Take a moment today at 11am or whenever you can to remember those who died on this day. For more information about the Montreal Massacre and what you can do, see Women and Gender Equality Canada's National of Remembrance and Action Day on Violence Against Women .
An excellent book on the subject, if you want to dig deeper is here:
I am really looking forward to speaking with the members of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Nepean Chapter on October 17, 2024! An evening chat about Elsie during Women's History Month and on the eve of Persons Day!
Today is Persons Day in Canada which commemorates when Canadian women were legally recognized as Persons in 1929. This significant event opened a wide range of possibilities to women including being able to sit in the Senate and opened more avenues for women in various other avenues of life.
When I talk about Elsie MacGill seeing societal change I usually reference women earning the vote in the provinces and nationally and Persons Day because these events occurred early in her life and had demonstrated what could be possible, and she never stopped believing in women's power to effect change!
Take some time to reflect on this important history via some of these sources:
Women and Gender Equality Canada
https://law.queensu.ca/news/Persons-Day-Recognizing-Canadas-roots-in-advancing-gender-equality
October is Women's History Month is Canada! It is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the incredibly diverse ways that Canadian women have helped shape our country's history! My publisher Second Story Press has a fantastic promotion to help you celebrate: for each copy of Queen of the Hurricanes: The Fearless Elsie MacGill that is sold via their website, a commemorative $1 circulation coin will be included!
Don't miss this great opportunity!
For more information, see their Facebook page!
It was with sadness that I heard the news that Monique Bégin had passed away. She was such a trailblazer and was one of the only people besides Elsie MacGill who was a self-proclaimed feminist prior to working on the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall during those meetings, to learn from all the debates and discussions that took place, and Monique was there through it all.
Her career after the Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women was published is distinguished including both important political files as an MP and key academic roles at the University of Ottawa. I was privileged to be able to speak to her briefly during my research and that is something that I hold dear.
For more information on this incredible feminist see:
-the CBC article
I have had the pleasure of connecting with John Chalmers, of the The Canadian Aviation Historical Society Membership on more then one occasion regarding Elsie MacGill over the years. His recent article about the launch of the $1 commemorative circulation coin honouring Elsie MacGill is a wonderful account of that special day!
It was
great to reconnect with some friends from the Business and Professional Women’s
Clubs during the $1 commemorative coin launch honouring Elsie MacGill. During
Elsie’s lifetime the organization was known as the Canadian Federation of
Business and Professional Women, and she played a prominent position in the
organization as a member, then as provincial President of Ontario (1956-58 and subsequently national president (1962-64).
It was
therefore fitting to see Karin Gorgerat, BPW Immediate Past National President, Shannon McEwing, BPW Canada First Vice President, and Colleen Babiuk-Ilkiw BPW Canada Vice President, at the
event!
There is something truly special when someone goes out of their way to make a special day spectacular. Bert Furlong did that for me at the Hangar Flight Museum at the launch of the $1 commemorative coin honouring Elsie MacGill. He had obtained an original patch from the Canadian Car and Foundry plant (presently Bombardier Inc.) in Fort William, Ontario (presently Thunder Bay, Ontario).
I had never seen one of these before, but the importance of the material history was clear. In aviation history it is easy to get star struck by the leading actors of material history which are usually the aircraft themselves. This is understandable when you are standing in front of a multi-million-dollar piece of technology.
While this
patch could be seen insignificant in comparison, the reality is that it
was a personal artifact that one of the members of Canadian Car and Foundry
owned. It was a sign of identity and belonging to an important team that helped
produced 1400+ Hawker Hurricane aircraft during the Second World War which made
an important contribution to the Battle of Britain. Behind every aircraft were
teams of supporting actors that dealt with design details and the actual
construction and assembly of these planes, and many of them were women.
Historical
research often requires a blend of historical resources (paper (documents and
books), oral, paper, etc.) and it is truly special to see the unique material
pieces as it further illuminates the story and gives it an increased personal
touch.
Thanks for
sharing this great resource Bert!
Almost a year ago, I received a text from Matt Traversy at the Royal Canadian Mint. He told me that the Royal Canadian Mint was starting work on a proposal for a $1 commemorative circulation coin that would feature Elsie MacGill, and he wanted to know if I would be able to help out with the project. I am always happy to help amplify the Elsie’s story, and I was happy to support this idea.
Over the
months, Matt and me had great exchanges about how to ensure the design was
fully reflective of Elsie’s ability to weave together her strong ties to the
engineering and feminist worlds. It was a fascinating process, and I learned a
lot along the way from his insightful questions and comments as he sought to
ensure she was well-depicted on the coin and that her story was accurately told
in the supporting materials.
Once the
project got the green light, I also had the opportunity to assist with the
review of the various publicity materials that the incredible team at the Royal
Canadian Mint engineered ranging from their dynamic landing page to the
fascinating promotional video that emphasizes the need for young women to
reflect on Elsie’s story while drafting their own unique flight paths!
If you
haven’t had a chance to see these resources and the video, they are available
via the Royal Canadian Mint. Just click HERE to go direct!
1.
Being asked to serve as the emcee for the
launch event was truly an honour! Working with the onsite team leading up to
and at the unveiling of the coin in Calgary, Alberta at the Hangar Flight
Museum provided a glimpse of professional efficiency at its best. Special shout
out to Deneen Perrin, Alex Reeves, Pascale Poulin, Tyler Rabb, and Leanne
Lovsin who ensured the take-off was smooth and turbulence free!
Thanks again
to the whole Royal Canadian Mint team for the opportunity to help send this
coin soaring, and my you all have unlimited horizons!
Today was a historic day! The Royal Canadian Mint officially unveiled the new Elsie MacGill $1 commemorative circulation coin at the Hangar Flight Museum in Calgary, Alberta. I had a honour to be asked by the Royal Canadian Mint to emcee the event, and assist in the unveiling of the coin. It was a truly moving experience!
It was my pleasure to share some brief reflections on Elsie MacGill, and then to introduce:
The importance of the event drew a full house of representatives from the engineering and feminist worlds, which is in keeping with the connections Elsie made between these two worlds during her lifetime.
The presence of the Honourable Lois E. Mitchell, former Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, and key advocates for women in engineering such as Dr. Mary Wells, Dean of Engineering at Waterloo University and Dr. Laleh Behjat, Professor and NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (Prairies) at the University of Calgary's Schulich School of Engineering was heartwarming to see.
It was also wonderful to see a range of different generations present, from some who are just starting out in life to those who have been following the stories of aviation for a lifetime. In both cases the passion and excitement for today's event was strong and clear.
In my brief remarks I noted the following:
Throughout my research, I
learned a lot from Elsie, and one of the most important things she contributed
to Canadian society was her vision of change.
She saw a world where equality amongst Canadians was the rule not the exception and where women were fully recognized for the contribution of their “womanpower”. As a pathbreaking practicing engineer, science and technology worked hand-in-hand with this vision as did effective partnerships with men.
Challenges were only
problems to be solved, and her dogged determinism, like that of her mother
Helen Gregory MacGill helped her meet them head on. For Elsie, the sky was not
the limit, because her horizons were unlimited, and she encouraged those around
her to share her vision.
Sometimes the best of intentions don't materialize even when you want them to! Since the start of 2023, I have been incredibly busy with so many different engagements, a new job and seizing precious family time. As a result, my blog has been sidelined. The good part is that I am a historian, and a couple months late is really not time at all :)
That being said, it is important to note that I had great evening with the Canadian Aviation Historical Society on March 30, 2023. My presentation was entitled "The 'Queen of the Hurricanes' and Beyond" and there was a wonderful turn out on Zoom! Many thanks to all the members who attended, and special thanks to Kyle Huth for all the organization tied to this talk! I also really appreciated the engaging conversation after my presentation!
As I noted in the description of the talk, I positioned this talk to be a bit more about Elsie's life post 'Queen of the Hurricanes':
Elsie Gregory MacGill (1905-1980) is often known as the
“Queen of the Hurricanes” due to her fame associated with her work as Chief
Aeronautical Engineer at Canadian Car and Foundry’s Plant in Fort William,
Ontario (now Thunder Bay). This is an important part of her story, but her
engineering journey continued past 1943 when she stopped working at the plant.
Dr. Crystal Sissons’ presentation will review MacGill’s education and career up
to 1943 and then look beyond it to examine her other engineering activities as
a consulting aeronautical engineer.
What was neat about the presentation was that I was able to do a bit more research into the formation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). I even found some excellent new photos available online. For instance, here is a great one from the Chicago Conference in 1944:
Keep learning and seeking new horizons!!
Elsie MacGill became fascinated with radio when she was a young woman and it made her want to explore the engineering possibilities around it. As a result, she decided to pursue electrical engineering. I often make the comparison of her fascination with radio as similar to the fascination many have with the arrival of the iPhone or Android phones - it was amazing! It was the future!
While Elsie ended up working on airplanes instead of radio and radio applications, radio was a medium that she was well aware of and able to use in her lifetime in various contexts, Her story has been featured on radio and via radio interviews, some of which I have contributed to.
But now, with the help of the Engineering Student Society of Lakehead University, Elsie's story has moved into the podcast world! I had the opportunity and pleasure of chatting about Elsie with the society's VP Publications Amanda Pacholczak earlier this month, and the podcast is now available on Spotify:
Check it out and see what you think! And, while you're there listen to the other episodes and learn more about the Engineering Student Society of Lakehead University!
Women in science, technology, engineer and math or STEM have met many challenges. There are a number of blockades that they encountered throughout their education and professional lives, with some disciplines being more problematic than others.
It took Elsie a long time to come to terms with the idea that there was discrimination within engineering, in part because she had never really stopped to assess her own experience. When she did, she realized that she had face discrimination and that she needed to advocated for women in this regard as well.
One thing that she was completely against was the idea that she was a "woman" engineer. She would make it quite clear to anyone who was surprised that she was an engineer that that was their problem not hers.
The United Nations declared 1975 International Women's Year (IWY). Elsie continued her feminist activism and used the momentum of this year to advance a number of her projects. She delivered speeches and encouraged women to seize the potential this year offered for women's advancement.
It was during this time that she really started to reflect on the challenges for women in engineering.
The Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women was tabled in 1970. It was considered in one media report to be a "bomb". Assessing the report today, there are many gaps that stand out, but when looking at it within its proper historical context, it was a revolutionary document.
Elsie spent an extensive amount of her time after the report was table to see its recommendations implemented. She gave speeches and worked with existing and new women's groups to advocate for the changes needed. She realized that the report was not the end of the work, only the beginning.
One issue that Elsie really championed during The Royal Commission on the Status of Women was a woman's right to abortion. While the RCSW was working abortion was illegal in Canada, and Elsie was against that. In the final report, she supported the recommendations regarding abortion, but took issue with the fact that they did not go far enough. She wanted to see abortion completely decriminalized and made a private matter between a woman and her doctor.
For more information on the context and issues around abortion in the 1960s see The Abortion Caravan by Karin Wells.
Elsie MacGill was interested in every aspect of The Royal Commission on the Status of Women, even the behind the scenes work required for its administration and coordination. Some of the issues that stood out for her included education. Specifically, she was concerned about women having opportunities to go as far as educationally possible. To do this, she realized that society needed to offer them better support, and provide models for them to emulate in textbooks etc.
Elsie would continue to advocate for the development of women's full potential throughout her life.
