(Absent: Alison Noble Fisher, Social Convenor; and representatives Tanya Basso, Ann Black, Vera Held, Linda MacRae, Prof. Anne Urbancic, Kathy Vance and Betty Wu)
VWA Executive 2023-2024, from left to right: Sharon Gregory, Cynthia Elson, Anne Urbancic, Marcia Cuthbert, Marlene Hutzul, Diane Dyer, Kathy Vance, Maureen Maguire, Alison Noble Fisher, and Ann Black
(Absent: Tanya Basso, Kelley Castle (ex officio), Sonia Chater, Vera Held, Linda MacRae and Betty Wu)
Photo Credit: Minh Truong, Content Officer
President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Rhonda N. McEwen, giving a talk on “Meeting Julia: A New Muppet on the Autism Spectrum in Your Neighbourhood,” on Nov. 23, 2022.
Photo Credit: Minh Truong, Content Officer
Ambassador David S. Wright speaking on “Current Issues in International Politics” on March 22, 2023.
Photo Credit: Minh Truong, Content Officer
Building networks and nurturing friendships, from left to right: Cynthia Elson, Membership Convenor; Diane Dyer, VWA President; and Maureen Maguire, Recording Secretary.
Photo Credit: Sharon Gregory, Associate Director, Gift Planning
An Invitation to 2025 Vic Grads
Congratulations on becoming a part of the Vic alumni community! In celebration of your graduation and VWA's 128 years of dedicated service to Vic and its students, we are delighted to extend to you a complimentary VWA membership for 2025-26. Whenever you are available, we invite you to take an hour or so out of your busy afternoon and attend our meetings, engage in networking within a welcoming atmosphere and listen to our expert speakers. Please find the program details below.
To register, please provide your name, graduation year, address and phone number to vwa1897@gmail.com.
The VWA looks forward to meeting you and we extend our warmest wishes for a prosperous and joyous future.
Diane Dyer, President
Celebrating 128-129 Years
One of the oldest volunteer organizations at Victoria University, the VWA has had and continues to have a positive impact on Vic. It was founded in 1897 to encourage and help women attend university and it provided them with a safe home when Annesley Hall opened in 1903. Today, we continue our purpose by supporting and contributing financially so that all students may enjoy an inclusive future. In addition to serving Victoria students, the VWA also champions Vic and higher education.
Throughout the academic year, the VWA hosts five afternoon programmes, presented primarily by Vic faculty and staff. Here you will find speakers who are prominent in their field; they discuss a variety of topics, from science to the arts and beyond (see the Programme below). In addition to hearing stimulating speakers, you meet friendly members of our Association and the Vic community who take advantage of these occasions to socialize, network and build connections. The VWA year concludes in April with a lunch, at a cost-recovery price, along with a noted speaker.
The VWA also raises money annually for The Endowed Bursary Fund for Vic students who are in financial need. This bursary has aided those from low-income families as well as first-generation University students – all aiming to make their mark in their specialties (see Bursaries and Scholarships below).
Come Join Us!
Bring your friends, neighbours and relatives! The VWA is a welcoming and inclusive community open to all. (Men have been invited to join since 1965.) There is no requirement to be a university graduate or even to have any connection to Vic in order to be a VWA member. Members and donors include the public who enjoy being in an academic atmosphere, Vic grads, friends and relatives of current students and alumni, and Vic faculty, staff and their family and friends. Present-day Vic students are a critical part of the VWA and are always welcome to attend our programmes, enjoy complimentary refreshments, and network with our members, guests and speakers.
We invite you to become part of a friendly Association that promotes Victoria and assists current and future Vic students through its financial aid and presents opportunities to build long-lasting relationships and networks that have a positive impact on the future of the students. At the VWA meetings you also see friends, make new ones and listen to splendid speakers. Please see the Membership and Contact Information drop-down below.
Programme 2025-2026
Oct. 22 | Current Issues in International Politics
When: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2 p.m.
Where: Alumni Hall
About this Event: The world is in turmoil. From Trump-induced trade wars to open conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, international order is threatened. How can liberal democracies deal with these challenges?
About the Speaker: Ambassador David Wright is the Kenneth and Patricia Taylor Distinguished Professor of Foreign Affairs at Victoria College, University of Toronto. He teaches World Affairs (VIC 181) in the Lester B. Pearson Stream of the Vic One program and the fourth year capstone seminar, Contemporary Issues in Foreign Policy (VIC 476). Ambassador Wright draws from his personal experience in the world of international affairs to enrich his courses and his students. As Canada's longest serving ambassador to NATO (1997 to 2003) and the NATO Council's dean, he dealt directly with the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Previously, he served as Canadian ambassador to Spain during the Canada-Spain fisheries dispute. After the Berlin wall fell, Mr. Wright was for four years Canada's assistant deputy minister of Foreign Affairs for Europe. He was extensively engaged in the issues related to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the transformation of Eastern Europe. Earlier postings included Paris, Tokyo, Rome and the Canadian Delegation to the United Nations in New York. He also acts as special advisor to the Toronto law firm, Dale & Lessmann LLP.
Nov. 26 | Reconciliation and Supporting First Nations Children
When: Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2 p.m.
Where: Alumni Hall
About this Event: For this talk, Sarah Clarke draws on her extensive experiences and challenges as a strong
and compassionate champion for reconciliation, Jordan’s Principle which ensures that all First Nations
Children receive necessary and complete support without delay, and for First Nations child and family services.
About the Speaker: Sarah Clarke, Clarke Child & Family Law, has supported and advocated for children and families throughout her career, and her practice is focused primarily in the area of child protection. Sarah has significant experience working with and for First Nations and Indigenous communities in the context of child welfare, supporting Band Representatives throughout the Province of Ontario. Sarah has also supported and worked with First Nation communities across the country in high conflict child protection matters. Among other accolades, in 2017, she received the Ontario Bar Association President’s Award as a member of the legal team with the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society. In addition to her law degree, Sarah holds a Master of Social Work.
Jan. 28 | Vic Now
When: Wednesday, January 28, 2 p.m.
Where: Alumni Hall
About this Event: Vic Now" with Kelley Castle, dean of students, Rohini Patra, VUSAC president, and Keith Thomas, Chair of the Board of Regents provide updates to the VWA on the current issues confronting the Office of the Dean of Students, the students and Victoria University.
About the Speakers:
- Dean Kelley Castle: Leads the Office of the Dean of Students and is responsible for the oversight and strategic leadership of all non-academic student life and affairs, including non-academic student conduct and crisis response.
- VUSAC President Rohini Patra: Is responsible for shaping the goals of VUSAC, supporting the rest of the council with their events and initiatives and representing VUSAC more largely at the University of Toronto.
- Chair of the Board of Regents Keith Thomas
Feb. 25 | Painted Out of the Picture: The Two Wives of Lawren Harris, Group of Seven
When: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, 2 p.m.
Where: Alumni Hall
About this Event: A collaborative meeting with the Friends of Victoria University Library. Angie Littlefield Vic 6T9 has immersed herself in researching the life of Tom Thomson and subsequently the Group of Seven since 2004. This journey led her to question the missing roles of the wives and children within the narratives. While the husbands received acclaim for their contributions to Canadian art, the wives were largely overlooked. Painted Out of the Picture: The Wives of Canada's Group of Seven (due out in 2027) sheds light on the significant roles these women played in shaping their husbands' careers while also emphasizing their agency in carving out meaning in their own lives. In this instalment, Angie focuses on the dueling wives of Lawren Harris: Trixie Phillips and Bess Larkin Housser.
About the Speaker: Author/Curator Angie Littlefield has curated exhibitions such as angelika hoerle: the comet of cologne dada at the Art Gallery of Ontario and at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany and The Art of Dissent: Willy Fick for Holocaust Education Week at the Lonsdale Gallery in Toronto. Her articles span from Education Forum in the 1980s to Artscene and Silversagemag.com in the 2020s. Angie has written three books about Tom Thomson with the most recent one, Tom Thomson’s Fine Kettle of Friends, having been short-listed for the Whistler Independent Book Award in 2021. She wrote the essay “Provenance” for the Art Gallery of Hamilton exhibition on Tom Thomson shown in Hamilton and Kingston in 2021-2022. Her latest published book, Walking with Oma: A Memoir (NoN Books 2025), has received much acclaim for its exploration of the universal themes of family, memory, and healing. It is to be noted that Angie's mother, Suse Eggert, a survivor of the Holocaust, was unable to attend university; therefore, she enjoyed her association with the VWA and enthusiastically served as its president from 1975-78. Angie, herself, is not only an author, she is also Co-Vice-President of the Toronto Heliconian Club whose building, Heliconian Hall at 35 Hazelton Avenue, celebrates its Sesquicentennial in 2026.
March 25 | The Artistry of Care: Theology, Disability, and Belonging Together
When: Wednesday, March 25, 2 p.m.
Where: Alumni Hall
About this Event: Care is often seen as an activity done for others who demonstrate need. In light of current discussions in disability studies and theologies of disability, this presentation suggests an alternative way of imaging care – as an art. Care is a connective energy that all people give and receive throughout their lifetimes. In climate where divisions between people and access to financial resources becomes an issue, care can become distorted. Accordingly, reimagining care as a creative response with others to build relationships of mutual respect and empathy can be a helpful way forward. Using music as an example, the presentation will suggest that care can open resonance between us and is a deeply spiritual way of affirming the goodness of life together.
About the Speaker: Tom Reynolds is Associate Professor of Theology at Emmanuel College. Committed to an interdisciplinary and relational vision of theology, Tom’s teaching and research explore a range of topics related to Christian engagements with difference in a global context. While especially interested in interreligious dialogue and disability studies, he also teaches and writes on a range of topics related to constructive theology (particularly the doctrine of God and theological anthropology), theological method, intercultural engagements, contextual theologies, philosophical theology, and the thought and influence of Friedrich Schleiermacher.
April 15 | Annual Luncheon
When: Wednesday, April 15, 11: 40 a.m. for 12 noon
Where: Alumni Hall
About this Event: Celebrate 128 years of the VWA with members, guests, and the Vic community, at lunch and listen to the talk, "Women and Art at Victoria University, Continued" with Vic Art Curator Gerrie Loveys. The first part of Gerrie’s discussion at last April’s lunch introduced 17 women who have played key roles that significantly influenced the development of the Victoria University art collections. This talk will continue the conversation by introducing more key women who deserve recognition and will provide updates about women who were part of last year's discussion.
About the Speaker: Gerrie Loveys is well-versed in working with art on a university campus. As the Collections and Operations Manager at the McMaster Museum of Art, she cared for McMaster University's art collection before moving to the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives, as Assistant Curator and later Curator. She is currently the Art Curator at Victoria University. Gerrie has worked with Victoria University's art collection since 2008, initially assisting former curator Gillian Pearson before becoming the Art Curator in 2019. That same year, the university art collection was integrated into the library's special and archives collections under the direction of the university libraries. Gerrie combines her passions for art and history in her curatorial projects and community programmes. With Victoria University displaying and collecting art throughout its 192-year history, she is particularly interested in researching and curating displays and programmes related to the university's history, focusing on the role of women in art at Victoria as educators, artists, donors, programmers, and benefactors. Another of Gerrie's projects is documenting memories of the Vic community that are connected to any building on the Vic campus. What happened in these places that you still remember? Please let Gerrie know.
Luncheon:
You are welcome to bring guests. We look forward to seeing you and members of the Vic community.
If you have any food requirements, please tell us or email the VWA by April 3 at vwa1897@gmail.com.
Cost: TBD(Tickets must be purchased by Wednesday, April 1.)
- You may bring cash (exact change is appreciated) or a cheque, payable to the Victoria Women's Association, to the February 25 and March 25 VWA meetings.
- Cheques, payable to the Victoria Women's Association, may also be mailed to the VWA, c/o Alumni Office, Victoria University, 73 Queen's Park Crescent E., NFH 106, Toronto M5S 1K7
- This is a ticketed event and we can accommodate only those with tickets to hear our speaker, Gerrie Loveys.
The VWA Annual General Meeting follows at 2:00 p.m.
A Word of Thanks
The VWA is grateful for the support of Victoria University's administration, faculty and staff, including Dean Kelley Castle and her office, those in events, hospitality, office services, finance and communications. We especially appreciate the assistance of Louise Yearwood, executive director of alumni affairs and advancement, and Elicia La Valle, alumni affairs and advancement coordinator, as well as other members of Victoria’s alumni office. They all make our work and commitment so much easier.
For more information on VWA history and other topics, including membership, contact information and bursaries and scholarships, please see our drop-down options below.
Membership and Contact Information
Membership
Every fall, the VWA sends members and donors the Membership/Donation form, the new Programme along with the newsletter. The annual membership fee is $20 which may be paid at meetings by cash or by cheque, payable to the Victoria Women's Association. A cheque may also be mailed to the VWA mailing address below. If you wish to receive a receipt, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The VWA Executive keeps in touch with members and reminds them of upcoming meetings if a member so wishes. If informed, the Corresponding Secretary also sends cards to members for diverse reasons.
Contact Information
Mailing Address: VWA, c/o Victoria University, Alumni Affairs & Advancement, Northrop Frye Hall 106, 73 Queen's Park Crescent, Toronto, ON M5S 1K7
E-mail: vwa1897@gmail.com
For donations to the Victoria Women's Association Bursary Fund, see the Bursaries and Scholarships drop-down below.
Programme 2023-2024 (previous)
Oct. 25, 2023: “Form Follows Content: Designing Museum Exhibitions" with Christine Elson, experiential designer.
Nov. 22, 2023: "Milestones and Monuments: Reflections on Women and Churches in Canada and around the World" with The Rev. Dr. HyeRan Kim-Cragg, principal of Emmanuel College.
Jan. 24, 2024: "Vic Now" with Kelley Castle, Dean of Students; Shane Joy, VUSAC President; Louise Yearwood, Executive Director, Alumni Affairs and Advancement.
Feb. 28, 2024: Joint meeting with Friends of Victoria University Library: "Un-settling Upper Canada: Real and Fictional Colonies in the 1820s" with Prof. Angela Esterhammer, Principal of Victoria College.
March 27, 2024: "Painted Out of the Picture: The Wives of the Group of Seven" with Angie Littlefield, author/curator.
April 17, 2024: Annual Luncheon. Celebrate 127 years of the VWA with members, guests and the Vic community and listen to the talk, "The Citizen Lab: What Happens When Videos of Cute Cats Meet "Big Brother"?" with Irene Poetranto, senior researcher at The Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto. The AGM follows.
Bursaries and Scholarships
Our constitution states, "The purpose of this Association shall be to promote the interests of students of Victoria University and to advance the cause of student education." Our contributions to bursaries and scholarships are integral to fulfilling this mandate.
The Victoria Women’s Association Bursary Fund: From its beginning in the 1890s, the Association has helped students in need; it formed the first fund for that purpose in 1909. Today, the VWA raises money annually for its endowed Bursary Fund through which it continues to assist Vic students financially. Please note that Victoria College, and not the VWA, selects the recipients of these bursaries.
Please join us in supporting Victoria College students in financial need with your donation to our Bursary Fund. A tax receipt will be issued for all donations to the Victoria Women’s Association Bursary Fund (Charitable Registration No. 119285419RR0001).
There are several ways to make your donation:
By cheque:
Please mail your donation cheque, payable to the Victoria Women’s Association Bursary Fund, to:
VWA, c/o Victoria University, Alumni Affairs & Advancement, Northrop Frye Hall 106, 73 Queen's Park Crescent, Toronto, ON M5S 1K7
If you wish to add the $20 membership fee to your cheque, please note this in the MEMO section. The VWA will transfer the membership fee to its Operating Fund.
By Interac e-Transfer to vwa1897@gmail.com
To receive a charitable tax receipt, please include your full name, telephone number, and mailing and email addresses in the Purpose and Message section. You will receive an email from your bank confirming that the VWA has received the funds. Your charitable tax receipt will be mailed to you by the VWA.
If you wish to add the $20 membership fee, please note this in the Purpose and Message section. The VWA will transfer the membership fee to its Operating Fund.
Online
If you choose to donate online, visit the Victoria Women’s Association Bursary Fund. A tax receipt will be sent to you by Victoria University.
Planned Gifts
To discuss a planned gift, such as a bequest in your will for the Victoria Women’s Association Bursary Fund, gifts of securities, life insurance, RSP, or RIF, please contact Sharon Gregory, associate director, gift planning, Victoria University, at 416-813-4050 or sharon.gregory@utoronto.ca.
Ethel Bennett Scholarship: In 1978, the VWA established a scholarship in honour of Ethel Granger Bennett, a long-time VWA member and the president of the organization from 1949 to 1958. This scholarship is now part of the Harold and Ethel Bennett Scholarship.
Margaret Addison Scholarship: Margaret Addison, who was instrumental in the founding of the VWA along with Margaret Burwash, served as the VWA president from 1921 to 1933. The first dean of residence and then dean of students, she retired as dean in 1931, and the VWA established a fund of $5,000 for her use. After Addison’s death in 1940, this fund and the money that the Alumnae Association had raised were combined to form this scholarship. As a result, every other year the income is awarded to a Vic woman for graduate study outside of Canada.
The 2024 Margaret Addison Scholarship recipient is Natalie Elaine Boehmer.
Other Contributions: The Association also contributes financially to new Scholarships and Bursaries established by Vic administrators and faculty members, such as those formed by Larry Davies, former executive director of Alumni Affairs, or, those founded in their honour, such as the one for Prof. Sheila Cook, a VWA Executive member who died in 2019. The VWA also contributes annually to the students’ (VUSAC) BIPOC award.
Over the years, the VWA has raised an enormous amount of money for the benefit of Victoria and Vic students. These financial contributions were acknowledged when the VWA was granted lifetime membership in U of T’s Presidents’ Circle recognition society in 2007. It also received the prestigious Arbor Award from U of T in 2013 “in recognition of the organization’s service and impact” and “because [of] the generosity and dedication of its members.” The VWA is also a member of Victoria University’s Ivy Society which recognizes donors who have given $100,000 or more since 1903.
Thank you for your support of the VWA!
Presidents of the VWA
The VWA is pleased to celebrate the leadership and contributions of all the presidents of the Association. Until 1964 the presidents were the wives of Vic administrators or, in the case of Margaret Addison, an administrator herself. Marguerite Fidler was the first president not connected to the administration and insisted that men were welcome as members. She served with great enthusiasm from 1964 to 1966.
Honorary Presidents: Joan Breukelman, Past VWA President and Bursary Treasurer; Anne Christie; Rick (Massey) Somerville; Prof. Pauline Thompson
1897-1912 Margaret Burwash
1912-1921 Julia Graham
1921-1933 Margaret Addison
1933-1949 Maud Brown
1949-1958 Ethel Bennett
1958-1964 Helen Frye
1964-1966 Marguerite Fidler
1966-1968 Ruth Fallis
1968-1971 Dorothy Crummey
1971-1974 Alice Jackson
1974-1975 Ruth Hodgetts
1975-1978 Suse Eggert
1978-1980 Doris Stokes
1980-1982 Audrey McCullough
1982-1985 Joan Breukelman
1985-1988 Audrey Chapple
1988-1991 Joyce Clarke
1991-1994 Margaret Roots
1994-1999 Marian Gibson
1999-2000 Joan Breukelman & Audrey McCullough
2000-2004 Anne Sinclair
2004- Diane Dyer
History of the VWA
In looking back at some of the achievements of the VWA (Victoria Women’s Association), we recognize the remarkable impact that the Association has had on the education of women, particularly in the early years: the Association not only encouraged women to attend university but also aided them financially whenever possible.
In March 1897, Margaret Burwash, wife of Vic’s Chancellor-President, took the chair of a meeting over the objections of some men who were convinced that women were incapable of acting as chair. This meeting took place in the Vic chapel in order to form a group that became known as the VWA. One of its purposes was to raise money for land and furnishings for a residence for women students who were lacking a safe home after Vic’s move from Cobourg to Toronto in 1892. This had worried some women, among whom were alumnae, wives of Vic faculty and administrators, and Methodists. However, they were encouraged when Vic received a bequest of $50,000 from businessman, philanthropist, and reliable Vic benefactor, Hart Massey, for such a residence in 1896. After intensive and sometimes difficult fundraising, the determined and dedicated women successfully raised enough so that in 1903, Annesley Hall opened under the management of the VWA with Margaret Addison as Dean of Residence.