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File consists of a recording of Mary Alice Murray. Topics of the conversation include hardworking poverty of students enrolled at Queen's to upgrade teaching certificates; 'big effort' of Dept. of Extension students (female teachers and male ministers) to obtain degrees. Procedure of two women from Gr. 13 class, Notre Dame convent, to university (poverty of many, lack of familial support); own notion, derived from instructress, of higher education as responsibility (noblesse oblige). University as road for women to teaching or librarianship only; selection of courses on grounds of pleasure, ability. Value of Latin as mental discipline, foundation of literacy; resurgence in school curricula. Eventual marriage of 90% of female university contemporaries (often to university acquaintances); single status as a woman's 'last choice'. Women's lack of financial motive in attending university, enjoyment of study for its own sake, unselfish ambition, freedom from craving for success. Employment in government income tax office, 1941-57, while living with parents. Deaths of parents; enrolment in Queen's newly-opened law school (surprised by its existence); small number of women law students (12/100 at bar admission, Toronto, 1961); rare status as mature student taking second degree. Positive, sceptical response of several friends, sympathy of income tax boss, 'he approved of all these efforts and went to bat for me.' Bored reaction to income tax work, 'still searching for something'; extensive outside reading. Loss of old friends by the wayside (to marriage etc.), continual necessity of making new ones; early education in independence as only child; affectionate attachment to live-in uncle, distress during law school over his death. Position as sole female graduate of first class of Queen's law school; friendly diversity of class members, parties at subject's home. Generalist nature of Queen's law programme, inability then to specialize. Revulsion against prospect of teaching law; appointment as Secretary, Queen's Faculty of Law; halt to degree at LLB stage. Small registration (85 students, 8 faculty); truth of Dr. Lederman's prophecy subject's job would be an evolving one; enjoyment, satisfaction, of registrarial career. Dedication of Dr. Lederman to Faculty of Law, extensive public relations efforts.// Setting of academic tone of Queen's Faculty of Law by Drs. Corry, Lederman. Importance in life of 'a certain turning outwards', concern for other people; narcissism as self-destruction. Single status as a helpful factor in unstinting professional service; married women's conflicts of interest, strong sense of duty to family, home; dependence of men's success in careers on singleminded freedom from necessity to look after themselves. Levelling off in law school applications, possibility of having reached demand limits for Ontario lawyers. Longlived university attitude to women as mere sexual items, jocular leering over women's applica tions, essays at wit 'We realise you came here for your MRS’; lack of motivation to encourage women to apply. Careful thought given to subject's initial title, 'Secretary of the Law School' (equivalent to current 'Assistant Dean'). Valued personal contact with students as law school Registrar. Value of university where women hold key visible positions, hope that such positions do not 'gravitate back' into hands of men. Inspirational character of Registrar Jean Royce; Royce's invaluable service to faculty and students. Importance of meeting both pure academic and applied career needs of students; value of pure academic liberty to roam through course offerings, sampling disciplines which one may not pursue but which are nonetheless stimulating. Middle-aged woman's fascination with new courses available thirty years after her original studies. Ban Righ Foundation for Continuing University Education (support body for mature female students); warm reception of mature students by Queen's student body; valuable contribution of mature students to university life. Queen's policy of attracting students from across Canada: value in dispelling likeminded sterility, providing graduates with nation-wide network of contacts. Dramatic increase in number of Kingston law firms willing to accept women articling students; lawyers' delight in 'superb' women lawyers. judges' increased acceptance of women lawyers. Logical reasoning as the preserve of female as well as male human beings; irritating expression, 'She thinks like a man.' Disadvantaged position of business women; Sam Zion's Toronto Star advice column; Things My Mother Never Taught Me. Re-education of public tendency to assume any unspecified professional must be a man; continuing small-scale insults to women (e.g. by radio­ broadcasters). Appreciation of women's movement protests (even when strident, objectionable) as sole means of forcing men's attention to problem of unequal status of women.

File consists of a recording of Mildred Nobles. Topics of the conversation include influence of Saskatchewan high school teachers (graduates of Queen's) in subject's decision to attend Queen's; Queen's extramural programme as sole viable study option. Avid reading habits as only child, prone to sickness, in Regina; ambition to learn. Three-year spell teaching out west combined with winter correspondence courses, summer attendance at Queen's; two years' full-time study and residence in Kingston. Detour of bats through Ban Righ Hall before installation of screened windows. Intense study habits of mature summer students. Meal-time formality in residence. Slight acquaintance with graduate Dr. Christine Rice, paucity of other women students entering her field. Employment with field pathologist, Ottawa; application for PhD programme motivated by job interest, pathologist's encouragement; enrolment U. of T. 1929-35. Large student enrolment in mycology, pathology; 20-hour student work-days; general research enthusiasm. Circumstantial element in subject's choice of speciality; realisation that fields of study equally fascinating exist by the hundred, are continually opening. Broad, satisfying basis of subject's speciality: work with forest pathologists across Canada, isolating pure fungus cultures for purpose of exact identification. Extensive original work, not only identifying cultures but establishing methods of culture comparison: crude at first, refined into highly satisfactory 'natural' system of classification distinguishing species on the basis of evolutionary developments. 'Nobles Code', system of representative digits used in combination to denote characteristics of fungus cultures, thus facilitating culture comparison; development into punchcard system, international adoption by scientists. Subject's George Lawson Award for contribution to botany; election to Royal Society of Canada. Demonstration at International Botanical Congress (1958), participation as sole woman member in 20-member international symposium at U. of Tennessee (1968); distinction as one of several pioneer women scientists honoured (1975) by Museum of Man, Ottawa. DisIike of 'woman scientist' designation, considered an irrelevant distinction; absence of sexist discrimination in Dept. of Agriculture, perhaps through influence of numerous female researchers, example set by previous women researchers. Separation of Dept. of Forestry from Dept. of Agriculture: subject's lack of direct contact with forest industry. Numerous enjoyable field trips: BC, Alberta, Ontario. Inexpressibly exciting, satisfying, rewarding life as research scientist; numerous international research trips following retirement (1969); occupational benefit of enjoying friends and interests everywhere.

File consists of a recording of Christine Rice. Topics of the conversation include childhood recollection of stove-heated country school (Lanark County). Great-grandfather's forced enrolment in navy, emigration from Dublin; wounds incurred in War of 1812, reward of good farm in Drummond County. Rice family library, bookishness; uncle as first editor of Perth Courier. Horse-and-cutter winter rides to Perth Collegiate, thumbed sleigh-rides. WWI plan whereby students quitting school to do farmwork were automatically awarded junior matriculation. Normal school attendance, 1920; short spell teaching. Extramural work from Queen's to qualify as high school teacher; regular attendance 1923-27. Mother's approval of academic ambition (father's death in 1918). Summer work in Halifax fisheries. Counsel from Queen's professor not to follow her preference for Physics, but to enroll in Biology, Chemistry as more eligible, suitable fields for women. Decision to teach in lieu of anything more compatible; desire to support self, widowed mother. Residence in Ban Righ the year it opened. Card games, dances; skating exercise to clear the head before exams; showshoeing. Seminal philosophy course with Reid MacCallum, 'Philosophy as affected by Science'; subject's fascination with atomic theory, subtleties of probability and statistics compared with cut-and-dried mechanistic world-view. Philosophy as excellent preparation for the research scientist, 'to get away from the notion that facts are facts'. Subject's readings in philosophy; current interest in Canadian novel as means of comparing French Canadians and English Canadians. Opinion that, allowing for change, Canada should remain unified; similar reactions of both cultures (though French Canadians may think faster). Subject's medal in Biology. Smelly maritime bacterial study of lobster decomposition under Dr. Macleod (associate of Drs. Banting, Best). PhD work in tuberculosis research, BCG vaccine (completed in 1931) broken by year's research in immunology, diagnosis (Dept. of Health, Albany).//Discrimination against subject as PhD student by MD students at U. of T. Subject's ambition, Iimited to research: observation of how good researchers are lured, pushed into administrative work; self-deception of administrators who think they will find time for research sideline. Administrative interference in research-work: pressure from grant councils to publish prematurely; pressure to state in applications what one will not know till one concludes research. Taxpayers' clamour for results; need for both pure and applied science; outstanding imaginative abilities needed for basic research. Subject's 13-year period in Public Health work, Albany; return to Kingston (1943) to research immunizing agents ('against things the Germans didn't use, but might have used') for Dept. of National Defence, Division of Bacteriological Welfare. Return to Albany (1945) for year's research into Influenza B virus; realisation one should take out citizenship in country one resides in; feeling of irrefutable Canadian identity, return to Canada. Work in Health of Animals Division, Dept. of Agriculture. Subject's key paper on imperfect applicability of human immunology research findings to animal species, and vice versa; danger of generalizations made from animal research findings (e.g. cancer research); problems of relative dosage, susceptibilities; thalidimide scandal. Memories of Nazi preparations in Freiburg during early 1930s: economic depression; manipulation of unemployed youth into feeling useful, happy solidarity; Hitler's pathological abuse of power; subject's feeling that power corrupts even the good man. Retirement, 1967. Agricultural fellowship to study cattle brucellosis in New Zealand; work teaching results to students in Seoul, Korea on return trip. Retirement projects in Perth: gardening, budget-work for local senior citizens' centre. //Subject's feeling as female professional of having to produce more than male colleagues. Once-a-year conference attendance; delegation of extra conferences to junior colleagues, partly for their benefit, partly through irritation at wasted time; opinion that this was a professional mistake. Subject as President, Perth Queen's Alumni; Alumni quarter-yearly programmes. McMartin House Senior Citizens' centre: grant applications; building reconstruction by Heritage Foundation; crafts, social activities; membership drive, desire for young members as well as old, for benefit of all generations; income from quilting activities; expensive utilities budget, dependence on grants. Problem of running drop-in centre for people who won't drop in. Desire that McMartin gardening club develop into branch of horticultural society. McMartin House finances, rental income. Previous membership in the University Women's Club. Leisure activities; homework keeping up with scientific literature; study, work, as subject's major lifelong interests. Dislike of senior citizens' party 'hub-bub'; hearing difficulties as socially inhibiting factor in aged. Secure position in Albany during Depression; reminiscences of real estate bargains, raiIroad transients. Varying wisdom of regional governments in dealing with Depression: dismissal of specialists during economic crisis later regretted during WWII.

File consists of a recording of Marion Ross.

File consists of a recording of Mary Rowland. Topics of the conversation include limited job opportunity for subject as Queen's Commerce graduate, 1928;usual female procedure into teaching, office work; job scarcity for statisticians. Career development: Ottawa Tariff Board position, recommended by Dr. Mackintosh (subject let go without notice after Stock Market crash, change of government); brief employment by Montreal advertising agency; Queen's library work, prompting study at U. of T. Library School (subsequent disappointing salary raise of $2 per week). Approach from Queen's fellow-student Sandy Skelton (Rhodes Scholar; son of O.D.Skelton, Queen's graduate prominent in Dept. of External Affairs), Chief of Research Dept., Bank of Canada, to organise most important financial library in Canada previous to Bank opening (1936). Organisation of library from scratch, 'a young librarian's dream'; appointment as Assistant to the Secretary (Skelton),Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations; huge Commission programme, enlisting eminent economists from across Canada (notably Drs. Mackintosh, Corry, Deutsch - all Queen's Principals). Subject's original Queen's degree programme, dominant interest in organisations: involvement as Levana Society president, captain of champion intercollegiate women's hockey team. Photographs of Levana executive, hockey team (including H. Laird); interviewer's fascination with changing style of hockey uniforms, short haircuts, 'tube' skates; subject's recent contact with members, still energetic, great travellers. Travel experiences: boat trip to visit German exchange­student (1937); trips abroad after 1958; yearly trips since 1970. Photographic hobby. Shelving of Royal Commission report with advent of WWII; subject's Personnel Dept. position in charge of Bank of Canada female employees. Personnel expansion during WWII: hiring students, housewives, retired persons by the hundred to staff War Savings Certificates Dept., Foreign Exchange Control Board; contrast with previous tight job market; low salaries (not till the end of war did salaries match work). Article on subject, 'Name in the News', Toronto Saturday Night; photo portrait by Karsh. Position as Assistant to Chief of Personnel, in charge of both sexes; reflection on sexual basis, now unacceptable, of previous position in charge of female employees. Recruiting for Bank at Queen's. Cancellation of Foreign Exchange Board, release of married women by Bank after WWII; retention of 200-300 single/needy women; general sentiment that women should make way for men in the post-war job market. Return of married women to paid work in the 1960s, related to 1950s baby boom; fluctuations in teaching job market; new options for women resulting in fewer women training as teachers. Interviewer's comment that today's students cling to studies to avoid facing employment difficulties; subject's comment that students/workers are cushioned now against unemployment as her generation was not. Happy period of personal professional expansion in 1950s; interesting, informative recruiting forays; competition with Civil Service for graduate students. Queen's as a continuing factor in subject's work-1ife;examples of Queen's economic grads snapped up by Ottawa government employers. Subject's father as Kingston banker (her introduction to Commerce); cashiering as almost exclusively female occupation, too routine for male workers. Male secretaries. Earl Maclaughlin (Head of Royal Bank), John Deutsch (Bank of Canada), as Queen's grads who worked from bottom to top. Stenography as women's work.//Job satisfaction hiring people and seeing them improve, fitting people to the right job. Decision to quit, based on change in office atmosphere, employee-employer relationship based on remuneration rather than attachment, loyalty. Mushrooming number of assistants; job mechanization; loss of human contact, stimulus; loss of identity in huge bureaucracy. Queen's as a closeknit organisation despite growth; present-day organisation of students for orientation. Subject's observation that in her day, students had to be serious to put up with boarding­house life for the sake of studies. Recollection of woman student secretly married before graduation (c. 1926), then unheard-of. Student activities as a vital part of university experience. Financial struggle as partial explanation of single status of many of subject's contemporaries (no easy credit, no possibility of wife working); imposition of single status on career-minded women. Unlimited budget as Bank librarian; government papers as core of financial library (any material having reached book form being out of date). Former attitude to equal work for unequal pay: resignation to acknowledged injustice, satisfaction sought in work itself.