| May
1 |
Emily Howard Stowe
(née Jennings). Born Norwich, Upper Canada (Ontario) 1831. Died April
30, 1903. A life long champion of women’s rights. With no Canadian
institution allowing women to study medicine she studied in the United
States and became the first Canadian woman to practice medicine in
Canada. It was she who organized the Women’s Medical College in Toronto
in 1883. She was also founder and first president of the Dominion
Women’s Enfranchisement Association in 1889. |
© Canada Post Corporation |
| May
2 |
Budge Marjorie Wilson
(née Archibald) Born Nova Scotia 1927.Her writings began winning awards with the CBC
Fiction Award in 1981. She has won among some 25 other awards the Atlantic
Writing Competition for fiction, the Canadian Library Association
Award, the Mariana Dempster Award, and the Thomas Randall Award.
Most of her books, more than 30 titles, have been for youth although
she often writes with adults in mind and she does have many adult
fans. Her works have been published in 11 countries and 9 different
languages. Perhaps you have read some
of her books? The Leaving (1990), The Courtship (1994), Cordelia
Clark (1994), Fractures (2002) and Friendships (2006) are a few of the titles
she has written. She is also well known for her 5 collections of
short stories. In 2006 she was admitted to the Order of Canada.
She was selected to write the 2008 prequel in celebration of 100 years
of Anne called Before Green Gables. (Information submitted by
Alan Wilson) |
| May
3 |
Sarah
L'esperance. (née Allyn)
Born 1692. A daughter of a Massachusetts Puritan family, Sarah was
kidnapped from Deerfield by the Indian allies of the French and taken
to live in Quebec. She was 12 years old. She trekked through the harsh
wilderness of New England and New France and grew strong in her survival
of the ordeal. She was baptized as a Catholic in 1705 in Bellevue,
Quebec. At 18 she married Guillaume LaLonde dit L'esperance
and they had 10 children. |
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Julia
Arthur.
(née
Ida Lewis) Born 1869. Died 1950. She chose her stage name for her
acting career from her mother's family name. She had her stage
debut at the age of 14 in the United States. In 1895 she went
to act in London, England. She married Benjamin Pearce Cheney and
took a few years reprieve from the stage. In 1914 she returned to
the stage. In 1924 she had a very successful tour of Canada. She
was the star of such movies as Napoleon, The Man of Destiny and Uncle
Tom's Cabin. |
| May
4 |
Kathy
Kreiner. Born Timmons, Ontario 1957. In 1974 she won the gold medal
in the Skiing World Cup giant slalom and two years later at her second
Olympics she captured the gold medal in the giant slalom event.
In 1976 she was named Canada’s outstanding female athlete of
the year and was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
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Reference source
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| May
5 |
Barbara
Aileen Wagner.
Born Toronto, Ontario 1938.
She and Robert Wagner formed one of Canada’s most successful
figure skating pairs. They began skating in 1952 and in 1957 won the Canadian, American
and World Championships. So spectacular was their gold medal routine
at the 1960 Olympics that 7 judges ranked them first place. This was the first time that the gold had gone to non-European
pair skaters. They are
both members of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. |
| May
6 |
Louise
Portal .
Born 1951. This
actress has be recognized with nominations for Best Actress Genie
Award (1980) and won the Best Supporting Actress Genie Award in 1987.
In the film Sous-sol (1996) she won the Guy-L'ecuyer Award
for Best Actress. She has also won two Gemini Awards in 1994 and 1996
for her work on TV. As if this was not enough she has written an novel,
Jeanne Janvier and has written plays. Composing some 40 songs
she has released 4 successful albums. She is a real woman on the go! |
| May
7 |
Janina
Fralkowska. Born
1951. This pianist studied in Montreal, Paris, and the Julliard School
in New York City. She is celebrated as one of the great interpreters
of the music of the composer Liszt. She also enjoys performing
works from Mozart, Chopin, Prokofiev, and Rachmanninoff. She
is known as a pianist of great power who also plays with warmth and
tone. |
| May
8 |
Agnes Helen Fogwill Porter.
(née Wright) Born St. John’s, Newfoundland 1930. She
began her writing career as an adult in 1964. She was already a busy
wife and mother of 4 children. She excels in writing fiction poetry
and writing of drama. She won the Canadian Library Association Young
Adult Canada Book Award in 1989 and received the Newfoundland and
Labrador Arts Council Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.
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| May
9 |
Barbara
Anne Scott. Born Ottawa, Ontario 1928. One of Canada’s best remembered,
Barbara won the gold medal in figure skating in the Olympic Games
of 1948 on an outdoor rink in St Moritz, Switzerland.
The Barbara Anne Scott doll that came out shortly after the
games did not really look too much like the young skater but it is
today a very highly prized collectors item. |
| |
Pamela
Ann McDougal.
Born 1925. A diplomat
and public servant she joined the Department of Externals Affaires
in 1949. She served in
Germany, Vietnam, India, and Poland.
She headed the Royal Commission on Condition of the Foreign
Service in 1981. |
| May
10 |
Antonine
Maillet.
Born 1929. A storyteller supreme, this novelist is most famous for
her French language work La
Sagouine which is rich in Acadian heritage. This novel has been
made into a very popular one-person play. Linda Evangelista. Born 1965. At 15 while a unsuccessful contestant in a
beauty contest she was approached by a modeling agent. A serious and successful international model she has been on
the cover of every major fashion magazine cover around the world. |
| May
11 |
Sheila
Branford. Born 1918. An author she is perhaps best known for her novel
about animals called the INCREDIBLE JOURNEY. The book was an immediate
international best seller and in 1963 it became a Walt Disney movie.
It is a great story about 3 friends, a bull terrier, a golden Labrador
and a Siamese cat who travel over 300 km through northern Ontario
wilderness to return home. It
will be available to borrow from your local library.
|
| |
Nancy
Greene. Born Ottawa, Ontario 1943. A skier of determination, Nancy
won the 1967 World Cup and dominated the racing scene the next year
as well winning a gold medal in the giant slalom and a silver medal
in the slalom at the Olympic games as well as her second World Cup.
She was awarded the Order of Canada in 1967 and named Athlete
of the year in 1968. She
is a member of the Canadian Sports hall of Fame. |
| May
12 |
Anne
Ottenbrite.
Born 1966. She
was the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming.
She won the medal in 1984 in the 200m-breastroke event. At the same
games she won sliver in the 100m breaststroke and played a key role
in the 400m-medley relay team that won bronze.
She is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
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| May
13 |
Patricia
Beatty.
Born 1936. Born in Canada, her early dance training was in the United
States. She soon brought her talents back to Canada and founded the
New Dance Group of Canada. |
| May
14 |
Marie-Josephite
Corriveau. Born Saint-Vallier,
Quebec 1733. Died on the gallows April 18(?) 1763. She has become
simply known as La Corriveau. After two trials she was condemned
to death for murdering her second husband Louis Dodier in January
1763. She was, as the law provided, hung and her body exposed in chains.
Her body was exposed for about a month in an iron cage, The cage would
be found in a graveyard in 1850. Writings over the years drew on the
story as a base. These stories never quite separated facts and
fiction. Legends grew and are still recounted as fantastic tales. |
| |
Solange
Chaput-Rolland.
Born Montreal, Quebec 1919. A writer, editor broadcaster, and politician
she served on the Federal Task Force on Canadian unity and as a member
of the legislative Assembly in the province of Quebec. Her books have
been written in either English or French. Don't you wish you could
write books in both of our Official Languages? |
| |
Catherne
McKinnon.
Born 1944. This singer and actress began
her career on radio at age 8. By age 12 she had appeared on TV. After
studies at college she appeared on the CBC TV series Sing-along
Jubilee, Don Messer's Jubilee, and Music Hop. She would also have
her own radio show on the CBC called That McKinnon Girl. On stage
she excelled in musical productions and often appeared with her actor/comedian
husband, Don Herron. |
| May
15 |
Julia
Levy.
Born 1934. She
enjoyed mathematics in high schools and was inspired by her grade
11 biology teacher. She
earned her Ph.D. and became a professor at the University of British
Columbia. Together with some university colleagues, she founded her
own drug company dealing with photodynamic Theory. Recognized for
her contributions to cancer treatments she is also investigating treatment
of diseases such as arthritis, psoriasis ( a skin disease) and multiple
sclerosis. She is also
very proud to have two grandchildren. |
| |
Vivienne
Poy.
Born 1941.
A fashion
designer, entrepreneur and author, Vivienne is the first Canadian of
Chinese descent to be a member of the Senate of Canada, appointed in
1998. She was educated in her native Hong Kong and England and holds
a B.A., McGill University, a M.A, & a PhD. from the University of
Toronto, where she is Chancellor Emeritus. Her extensive community
endeavors include being
involved with cultural and philanthropic causes across Canada. She is
Honourary Co-Chair for the Campaign for Diversity with the Canadian
Centre for Diversity, Honourary Patron of the Ottawa Chinatown Gateway
Project, and the International Centre of Winnipeg and remains an
active supporter of many other organizations.
She was instrumental in having May recognized as Asian Heritage Month
in Canada, and serves as Patron for Asian Heritage Month Societies in
cities across Canada. She was named a Trailblazer by Canada’s Top 100
Most Powerful Women (Women’s Executive Network), and received an
International Women's Day Award. In recognition of her international
influence, she has received honourary degrees from universities around
the world. |
Used with Permission
Click on photo to enlarge |
| May
16 |
Denise
Filiatrault.
Born 1932. An actress, director and writer, most of her work has been
done in the French language. One of her TV series Moi et l'autre was
considered the biggest comedy hit in the History of Quebec TV. Her
stage productions earned her acclaim and awards. Her first film C't'a
ton tour Laura Cadieux was so successful that it required a sequel,
Laura is Back or Laura Cadieux...la suite! |
| May
17 |
Anna
Brownell Jameson.
(née Murphy). Born Dublin, Ireland 1794. Died March 17, 1860. A well
known author by the time she came to Canada to join her husband she
chronicled her 8 month stay in her book “Winter Studies and Summer Rambles in Canada” (1838). |
| May
18 |
Rose
Sheinin.
(née Shuber). Born 1930. A
professor at the department of biology at Concordia University and
Continuing Senior Fellow, Massey College, this scholar has had scholarships,
fellowships, and been visiting lecturer to numerous international
institutions. She chaired
many groups including Women in Scholarship Committee (1989-1994).
She was on the National Advisory Board for the Canadian Encyclopedia
and was winner of the Woman of Distinction Award in 1988. |
| May
19 |
Sue
Holloway.
Born 1955. Sue was
a four time Olympian competing in 1976 in Cross Country Skiing and
Kayak, 1980 and Kayak again in 1984 where she took Silver and Bronze
medals. Although Canada withdrew from the Moscow Olympics in 1980
she was the appointed Olympic flag bearer. She was the first Canadian
woman to ever compete in both winter and summer Olympic Games in the
same year. She and her husband, former Olympian Greg Joy, now work
together as motivational speakers. |
| May
20 |
Eliza
Ritchie.
Born Halifax, Nova Scotia 1856.
Died September 5, 1935. An educator, feminist and author in
1889 Eliza received her Ph.D. from Cornell University in the United
States. She is probably the first Canadian woman to receive her doctor
of letters. Her appointment to the Dalhousie University board of governors
in 1919 is also a first for Canadian women. |
| May
21 |
Linda
Bouchard.
Born 1957. Linda is a composer and orchestra conductor who currently
works with the Putnam Symphony in New York. |
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Francis
Marion Beynon.
Born Streetsville, Ontario 1884. Died October 5, 1951. A journalist,
feminist, and social reformer she was a determined individual who
wrote of votes for women, marriage and family structure. She was a
pacifist and resigned her position at the "Grain Growers Guide",
an influential Prairie magazine, over views on World War I.
|
| |
Lori-Ann Muenzer
Born Toronto, Ontario 1966.
Although at 5’10” she is the shortest in her family it
was never a drawback. It seems she was always on her bicycle. In 1987
she began Road Racing at the Toronto Cycling Club. In 1994 she
embraced Veledrome Racing and became a member of the National Cycling
Team. She has accumulated 13 National titles and 11 World Cup medals
during her career. She has also earned medal at the Commonwealth Games
in 1998 & 2002. She made her debut at the Olympics in 200. At the
Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 she became the firs Canadian to win a
gold medal in Cycling. Selected as the Canada’s Female Athelete of the
year in 2004 she was also the 2005 winner of the Lois E. Hole Lifetime
Achievement Award from the YWCA. After the 2004 Games she began her
own business called Pure Momentum which seeks to find and promote a
community of female speakers. She has published her own biography and
a documentary both called One Gear, No Breaks. Nomination and
Information submitted by Wayne Mackenzie. |
| May
22 |
Clara
McCandless Thomas.
Born 1919. She would publish as her first book her, University
of Western Ontario, masters thesis on Canadian Novelists 1920-1945.
In 1961 she became a member of the teaching faculty at York University
where she continued until her retirement in 1984. While teaching she
worked on several critical studies and biographical books of Canadian
writers. She is a member of the Royal Society of Canada and in 1989
she was awarded with the Northern Telecom Canadian Studies International
Award for distinguished Service. |
| May
23 |
Pauline
Julien. Born 1928. This actress, singer, and songwriter studied drama
in Paris. She recorded
her first album in 1962. In 1968 she began to write words for her
songs. In 1970 she won the Grand Prix du Disque from France and in
1974 she received the Prix de Musique Callixa-Lavallée.
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| May
24 |
Frances
Anne Stewart.
(née Browne) Born Dublin, Ireland 1794. Died October 24, 1872. She
married Thomas Alexander Stewart on December 16, 1816. When Thomas
lost his job with a bankrupt company the young couple decided to
emigrate to Canada with other family members. They left Ireland on
June 1, 1822 spending seven weeks aboard ship for the crossing to
Canada! A true pioneer to Upper Canada, she was a diarist and letter writer.
Her letters to home have left us with a rich insight into early
Canadian life of such of her friends as the Strickland family. Her
family published her writings after her death. Many of her personal
writings are stored in the Archives at Trent University ,
Peterborough, Ontario. |
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Lorna
Crozier. Bon 1948. A poet she has produced 10 collections of poetry.
One of her works earned the Governor General’s Award. Many of her works explore traditional myths and histories.
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| May
25 |
Phyllis
Fay Gotlieb.
(née Bloom.) Born 1926. She
published 4 volumes of verse, 5 verse plays, science fiction short
stories, and science fiction novels. Some of her works have been translated
into several languages. |
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Nicole
Luiken. Born 1971. It was not until the summer between grades seven
and eight that she read Guide to Fiction writing and began to take
her writing seriously. She
began a regimen of writing regularly, one hour per day that grew to
three hours each evening. She pounded out eleven books in four years,
two are now in print. One is a great ghost story that may be borrowed
through your own library. |
| May
26 |
Muriel
McQueen Fergusson.
Born 1899. Died April 11, 1997. After her husband's death she took over his law practice.
She worked to have women recognized as possible appointees to government
positions. She was one of the early women senators and is credited
with pushing the government o revise the Criminal Code so women could
sit on juries in criminal cases. Women could now plead rape charges
with women on the jury! |
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Teresa
Stratas.
(née Anastasia Stratakis) Teresa began her singing career by singing
Greek pop songs. By 1958
she had made her debut in Opera. Her beautiful soprano voice has been
heard all over the world. The
Canadian Music Council named her artist of the year in 1980.
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Lucille
Lessard.
Born 1957. Introduced
to the sport of archery by her schoolteachers she became a devoted
competitor. She won her first national championship in 1974 and successfully
defended her title five times.
In 1974 she became the first Canadian to wing the World Field
Archery Championships, she was the youngest world Champion up to this
point in time. |
| May
27 |
Francess
Georgina Halpenny.
Born Ottawa, Ontario 1919. She is known as an energetic and courageous
editor working as head of the editorial department at the University
of Toronto Press. (1957-1969)
She was general editor to the mammoth project of the “Dictionary
of Canadian Biography” and at the same time Dean of the Faculty
of Library Science, University of Toronto. Her hobbies were acting
and writing. She was
awarded the Molson Prize in 1983 and became a companion of the Order
of Canada in 1984. |
| May
28 |
Beatrice
Gladys Lillie.
(her birth name is sometimes reported as Constance Sylvia Gladys Munston). Born 1894.
Died January 29, 1989. She would
become known as the “Funniest woman in the world.” She has a sweet
voice and when singing she would add jokes between her songs until
she was better known for the jokes than her music.
She won a Tony in 1953,.
She married Sir Robert Peel and became Lady Peel in 1920 and
it was her career that gave her strength to continue after his death
in 1934. |
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Annette,
Emilie, Yvonne, Cécile, and Marie Dionne
all share the same birthday in Corbeil,
Ontario 1934.
They
were the only known-surviving quintuplets in the world at the time
of their birth. Emilie died in August
1954. Marie died February 1970. While
they were young they were wards of the provincial government of Ontario.
Most of their youth they were exploited.
People came from all over to see the tiny tots play in their back
yard. They were even taken to Hollywood
where they would do commercials for products. In 1965 the remaining
four sisters published their story in the book We were five. Three
of the sisters would marry but their marriages did not survive and
they returned to living with one another in Montreal.
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Lynn
Johnston. Born Collingwood, Ontario 1947.
The creator of the comic strip that appears in newspapers across
Canada and around the world called “For
Better or Worse” The storyline and the characters lead real lives
with friends admitting to being gay and the family dog dies after
rescuing a child. Lynn continues to work from her home in Northern
Ontario. She became the first woman to win the Reuben Award for outstanding
cartoonist of the year in 1985 from the national Cartoonist Society
and in 1988 she became the first woman to be president of this society.
She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1992 and nominated
for a Pulitzer Prize in 1994. |
| May
29 |
Esther
Marjorie Hill.
Born Guelph, Ontario 1895. Died 1985. This Canadian architect was
the first woman to enter into and graduate (1920) from this profession.
This was the era of women's suffrage and it was a tough time for women
in male dominated professions. She encountered considerable discrimination
both during her studies and while attempting to work as a professional
architect. She had problems finding a job and her application to be
a registered architect was denied and only accepted after legislative
changes forced acceptance. She survived the depression years
with her own resourceful talents by selling handmade gloves and handmade
greeting cards. She would go on to become a prolific and valued
member of her chosen profession. |
| May
30 |
Ruta
Lee. Born 1936. Also
known as Ruta Kilmonis, this actress began her career in films in
1954 in “Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers”. She has
mainly appeared in lesser-known films such as “Pterodactyl
Women from Beverly Hills.” |
| May
31 |
Sophia
Margaretta Hensley.
(née Almon.) Born Bridgetown,
Nova Scotia 1866.Died February 10, 1946. This author and lecturer
wrote of her interest in women’s issues and social tolerance. She wrote periodical articles and 10 books under her own name
but also under the pen name of Gordon Hart, J. Try Davies, and Almon
Hensley. |
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