Tricolour Award recipient and former Levana Society President Liz Muir, ArtSci ’56, rose from an isolated farming community to become a student leader, writer, and scholar.
In an interview with The Journal, Muir spoke about growing up in the small farming community of Pakenham, 40 miles out of Ottawa, which she recalled as being very isolating. She had few opportunities for extracurricular activities and often felt disconnected from the kinds of experiences students in towns or cities enjoyed.
Even her schooling was limited in scope. While she said she was able to succeed, she described it as “very local,” noting that the school lacked facilities such as athletics programs or extracurricular clubs.
Despite these limitations, Muir developed ambitions early. Despite ultimately earning a degree in English and French from Queen’s, as well as a PhD from McGill, she said “What I really wanted to do was be a mathematician.”
However, gender expectations shaped her choices because at the time, “girls just didn’t do mathematics,” and the idea of pursuing that path felt socially discouraged.
Her time at Queen’s marked a turning point as she immersed herself in campus life. She became involved in student activities and leadership, eventually serving as president of the Levana Society—the women’s student organization at the time—which was amalgamated into the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society in 1967.
Reflecting on that role, she described it as part of the early stirrings of modern feminism on campus, with some students believing women should dissolve the separate society. Muir ultimately chose to preserve the women’s organization during her presidency, though she later reconsidered that decision.
Looking back, she said she came to believe that “women shouldn’t be separated as glorified objects, but they should be on an equal role with men.”
As Levana president, she was a member of the AMS and participated in discussions on decisions affecting the student body, explaining those experiences taught her lessons about governance. Early in meetings, she sometimes spoke up immediately about issues, only to see her ideas rejected. Over time, she realized that effective governance required patience.
“You wait a bit and let other ideas come forward,” she explained. When someone introduces an idea later in the discussion, “your idea is more likely to be accepted […] I learned that in meetings, and that stood me well in other things that I did later on.”
Beyond student politics, Muir involved herself widely across campus life. She said she participated in the Glee Club, was the head of the women’s residence society, and occasionally wrote for The Queen’s Journal.
Her contributions earned her the Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award in her final year at university, which is the highest tribute that can be paid to a student for distinguished service, leadership, character, and community impact during their time at Queen’s. While based in Toronto, Muir made her way to Kingston on March 27 to attend this year’s Tricolour Award ceremony.
She explained that during her time, the ceremony was far less of a project than it is today. “I don’t think I knew that I was getting the award when I went to the formal,” she said.
After graduating, Muir’s career quickly took her beyond Canada. She said she was encouraged by Jean Royce, who was the Queen’s registrar at the time, to attend a business program connected to Harvard Business School at Radcliffe College. At the time, it was a women’s liberal arts college, although it has since merged with Harvad, as women weren’t permitted to enroll in the Harvard MBA program.
Professors taught male students in Boston before travelling across the river to Cambridge to instruct the Radcliffe women. The women completed a one-year diploma, while the men received a full MBA after two years. Despite this, Muir described the experience positively, saying that “we girls were very happy to be there because it was an unusual experience.”
She added that, during her time in university, Queen’s was seen to have higher standards than Harvard.
“At the time, American universities, what they taught, was basket weaving. You didn’t have to get the marks in American colleges that you had to get in Canadian colleges. You had to be a better student in Canada, and you had to work harder, and you had to achieve more, and I felt that at the time.”
Muir later worked in public relations for Canadian National Railways, writing press releases and articles. That role sparked an interest in writing that eventually led to academic and publishing work.
She explained her first published book was her PhD thesis, and afterwards she was approached to write books, something she enjoyed.
“It was kind of fun,” Muir said. “I was asked to write a lot of magazine articles, and it was difficult. I found writing difficult at first, [but] once you got the article started, then it started to flow, but it was starting the article that was a bit difficult.”
Muir has since published multiple works focused on women’s history, including Canadian Women in the Sky: 100 Years of Flight (2015), A Women’s History of the Christian Church: Two Thousand Years of Female Leadership (2019), and others.
Looking back, Muir believes the greatest lesson from her university years was the value of learning from those around you. University, she said, offers a rare opportunity to engage with scholars who possess deep knowledge and experience.
Her advice to students now is to “take advantage of the professors, because you may never have that opportunity again.”
Tags
Levana Society, Liz Muir, scholarship, Tricolour award, writing
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