Maggie's Back in Town

Thursday, October 24, 2001

Great Canadian women often are ignored in our history books. Because they generally did not rush off to bomb or bayonet some poor blighter, their accomplishments are ignored. Building a country takes more than bombs and bayonets with the blood and guts hanging in the trees. It takes real intestinal fortitude, or courage, to be a woman in a world dominated by men.

Most men will have punched the "Delete" button by now, because the truth and a strong woman scare them. For the women and the few brave men left reading, here is a story of one particular Canadian lady by the name of Maggie. She was not alone in her battle, countless grandmothers can tell you similar stories. There were many venues of female exploitation, Schoolmarms, Banks, Authors, Medicine and Politics, to name but a few. Things are better today, but are still a long way from equality or a level playing field. Maggie and the others were not perfect. They seldom had a mentor, nor were the "men's rules" written down anywhere for them to read. Often other women were antagonistic or backstabbing, but the strong ones persevered.

Maggie was born in Ingersol ON in 1914, of strong pioneer stock whose ancestors cleared the streets of Toronto with a Broad ax as part of Lord Simcoe's group of settlers. This group spread up North to Markham and across Southern Ontario, clearing the trees, pulling the stumps, planting the soil and raising families.

Maggie was a twin, with four other siblings. You had to be quick to get an extra biscuit at the table in their house. Being identical twins is not easy, and the rivalry for attention was most complex. Maggie and Sister Edna were simply called "Twin" as in "Twin make your bed, Twin do the dishes." Not a great way to develop individuality. Maggie at four or five fell on an indelible pencil, which pierced her cheek, leaving a blue dot. Now they could be told apart face on, but were still "Twin make your bed" from the back. In later life her or Edna's children had trouble telling them apart. Maggie married three times and bore four children, three boys and a girl to her first and one girl to her second husband.

Maggie and George (husband #1) married during the depression. George was a Huckleberry Finn type so it was hard scrabble and skim milk. With only part time jobs and black listed as a socialist agitator until 1939, he was suddenly "White-listed" and off to the war George did go. He left Maggie with four kids, the oldest 10, the youngest two. This was not uncommon in many families in WW2. What our government was doing boggles the mind. Our young healthy males were sent to England, where young healthy English girls waited for their men to return from North Africa and Italian battle zones. This was very unhealthy indeed for any marriage. Our young healthy females here at homes also faced an unhealthy situation that destroyed many marriages. Divorce was complex as the divorce courts recognized only adultery as grounds to terminate a marriage. Since both parties were waltzing around in different countries the inevitable happened. Cupid does not recognize wedding rings.

Maggie took up with, and eventually married, husband number two. "Uncle Joe" to the kids, worked in war plants and shipyards and provided for the family. Maggie worked in war plants in Toronto and Vancouver. On VE day they arrived in Penticton BC in a 1935 Terriplane roadster with bald tires. VJ day followed and Maggie started her career in Journalism with the Penticton Herald. George returned and uncontested divorce ensued. Maggie and "Uncle Joe" married and left for the USA where their little girl was born. Life on the other side of the border was not as green as it looked, so they moved to Vancouver, where Maggie became a reporter for the Vancouver Province, along side of Pierre Berton who was getting reestablished after "D-mob" (demobilization). Newspapers at that time were male dominated, so Maggie was given the Marriages and Ladies Social beat at half the pay of Pierre. The one saving grace was that a few stale sandwiches for the kids and Berton could be purloined from time to time. Picking the pocket lint out of egg salad sandwiches was not an easy skill to master. Berton just scarfed them down, lint and all, or so Maggie said.

The late forties and early fifties saw a boomtown Vancouver explode outward into the Fraser River Delta farm areas with single family jerry built dwellings. Maggie said goodbye to the half pay and stale sandwiches at the Province and went into Real Estate. Many returning service men were after the fast buck and there was little room for women, but by hard work and countless hours of showing homes, Maggie made money for the male Agency owner and her self. She realized she was still earning half pay again as the males dominated the ownership of the Agencies. Her next step was to open a "Women's Agency", which confounded her competitors until they discovered that women sell more houses than men do. Simple. The wife in reality buys the house, so you'd better provide another female to sell it to her if you are smart.

A gross error then took place. Maggie sold a huge meat processing plant to a consortium of men and thought she was in the big time. She really believed that men could shake hands and stand by their word. Being promised many things, she was persuaded to work exclusively for this consortium. Soon she was running here, running there and waiting for commissions that never came, her Agency failed and so did her second marriage. She went broke.

She refused to be beaten back into a Molly House Mouse. She got involved in mining. This was not a great success but, Maggie discovered the largest piece of Jade ever found in the province, if not in all of North America. It was hauled out and shipped to Japan for cutting and distribution to craftsmen in Japan and China. Her mining adventures brought more experience than profit, but climbing mountains and wading through moose pastures kept food on the table and a roof over their heads. Around this time she met husband #3, Charlie, who was ex RCAF, multi-talented and very supportive of all her projects. He put up with a herd of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren in their long life together. He and Maggie teamed up for 36 years and were together until she died at the turn of this century.

Japan was interested in BC lands and forests products as it rebuilt its post war ruined economy. A lawyer friend introduced Maggie to a Japanese business delegation. The Japanese have respect for woman in a different way than what you see in the movies. "Momma San" is quiet and demure when you see her in public but do not be fooled. In the oriental family, the Grandmother or mother is extremely powerful. They often make the final decision in family affairs as well as in business. Maggie informed the Japanese of the tremendous forestry possibilities in the Bella Coola area on BC's north coast. The Japanese delegation hired Maggie to put together a proposal for a Pulp Mill in Bella Coola. No woman in BC before had been entrusted with such a complex task.

Many BC politicians knew Maggie. She was astute enough to know that they would want in on the Bella Coola game. Politicians have their own agendas and when controversy arose, they ran for cover. Forest giants like Crown Zellerback saw huge profit being snatched away by a mere woman and brought out the big guns. Maggie went to Japan on two or three occasions as a guest of the company. She was honored and called "Momma San Maggie", but to no avail. The politicians and big forestry companies would never let a woman working for the Japanese win. Maggie and the Japanese were, in the end, snookered. The money was in place, the studies done, government requirements met, but in the end, men collaborated to torpedo a woman standing alone against them.

On Charlie's retirement, he and Maggie decided to live in Kelowna and "Snow Bird" the winters. For years they traveled the USA trails in their truck, with a huge trailer tagging along. They covered every major road in the USA and Canada. During this swaning about, Maggie got interested in Genealogy. To her this was something no man could control. To her surprise, she was related to Thomas Edison. This she was proud of, but some pieces were missing. The charts showed his mother Nancy, but no details. Maggie landed on this error of women's history like a mad G-d on a sinner. No more "Snow Birding" for play, Nancy Edison needed to be recognized!

Every Autumn, Charlie in the pilot seat, Maggie as copilot would pull out of Kelowna in their truck and trailer and set out to find Nancy and her kith and kin. Maggie and Charlie tracked the lot down and were honored by the Edison museum for their efforts. After all, Nancy had to go around behind Tom, cleaning up and turning the lights off. She may well have been the first environmentalist

Maggie spent her final years working with various Genealogy clubs and groups. She encouraged others to expand on female ancestors in their search for their roots. She died at peace, 86 years after coming on to this planet.

My research of this Canadian lady leads me to believe that St. Peter is out of a job and Maggie is welcoming the new arrivals because she always believed that "If you want a job done right give it to a woman!"

On her passing, her community donated money in her name for the Trans Canada Trail development...she would have liked that. When you hike the trail be sure to say hi to Maggie and to all the other woman who helped make Canada great.

Remember please "The hand that rocks the cradle rocks the World" and Maggie rocked it because she knew Women "ROCK!"

Jack C. Downey CD
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