Bette Stephenson
Bette Stephenson Ontario MPP | |
|---|---|
| In office 1975–1987 | |
| Preceded by | Dalton Bales |
| Succeeded by | Brad Nixon |
| Constituency | York Mills |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bette Mildred Stephenson July 31, 1924 Aurora, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | August 19, 2019 (aged 95) Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Spouse |
G. Allan Pengelly
(m. 1948; died 2013) |
| Children | 6[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto |
| Profession | Physician |
Bette Mildred Stephenson Pengelly .
Background
Stephenson was born in
She attained her medical degree from the University of Toronto in 1946. Stephenson practised medicine for more than 40 years. She was a member of the medical staff, a Director of the Outpatient Department, and Chief of the Department of General Practice at Women's College Hospital. She was also a member of the medical staff at North York General Hospital.[2]
She was a founding member of the College of General Practice in Canada, now known as the College of Family Physicians of Canada. She was also the first female member of the board of directors of the Ontario Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Association, and served as the first female president of both organizations.[4] In 1974, she released a report stating that there were too many foreign-born students at the University of Toronto, particularly from China. The statements she made led some Chinese physicians to create the Federation of Chinese Canadian Professionals of Ontario which later became the Chinese Canadian Medical Society.[5][6][7]
On behalf of the CMA, she lobbied then-
Politics
Stephenson was elected to the
On August 18, 1978, she was named
Stephenson was a driving force behind the ICON computer project, in which a thin client networked computer was designed and built to Ontario specifications for classroom use. Introduced in 1984, the ICON was controversial and was eventually orphaned with support discontinued in 1994.
Stephenson was not informed of Davis's decision in 1984 to extend full funding to Catholic high schools until the policy had already been decided, and was privately opposed but did not resign from cabinet in protest due to her loyalty to Davis.[1]
The Progressive Conservatives under Davis was considered a
When Miller replaced Davis as
Under Miller's leadership, the Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a tenuous
Cabinet positions
After politics
In the 1990s, Stephenson was appointed as a board member on the province's new Education Quality and Accountability Office, which monitors and reports to the public on the performance of the education system. From 1997 to 2005, she was chair of the Learning Opportunities Task Force.[17] and was involved with the Gwillimbury Foundation in its attempt to build a university in Queensville, Ontario. She is a founding member of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and also served on the boards of the Ontario Innovation Trust and the police services board overseeing the Ontario Provincial Police.[1]
In 1992, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of having "made exceptional contributions to society throughout her career".[18] In 1999, she was awarded the Order of Ontario and the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case.[19] The Bette Stephenson Centre for Learning, a York Region District School Board school in Richmond Hill offering adult education programs, was named after her.[20] In 2013, she was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.[21]
Stephenson died in Richmond Hill on August 19, 2019, at the age of 95.[22][23]
References
Notes
- ^ Post vacant until 1987 when Nixon named Deputy Premier.
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h Paikin, Steve (July 31, 2019). "Doctor, politician, force to be reckoned with: Bette Stephenson turns 95". TVO. TVOntario. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 0-8020-8865-1.
- ISBN 9780802045553.
- ^ "OMA women physician pioneers" (PDF). Ontario Medical Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
- ^ "The Doctor's Dilemma—Circa 1975". The Empire Club of Canada. Archived from the original on October 16, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- PMID 1109742.
- ^ "Chinese Canadian Medical Society: History". Federation of Chinese Canadian Professionals. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-230-61725-4.
- ^ "Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings". The Globe and Mail. September 19, 1975. p. C12.
- ^ "Davis rebuffs Rhodes after appointing him housing portfolio". The Globe and Mail. October 8, 1975. pp. 1, 2.
- ^ "Ontario provincial election results riding by riding". The Globe and Mail. June 10, 1977. p. D9.
- ^ Oziewicz, Stan; Yaffe, Barbara (August 19, 1978). "McCague, Baetz are demoted in cabinet shuffle". The Globe and Mail. pp. 1, 2.
- ^ Canadian Press (March 20, 1981). "Winds of change, sea of security". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. 22. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
- ^ "The Ontario Cabinet". The Globe and Mail. February 9, 1985. p. 4.
- ^ "Results of vote in Ontario election". The Globe and Mail. May 3, 1985. p. 13.
- ^ "The new Cabinet". The Globe and Mail. May 18, 1985. p. 11.
- ^ "Board Member Profile". Ontario Innovation Trust. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
- ^ Order of Canada citation
- ^ "Governor General Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case - Status of Women Canada". cfc-swc.gc.ca. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
- ^ Learning Centre Archived November 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Dr. Bette Stephenson". Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. 2013. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014.
- Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario. Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2024.(subscription required)
- ^ "Dr. Bette Stephenson Obituary - Thornhill, ON".
