Myra Ava Freeman (born May 17, 1949) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
philanthropist, teacher, the
29th and first female
Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.
Freeman was born Myra Ava Holtzman in
Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of K ...
, the daughter of Anne Golda (Freedman), a homemaker, and Harry Holtzman, a businessman. She graduated from
Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education. In 1971, she started teaching with the
Halifax Regional School Board
The Halifax Regional Centre for Education (formerly Halifax Regional School Board) is the public school district responsible for 136 elementary, junior high, and high schools located in the Halifax Regional Municipality in Halifax County, Nova Scot ...
until her appointment.
She was appointed Lieutenant Governor in 2000 by
Governor General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Louise Clarkson (; ; born February 10, 1939) is a Hong Kong-born Canadian journalist who served from 1999 to 2005 as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation.
Clarkson arrived in Canada with her family in 19 ...
, on the advice of
Jean Chrétien. She served as lieutenant governor until September 7, 2006.
Freeman and her husband, Larry, have three children:
Daniel M. Freeman, Jonathan Freeman and Debra Freeman.
In her childhood, Freeman was a member of the
Girl Guides of Canada
Girl Guides of Canada (GGC; french: Guides du Canada) is the national Guiding association of Canada. Guiding in Canada started on September 7, 1910, and GGC was among the founding members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (W ...
, participating in Guiding youth programs.
Honours
;Honorary degrees
Honorary military appointments
* 2003:
Honorary Captain
Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) is a term used for a group of military ranks which is higher than havildar (non commissioned officer) and lower than lieutenant (commissioned officer). The term is only used by Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Seni ...
of
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...
Commander of
Maritime Forces Atlantic
In the Canadian Forces, Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT) is responsible for the fleet training and operational readiness of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. It was once referred to as Canadian Atlantic Station.
...
.
Arms
References
Past Lieutenant Governors of Nova Scotia Government of Nova Scotia. Accessed 2010-12-22.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Myra
1949 births
Living people
Lieutenant Governors of Nova Scotia
Members of the Order of Nova Scotia
Politicians from Saint John, New Brunswick
People from Halifax, Nova Scotia
Dalhousie University alumni
Jewish Canadian politicians
Women in Nova Scotia politics
Canadian women viceroys
Jewish women politicians