History Supplement of the Alberta Women's Institutes

              HISTORY SUPPLEMENT OF THE ALBERTA WOMEN'S INSTITUTE
ACWW which was held in Lethbridge, May 1956.
Other contributions of a lasting nature that Virginia Ford made
during her years in provincial activity included the instituting and
compiling of the Book of Life Members under Mrs. Howes' presi­dency
and also the impetus she gave to the compilation of local
histories. In 1955, while at the FWIC Board meeting she saw the
Tweedsmuir History entries. She was impressed with the value of
such efforts and subsequently helped with the research and writing
of " The History of the Border Country and Coutts". This book won
the Tweedsmuir Trophy in 1957. She was able to give practical ad­vise
to groups writing local history in other parts of the country.
One project during her presidency that she recalls with much
pleasure is the Citizenship Workshops. In 1959 Mr. C. A. Westcott of
the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, Edmonton prop­osed
that his office and the Provincial A. W. I, cooperate in sponsoring
citizenship workshops in various parts of the Province. The Citizen­ship
office would provide the program and the personnel and A. W. I,
would through their branches have charge of local arrangements
and advertising. The overall purpose was to involve more groups in
common problems in the field of citizenship. Meetings were held in
Lethbridge, Taber, Calgary, Camrose, Edmonton, Grande Prairie
and Peace River. The workshops proved their worth and were con­tinued
after 1961.
Mrs. Ford decided to only serve the one two year term but recalls
with deep appreciation the many kindnesses and the warm friend­ship
extended her while she was Provincial President. She returned
to teaching in Coutts Junior High from 1962- 1969. Her time is spent
now with church, fraternal and political activities, gardening, read­ing
and writing.
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP MEETINGS
District IV Branches have been fortunate in having Interna­tional
Friendship Meetings for their members who would never be
able to attend an ACWW Conference in some distant continent.
These meetings began in 1955 at the grassroots level when Hillsview
Branch of Aden, Alberta invited the Home Demonstration Club at
Whitlash, Montana to attend one of their monthly meetings. Al­though
the members of the two clubs were neighbors, they were
divided nationally by the Canada- U. S. Boundary line. However,
they were united by many common goals not the least being the
desire to further good will between their respective countries. At the
time of the first meeting neither club realized that the other was a
constituent society of the Associated Country Women of the World.
An account of this hands- across- the- border meeting reached the
Provincial Executive of the A. W. I, at the time when plans were being
made for the official visit to Lethbridge of Mrs. Alice Berry, Presi-
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