VWA (Victoria Women's Association)

^{L-R: Andrew Wesley, HyeRan Kim-Cragg, principal of Emmanuel College, and Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo, assistant professor, June Callwood Professor in Social Justice and special advisor on Indigenous issues.}

When: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2 p.m.

Where: Wymilwood Lounge, Goldring Student Centre, 150 Charles St. W., main floor. The lounge can be accessed through the Cecil Atrium.

About this event: The speakers will explore the genesis and evolution of Victoria University’s Indigenous Healing Garden, located between Victoria University’s two colleges, Victoria and Emmanuel. Weather permitting, the discussion will also include a visit to the garden.

About the speakers:

• HyeRan Kim-Cragg is principal of Emmanuel College and the inaugural Timothy Eaton Memorial Church Professor of Preaching. She is the author of numerous books and articles.
• Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo is an assistant professor, June Callwood Professor in Social Justice and special adviser on Indigenous issues. He is from a Mohawk community near Montreal and his interests include Indigenous interactions with Christianity and the Church.
• Andrew Wesley is an Omushkego Cree Anglican priest from Fort Albany First Nation who lives in Toronto with his family. He holds a Master of Divinity from the University of Toronto, where he served as an Elder, including in roles with First Nations House and the Council of Aboriginal Initiatives. In 2025, he received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his extensive leadership in promoting interfaith understanding in Canada.

^{Professor Bob Davidson}

When: Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2 p.m.

Where: Alumni Hall, Room 112, Old Vic

About this event: In this talk, Prof. Davidson will undertake a multisensory examination of select early 20th-century perfumes from the Spanish house Myrurgia and consider the ways in which they exoticize both an undefined “Orient” and Spain’s southern region of Andalucía. He will pay particular attention to Maja, its publicity campaign and packaging, and the iconoclastic dancer, choreographer and painter Carmen Tórtola Valencia.

Note: This talk will involve the active smelling of vintage perfumes. Those with scent sensitivities are advised.

About the speaker: Bob Davidson is the Mary Rowell Jackman Professor of Humanities at Victoria and the author of Jazz Age Barcelona and The Hotel: Occupied Space. He is president of the North American Catalan Society and chairs the Manuscript Review Committee of University of Toronto Press. He takes his martini with a little extra vermouth and both an olive and a twist.

When: Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2 p.m.

Where: Alumni Hall, Room 112, Old Vic

About this event: “Vic Now” with Kelley Castle, dean of students, Hana Greenberg, VUSAC president, and Keith Thomas, chair of the Board of Regents, will provide the VWA with updates on current issues affecting the Office of the Dean of Students, students and Victoria University.

About the speakers:

• Kelley Castle, dean of students, leads the Office of the Dean of Students and is responsible for the oversight and strategic leadership of non-academic student life and affairs, including non-academic student conduct and crisis response.
• Hana Greenberg, VUSAC president, is responsible for shaping VUSAC’s goals, supporting council members with their events and initiatives and representing VUSAC at the University of Toronto.
• Keith Thomas, chair of the Board of Regents, is a partner at Abbeywood Partners, president of Restorative Justice Housing Ontario and a member of the board of Kindred Works. He has also served on the Governing Council of the University of Toronto.

^{Vickery Bowles}

When: Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2 p.m.

Where: Alumni Hall, Room 112, Old Vic

About this event: A collaborative meeting with the Friends of Victoria University Library. Around the world, democratic values and freedoms face serious challenges as individuals and institutions confront rampant disinformation and increasing opposition to intellectual freedom on a wide range of issues, through all forms of media and across the political and social spectrums. Public libraries are under pressure as they respond to increasing requests to censor materials and work to combat disinformation. Toronto Public Library’s response to these challenges includes policy development, programming, civic engagement, education and advocacy.

About the speaker: Vickery Bowles was Toronto’s city librarian from 2015 to 2025. Throughout her tenure, she demonstrated a strong belief in the difference public libraries make in the lives of individuals, communities and cities. Her dedication to intellectual freedom has been a hallmark of her career. She has championed the public library as a vital democratic institution, uniquely positioned to preserve and protect democratic values and freedoms. She led the development of a comprehensive set of initiatives, ranging from programming and civic engagement to policy development and advocacy, including the adoption of an Intellectual Freedom Statement to guide policies, service planning and communications.

Vickery is the former chair of the Urban Libraries Council (ULC), headquartered in Washington, D.C., and was a member of the Canadian Urban Libraries Council (CULC) and a board member of the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries (FOPL).

^{Professor Daniel Bender.}

When: Wednesday, March 24, 2 p.m.

Where: Alumni Hall, Room 112, Old Vic

About this event: We can taste climate change in the glass and sense the impact of rising temperatures. As many of the world’s most prominent wine regions face existential crises, sustainability is about more than preserving our environment; it is also about saving culturally and economically vital aromas and tastes.

About the speaker: Professor Daniel Bender is the Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in Food and Culture and a professor of Food Studies. He is the author of many books and articles, including The Food Adventurers: How Around-the-World Travel Changed the Way We Eat and The Animal Game: Searching for Wildness at the American Zoo, and co-editor of Food Mobilities: Making World Cuisines. He is co-chair of the editorial collective of Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies and president of the Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS).

He is also a founding member of the Culinaria Research Centre. He completed his Wine and Spirits Trust Diploma (DipWSET) in 2024, winning the Sandeman Port Prize. He is currently working on a book about the history and future of wine tasting in the era of climate change.

^{Associate Professor Thomas Reynolds.}

When: Wednesday, April 21, 11:40 a.m. for noon

Where: Alumni Hall, Room 112, Old Vic

About this event: Celebrate 130 years of the VWA with members, guests and the Vic community at lunch and listen to Thomas Reynolds as he uses the piano to illustrate his topic, “Improvisation and Life: Some Insights from Jazz.”

Reynolds explains that improvisation is a fundamental feature of jazz. It can also be an imaginative way of exploring human flourishing and spiritual vitality, linking creative personal expression with communal transformation and belonging. In his book Moving to Higher Ground, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts observes that jazz’s innovative and adaptive character involves a range of postures and activities, including risk, courage, trust, respect, attentive listening, navigating change and working things out with others.

Jazz resonates with hope and vitality, resilience and resistance. Through description and musical demonstration, this presentation will explore how jazz music offers insights into improvisation in human life as a transformative and spiritual mode of being in the world.

About the speaker: Thomas Reynolds is an associate professor of Theology at Emmanuel College. Committed to an interdisciplinary and relational vision of theology, he is especially interested in interreligious dialogue and disability studies, and has published numerous articles and two books. His second book, Vulnerable Communion: A Theology of Disability and Hospitality, reflects on his life as a parent of a child with disabilities and seeks to promote greater openness to disability experience in faith communities.

Connected to this work, and as a jazz pianist, Reynolds has been exploring music as a way to reimagine care, faith and living transformatively together in community. In his younger days, he played music professionally in Nashville, Tennessee. He now continues to compose music and perform regularly in the Toronto music scene with his jazz trio and other groups.

Luncheon

We look forward to seeing you and members of the Vic community.

If you have any food requirements, please let us know or email the VWA by Thursday, April 1, at vwa1897@gmail.com.

Cost: TBD (tickets must be purchased by Thursday, April 1.)

• You may bring cash (exact change is appreciated) or a cheque, payable to the Victoria Women's Association, to the Feb. 24 and March 24 VWA meetings.
• Cheques, payable to the Victoria Women's Association, may also be mailed to the VWA, c/o Alumni Office, Victoria University, 73 Queen's Park Cres. E., NFH 106, Toronto, M5S 1K7.
• This is a ticketed event and we can accommodate only those with tickets to hear our speaker.

The VWA Annual General Meeting follows at 2 p.m.

Membership

Every fall, the VWA sends members and donors the Membership/Donation form, the new Programme along with the newsletter. The annual membership fee is $20 which may be paid at meetings by cash or by cheque, payable to the Victoria Women's Association. A cheque may also be mailed to the VWA mailing address below. If you wish to receive a receipt, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The VWA Executive keeps in touch with members and reminds them of upcoming meetings if a member so wishes. If informed, the Corresponding Secretary also sends cards to members for diverse reasons.

Contact Information

Mailing Address: VWA, c/o Victoria University, Alumni Affairs & Advancement, Northrop Frye Hall 106, 73 Queen's Park Crescent, Toronto, ON M5S 1K7

E-mail: vwa1897@gmail.com

For donations to the Victoria Women's Association Bursary Fund, see the Bursaries and Scholarships drop-down below.

Membership and Donation Form

Oct. 22, 2025: “Current Issues in International Politics” with Ambassador David Wright, Kenneth and Patricia Taylor Distinguished Professor of Foreign Affairs, Victoria College.

Nov. 26, 2025: “Reconciliation and Supporting First Nations Children” with Sarah Clarke, Clarke Child & Family Law.

Jan. 28, 2026: “Vic Now” with Kelley Castle, Dean of Students; Rohini Patra, VUSAC President; Keith Thomas, Chair of the Board of Regents. Cancelled due to weather.

Feb. 25, 2026: This is a joint meeting with Friends of Victoria University Library. “Painted Out of the Picture: The Two Wives of Lawren Harris, Group of Seven” with Angie Littlefield, author and curator.

March 25, 2026: “The Artistry of Care: Theology, Disability, and Belonging Together” with Thomas Reynolds, Associate Professor of Theology, Emmanuel College.

April 22, 2026: Annual Luncheon. Celebrate 128 years of the VWA with members, guests and the Vic community and listen to the talk “Women and Art at Victoria University, Continued” with Gerrie Loveys, Vic Art Curator.

Oct. 23, 2024: “Sjögren’s Disease: The Second Most Common Autoimmune Disease (that you likely never heard of)” with DR. LESLIE P. LAING, Prosthodontist/Immunologist

Nov. 27, 2024: “Creating Florence: Who Made the Renaissance City?” with PROF. NICHOLAS TERPSTRA, History, U of T, Provost of Trinity College

Jan. 22, 2025: “Vic Now” with ANTHONY YEUNG, Interim Bursar
KELLEY CASTLE, Dean of Students
JUHYUNG YUN, VUSAC President

Feb. 26, 2025: This is a joint meeting with Friends of Victoria University Library. “In the Presence of Poetry: Field Notes from the Cowper & Newton Museum” with PROF. ALEX HERNANDEZ, Principal of Victoria College

March 26, 2025: “The Gardiner Museum: Building Community from the Ground Up” with GABRIELLE PEACOCK, Executive Director and CEO of the Gardiner Museum

April 16, 2025: Annual Luncheon. Celebrate 128 years of the VWA with members, guests and the Vic community and listen to the talk “Women and Art at Victoria University” with GERRIE LOVEYS, Vic Art Curator

The VWA Annual General Meeting follows at 2 p.m.

Oct. 25, 2023: “Form Follows Content: Designing Museum Exhibitions" with Christine Elson, experiential designer.

Nov. 22, 2023: "Milestones and Monuments: Reflections on Women and Churches in Canada and around the World" with The Rev. Dr. HyeRan Kim-Cragg, principal of Emmanuel College.

Jan. 24, 2024: "Vic Now" with Kelley Castle, Dean of Students; Shane Joy, VUSAC President; Louise Yearwood, Executive Director, Alumni Affairs and Advancement.

Feb. 28, 2024: Joint meeting with Friends of Victoria University Library: "Un-settling Upper Canada: Real and Fictional Colonies in the 1820s" with Prof. Angela Esterhammer, Principal of Victoria College.

March 27, 2024: "Painted Out of the Picture: The Wives of the Group of Seven" with Angie Littlefield, author/curator.

April 17, 2024: Annual Luncheon. Celebrate 127 years of the VWA with members, guests and the Vic community and listen to the talk, "The Citizen Lab: What Happens When Videos of Cute Cats Meet "Big Brother"?" with Irene Poetranto, senior researcher at The Citizen Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto. The AGM follows.

Our constitution states, "The purpose of this Association shall be to promote the interests of students of Victoria University and to advance the cause of student education." Our contributions to bursaries and scholarships are integral to fulfilling this mandate.

The Victoria Women’s Association Bursary Fund: From its beginning in the 1890s, the Association has helped students in need; it formed the first fund for that purpose in 1909. Today, the VWA raises money annually for its endowed Bursary Fund through which it continues to assist Vic students financially. Please note that Victoria College, and not the VWA, selects the recipients of these bursaries.

Please join us in supporting Victoria College students in financial need with your donation to our Bursary Fund. A tax receipt will be issued for all donations to the Victoria Women’s Association Bursary Fund (Charitable Registration No. 119285419RR0001).

There are several ways to make your donation:

By cheque: 

Please mail your donation cheque, payable to the Victoria Women’s Association Bursary Fund, to:

VWA, c/o Victoria University, Alumni Affairs & Advancement, Northrop Frye Hall 106, 73 Queen's Park Crescent, Toronto, ON M5S 1K7

If you wish to add the $20 membership fee to your cheque, please note this in the MEMO section. The VWA will transfer the membership fee to its Operating Fund.

By Interac e-Transfer to vwa1897@gmail.com

To receive a charitable tax receipt, please include your full name, telephone number, and mailing and email addresses in the Purpose and Message section. You will receive an email from your bank confirming that the VWA has received the funds. Your charitable tax receipt will be mailed to you by the VWA.

If you wish to add the $20 membership fee, please note this in the Purpose and Message section. The VWA will transfer the membership fee to its Operating Fund.

Online

If you choose to donate online, visit the Victoria Women’s Association Bursary Fund.  A tax receipt will be sent to you by Victoria University.

Planned Gifts

To discuss a planned gift, such as a bequest in your will for the Victoria Women’s Association Bursary Fund, gifts of securities, life insurance, RSP, or RIF, please contact Sharon Gregory, associate director, gift planning, Victoria University, at 416-813-4050 or sharon.gregory@utoronto.ca.

Ethel Bennett Scholarship: In 1978, the VWA established a scholarship in honour of Ethel Granger Bennett, a long-time VWA member and the president of the organization from 1949 to 1958. This scholarship is now part of the Harold and Ethel Bennett Scholarship.

Margaret Addison Scholarship: Margaret Addison, who was instrumental in the founding of the VWA along with Margaret Burwash, served as the VWA president from 1921 to 1933. The first dean of residence and then dean of students, she retired as dean in 1931, and the VWA established a fund of $5,000 for her use. After Addison’s death in 1940, this fund and the money that the Alumnae Association had raised were combined to form this scholarship. As a result, every other year the income is awarded to a Vic woman for graduate study outside of Canada.

The 2026 Margaret Addison Scholarship recipient is Maria Jose Gendron Romero.

Other Contributions: The Association also contributes financially to new Scholarships and Bursaries established by Vic administrators and faculty members, such as those formed by Larry Davies, former executive director of Alumni Affairs, or, those founded in their honour, such as the one for Prof. Sheila Cook, a VWA Executive member who died in 2019. The VWA also contributes annually to the students’ (VUSAC) BIPOC award.

Over the years, the VWA has raised an enormous amount of money for the benefit of Victoria and Vic students. These financial contributions were acknowledged when the VWA was granted lifetime membership in U of T’s Presidents’ Circle recognition society in 2007. It also received the prestigious Arbor Award from U of T in 2013 “in recognition of the organization’s service and impact” and “because [of] the generosity and dedication of its members.” The VWA is also a member of Victoria University’s Ivy Society which recognizes donors who have given $100,000 or more since 1903.

Thank you for your support of the VWA!

Membership and Donation Form

The VWA is pleased to celebrate the leadership and contributions of all the presidents of the Association. Until 1964 the presidents were the wives of Vic administrators or, in the case of Margaret Addison, an administrator herself. Marguerite Fidler was the first president not connected to the administration and insisted that men were welcome as members. She served with great enthusiasm from 1964 to 1966.

Honorary Presidents: Joan Breukelman, Past VWA President and Bursary Treasurer; Anne Christie; Rick (Massey) Somerville; Prof. Pauline Thompson

1897-1912      Margaret Burwash

1912-1921      Julia Graham

1921-1933      Margaret Addison

1933-1949     Maud Brown

1949-1958     Ethel Bennett

1958-1964     Helen Frye

1964-1966    Marguerite Fidler

1966-1968    Ruth Fallis

1968-1971     Dorothy Crummey

1971-1974      Alice Jackson

1974-1975     Ruth Hodgetts

1975-1978     Suse Eggert

1978-1980    Doris Stokes

1980-1982    Audrey McCullough

1982-1985     Joan Breukelman

1985-1988     Audrey Chapple

1988-1991     Joyce Clarke

1991-1994     Margaret Roots

1994-1999    Marian Gibson

1999-2000    Joan Breukelman & Audrey McCullough

2000-2004   Anne Sinclair

2004-            Diane Dyer

In looking back at some of the achievements of the VWA (Victoria Women’s Association), we recognize the remarkable impact that the Association has had on the education of women, particularly in the early years: the Association not only encouraged women to attend university but also aided them financially whenever possible.

In March 1897, Margaret Burwash, wife of Vic’s Chancellor-President, took the chair of a meeting over the objections of some men who were convinced that women were incapable of acting as chair. This meeting took place in the Vic chapel in order to form a group that became known as the VWA. One of its purposes was to raise money for land and furnishings for a residence for women students who were lacking a safe home after Vic’s move from Cobourg to Toronto in 1892. This had worried some women, among whom were alumnae, wives of Vic faculty and administrators, and Methodists. However, they were encouraged when Vic received a bequest of $50,000 from businessman, philanthropist, and reliable Vic benefactor, Hart Massey, for such a residence in 1896. After intensive and sometimes difficult fundraising, the determined and dedicated women successfully raised enough so that in 1903, Annesley Hall opened under the management of the VWA with Margaret Addison as Dean of Residence.

Read More About the History of the VWA