Volume 43 No. 4 February 2010

Canadian Federation of University Women – CapitalCapital CarillonCarillon http://cfuw-ottawa.org

February General Meeting PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE LEILA METCALF

DATE: Monday, February 8, 2010 President's Introduction to Centennial TIME: 7:30 pm Celebration, Jan. 18, 2010 PLACE: St. Timothy’s Presbyterian “Let’s Meet Again in 2010.” These past century. Which brings me to re- Church words were spoken at the conclusion mark on the strong and remarkable 2400 Alta Vista Drive of the 50th anniversary celebration of leadership that our Presidents, our SPEAKER: Judy Brooks, Program CFUW-Ottawa in 1960. We are current Past Presidents, have given Therapist, Therapeutic meeting again in 2010. Indeed, we this Club through the years. The Riding, Ottawa (TROtt) have met many times between then Presidency is a trust, given to one TOPIC: “The Horse as Therapist: and now. woman by her peers, and she has a Therapeutic Riding Since the very beginning, our treasured responsibility thanks to the Programs in Ottawa” goals have been remarkably consist- fine women we work with every day. Our speaker, Judy Brooks was born and ent — there is an amazing continu- Many of our Past Presidents are here educated in where she received ity to who we are. A thread that has this evening… I ask them to stand never been dropped, that has in fact her degree in Occupational Therapy. and be recognized for their superb strengthened over the years. The is- leadership over many years. Please say Following graduation, she worked with sues of the day have come and gone hello to them at the reception. Rehabilitation Engineers in the UK but our focus has been maintained. Thanks to their leadership, we have designing and developing artificial limbs Only a few days ago, I was among much to celebrate today. for children with severe amputations several of our and limb deficiencies and developing members who aids to make them as independent as received a possible in home and at school. document Using her research in England as a from one of base, she emigrated to and a job our Past Presi- in . Judy worked as the head of dents. In- Occupational Therapy in a Children's cluded in the Treatment Centre, ran her own text was “re- pediatric private practice and taught member that Occupational Therapy at the university we are women level. Today she is the Program Thera- and that we are pist for TROtt. She also practices strong”. I can Hippotherapy at the stable, thus com- imagine our bining her passion for horses with that predecessors of helping people through Occupa- saying exactly tional Therapy.

that during the Photo credit: Ulle Baum Capital Carillon February 2010

Acquisitions at the National Gallery In Memoriam

Dr. David Franklin, Deputy Director Art. Having quality pieces in the Gal- Elizabeth Cureton and Chief Curator of the National lery collections make it possible to Gallery offered wonderful insights borrow art from other institutions for It is with great into what goes on “behind the scenes” specific exhibits. Owning a Bernini sadness we an- to acquire art and develop exhibitions bust, for instance, made it possible for nounce the pass- when he replaced Marc Mayer, the the Gallery to present the Bernini ex- ing of Elizabeth National Gallery Director at the last hibit last year. Cureton on Jan. 9, General Meeting. David explained that forms of art He spoke of the challenges that are changing, and although contem- 2010. A distinguished member the Gallery curators face in acquiring, porary art does not appeal to all, the of CFUW Ottawa, she was maintaining and presenting pieces of Gallery considers this art important. the first Executive Director of art. Department curators compete for The purchase of “Voice of Fire”, for the National Office established funding from the annual acquisition example, although controversial in Ottawa in 1985. From this budget of $8 million, a system that brought international credibility to the office, under the guidance of works because it offers flexibility, pro- Gallery. But, contemporary art, par- vides opportunities for purchasing ticularly with video and film compo- Linda Souter, CFUW estab- more expensive pieces and allows cu- nents, is often expensive to purchase, lished a connection with Par- rators to dream! install and maintain. So, more sources liament Hill so that regular Art is also obtained through do- of private funding and donations are annual meetings were held nations and endowments. But, indi- being sought. with cabinet ministers. Eliza- vidual collectors are pushing up the Canadians can be proud of the prices, making it difficult for the Na- National Gallery’s remarkable collec- beth was also one of the lead- tional Gallery to compete on the in- tion of paintings, prints, and photos, ing lights of Diplomatic Hos- ternational scene. he said. pitality where along with Eliza- The curators buy according to David who earned a PhD from beth Doe she introduced gen- their expertise primarily for the four the Courtauld Institute of Art, Uni- erations of diplomats to snow- main collections: European and versity of London, English in 1991 is shoeing. She was an active American historical, Canadian histori- recognized internationally as an expert cal, Indigenous and Contemporary in the Italian Renaissance period. member of the Madrigals, French, Canadiana, Travel and Jaunters groups. Elizabeth was Capital Carillon is published monthly PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS also a dedicated Girl Guide for from September to May over 70 years. She will be Please send all material for CFUW-OTTAWA missed for her indomitable the next issue to Dianne Rummery AGM/DINNER spirit, her wit, her compassion at [email protected] and her capacity to direct ac- Next issue: March 2010 tion to the heart of a challenge. Deadline: February 15, 2010 Our sympathy is extended to http://cfuw-ottawa.org/ Monday, May 10, 2010 all her family.

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CFUW Authors Watts’ play Sawdust reminds us of our of the Rocky Mountains, Nora Corley long connection with theatre in Ot- Murchison’s guide to information On display during the Centennial tawa. Patricia Bays writes works ex- sources on travel in Canada, Esther Birthday Bash were works of CFUW ploring Anglican theology. Clark Wright’s guide to people and authors, past and present. Inquiries Memoir and biography are well places of New Brunswick. among Club members and research in represented. War correspondent And there are the many reports, the archives brought to light 27 names, Gladys Arnold’s memoir, One Wom- studies and bibliographies done by our and Library and Archives Canada was an’s War, recounts the story of her time members in the course of their work in able to provide a sample of each au- working with the Free French during academic institutions, in the public thor’s work to fill two large display World War II. Ruth M. Bell’s Be a service, in government departments. cases. The earliest works are those of “nice” Girl tells of the pioneering work Guides to information prepared by remarkable politicians Senator Cairine of women taking their place in poli- Barbara E. Brown and Patricia Wilson (a 1940 address given to the tics and in business. Merna Forster’s Johnston were part of the display. Ann League of Nations Society in Ottawa) 100 Canadian Heroines reminds us of Denis, Theodora Carroll Foster, Helen and Mayor Charlotte Whitton’s 1943 women who have played an impor- Mussallem, Mary Saunders, Joan book The Dawn of Ampler Life. tant role in Canadian society. Mollie Turner, Janet Keith, Marguerite Ritchie There is a wide variety of genres Gillen has written, among several bi- and Jean Cottam all authored impor- and styles. There are children’s books ographies, The Wheel of Things, tant studies and documents. – Dr. Alice E. Wilson’s introduction chronicling the life of L. M. And no doubt there are other au- to geology The Earth Beneath Us, Ilse Montgomery. Elsie Gregory MacGill thors whom we have yet to discover! Zandstra’s delightful picture book wrote about her mother’s life in My In our centennial year, we applaud Ukuku conoce al sol, Jean Feather’s Mother the Judge. the rich heritage of work by these Newfoundland novel Fanny for There are books of travel – women, and look forward to celebrat- Change. Fiction is well represented by Barbara Carriere’s account of the climb ing the gifts of our members in the award-winning Carol Shields and of the “Kilimanjaro Grannies,” Mary years to come. Blanche Howard. Gladys Cameron Lou Crerar’s watercolour Sketchbook Patricia Bays

Jackie MacDonald, Trail Blazer

We have an Olympian and an Olympic torch carrier amongst our members. Jackie MacDonald shot putter, discus thrower and Canadian silver medallist competed in five international meets in the fifties, most memorably the Olym- pic Games. Two weeks ago, she joined members of the 1956 track team in Trail, BC to hold the torch high on its way to . In “Down the Decades”, Jackie wore the Canadian Ol- ympian uniform from that long- ago parade including deco- rous hat and gloves. At the end of the program, she led the models back on stage in the uniform of this year's Olympics, torch held high. Leila noted that while the torch is a symbol of the carrying on of tradition in the Olympics, it also is a symbol of our members carrying on the purpose and traditions of CFUW-Ottawa into another century.

3 Capital Carillon February 2010 Down the Decades — Centennial Celebration a smash hit Photo credit: Ulle Baum Photo credit: Ulle Baum

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Down the Decades (cont’d) Photo credit: Ulle Baum

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Charlotte Gray Membership Stats Report from the Scholarship Trust Fast on the heels of the exhilarating As of January 15, 2010, Club Mem- Fund committee Birthday Bash, CFUW-Ottawa Lit- bership stands at 512 members includ- erature Groups met to hear Charlotte ing 40 women who are new to the Lilian Gertsman Scholarship Gray discuss her biographies of “dead Club. – $1,000 Canadian women” as she put it. The following have joined This Scholarship, honouring the Charlotte Gray who will be the CFUW-Ottawa after the publication late Lilian Gertsman, is awarded speaker at the Charitable Trust break- of the 2009-2010 Directory. annually in the amount of fast at the AGM/Conference opened $1,000, alternating between the ■ Mrs. Diana Lumsden her presentation with an account of and ■ Ms. Shirley E. Greenberg how she had discovered her career as ■ Mrs. Edeltraud G. Neal (starting with a biographer. ■ Mrs. Grace Chappell Carleton University in the year When she immigrated to Canada ■ Mrs. Teresita Garcia Moreno- 2009/10). The scholarship is as a new bride , Charlotte began writ- Trifaro awarded to a mature woman ing for local publications which in- ■ Mrs. Patricia Anne Jeanjean studying psychology at the under- cluded many interviews with (NewMember) graduate level. Lillian Coplan politicans usually in a limited time ■ Mrs. Marie-Rose Mathieu Gertsman was an active member frame. (New Member) of CFUW-Ottawa and gave many She was always left with many ■ Ms. Mary Margaret Davies years of leadership and service to questions unanswered once she had ■ Ms. Joanne M. Legault the community, particularly to established the background of the in- women’s clubs. terviewee and that is when she real- All members should now have a ized where her interests really lay. Ms copy of the 2009-2010 Membership The Ruth Bell Centennial Gray delivered an entertaining and Directory. If you haven’t received Scholarship, Honouring all stimulating address and answered yours, please contact Glenda Members of the Ottawa Club some very thoughtful questions at Levesque, the Membership Con- since 1910 – $5,000 the end. venor. This Scholarship honours all members of the Ottawa Club since its inception in 1910. It is International awarded annually to an honours Women's Day student in Women’s Studies (ei- ther as a single or double major) Each year around the world, Inter- in third or fourth year, who dem- national Women's Day (IWD) is onstrates high academic achieve- celebrated on March 8. Hundreds ment. The award will commence of events occur not just on this day in the academic year 2009/2010 but throughout March to mark the with a student at the University economic, political and social of Ottawa. Thereafter, the award achievements of women. will alternate annually with a stu- For more information on IWD see http://www.international dent at Carleton University. (The womensday.com ongoing amount of the scholar- ship will be determined annually.)

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From the CFUW-Ottawa Environmental Toxins and Health Issues Group To Eat or Not to Eat Fish, That is the Question!

When Fish is good for you IT'S AS EASY AS 1,2,3! The Canada Food Guide rec- Step 1: Determine the mercury levels ommends that we eat at least Older, larger fish and those higher on their food chain, two servings of fish every week. Fish and sea- such as swordfish, shark and some tuna, tend to contain food are excellent sources of protein, essential higher levels of mercury and other contaminants such as omega-3 fats DHA and EPA, and a wide variety PCBs, chlordane and DDT. of vitamins and minerals. GotMercury.org provides a simple calculator to deter- When Fish is not good for you mine the mercury exposure from your favourite fish as a Mercury is one of the most toxic elements known. percentage of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) It is a potent neurotoxin and its effects are cu- limit. http://www.gotmercury.org/article.php?list=type& mulative. For a developing fetus or a young child, type=75 even low exposure to mercury can result in a Check provincial advisories about the safety of locally- loss of IQ and research suggests that it may be a caught fish. See The Guide to Eating Ontario Sport Fish at risk factor for disruptive behavior, attention defi- http://www. ene.gov.on.ca/publications/590b14-fishid.pdf cit disorder and autism. or phone 1-800-820-2716. Most of our exposure to mercury comes from Step 2: Determine the environmental risk associated eating fish. Mercury enters the aquatic food chain with your choice from atmospheric pollution and runoff. How much The Environmental Defense Fund's Seafood Selector iden- mercury we accumulate depends on the amount tifies fish from well-managed sources and/or which are of mercury in the type of fish we eat and how caught using methods that minimise damage to aquatic much and how often we eat it. wildlife and habitats. It also lists other health concerns A woman can pass mercury to her fetus in- for the species of fish. http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tag cluding mercury she has accumulated prior to ID=1521 pregnancy. Nursing mothers can pass mercury to their children through breast milk. Step 3: Be aware of basic food safety issues associ- ated with the purchase and preparation of fish Marine species are disappearing The FDA website offers basic food safety tips for buying, As well as health issues, there is rising concern preparing and storing fish and shellfish to avoid food- about the decline of fish species due to mis- borne diseases. http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/ management of fisheries from over fishing, by- Consumers/ucm077331.htm catch or discarded fish, habitat damage and fish farming. These fishing practices are de- SOME GOOD CHOICES stroying basic ecological processes and food Some examples of eco-friendly fish and seafood low in chains that we and other aquatic life depend mercury include: farmed Rainbow Trout, Atlantic Herring, on. A very familiar example is the collapse of Alaska Pollock, Wild Alaskan Salmon, Pacific Sardines, the Atlantic cod fishery, which led to its clo- Tilapia from the U.S. or Latin America, Farmed Clams, sure in 1992. Farmed US Catfish.

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