Collection inscribed in a recently announced joint nomination
The Archives of Ontario is celebrating its fourth inscription to the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO) Canada Memory of the World Register. The inscription is part of a joint nomination with Library and Archives Canada (LAC) entitled “Elsie Gregory MacGill Fonds” and recognizes the records of Elsie MacGill, an aeronautical engineer, a businesswoman, and a Canadian feminist. Her records document the life and history of Canada’s first woman practicing professional engineer and her second-wave feminist activism.
Elsie MacGill (1905-1980) was a fascinating figure. Not only was she the first woman in Canada to earn a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, but she was also the first woman in the world to earn a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering and become an aircraft designer. Nicknamed the “Queen of the Hurricanes” for leading the production of over one thousand Hawker Hurricane fighter planes during World War II, Elsie MacGill was a trailblazer in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). As a commissioner on the status of women in Canada, she fought for women’s equality in education, law, and healthcare.
The CCUNESCO Canada Memory of the World Programme serves to recognize the most significant documents of Canadian heritage. This recognition is intended to safeguard these documents for the future, but also to promote the collection in the present day. Nominations are evaluated in terms of national significance, authenticity, uniqueness and irreplaceability.
The Elsie MacGill fonds joins our collections previously inscribed on the CCUNESCO memory of the world register: the Mary Ann Shadd Cary fonds, the Alvin D. McCurdy fonds and the collection of children’s drawings of the Spanish Civil War from the Alexander A. MacLeod fonds.
By collaborating with partner repositories, like LAC, these submissions allow the Archives of Ontario staff to raise the profile of important but often overlooked collections. These collaborations also allow the archival community to connect and share expertise and resources.
For more information about the collection, please see our catalog page for the Elsie Gregory MacGill fonds.
