Will Elsie MacGill Be Featured on the New $10???

Out of 460 possible nominees Elsie Gregory MacGill made it onto the long list of possible selections for the new ten dollar Canadian bill!  This is exciting news!  For more information please see:
http://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/banknoteable/

Queen of the Hurricanes featured in Airforce Magazine!

Featured in Airforce Magazine, Volume 39, No.4, 2016

It is wonderful to see Elsie's story featured in Airforce Magazine!  The excerpt from Queen of the Hurricanes concentrates on her time at Canadian Car and Foundry, and the layout is wonderfully done with photo inserts from the book.  

If you are interested in knowing more about the book it is available from Second Story Press:  http://secondstorypress.ca/books/316-queen-of-the-hurricanes 

There are also some incredible stories of women in aviation in the Royal Canadian Air Force in this issue of Airforce Magazine including:

• Lieutenant General Christine Whitecross
• Brigadier-General Lise Bourgon
• Colonel Nancy Tremblay 
• Sergeant Andreena Clifford - noted for being awarded the 2015 Elsie MacGill Northern Lights Award for Government! 

And for you history buffs - there is an article on Vi Milstead Warren who was an Air Transport Auxiliary Pilot during the Second World War!

For more information see this amazing issue:

Who was the Queen of the Hurricanes?

Hello all!

As we get closer to Remembrance Day reflections and thoughts about various histories surround war come to mind.  On November 10, 2015 at 7pm I will be delivering a lecture entitled:  "Who was the Queen of the Hurricanes:  The Story of Elsie Gregory MacGill (1905-1980)  at the Ottawa Historical Association's meeting at the Library and Archives of Canada.  

This presentation is open to all and is free.  If you are interested in purchasing books they will be available onsite and I will be signing them.  

Looking forward to seeing you!
Crystal

Queen of the Hurricanes awarded 2015 OHS Alison Prentice Award!!

I am happy to announce that Queen of the Hurricanes was awarded this year's Ontario Historical Society's Alison Prentice Award for Best Book in Women's History!  It is a wonderful honour which is very humbling knowing the great work of the OHS and Dr. Alison Prentice.

As many of you know the production of a book is a labour of love, and this has definitely been the case with Queen of the Hurricanes.  The passion and determination with which Elsie MacGill lived her life, and her desire to effect positive social change in the world inspired my work towards this book.  This award will help me my colleagues at the Feminist History Society and Second Story Press to continue contributing to the Ontario Historical Society's mission of 'preserving, promoting, and protecting Ontario's history'. 

The journey towards this book's completion could not have been achieved without the incredible help and support of many people including Constance Backhouse, Ruby Heap, Diana Majury, Jennifer Penny and the incredible women within The Feminist History Society, and the dynamic team at Second Story Press.  I owe a debt of gratitude as well to all of my professors and colleagues at Lakehead University and the University of Ottawa who made history come alive for me and encouraged my work over the years.  I am also indebted to the incredible support of my husband Teva Vidal who believed in this book every step of the way.   

Thank you very much,

Crystal Sissons   

An engaging time at the CAHS!

Last weekend I attended the Canadian Aviation Historical Society annual conference.  It was a very engaging event with high quality presentations on so many topics.  There were a wide range of exciting papers from the  re-interpretation of a primary source on Canadian aviation heroes from the First World War to a presentation on the considerations between replicating, refurburshing and re-creating a vintage aircraft.

I learned a lot, and I was able to share Elsie's story with the CAHS members.  

On Sunday, we had a chance to visit the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.  It was incredible to see so many of the planes and learn about them from the experts working to either restore them or to maintain them - in some cases to flight worthy status.  I had the chance to visit and explore the interior of the only public;y accessible and flight worthy Lancaster (Elsie worked on Lancasters during her post-war career).  It was incredible.  The Lancaster was so much larger than I anticipated!  Someday, I hope to go up for a spin!

While I didn't go up that day, I did get a chance to imagine flying in a CF-100 fighter jet!

 It was a great day and conference overall!  

To all CAHS members - may your flights be safe and enriching until we meet again!  

Crystal
 

 

Queen of the Hurricanes Sited at Congress 2015

Each year during the Congress for the Social Sciences and Humanities an impressive book fair is included.  Last year, pre-publication notices were available for Queen of the Hurricanes, this year it was amazing to see it on the shelves! 

 

Incredible times with BPW Ontario

Already a week has flown by since the BPW Ontario Conference hosted by BPW Barrie!  It was an excellent conference!  I sincerely enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

The conference also provided me with an excellent opportunity to share Queen of the Hurricanes with the Ontario Clubs.  When Elsie Gregory MacGill was active in BPW Ontario, 1950s-1980, she rarely missed a BPW Ontario Conference.  So, it was wonderful to bring her story to her BPW sisters in 2015!  Some of the women present still remember Elsie and others told me they were excited to learn more about her.

Thank you BPW Ontario for all the incredible support since 2006 and for your interest Queen of the Hurricanes!  BPW Toronto, Elsie's home club, called here "Our Elise" and it is true!  

Cheers,
Crystal