History
After the end of World War Two, thoughts and energies turned from supporting the war effort to improving life in Canada. In Oshawa, women university graduates came together with the aim of working towards better conditions for women and their families and of encouraging more women to achieve a university education. Although today women make up at least 50% of graduates, this was certainly not the case in 1945. Only a few young women, mainly the well-to-do, even thought of obtaining a degree, and very few entered the professions.
An initial organizational meeting in the spring of 1945 saw twelve women from Oshawa, three from Whitby, and two from Brooklin gather to discuss forming a local branch of the Canadian Federation of University Women. Also present at this meeting were the president of the St. Catharine’s club, Miss Eva Everson, and the national CFUW president, Dr. Ursula MacDonnell, both of whom were visiting family in Oshawa. These latter served as a valuable inspiration and resource, and in the fall of 1945, the University Women’s Club of Oshawa and District, as it was then called, was formed with 45 members.
An initial organizational meeting in the spring of 1945 saw twelve women from Oshawa, three from Whitby, and two from Brooklin gather to discuss forming a local branch of the Canadian Federation of University Women. Also present at this meeting were the president of the St. Catharine’s club, Miss Eva Everson, and the national CFUW president, Dr. Ursula MacDonnell, both of whom were visiting family in Oshawa. These latter served as a valuable inspiration and resource, and in the fall of 1945, the University Women’s Club of Oshawa and District, as it was then called, was formed with 45 members.