Alice Ravenhill (1859, Epping Forest,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
– 1954,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
) was an educational pioneer, a developer of
Women's Institutes
The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organisation for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being th ...
, and one of the first authors to propound aboriginal rights in B.C. She is also the author of numerous articles and books, including her
autobiography
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
which she wrote when she was 92.
Biography
Ravenhill was born in
Snaresbrook
Snaresbrook is a district of East London in the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located 8 miles east of Charing Cross.
The name derives from a corruption of Sayers brook, a tributary of the River Roding that flows through Wanstead to the Ea ...
in 1859.
Early in life she took an interest in social issues, causing her to undertake studies in
public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
,
child development
Child development involves the Human development (biology), biological, developmental psychology, psychological and emotional changes that occur in human beings between birth and the conclusion of adolescence. Childhood is divided into 3 stages o ...
, and
home economics
Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...
. She qualified as a sanitary inspector in London. She began her career as an educator in 1893, as a county council lecturer in
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...
and
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
. In 1894, Ravenhill began three years' service as the secretary to the
Royal British Nurses' Association
The Royal British Nurses' Association was founded in December 1887 by Ethel Bedford-Fenwick.
It described itself as a union or organisation of nurses for professional objects and campaigned for the establishment of a register of nurses. It want ...
. This was followed by working two years as a lecturer to the Co-operative Society and Women's Co-operative Guild.
At the start of the twentieth century, Ravenhill became a lecturer in Social and Household Science at the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
. As a representative of the British Board of Education, Ravenhill travelled to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
to learn more about the teaching of home economics in American universities. Through her studies and work activities, Ravenhill became a leader in developing home economics
curricula
In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...
in post-secondary institutions. She was also active in social welfare issues and was the first woman elected as a Fellow of the Royal Sanitary Institute.
In 1908 hygiene lecturer Ravenhill,
Hilda D. Oakeley
Hilda Diana Oakeley (12 October 1867 – 7 October 1950) was a British philosopher, educationalist and author.
Life and career
Hilda Oakeley was born in 1867 in Durham, UK. She was from a privileged upper-middle-class background. Her father, S ...
and
Thereza Rucker created a home science course at
King's College, London in the Women's Department.
[ Ravenhill had already developed the idea in 1901–1905.] By 1920 it was a subject for a degree and in 1928 the King's College of Household and Social Science
Queen Elizabeth College (QEC) was a college in London. It had its origins in the Ladies' (later Women's) Department of King's College, London, England, opened in 1885 but later accepted men as well.
The first King's 'extension' lectures for l ...
was formed to further their initial idea.
In 1910, Ravenhill emigrated to Canada and settled at Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island with her sister Edith, brother Horace, and Horace's son Leslie. She planned to stay only three or four years until her nephew was sufficiently independent. World War I intervened, the beloved nephew was killed in the Second Battle of Ypres, and Ravenhill never returned to England. She organized branches of the Women's Institute and travelled extensively throughout the United States and Canada as a lecturer, until accepting the post as Director of Home Economics at the State College State College is a city in central Pennsylvania, United States.
State College may also refer to:
Related to State College, Pennsylvania
* State College Area School District, a school district serving State College
* State College Area High School ...
in Logan, Utah. Ravenhill held this position until 1919 at which point she became very ill and had to return to British Columbia to convalesce for several years in Victoria with nursing care by her sister Edith.
In about 1926, Ravenhill was asked by the Women's Institute to research aboriginal designs suitable for hooked rugs. This interest led to Ravenhill learning more about the aboriginal culture of British Columbia, ultimately leading her to become a proponent of native rights. In 1938 she published ''Native Tribes of British Columbia'', a book intended to serve as an elementary school curriculum text. Two years later, in collaboration with Anthony Walsh, she founded the Society for the Furtherance of Indian Arts and Crafts in British Columbia, which later became the British Columbia Indian Arts and Welfare Society. She was the first secretary of the Society, and in its first eighteen months of existence, wrote over one thousand letters on its behalf. She was instrumental in the publication of two children's books, "Tale of the Nativity" which was done by Anthony Walsh's students at the Inkameep Indian School, and "Meet Mr. Coyote", done by Noel Stewart and his students at St. George's Indian Residential School in Lytton, B.C.
Ravenhill received an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of British Columbia in 1948 and an honorary Doctor of Home Economics from the American Association of Home Economics in 1950.
Books
Ravenhill left her papers, including articles written by her, to the Special Collections division of the UBC Librar
Books written by Ravenhill include:
* ''Lessons In Practical Hygiene For Use In Schools'' (1907)
* '' Moral Instruction And Training In Girls’ Elementary Schools In England'' (1908)
* ''The Native Tribes of British Columbia'' (1938)
* ''A Corner Stone of Canadian Culture: An Outline of the Arts and Crafts of the Indian Tribes of British Columbia'' (1944)
* ''Memoirs of an Educational Pioneer '' (1951)
* ''Folklore of the Far West, With Some Clues to Characteristics and Customs'' (1953)
References
Sources
BC Bookworld biography
* Ravenhill, Alice, ''Memoirs of an Educational Pioneer''
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ravenhill, Alice
1859 births
1954 deaths
Education in British Columbia
English emigrants to Canada
Canadian educators
Canadian women educators
Academics in British Columbia
Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
People from Vancouver Island
Utah State University faculty
Co-operative Women's Guild