| August
1 | Helen
Battles Hogg-Priestley.
(née Sawyer)
Born Lowell, Massachusetts U.S.A. 1905. Died January 28, 1993. An astronomer who joined the teaching staff of the University
of Toronto in 1936, she was nominated professor emeritus in 1976.
A world expert who receive numerous honours including being a Companion
in the Order of Canada, she took her profession to radio and TV in a clear and
understandable manner for all listeners.
She wrote a book, “The Stars Belong
to Everyone” . For her efforts
to bring information to the public she was the 1st person to with the
Klumpke-Roberts Award and she is also the only Canadian woman to have a minor
planet (#2917) named after her! |
| | Anne
Hébert.
Born Sainte-Catherine-de-Fossambault, Quebec 1916. Died
January 22, 2000. A
poet, playwright, and novelist worked on Radio – Canada broadcasts and also wrote
scripts for the National Film Board. She has written books of prose and some of
her novels have been made into films. She writes in her native French but most
of her works have been translated into English.
She has been awarded the Molson Prize in 1967 and elected to the Royal
Society of Canada. |
| August
2 | Marie-Anne
Lagemodiére.
Born Maskinongé, Quebec 1780. Died December 14, 1875. Marie-Anne traveled with her fur trading husband and in
1806 was one of the first white women to visit such outposts as Red River and
Fort Edmonton. Her daughter, Reine, was the first legitimate white child to be
born in the Canadian west in 1807. Marie-Anne was also the grandmother of Louis
Riel. |
| |
Valerie Jean Knowles.
Born Montreal, Quebec 1934. She
completed degrees from Smith College, McGill University in Montreal
and Carleton University in Ottawa. This former history teacher and,
now, free lance writer who has been successful in writing for
newspapers, magazines and federal government departments. She has
authored some 9 books. She uses her historical studies and archives
background to develop her contribution to historical writings of
Canada. Her book, Strangers at Our Gates, currently in its
2nd edition (1997) provides the only writing to give a complete
overview of the history of Canadian immigration. She has
established herself as a biographer of note with her works on
Cairine Wilson, Canada's first woman in the senate (1988), the
award winning book Telegrapher to Titan the life of William C.
Van Horne (2004) and a collection of profiles of famous and
obscure figures of Ottawa in Capital Lives. (2005) |
| August
3 |
Anne
Marie Loder. Born St John's,
Newfoundland 1969. An accomplished TV and Movie actor, she always
wanted to act. She took local classes in St John’s Newfoundland until she discovered
theatre school. After university she attended the Ryerson Theatre School for Acting
in Toronto. |
| | Greta
Krause Born 1907. Greta immigrated
to Canada in 1938. She is a very talented musician. She is a harpsichordist who
has appeared as a soloist and a chamber musician. She appeared on the CBC through
to the 1980"s. |
| August
4 | |
| August
5 |
Betty
Oliphant.
Born London, England 1918. Died July
11, 2004. She is a founder
of the National Ballet School of Canada and founding director 1959-1979. She has
also worked for ballet schools in Sweden, Denmark, and Russia.
She is an Officer of the order of Canada as well as many additional awards
from the City of Toronto, France and the 125 Anniversary of Confederation Medal.
She has also published her autobiography. |
| | Carole
Laure.
Born Montreal, Quebec 1951.
This
actress began her career in 1971. Since
then she has appeared in 31 roles. She
acts in both English and French language films and TV productions. She has
also been a director and producer of films.
|
| | Terri
Clark.
(real name Terri Lynn Sauson)
Born Montreal, Quebec 1968. At
age 9 she began playing guitar. She has always been obsessed with Country Music.
She headed to Nashville in the U.S.A. to follow her dream. She worked and sang
anywhere she could, "paying her dues" as a new singer for seven years. Her
first album went triple platinum in Canada and platinum in the U.S.A. The Canadian Music Association declared her Top New Female Artist in 1995 and
she won album and song of the year in 1996. She loves to rollerblade and collects
guitars. |
| August
6 | Rina
Lasnier.
Born St-Grégoire d'Iberville, Quebec 1915. A youthful playwright
who blossomed into a renowned poet. She published her 1st verses in
1941. She won the Molson Prize in
1971, and the Prix France –Canada in 1973.
All her work is written in her beloved French language. |
| | Mary
diMichele. Born 1949. Poet and writer
of several books, Mary has received numerous awards for her books of poetry.
Why not visit your library and check out her poetry? |
| August
7 | Anna
Haining Swan.
Born Mill Brook, Nova Scotia 1846. Died August 5, 1888. Standing some 228 cm (7’6”) Anna earned an amazing 1000.00$
a month working in the P. T. Barnum American Museum in New York. The giantess was
a star attraction. When the Museum burned in 1865 it took 15 men with a block
and tackle to rescue her. (She weighted 352 lbs.) She married Martin Bates a Kentucky
giant. They worked their farm but spent summers touring with a circus. Check out
the web site: http://collections.ic.ca/swan/story/ |
| | Dorothy
Louise Walton. (née McKenzie) Born
Swift Current, Saskatchewan 1909. Died October 17, 1981. Prior to 1932 she
was a top ranked tennis player in Canada. After 1932 she switched to Badminton
and became one of Canada’s best. After conquering the provincial and national
titles in Canada she captured the All-England title that is equivalent to the
world amateur championship. In 1950 she was voted one of the top 6 women athletes
in Canada in the Canadian Press Poll. She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall
of Fame. |
| | Elizabeth
Manley. Born Belleville, Ontario 1965. Canada's top
female skater in 1987 and 1988 she would win the hearts of her home country
at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary with a silver medal. Her home is Gloucester (Ottawa)
Ontario where they have named an arena after her. She continues to skate
professionally and packs the arenas wherever she goes in Canada. She is known
as the tiny skater with the big heart. (Check out the paper dolls in the
Famous Canadian Women pages). |
| |
Deborah Ellis. Born Cochrane, Ontario.
1960.
A self declared loner she started writing at 10 or 11
years old. She has won the Canadian Governor General’s Award,
(2002), the Ruth Swartz Award, Sweden’s Peter Pan Prize, the
University of California’s Middle East Book Award, the Jane Addams
Peace Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award. Her books give western
readers a glimpse into the plight of children in today’s developing
countries. As a teen in high school she joined the peace movement
and is also a longtime feminist . She pledged the earnings from her
Breadwinner Trilogy, published around the world in seventeen
languages, more than half a million dollars, to Street Kids
International and to Women for Women, an organization for Afghan
girls in refugee camps in Pakistan. Book proceeds have also been
shared with UNICEF. |
| August
8 | Irma
Sophia Coucill. Born 1918. An
artist and editor, she began her career by working as artistic editor for various
Canadian newspapers. She is mainly known for her portraits of Canadian sports
figures. ( 310 completed works), prominent business figures , broadcasters and
physicians. Her portraits number in the hundreds and are displayed in several
Halls of Fame . Her works have been used to produce commemorative coins
and are also considered prominent pieces in several museums. |
| August
9 | Mabel
M. DeWare Born 1926. A politician who served as a Member
of the New Brunswick Legislature, where she held several cabinet positions.
She was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 1990. Several members of her family
are active in the Girl Guide movement. She attended the dedication of the new
Canadian Girl Guide Flag in the halls of Parliament Hill on February 22, 2000.
|
| | Micheline
Saint-Marcoux (née Coulombe). Born
Notre-Dame-de-la-Doré, Quebec 1938. Died February 2, 1985. She was a composer and teacher who played a profound role in the development
of contemporary music in both North America and Europe. |
| August
10 | Edith
Norma Shearer Born Montreal, Quebec 1900 or 1902. Died
June 12, 1983. The
parents of Edith Norma and Athole (pronounce Ethel) registered the birth of both
daughters but did not include their first names. Norma would go on to become
an actress of great repute and would always claim to be the youngest of the
sisters. The family moved from Montreal to New York working as performers and
models. It was tough times but eventually Norma would make it to
Hollywood where she would become one of the great stars at MGM. She would
marry the famous studio executive Irving Thalberg. She was the presented with
the third top Actress Academy Award for her work in the film The
Divorcee. She was the second Canadian woman to receive this
award. A good biography is located at: http://mdle.com/ClassicFilms/guest/shearerb.htm.
|
| August
11 | Ellen
Burka. Born 1921. A coach of renown
she has seen her efforts crowned at 26 Canadian Olympic and World Championships
when her pupils have received medals. Her
own daughter Petra Burka was one of her winners. Both family members are members
of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
| |
Mavis Leslie Gallant. (née
Young). Born Montreal, Quebec 1922. A fiction writer
since 1951 she has published more than 100 stories, most of which first appeared
in the New Yorker Magazine. In 1993 she became a Companion of the Order of Canada.
She has also written a play She has also written an impressive body of reviews
and essays on French culture and society. |
| August
12 | Hélène
L. Shingles.
Born 1917. A retired dentist,
Hélène started to volunteer for Meals-on-Wheels to bring food the people who were
ill or older and unable to cook for themselves. She noticed many meals went uneaten. She found out that his was because of dental problems. She
founded a charitable Dental Health Centre to help out.
Her dedication and service of others has not gone unnoticed. Dental association,
her home city, her home province have honoured her. He is a Member of the Order
of Canada. This polish immigrant has truly honoured her Canadian citizenship.
|
| | Jane
Siberry. Born Toronto, Ontario 1955. During
her college years, studying microbiology, she began performing at local coffee
houses. She used her tip money to
fund her 1st album. She has not looked back. She has now formed her
own record label “Sheeba” to produce her records. |
| August
13 | Gwendolyn
Ringwood.
(née Phares) Born Anatone, Washington U.S.A. 1910. Died May 24, 1984. In 1941 she received the Governor General's
Award for outstanding service to Canadian drama. She was the first Canadian playwright
to publish a volume of collected plays in 1982. |
| August
14 | Raynell
Andrechuk. Born 1944. She studied
law at the University of Saskatchewan. She when on to serve as a judge and an
ambassador. She is currently serving as a senator in the Senate of Canada. |
| August
15 | Natasha
Henstringe.
Born Springdale, Newfoundland 1974.
To begin her career as a model in Paris, France she had to leave home at the
age of 14. She burst onto
the movie scene in 1995 in the film “Species”. She had 2 roles
in 1992 and 5 roles, including “Species
II” in 1998. “Caracara” is a 1999
release and in 2000 is the “The Whole
Nine Yards”. |
| August
16 | Dorothy
Lidstone.
Born 1938. She enjoyed learning her sport of archery. She excelled and became
the first Canadian World Champion in Archery in 1969. Her winning score
broke the previous record set in 1963 by 100 points. Dorothy has retired from
competitive archery but was an active support in setting up the family archery
business that included designing, developing, and manufacturing Canadian made
archery equipment. |
| August
17 | Manitok
Thompson.
Born Coral Harbour, Northwest Territories 1955. She has devoted
her life to family and her homeland. She was a teacher and Inuklitut programs specialist.
She was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of N.W.T. (riding of Aivilik)
in 1995. She has served as Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs and Women's
Directorate. |
| August
18 | Joan
M. Boggs.
Born 1946. When she relaxes she goes hiking and canoeing or can be found gardening.
When she goes to work she is a Senior Scientist at the hospital for Sick Children
and a professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Boggs is the author/co-author
of more than 85 papers which have appeared in various scientific journals. You
will find her listed in the Canadian Who's Who at your local library. |
| August
19 | Susan
Jacks. ( née
Pesklevits) Born
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 1948. Susan and her
husband Terry
formed a popular 1970’s singing group called “The Poppy Family”. Together they
produced several albums of music. She would go on to have a single
performer career in the 1980's. She moved to Nashville to continue her career
in music but ended up turning to a career in publishing. She is currently
executive Vice President of a successful telecommunications firm in Nashville. |
| August
20 |
Cynthia Cindy
Nicholas.
Born Toronto, Ontario 1957. At 16 years old
Cindy bettered the record for swimming Lake Ontario. In 1975 she swam the English
Channel in record-breaking time. She would go on to swim the Channel 18 more times
including 5 two-way trips! Her honorary title was Queen of the Channel.
She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
Reproduced with permission |
| August
21 | Carrie-Anne
Moss. Born Vancouver, British
Columbia 1970. While modeling in Europe she obtained a movie role in a film
being done in Spain. This
actress is just beginning her career with appearances in TV and movies since 1991.
She was in the TV series “Dark Justice”
(19910, “Matrix” (1993). “Models Inc.” (1994) and F/X
the Series (1996). |
| | Josée
Chouinard. Born
1969. She was 3 times Canadian figure
skating champion. She turned professional
n 1994 and won the Canadian Professional Championships that same year and again
in 1997. She is an ambassador for
the Heart & Stroke Foundation. She married Jean-Michel Bombardier in 1997. |
| August
22 | Patricia
Hy-Boulais.
Born Phnom Penh, Kampuchea 1965. This tennis player
began her career in Honk Kong before moving to Canada. Canadian Champion from
1992 through 1999. She has also represented Canada at two Olympic games.
|
| August
23 |
Elizabeth Minnie Betty
Lambert. (née Lee). Born
Calgary, Alberta 1933. Died November 4,
1983 This playwright wrote some
70 works for adults and children to watch and listen to on radio, TV, and stage.
She also wrote novels. |
| | Jean
Bruce Dawson.
(née Anderson). Born 1912. Died 1999. She
studied as a nurse when the depression intervened with her plans to become a doctor.
Her marriage to Douglas Dawson would lead to a family of four children and a relationship
of some 60 years. While traveling in the tropics she gained an interest
in painting. At 74 years she earned her BA in Fine Arts. She enjoyed her
art but seldom showed her work. She continued her humanitarian efforts by
working for Meals on Wheels in her home community. |
| August
24 | Linda
Hutcheon.
Born Toronto, Ontario 1947. She is an author, editor and a critic of art and literature
which she combines with being a professor at the University of Toronto.
Among her published books is a study of contemporary Canadian fiction.
|
| August
25 | Ruby
Keeler. Born Halifax, Nova
Scotia 1909. Died
February 28, 1993. A former speakeasy dancer and Broadway lead, she married musical
star Al Jolson in 1928. After several films she retired from the screen in 1941.
She charmed audiences again in 1971 with a return to Broadway in the musical "No
No Nanette". She always contended that she had a horrible singing voice,
could not act, and that her dancing skills were not that good either. Even so
she was popular on screen. |
| | Marie
Saint Pierre.
Born 1961. Her enjoyment of
designing cloths has lead her to establishing her own company Marie Saint Pierre
Design Inc. in 1987. Within a few years her work won recognition and awards from
the industry including Vidal-Sasson-sponsored Buyer’s Designer of the Year in
1995. She has been subject of numerous newspaper and TV interviews and has been
cited as “Canada’s most promising designer” (Globe and Mail). Watch the labels
of clothing you buy…it might just be from… |
| August
26 | Alice
Jones.
Born Halifax, Nova Scotia 1853. Died February 27, 1933. This
author developed the “new woman” theme in her novels.
She also wrote shot stories and travel articles for magazines.
She used the pen name of Alix John for one of her novels.
In 1903 she was described as one of Canada’s leading women novelists.
|
| | Alice
Evelyn Wilson.
Born Coburg, Ontario 1881. Died April 15, 1964. A
paleontologist who worked at the Geological Survey of Canada, where she described
fossils in papers and books. She
lectured and traveled to bring geology to the public, especially children. In
1937 she was the 1st woman to be elected a fellow of the Royal Society
of Canada. |
| August
27 | Maud
Allan (real name Ulla Maude Durant)
Born Toronto, Ontario 1873. Died October 7, 1956. A true pioneer of modern dance. She was educated in
the U.S.A., Germany and England but her career would take her around the world. Her
autobiography was published in 1908, "My life and dancing."
|
| |
Juliette Augustina Sysak.
Born St Vital, Manitoba 1927. Known as
Juliette, this singer and
entertainer used only her first name on stage. She debuted on CBC radio at 15
years of age. From 1956 to 1975 she
had her on TV program where she was known as “Our pet, Juliette”.
|
| | Sarah
Chalke.
Born Ottawa, Ontario 1976. Beginning with children's television shows, Sarah got her break in
1996 when she became Becky # 2 on Roseanne, the popular television show
about the Connor family . She has appeared in movies and television, including
Ernest Goes to School; Beyond Obsession; Dead Man's Gun; and Neon
Rider. When not acting Sarah can be found on the ski slopes where she is a
qualified instructor. |
| August
28 | Irene
Mary
Spry.
(née
Biss) Born Standerton, Transvaal,
South Africa 1907. Died December 16,
1998.
The works of this historian on the Palliser Expedition of 1857-1860 are
definitive studies. She represented
the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada at the Associated Country Women from
1954-to 1967 and was executive chairman 1959 to 1965.
She was a fervent supporter of Canada and of a social democratic
approach to public policy. She was
named an Officer in the Order of Canada in 1993.
Failing eyesight did not kept her from almost daily studies at the
National Archives of Canada where she could be seen using a large magnifying
glass in order to read documents. |
| |
Shania Twain. née
Eileen Regina Edwards Born Windsor, Ontario 1965.She took the name
of her step father and went through school as Eileen Twain in
Timmons, Ontario. She enjoyed music and her family recognized her
talent when she was young. So did the CBC who had her appear at 13
on the popular Tommy Hunter Show. When she was 21 her parents were
killed in an auto accident and she took on the responsibility for
her brothers and sisters by working in a lodge in Huntsville,
Ontario where she had a chance to perform as part of her work. In
1990 when she signed her first recording contract with Mercury
Nashville Records she changed her first name to Shania, which is
from the aboriginal Ojibwa language , meaning 'I'm on my way'. She
was indeed! Her 1995 album, The Woman in me sold 12 million copies
and her 1998 release Come on over produced 8 world wide single
hits. Her singing and her original writings of songs have won Grammy
Awards, Juno Awards, Canadian and American Country Music Awards and
World Music Awards. In 2001 she took time from her busy career to
give birth to a son and in 2003 returned to touring and performing
to her adoring fans. In 2004 she and her husband purchased a ranch
in New Zealand as a get away from their home in Europe. . She has
been honoured in her home town of Timmins with a museum dedicated to
her life and career. |
| August
29 | Amanda
Meta Marshall.
Born Toronto, Ontario 1972. Amanda began performing
when she was just 16 years old. Her
powerful voice landed her a contract with Columbia Records in New York City but
it was Sony Music Canada that released her first album in 1995. Her song “This
could take all night” was part of the sound track of the movie Tin Cup.
She has also had a strong endorsement from Elton John. |
| | Lise
Payette. Born Montreal, Quebec 1931. In the 1960's
she hosted a popular Radio Canada morning program "Place aux Femmes".
She turned politician and joined the "Parti Quebecois". in 1976 she
was elected to the Quebec Provincial legislature where she was appointed
provincial Minister of Consumer Affairs. She was not re-elected in the 1980 election
and her political career ended. |
| August
30 | |
| August
31 | Helen
Irene Battle. Born
London, Ontario 1903. Died June 17, 1994.One of the first women to enter the
male dominated field of zoology. She was chosen one of the outstanding women of
Science by the National Museum of Natural Science |
| |
|
©
