KAY SIGURJONSSON

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KAY SIGURJONSSON 1933 - 2016 On November 30, 2016 at Toronto Western Hospital, after a remarkably full and productive life despite the chronic lung disease that has now taken her from us. Kay grew up in small-town Manitoba, the eldest of five children of J.E. "Eddy" and Clara Sigurjonsson. Predeceased by her sister Tanis; brother John and niece Jennifer; she leaves two sisters, Enid Robinson in Binscarth and Pat Rogers in Winnipeg, and several nieces and nephews and their families. After undergraduate work on scholarship at United College, Kay obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Honours English) and a Bachelor of Paedagogy from the University of Manitoba, winning Gold Medals in both programs. She taught high school in Manitoba, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. While teaching at United College she joined a number of colleagues in resigning over a landmark case of academic freedom. Kay moved to Toronto in 1960 to take up a graduate fellowship at Trinity College. Her consistent brilliance as student and teacher clearly suggested an academic career. Kay, however, had other ideas. She found a natural niche with the Federation of Women Teachers' Associations of Ontario (FWTAO) where she rose to Associate Executive Director, editing the Federation's publications, supervising the work of the collective bargaining department, and coordinating the Federation's affirmative action programs aimed at bringing more women into decision-making positions in school systems. Among her many professional associations, Kay was a "founding mother" of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. She served as national President of the Canadian Association in Support of Native Peoples, on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and as a member of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee to increase the pool of women and racial minorities for appointment to the Ontario Bench. In all of these initiatives Kay's complete grasp of the issues, her keen political awareness and articulate presence in meeting rooms and on public platforms made her a formidable advocate, and earned her a permanent place in the history of the women's movement in Canada. Kay moonlighted for three seasons as co-host of CBC TV's public affairs program "Weekend." During a sabbatical from the FWTAO she earned a Master's degree from the London School of Economics. Family members, many friends and former colleagues gathered in Baillie Court at the Art Gallery of Ontario on December 11 to remember Kay's legacy, warmth and spirited engagement with life. Donations in Kay's memory may be made to the Canadian Women's Foundation at 416-365-1444, www.canadianwomen.org, or to Doctors Without Borders at 1-800-982-7903, www.doctorswithoutborders.org.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 07, 2017