By Cathryn Henley, CFUW Cranbrook Club

Has it really been 30 years since 1984? Yes, the Canadian Federation of University Women’s (CFUW) Cranbrook Club has reached 30 years of celebrating the generous, intelligent efforts of 36 women in the East Kootenay selected by their peers as women who make this a better place to live and grow.

The event was introduced to the club by then president Susan Langin and it has become a very popular and highly regarded East Kootenay celebration.

Each year, the club often receives more than one strong nomination and with the permission of the nominating committee, we hang onto the nominations for two years. That is one of the reasons we ask the nominating committee to try to keep their nomination secret from the woman about whom they are writing letters of support to the CFUW Woman of the Year Committee.

This year, Gail Brown “was astounded” to find out her name was put forward as a candidate.

“It makes the award even more important and stunning,” said the late Velma McKay when she found out she and Vicky Dalton had been selected, “to realize this large group of peers thought so highly of me, they managed to write so eloquently about my efforts in making my part of the world a better place to live.”

We started with Julie Roberts in 1984 and at year 30, are celebrating with our 36th recipient, Gail Brown. Previous winners were:

1984  Julie Roberts

1985  Sophie Pierre

1986  Jan Levang

1987  Roberta Taylor / 
Harjinder Sheena (Posthumous)

1988  Susan Selby

1989  Anna Mae Gartside

1990  Pat Skordal

1991  Sheilah Moore

1992  Louise Stropky

1993  Pat Townshend

1994  Brenda Paul

1995  Ann Rice

1996  Mary Phillips*

1997  Elaine Fawcett / 
Cathy Fairclough 
/ Mabel Chan (Posthumous)

1998  Susan Campbell

1999 Ann Buckman*

2000 Daphne Hayden

2001 Ruby Sinclair

2002 Flo Reid*

2003 Mila Siquenza

2004 Linda Abbott* and Leona Gatsby

2005 Karin Penner

2006 Janyce Bampton

2007 Janice Edwards

2008 Joanne Wilton

2009 Jayne Garner-Garlaneau

2010 Sandy Zeznick

2011 Vicki Dalton & Velma Mckay*

2012 Sister Nina Glinski, CND

2013 Jenny Humphrey

2014 Gail Brown

(*Since deceased)

This year, the CFUW Cranbrook Club is hosting this annual event at the Manual Training School on Monday, March 3.

The ceremony starts promptly at 4 p.m. We are expecting a large crowd and suggest if you need one of the 80 chairs, to come early. Due to the renovations to the Cranbrook Public Library’s washrooms, the MTS has a 2 X 4 piece of lumber across the threshold of the temporary entrance from the library to the hall. Those with walkers and wheelchairs will need assistance negotiating through the door. Please be sure to ask one of us rather than avoid this function.

We will have our volunteers ready and willing to help gain entrance for those needing to use the ramp entrance. Otherwise, it is strongly suggested guests use the front doors of the Manual Training School from the street.

We hope to see all former CFUW Cranbrook Club Woman of the Year recipients there for our 30th annual group photo.

The Cranbrook Club has 12 members locally and is a member of CFUW National, a non-political, voluntary, self-funded, bilingual and non-governmental organization of women university graduates in 110 clubs across Canada that works to improve the status of women and girls, education, peace, justice and human rights. CFUW holds special consultative status at the United Nations (ECOSOC) and belongs to the Sectoral Committee of education of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. CFUW is the largest of 61 national affiliates of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW).

For further information, please look us up at our website www.cfuw-cranbrook.com.

Lead image: Gail Brown, right, provides information about the Kootenay Child Development Centre during a June 2012 tour of the facility by Premier Christy Clark. Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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