A chilly Spring day has never yet dampened the fun of being together at our Spring Luncheon and Annual General Meeting. President Mooréa welcomed everyone by highlighting a letter from our archives, written by our first President Annie Davidson after she moved to Port Rouge (Winnipeg.) Ms. Davidson wrote with so much gratitude for the wonderful members and friends of the Calgary Women’s Literary Club. More than a century later, our current President expressed her own gratitude for something that hasn’t changed: our club of wonderful members and friends. It may be the key to lasting 118 years!
We were honored to have Annie Murray, Librarian for Archives and Special Collections at the University of Calgary, as this year’s Guest Speaker. She is responsible for the preservation of our Club’s fonds. The word “fonds” refers to a collection of documents and artifacts from specific people or institutions. They are original, unique materials that are not published. Americans use the term “collection.” Annie describes our CWLC fonds as tiny, but vital, they take up merely one metre of 12.4 linear kilometers in the U. of C. archives. They contain (*almost) our entire history since its founding in 1906: its constitution, programs, minutes, and membership lists, as well as correspondence, photos and newspaper articles. Ms. Murray was impressed with the club’s continuity of records, taking us on a journey through time and customs as society evolves. Our Club Historian Sandra thanked Annie for “taking care of our women since 1906.”
We continued with the formal part of the Annual General Meeting, which celebrates the accomplishments of the past year and sets the stage for the season to come. It’s also a chance to thank our outgoing President and Board, and welcome our new President and Board. We are looking forward to our first meeting in October 2024, and a deep-dive into Irish Writers!
*Our 1934, 1935 and 1936 records are missing, which is noted in CWLC Minutes as early as 1937. We hope someday someone will discover the files, find we are still a going concern, and donate those missing pieces of our history.
NOTE: Annie Murray is Curator of the current exhibit at the Nickle Gallery, Calgary, April 12 to July 19, 2024:
H.G. Wells: A Scientific Romance
Guest post by Janet H