Merle Massie, PhD 📚✒️🚜🇨🇦 Profile picture
Author. Historian. Farmer. Prof Research Associate CCRAH USask. Tweets are my own.

Aug 27, 2020, 15 tweets

Alright. With my new book on the shelves @McNallySK and @usask gearing up to host an online launch September 15th AND an appearance @JohnGormleyShow this Friday, here's another 10 things about #SylviaFedoruk:

1. She might be famous for her work with #cobalt60, but her first @usask summer job was to work on the betatron. Even though it was used primarily for cancer treatment, it was in the physics building, not the hospital.

2. Sylvia was a huge Liberace fan, and loved anything camp.

3. She played five years under Huskiette basketball coach Ivan King, known as Ivan the Terrible for his yelling and bad temper. But he ran a tight ship and they won 5 consecutive inter varsity trophies. Here Syl pushes Ivan at a Huskiette reunion in the late 1970s.

4. In 1960, she went as a player to the first unofficial Canadian Ladies curling championship, starting off a yearly tradition that continued through changes, to today's Scott Tournament of Hearts (Scotties).

5. One of her proudest moments was winning election as Chancellor (It's now an appointed position) against 3 men in 1986. Her she is at Convocation 1986 holding up her original @usask Freshie beanie.

6. Becoming Lieutenant Governor, Syl got to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace. But truthfully, Syl met Queen Elizabeth, or saw her go by in a motorcade, no fewer than seven times, with at least 3 in-person meetings!

7. Every LG gets their own coat of arms. Sylvia's special sigil was -- you guessed it -- a nuclear symbol.

8. Sylvia Fedoruk never pursued a PhD -- but she was granted honorary doctorates from four universities. The last one to present her with that honour? Her own @usask in 2006.9

9. Lest ye think that Sylvia was all scientist, sports icon and stateswoman, I'll end this round with two fun pics of Sylvia, relaxing and having fun. She loved skits and games and dressing up. Two fisted drinking? Sure!

10. And lastly, KFC and a stogie to end this tweet string. Good food, friends, laughter and enjoyment: that was Sylvia.

And if you'd like to see the last round of ten, look here:

Missed adding this pic, above. Sylvia's honorary doctorate @usask.

Note: all photos come from the Sylvia Fedoruk collection @sask_uasc !

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