32 Facts About Alice Wilson

Alice Wilson is most well known for her scientific studies of rocks and fossils in the Ottawa region between 1913 and 1963.

Alice Wilson's father, Dr John Wilson, was a professor of classics at the University of Toronto.

When Wilson reached the age of 20, she enrolled at the University of Toronto to study Modern Languages.

However, due to her health, Alice Wilson had to drop out during her final year and did not complete her degree.

Alice Wilson retired when she reached the mandatory retirement age of 65, as dictated by the prevailing laws of the time.

However, even in retirement, Dr Alice Wilson continued to contribute her expertise to the Geological Survey of Canada, volunteering her services without compensation.

Alice Wilson continued to work in the field until shortly before her death.

In 1932, Alice Wilson spent a month in the Bahama Islands and Guyana.

Alice Wilson traveled to Brazil, where she explored the depths of the Amazon jungle, and she visited Mexico to participate in the International Geological Congress.

The prevailing policy at the time prevented women, including Alice Wilson, from participating in the field alongside male colleagues, a restriction that persisted until 1970.

Alice Wilson embarked on these expeditions to study geological formations, exploring the terrain on foot and by bicycle.

Alice Wilson encountered challenges in her relationships with colleagues, often being excluded and finding difficulty in project inclusion.

In 1901 Alice Wilson began studying modern language and history at the Victoria College in Toronto originally intending to be a teacher.

Alice Wilson did not finish her last year of studies due to health problems; suffered from anemia and had to drop out, but continued education after recovering.

In 1909, Alice Wilson joined the Geological Survey of Canada, where she was a staff member for more than 50 years.

Wilson's direct boss from 1920, Edward M Kindle, was supportive of Wilson and wanted her to take a leave and finish her doctorate though others in leadership roles at the GSC were much less so.

For seven years Alice Wilson persisted, and finally was awarded a scholarship by the Canadian Federation of University Women in 1926.

In 1907, Alice Wilson started her career at the University of Toronto museum in the mineralogy division, despite not having completed her degree.

Alice Wilson faced significant difficulty being included in her colleagues' work after that.

Later, Alice Wilson took part in the war-time effort on the home front, joining the Canadian equivalent of the Women's Land Army.

Meadowcroft had written that Alice Wilson had become primary Geologist in 1945 but there is no proof of this.

At war's end in 1920, Alice Wilson went back to the Victoria Memorial Museum.

From 1948 until 1958 Alice Wilson was a lecturer in Paleontology at Carleton College.

Alice Wilson wrote a children's book, The Earth Beneath our Feet, aimed at encouraging broader knowledge and interest in the science she was so passionate about.

Alice Wilson became a respected member of the GSC and mentored many young geologists through her lectures, field trips, publications, and museum exhibits.

Alice Wilson retired two years later, at the age of 65, as was required by law, though five new hires were required to do the same amount of work as Wilson.

Alice Wilson died in Ottawa on April 15,1964, at the age of 84 years old.

Alice Wilson's death marked a significant loss to the academic community, particularly in the field of geology.

Alice Wilson is remembered for her work to the understanding of the stratigraphy and invertebrate palaeontology of the Palaeozoic strata of eastern Canada, though that contribution wasn't recognized until after her retirement.

Alice Wilson was the first woman geologist hired by the Geological Survey of Canada ; one of the first two women elected as Fellows of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society ; the first Canadian woman to be admitted to the Geological Society of America ; and the first female Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

In 1935, when the government of R B Bennett was looking to honour a woman in the federal civil service, Wilson was chosen to become a Member of the Order of the British Empire.

Alice Wilson was inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame in 2005.