Evlyn Fenwick Farris (21 August 1878 – 5 November 1971) was a scholar and advocate for continuing education and women's rights. She was the founder of the first University Women's Club of Vancouver, and was elected to the Senate of the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

Early life and education

Evlyn Fenwick Farris was born Evlyn Keirstead in Windsor,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

to Mary Jane Fenwick and Miles Kierstead, a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

Minister. Her mother and newborn brother died in 1890 of tuberculosis and bronchitis. In 1892, Evlyn entered Horton Collegial Academy, a Baptist high school. In 1894, she began her studies at Acadia College (now Acadia University) in Wolfville,

. At Acadia College, she began to write about the role of women in society and her strong beliefs that women and men should have the same access to education. In 1905, she married and moved to

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, ...

with

John Wallace de Beque Farris John Wallace de Beque Farris, (December 3, 1878 – February 25, 1970) was a Canadian lawyer and politician. Born in White's Cove, New Brunswick, the son of Laughlin P. Farris and Louise Hay, he was educated at St. Martin's Seminary, rece ...

, a

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

lawyer and politician.

University Women's Club of Vancouver

In 1907 Evlyn Fenwick Farris helped found the University Women's Club of Vancouver (UWCV), a social club for university-educated women and became its first President. The UWCV encouraged the founding of a provincial university and promoted a variety of socially progressive causes.

University of British Columbia

In 1917 Evlyn Fenwick Farris became the first woman in Canada to be appointed to the board of governors of a university — a founding governor of the

. She was also the first woman to be appointed to the

UBC The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top three ...

Senate. Active in its formation, the University Women's Club of Vancouver considered UBC as its "godchild".

References

External links

Farris Family Archives
at the University of British Columbia, Rare Books and Special Collections
www.uwcvancouver.ca - University Women's Club of Vancouver

www.uwctoronto.ca - University Women’s Club of Toronto - Our History

www.cfuw.org - Canadian Federation of University Women - Our Story, The Beginning of CFUW

www.graduatewomen.org - Graduate Women International - GWI History

www.library.ubc.ca/archives - Vancouver Sun, Feb 17, 1916, BC University Senate Meets for the First Time, p36

Early life and education

University Women's Club of Vancouver

University of British Columbia

References

External links

Further reading