations. Sources;
Matt Preprost, “Gala recognizes
accomplishments”. Winnipeg Free Press June
18, 2010 Page A13; Lawrence Barkwell, Grace
Ledoux Zoldy, Métis Museum, Online
December 15
Ida
Haendel. Born December
15, 1924, Chelm, Poland. Ida is said to have
picked up her father's violin at the age of
three. In 1933 she won the Warsaw (Poland)
Conservatory gold medal and the 1st Henryk
Weniawski Violin Competition. This violinist is
known for her flawless technique and beauty of
tone when she plays. She had a long
international career beginning as a child
prodigy in Poland, playing for British
servicemen in World War II England. She made
annual tours in Europe and ventured to South
America and Asia. She lived in Montreal from
1952 through 1989. She was the 1st western
soloist invited to China after the Cultural
Revolution in that country. She is a member of
the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In 2006 she
performed for Pope Benedict XVI. She moved to
Miami, Florida, U.S.A. where is actively
involved in the Miami International Piano
Festival. She is also a sought after adjudicator
for violin competitions.
Chantal Peticlerc.Born
December 15, 1969, Saint-Marc-des Carriéres,
Quebec. When she was just 13 she lost the use of
both legs in an accident. At 18 she was
introduced to wheelchair sports at Université
Laval, Quebec City. Coming dead last in her 1st race
only encouraged her to get more involved. This
television host for Lotto Quebec has becomethe
1st woman Canadian star in the sport of
wheelchair athletics. She
participated in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games
winning two bronze medals. In the summer of 1995
she won 5 gold medals at the world championships
for wheel chair athletics, and in 1996 she
brought home 5 medal from the Paralympics. In
2002 she received the Queen's Jubilee Medal. In
2004, in Athens, Greece, she earned her 1st Olympic
Games gold. In 2005 she became a Knight in the
Order of Quebec. In 2008 she would earn 5 gold
medals at the Beijing Paralympics Games. In 2008
she received the Lou March Award as Canada’s top
athlete and the Canadian Press Female Athlete of
the Year. In 2009 she held world records in the
100 meter (m), 200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m
events. That same year she received a star on
Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario and
was inducted as a Companion in the Order of
Canada. She is active in the Right To Play as
athlete ambassador and motivational speaker,
inspiring countless people to overcome
challenges. In 2012 she became a recipient of
the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. March 16,
2016 she was named to the Senate of Canada. Image
copyright Famous Canadian Women (2020)
December 16
Barbara Kent.née
Cloutman. Born December 16, 1907, Gadsby,
Alberta. Died Palm Desert, California October
13, 2011. Barbara and her family moved to
California when she was a teenager. In 1925 she
won the Miss Hollywood Beauty pageant. Described
as gorgeous, full-figured, and baby faced, and
even though she had never acted previously, she
was signed up by Universal Studios. Her debut
was as the only woman in the western Prowlers
of the Night, batting her eyelashes as she
nursed the wounded sheriff back to health. In
the landmark 1926 film Flesh and the Devil,
opposite Greta
Garbo, the lovelorn Kent displayed
her broken heart in an Oscar-worthy supporting
performance. She starred in Lonesome ,
the last great silent American film in 1928.
Barbara's natural voice was a bit too “tinny”
and her career in the talkies was in doubt.
Determined she took voice lessons. Her career
peaked when she played superstar Harold
Lloyd's love interest in his 1st two
talkies, Welcome Danger and Feet First.
In 1932 she married Harry Edington, a longtime
Hollywood producer. He tried to revive his
wife’s career in the late 1930s, but her roles
became smaller and films less prestigious. Her
last film was Guard That Girl in 1935.
After her husband died in 1949, Barbara retired
from show business retreating from public view
and refusing all demands for photographs and
interviews. She married a second time to
engineer Jack Monroe who died in 1998. She had
been living in a retirement home in Sun Valley,
where neighbors were unaware she had once
graced the silver screen. At the age of 103 she
was one of the last surviving silent screen
actors.Sources:
Bergan, Ronald “Alberta –born silent film star
transitioned to talkies, then retired” The
Globe and Mail October 31, 2011 page R9 (accessed
November 2011. ) Suggestion
submitted by June Coxon, Ottawa.
Karleen Bradford. Born
December 16, 1936, Toronto, Ontario. Karleen was
nine when she moved with her family Argentina,
South America and returned to Canada to attend
university. After
graduation she traveled the world for 34 years
as a Foreign Service Officer. Since 1977 she has
enjoyed producing some 20 books for young adult
readers. She is a working mother of three
children who also found time to contribute to
her profession by holding positions at
organizations such as the Writers Union of
Canada, the Canadian Authors' Association and
the Public Lending Rights Commission. Her own
books have won awards such as; The Max and Greta
Ebel Award 1990 ( Windward Island ) and
the Young Adult Canadian Book Award of the
Canadian Library Association in 1993. The titles
of some of her other books include: The Nine
Days Queen, The Haunting at Cliff House, There
Will Be Wolves, Animal Heroes, Shadows on a
Sword. Check the shelves of your local
public Library for these exciting titles.
December 17
Enid Finley Gordon.Born
December 17, 1896, Montreal, Quebec. Died
January 24, 1974, Toronto, Ontario. Enid
studied, for the beginning of her medical
training, Medical Gymnastics in Heidelberg,
Germany. She followed this with studies in
physiotherapy at the Pennsylvania Orthopedic
Institute and School of Mechanotherapy. She
returned to Montreal to work at the Belmont
Convalescent Home for war veterans and taught
massage at McGill University. When it opened in
1918 Enid worked at the Military School of
Orthopedic Surgery at Hart House, University of
Toronto. Shortly after it opened, the
government, which saw no need for such a centre,
closed it down. By February 1, 1919 Enid was
working at the Dominion Orthopedic Hospital for
Veterans as supervisor. In January 1918, Dr.
Lawrence Bruce Robertson (1885-1924) was sent
home from the European war front to rest and
recuperate. He began working at the same
hospital as Enid. On April 17, 1940 the couple
were married. They would have two children.
After her marriage Enid returned to efforts
towards the formation of what would become the
Canadian Physiotherapy Association. As a widow
by 1924, Enid took the children to Europe,
returning only when they were old enough for
school. She worked to establish a two year
diploma program in physiotherapy at the
University of Toronto which opened in 1920. In
1930 she married Dr. Duncan Graham. At the
beginning of World War ll she convinced the
Canadian Military to formerly acknowledge the
need for physiotherapists. 138 physiotherapists
volunteered for overseas service with pay and
privileges equal to male volunteers of the same
rank. (2020)
Frances Helen Dafoe Bogin. Born
January 17, 1929, Toronto, Ontario. Died
September 23, 2016, Toronto, Ontario. In 1952 she
and her partner Norris Bowden (1926-1991) placed
second in the pairs event at the figure skating
championships. They would go on to place 1st a
title they would hold through to
1955. In the 1952, their 1st Olympic
appearance the couple place 5th. It
was said that their style of skating featuring
imaginative lifts and jumps was considered too
“athletic” for the European judges.In
1953 they became the 1st Canadians to
win the World Pairs Figure skatingand
they repeated another world win in 1954. They
would hold the North American Championships
titles from 1953-1956. In 1955 the pair were
inducted into the Canada’s Sport Hall of
Fame. In the Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics in 1956
they earned a silver medal. In 1958 the couple
were inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of
Fame. Frances studied at the Central Technical
School, Toronto and later at the Parsons School
of Design, New York City, U.S.A. After her
retirement from completion Frances had a
successful career as a fashion designer in
television, theartre, and ballet. She worked
with the CBC from 1956 through 1994 designing
costumes for shows as well as a series of
figure skating specials. She designed for 18
original productions at the Charlottetown
Festival in Prince Edward Island, the royal
Winnipeg Ballet and Stars on Ice. In 1967 she
received the Canada Confederation Medal. She
remained involved in her sport as a judge,
including the 1994 Winter Olympic Games,
Lillehammer, Norway. She was a team leader and
of course she enjoyed designing costumes for
such Canadian greats as Toller Cranston. In 1991
she was inducted as a member of the Order of
Canada. In 1993 the pair were inducted into the
Skate Canada Hall of Fame. In
2002 she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Golden
Jubilee Medal. Married
in 1994 she died just months after her husband
Paul Matthew Bogin.
December 18
Emma Caslor.née
Enid Maud Carmichael. Born December 18, 1913,
Chilliwack, British Columbia. Died December 25,
1977, Chilliwack, British Columbia. Emma enjoyed
piano lessons as a child and as a youth too
voice in San Francisco, U.S.A., Vancouver,
British Columbia, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. She
was introduced to the joy of folk music in 1930
while living on Canada's east coast. Until 1948
she used the professional name of Nina Finn when
singing and playing public and radio
performances. In the 1940's she worked for the
National Film board in Ottawa. After 1948 she
took the professional name of Emma Caslor and
began her own career as a singer. Her music
embraced at first the Celtic roots but soon took
on the folk cultures of Canada's full diversity
from aboriginal music to Elizabethan songs.
Henrietta Louise Edwards. Born
December 18, 1849, Montreal, Quebec. Died
November 10, 1931, Fort Macleod, Alberta. As a
young woman she studied art in New York, U.S.A. Her
works were acknowledged in showing by the Royal
Canadian Academy and her miniature portraits
included Sir Wilfrid Laurier. She Married Dr.
Oliver Cromwell Edwards in 1876 and they had a
family of three children. She continued her
social activities all her life working for
un-enfranchised women, public library support
and equal rights. At eighty she went to a tea in
Edmonton and became one of the “Famous Five”
women who took the Person case to England and
had Canadian women declared” persons” under the
law. Women, as 'non-persons' had no rights to
own land, serve in government and had very few
legal rights prior to 1929. Why not read about
the 'Persons Case' at the web site for the
Library and Archives Canada.
December 19
Joanne Gard Marshall. Born
December 19, 1945. Joanne earned her Bachelor of
Arts at the
University of Calgary in Alberta and went on to
earn a Master of Library Science (M .L. S.) from
McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. She
worked as a Reference and Orientation Librarian
at the University of Calgary for a year in 1968
prior to moving to work as a Librarian at the
Health Sciences Library at McMaster University.
She earned a second Masters degree, this time in
Health Sciences from McMaster University,
Hamilton, Ontario in 1978 prior to earning her
PhD. from the University of Toronto in Public
Health Sciences in 1987. Dr. Marshall is a
librarian and professor at the Faculty of
Information Studies at the University of
Toronto. She also holds cross appointments with
the Department of Health Administration at the
Centre for Health Promotion and Institute for
Human Development, Life Course and Aging. While
librarians are often seen as holding a special
contributive role in a community, Dr. Marshall
has earned special recognition within her
profession. She is the recipient of several
awards including the Eliot Prize from the
Medical Library Association and the Award of
Outstanding Achievement from the Canadian Health
Library Association.In
2001 she became a Fellow, Special Libraries
Association and the following year a Fellow of
the Medical Library Association. Since July 1,
2004 she has been an Alumni Distinguished
Professor at the University of Toronto. She
served as President of the Medical Library
Association 2004-2005. During her career she has
authored numerous in depth professional journal
articles and had published seven books in her
field.
Lorie Kane. Born
December 19, 1964, Charlottetown, Prince Edward
Island. Growing up Lori enjoyed playing
baseball, field hockey and even tried gymnastics
and synchronized swimming but was her father who
started her playing golf when she was just five.
At 13 she was competing in her 1st tournament.
In 1982 to 1985 she won the Junior Girls
Provincial titles in golf. She went on to win
the PEI Womens’ Amateur Champion from 1987-1992
and then captured the National Ladies Amateur
title from 1996-1999 and again in 2001. In 1997
she made her first appearance at a tournament in
the Ladies Professional Golf Association and has
won tournaments in the LPGA tournaments through
2004. In 1998 she received the Heather Farr
Perseverance Award and a four-time LPGA Tour
winner. She also received the William and Mousie
Powell Award in recognition of her exemplary
spirit of the LPGA. She has won the LPGA Legends
Tour four times. In 2016 she was inducted into
the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.
December 20
Judy Verlyn LaMarsh.Born
December 20, 1924, Chatham, Ontario. Died October
27, 1980. Like many women of her generation Judy
attended Normal School to train as a teacher.
Instead of teaching she joined the Canadian
Women’s Army Corps and served from 1943-1946.
After her military service Judy attended the
University of Toronto for her B.A. and then
attended Osgoode Hall and
was called to the bar as a lawyer in 1950. As a
politician she was elected to the House of
Commons in Ottawa in a by-election in the fall
of 1960. In 1963 she became the second woman to
be appointed to a Cabinet position in the
Canadian government. This colourful, flamboyant
woman, as Minister of Health and Welfare,
introduced the Canada Pension Plan and
supervised the drafting of what became Canada’s
Medicare system. She
became the 1st official in the
western world government to oppose tobacco
smoking publicly. As Secretary of State
for Canada she presided over the 1967 Centennial
Year celebrations for Canada with great flair.
She also established the Royal Commission on the
Status of Women. She left politics after
Canada’s Centennial Year using her time in
retirement to author 3 books including her
autobiography, Memoirs of a Bird in a Gilded
Cage in 1969. She became a broadcaster and
hosted own weekday radio program on CBC Radio.
She returned to work as a lawyer and in 1974
defended the Brunswick Four in a prominent LGBT
Case. In April 1975 she headed the Ontario Royal
Commission on Violence in the Communications
Industry. Ill with pancreatic cancer she was
inducted into the Order of Canada from her
hospital bed on July 22, 1980. The Government of
Canada Building in Chatham, Ontario is known as
the Judy LaMarsh Building. Sources: Judy
LaMarsh, Making Medicare: the history of health
care in Canada 1914-2007, www.historymuseum.ca (Accessed
2007); Canadian Encyclopedia Online (Accessed
2004)
December 21
Marie
Madeleine Maufils dit de St Louis. Baptized
December 21, 1671. Buried December 5, 1702. In
1687 she became one of the religious
Hospitallers at the Hôtel-Dieu. She was known as
Mother Maufils. She was a talented painter and
artist who is credited with some of the artistic
panels in the Chapel of the Hôpital Générale in
Quebec city. She died during the small pox
epidemic during the winter of 1702-1703. (2017)
Kimberly Barber. Born
December 21, 1959, Guelph, Ontario. Kimberly graduated
from the University of Toronto in 1983. She went
on to earn a diploma in operatic performances
two years later and joined the Canadian Opera
Company. From 1989 through 1994 she sang with
the Opera Frankfurt in Germany. In 2002 she
made her New York Opera debut and that same year
she began teaching at Wilfrid Laurier
University, Waterloo, Ontario and became
coordinator of the university's opera program.
She also has made numerous recordings and has a
solo disc of Handel and Hass arias for CBC
Records. (2019)
December 22
Sara Jeanette Duncan.Born
December 22, 1861, Brantford, Upper Canada
(Ontario). Died July 22, 1922, Ashtead, England.
Like many women of her era she trained as a
teacher at the Toronto Normal School graduating
in 1882. Her 1st published poems
appeared in 1880 and an article was published a
year later. In 1884 she published articles on
the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial
Exposition in New Orleans. She published the
articles under the pseudonym (pen name) ‘Garth’
and the articles were picked up by American
papers. In 1886 she took over the ‘Woman’s
World’ section of the Globe. Using her
own name she also wrote a column for the Toronto
literary periodical Week on important
intellectual issues of the day. She left Toronto
in November 1887 to work for the Montreal
Star and by February 1888 she was the papers
parliamentary correspondent in Ottawa. She and
fellow journalist, Lily Lewis, moved around the
world sending stories of their exploits to the Montreal
Star. These stories Jeannette turned into a
novel in 1890, A social departure; how
Orthodocia and I went around the world by
ourselves. The trip provided fodder for two
additional publications. In 1890 she married
Everard Charles Coates in Calcutta, India. Her 1st novel
appeared in 1894. A daughter of to-day was
the 1st book to appear under the name
of Mrs. Everard Coates (Sara Jeannette Duncan).
After her marriage she continued producing a
steady number of articles and worked on the
autobiographical work, On The Other Site published
in 1901. She would publish 22 books in her
lifetime and she had more planned. During World
War l she travelled between India and London ,
England working on an original stage play which
were sadly unsuccessful. In 1919 the couple
settled in England. She died of chronic lungproblems
exacerbated by her smoking.
Myriam Bedard. Born
December 22, 1969, Neufchatel, Quebec. As a
teenager with the Royal Canadian Army Cadets
Myriam took up biathlon, the sport combining
shooting and skiing, and entered her 1st
competition on rented skis. By 1987 she was
Canadian junior champion. In 1991 she was the 2nd
Canadian to win a World Cup in Biathlon. She won
a bronze medal in the Olympic games in 1992 when
women's biathlon was a demonstration sport. The
next year it was a a gold at the World
Championship. She went n to win gold for the 7.5
km inaugural event, and a gold in the 15 km
event at the 1994
Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. She was the
1st non-European to win gold in Biathlon.She
received the Lou Marsh Trophy for the year's top
performance by a Canadian athlete as well as the
Velma Springstead Trophy as Canada’s top female
athlete in 1994. She is a member of Canada's
Sports Hall of Fame. She is also an honorary
member of the Royal Military College of Canada,
Kingston, Ontario. She left the sport to give
birth to her daughter but never had a successful
return to her sport. After the 1998 Winter
Olympics she retired officially. In the early
200's she became embroiled in Political Scandal.
December 8, 2006 she was in trouble with the law
and accused of kidnapping her daughter and
fleeing to the United States. She was found
guilty of child abduction and sentenced to a
conditional discharge and two years probation. A
contempt of court charge saw her serving 45 days
of community service.
December 23
Catriona LeMay Doan. Born
December 23, 1970, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This
young skater from the Canadian prairies is a
member of the national long track speed skating
team. She won 2
medals in the Olympics in Nagano, Japan. In
1997-8 she was the fastest woman on ice! She
lost only one 500m race all year! In 2002 at the
Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games she the 500m
title a second time. She was World Sprint
Champion in 1998 and 2002 and World Champion 500
m 1998,1999 and 2001. In 200 she won a 500 m
bronze. She won the 500m World cup 4 time from
1998 to 2002. November 22, 1997 she became the
1st woman to break the 38 second barrier for the
500 m skating 37.90 in Calgary, Alberta. Within
the next 4 years she broke this record 6 times
and on December 2001 she did 37.22.No
other woman has set eight consecutive World
Records in one distance. Between 7 January 2001
and 24 February 2001, Le May Doan even had the
14 best times ever skated on that distance.
Catriona retired from competitive skating in
2003. She married Bart Doan, a rodeo cowboy and
the couple have two children. She is actively
involved in public speaking where she is
challenging and motivating people to achieve
their full potential. She is also an Olympic
Games broadcaster for the CBC TV In 2002 she
published an autobiography called Going for
Gold.
Miriam Waddington. née
Dworkin Born December 23, 1917, Winnipeg,
Manitoba. Died March 3, 2004, Vancouver, British
Columbia. She had a traditional Jewish
upbringing and found it somewhat of a shock when
her family moved to Ottawa and she attended
Public High School. She earned her BA at the
university of Toronto in 1939 and that same year
married Patrick Waddington. She e earned a
diploma in Social work at the University of
Toronto and went on to earn her Masters in
Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania in
1949. She was a social worker in Toronto and
later in Montreal but her love of poetry would
soon lead her life in a different direction.
She wrote poetry and short fiction with 11
published works to her credit. Miriam's book Driving
Home won the J. I. Segal Award in 1972 and
she was 2 times the winner of Senior Writing
Fellowships from the Canada Council. She won the
Boreston Mountain Awards for best poetry in
1963, 1966 and again in 1974.She was a
specialist on the subject of A.M. Klein. In 1998
she was the Canada Council exchange poet in
Wales. She served as Writer in Residence at
Windsor Public Library and later at the
University of Ottawa. Her poem Jacques Cartier
In Toronto is featured on the Back of the
Canadian $100.00 Bill issued in 2004. Source:
Menkis, Richard "Miriam Dworkin Waddington" Jewish
Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. March
2009. Jewish Women's Archive. Accessed June 30,
2013.
December 24
Marie Elmina Anger. Born December
24, 1844, Pointe-aux-Trembles (Neuville) Lower
Canada (now Quebec). Died November 5, 1901,
Quebec City, Quebec. Educated as a teenager with
the Sisters
of the Good Shepard in Quebec City, she entered
the order and took vows and became Sister Marie
de Jésus July 20, 1860. While she became a good
teacher herself she was better known for her
talents in painting. She was particularly good
as a portrait artist and would, in her lifetime,
produce some 50 portraits of religious
colleagues of her day. People who would sit for
portraits included Elisabeth Bryière, Archbishop
Baillagon, Cardinal Tachereau and Vicar General
Cazeau. Through her own canvases and her
teachings, Sister Marie de Jésus left a rich
cultural and religious heritage to Quebec.
Lise Marie Ducet. Born
December 24, 1958, Bathurst, New Brunswick. Lyse
attended Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario,
graduating in 1980. While at university she
wrote for the university newspaper. She went on
in 1982 to earn her Master's in International
Relations from the University of Toronto. After
graduating she volunteered for four months to
teach English in the Ivory Coast, Africa. In
1983 she worked as a freelance journalist in
West Africa for Canadian media and began working
for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). By
1988 she was reporting from Pakistan. From
1989to 1993 she was the BBC correspondent in
Islamabad also reporting from Afghanistan and
Iran. 1994 found her at the BBC office in Amman,
Jordan. She served from Jerusalem and across the
middle East through to 1999. In 2003 she earned
a Silver Sony Award for News Broadcaster of the
Year. In 2010 she earned a Peabody Award for her
film work in Afghanistan. That same year she
earned the Sony Radio Academy Award for Best
News Journalist. 2007 saw named the
International Television Personality of the Year
by the Association for International
Broadcasting and the News and Factual Award from
the Women in Film and Television. In 2014 she
made the documentary Children of Syria which
was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2015. That
same year she made the documentary Children of
the Gaza War. In 2014 she became an Officer in
the Order of the British Empire (OBE). She also
received a Bayeux-Calvados
Award for war correspondents.
In 2017 she earned the Outstanding Contribution
to Broadcasting Award at the International Media
Awards. Starting in January 2018 she
began presenting Her Story Made History; a
five-part series on the BBC Radio featuring
in-depth interviews with remarkable women with
the theme showing the relationship between women
and democracy. Proud of her roots she attends
the Acadian World Congress which is held every
five years. In 2018 she became a Member of the
Order of Canada.
December 25
Isabella Valancy Crawford. Born
December 25, 1847, Dublin, Ireland. Died February
12, 1887, Toronto, Ontario. Isabella emigrated
with her family from Ireland around 1857. At
one point when life was at its worst for the
family they became acquainted with Richard
Strickland of Lakefield, Upper Canada (now
Ontario) and his famous writing sister Susanna
Moodie (1803-1885) and Catherine Parr Trail
(1802-1899) and this is perhaps when Isabella
began writing. In 1869 the family settled in
Peterborough, Ontario and she published her 1st
poem in the Toronto Mail newspaper on December
24, 1873. After the death of her father in 1875
she began publishing popular verse and
serialized novels in publications in Toronto and
New York City, U.S.A. By 1876 she was living in
Toronto, Ontario. In 1884 she published her only
book; Old Spookses' Pass, Malcolm's Katie and
Other Poems. She would be the 1st important
woman poet in Canada. A complete collection of
her works was published posthumously. She
had died in poverty and for years her body lay
in an unmarked grave. A fundraising campaign was
begun in 1899, and on 2 November 1900, a
six-foot Celtic Cross was raised above her
grave, inscribed: "Isabella Valancy Crawford /
Poet / By the Gift of God."
Alannah Myles. néeByles
Born December 25, 1958. When Alannah was just
nine years old she began writing her own songs. This rock singer began playing the guitar at age
11. At 19 she changed her name to Myles while
appearing in TV commercials She was unable to
gain the attention of Canadian companies for her
music so she released her records through a New
York company in the United States By the time
she was in her mid 20's she had produced her
debut album. She appeared in guest spots on
Canadian television and film productions. She
won a Grammy for her first album. An album in
1995 was simply called Alannah. In August
2007 she released a solo album which was a
tribute to Elvis on itunes to commemorate the
30th anniversary of his death. April 2008 she
released her 5th studio album Black Velvet.
August 2013 for her 25th anniversary her Black
Velvet album was retiled 85bpm and
repackaged with new images.
December 26
Elizabeth Russell. Born
December 26, 1754, England Died 1822, Toronto,
Upper Canada (now Ontario). After the death of
her father she moved to the Canada's with her
older half brother, Peter. Peter was an
administrator in the colony. She became an able
entertainer on behalf of her brother and his
position in York (Toronto), socializing with the
elite society of the day. In her letters and
diary she has left a detailed picture of one
woman's life in early Upper Canada. (2017)
Shirley Patterson. Born
December 26, 1922, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Died April
4, 1995, Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, U.S.A. The family relocated to Los
Angeles, California , U.S.A. to help her
father's health. in her early 20's she was a
California beauty contestant and soon found
herself working at Columbia Pictures. During her
acting career she was sometimes billed as Shawn
Smith. Shirley appeared in 40 movies and also
would have guest appearances in television
shows. In 1943 she appeared in the serial Batman
which had 15 chapters. Many of her movies were
the popular western genre. Shirley left movies
when she married Alfred F. Smith. In the 1950's
she returned to films with her last films being
science fiction movies. (2019)
December 27
Mary Evangeline Percy Jackson. Born
December 27, 1904, Dudley England. Died May 6
2000. From the time she was 11 she had wanted
to study medicine. Graduating from Birmingham
University in 1927, as best all round student,
she answered a Canadian advertisement for women
doctors for the Prairies. Her practice would
cover 560 square kilometers and patients would
be reached on horseback. In spring 1929 her trip
to settle in Battle River required a 24 hour
train trip,18 hours by boat and an 11 hour 28
kilometers wagon ride to work in a small cabin
with no electricity and no phone. March 10, 1931
she would marry a persistent suitor, Frank
Jackson and move north to Keg River. Here she
settled into home life with two step sons and
opened a medical practice for the local Métis,
unsupported financially by the government. She
and Frank would add two children to the family
farm. In 1953 the family was given the Master
Farm Award by the province. In 1965 a school was
named in Mary’s honour. More acknowledgements of
her work would come in the form of the
Centennial Medal in 1967, The Woman of the year
Award from the Voce of Native Women in 1975.In
1983 she received the Alberta Order of
Excellence followed in 1990 with an Order of
Canada. Mary always found her work to be a gift
not a chore and this was felt by her
appreciative clients. Source
Rebel Women: Achievements beyond the ordinary by
Linda Kupecek. (Canmore, AB : Altitude
Publishing, 2003) pg 83-94. :
Anna Claudia Russell.Born
December 27, 1911, London, England. Died October
18, 2006, Rosedale, New South Wales, Australia.
Claudia's mother was Canadian and in 1939, after
the death of her father, the family settled in
Toronto. Anna married twice: John Denison from
1934- 1946 and Charles Goldhamer 1948-1954 but
both marriages ended in divorce. Although she
had appeared as a fold singer on the British
Broadcasting Network in England in 1931 it was
not until the family was in Canada that she
found success. By 1940 she was successful on
stage as a solo artist. Her one woman comedy
show debuted in New York City in 1948 and
became a U.S., Britain, and Australian tour
that would be one of many English Language
country tours. By 1953 “Anna Russell’s Little
Show” was on Broadway, the 1st of
several Broadway shows. She also appeared on the
Ed Sullivan television show, performed at
Carnegie Hall as well as for the Canadian and
Metropolitan Opera Companies. Her operatic
parodies were famous. Some even said she was the
funniest woman in the world. In the 1960’s she
retired to Unionville, Ontario, living on a
street names in her honour. In the next 2
decades she would come back to the stage in
several farewell tours to satisfy public demand.
In 1985 her auto biography was published under
the title; I Didn’t Make This Up You Know. She
spent the last years of her life in Australia. Source:
Obituary by Patrick O’Connor, The Guardian,
October 24, 2006.
Michelle
Cameron-Cloutier. Born
December 28, 1962, Calgary, Alberta. From
1981through 1988 she was on the synchronized
swimming team that would win 6 of 8 national
championships. She was a member of the team that
demonstrated the new sport to the International
Olympic Committee to have the Games accept the
sport. She and her partner Carolyn Waldo were
the gold medal team in the 1988 Olympics. She is
a member of the Alberta sports Hall of Fame and
the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. As of 2000 she
is included in the International Aquatic Sports
Hall of Fame. In 1988 she was inducted into the
Order of Canada. In 1991 she was the Assistant
Chief du Mission for the World Aquatic Gamed in
Perth Australia and in 1996 she served as
Athlete Services Officer for the Atlanta Olympic
Games. She an active volunteer who has served on
numerous Boards with Rogers Broadcasting, the
Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, special Olympics,
and the Canadian Olympic Alumni. She began a
charitable foundation that was inspired by her
children called “A gift of Love” to share and
help others and has her own company “Gold Medal
Inspiration”. Michelle married Al Cameron and
the couple have four children. Source:
Alberta Sports Hall of Fame online (accessed
January 2014)
December 29
Sarah
Deblois. Born December 29, 1753,
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.. Died December 25,
1827, Halifax, Nova Scotia. She married
successful merchant, George Deblois on Christmas
Day 1771 and raised a family of nine children.
In April 1775 the family fled to Halifax, Nova
Scotia. As loyalists or people who had left the
colonies in the United States because they were
still loyal to the British monarchy, her family
relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1777 they
once again tried living in the U.S.A. but
returned to Halifax in 1781. When her husband
died June 18, 1799 she assumed supervision of
his highly successful merchant business. The
store, S. Deblois sold imported dry goods and
hardware. She was somewhat of a novelty in
Halifax society and the business survived
difficult times. In 1802 Sarah and some of her
children sailed to once more settle in
Massachusetts but maintained her Halifax
business. She provided a solid foundation for
the business which continued as a family
business into the 19th century.
Liisa Savigarvi. Born
December 29,1963, Bracebridge, Ontario. She
learned to ski at 14 months! She was a national
competitor at 14 years. She burst onto the
alpine ski scene in
1980 with great performances in the Ontario and
Canadian Junior Championships. She was a member
of the Canada Ski Team in the 1984 Winter
Olympics in Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina. In
1985 she was overall alpine Canadian
Champion. In 1986 she was named Ski Racing's
Alpine Skier of the year and awarded the
National Alpine Ski Team (NAST) Kodak Award of
Excellence. She was forced out of competition in
1987-88 season after shattering her knee and
injuring her back while in World Cup training.
She continued her involvement in the sport as a
Canadian Ski Instructors' Alliance Level 111
Coach with the Canadian Ski Coaches Federation
and co-proprietor of Ski Escape, an independent
traveling ski school with operations in four
provinces and 30 Programmes across Canada. In
1997 she was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall
of Fame.
December 30
Sondra
Gotlieb.née
Kaufman. Born December
30, 1936, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Sondra is a
novelist who has has also authored two Canadian
cookbooks. She writes articles for such notable
publications as Saturday Night, Maclean’s,
and the New York Times. She married in
1955 to Allan Gotlieb, a former Canadian
Ambassador to the United States. The couple have
three children. Her book, Rollercoaster recounts
they years in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. during
the Reagan presidential era. During this time
she wrote popular columns for the Washington
Post. Invitations to their Washington
parties were highly coveted. The family returned
to live in Toronto after their diplomatic posing
ended. In 1978 she earned the Stephen Leacock
Prize for her novel True Confessions Or How
My Family Arranged My Marriage. She wrote a
regular weekly column for the National Post newspaper
retiring in 2015. In 2004 she published When
I Rises Up, I Gets Confused: The Best of Sondra
Gotlieb.
Linda
Thom.Born
December 30, 1943, Hamilton, Ontario. She is a
strong and highly motivated Olympic medalist.
She first became interested in shooting as a
child, when she learned the basics of the sport
from her shooting enthusiast father. She
successfully entered pistol competitions in
1969. By the mid 1970's she concentrated on her
career as a chef and on family life. She took up
the challenge of shooting again when it was
announced that women would compete in this event
in the Olympic Games. Her pistol individual
gold medal in the 1984 Los Angeles games was the
first for a Canadian women and the first gold
medal for a Canadian woman since 1928. Linda
felt that the Gold Medal belonged to all the
people of Canada, and she carried it with here
wherever she went so that people could see and
touch the medal for themselves. Linda is the
first pistol shooter included into the Canadian
Sports Hall of Fame. She is also a member of the
Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian
Amateur Sports Hall of Fame. In 1985 she
received the Order of Canada.
December 31
Bella Hall
Gauld. Born December 31,1878,
Lindsay, Ontario. Died August 21,1961, Montreal,
Quebec. A political and social activist she
worked with immigrants, founded the Labour
College (1920-1924), and the Woman’s Labour
League which sponsored camps for poor
children. She became interested in the political
beliefs of Communism, these beliefs she would
retain all of her life. In the desperate 1930’s
she operated a soup kitchen and played piano at
fundraisers for various ethnic communities.
During World War II she was a frequent soloist
at navy league concerts for servicemen. The
1968 book Not by Gods But By People told
her story.
Elizabeth Arden. (Real
name Florence Nightingale Graham). Born December
31, 1878, Woodbridge, Ontario. Died October 18,
1966, New York City, New York, U.S.A. She left
Woodbridge Ontario for the bright lights of New
York City when she was 25 years old. After
working as secretary at a cosmetic firm she
decided that she would work in the cosmetic
business herself. The rest is history. In 1909
she formed a short livered partnership with
Elizabeth Hubbard and the trade name Elizabeth
was sued to save money on her salon signage. She
would choose the name Arden from a local farm of
that name. In 1910 she founded the Red Door
Salon in New York City. In 1912 she traveled to
France to learn beauty secrets of Paris salons.
In 1934 she opened a residential spa in Rome,
Maine the 1st destination beauty spa in the
U.S.A. Along with her rival, Helena Rubenstein,
she made make-up acceptable to the average North
American woman. She pioneered such concepts as
scientific formulation of cosmetics, beauty
makeovers, and coordination colours of eye, lip
and facial makeup. At the peak of her career,
she was on of the wealthiest women in the world.
In 1962 she received the Legion d'Honeur from
France for her contribution to the cosmetics
industry. You can see for yourself all the
various products her company makes at most large
department stores cosmetic sections. She is
buried in Sleepy Hollow, New York under the name
Elizabeth N. Gordon.