M. Ellen MacGillivray
M. Ellen (MacLaggan) MacGillivray was a member of the UNB women's basketball team during all four years (1943/4 - 1946/7) of her undergraduate degree and was known for her "amazing long shots." She went on to earn an MSc degree from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D in Science from the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. Dr. MacGillivray's research on the taxonomy and ecology of aphids earned her an international reputation, and in 1976 was named the President of the Entomological Society of Canada, the first woman to be so named. Her entire career, which began in 1943 as a student assistant, was with Agriculture Canada in Fredericton. She received many awards and honours throughout her lifetime, including the NB Seed Grower's Award in 1981; the NB Heritage Week Women in Agriculture Award in 1999; the Fredericton Distinguished Citizen Award in 2005; and the Fredericton Heritage Trust Award in 2006. She also received an honorary doctorate from UNB in 1981. Dr. MacGillivrary died on 15 February 2006, at which time it was noted that "...the entomological community (had) lost one of its greats."
Source(s):
- Up the Hill, 1947.
- Eidt, Douglas. "In memory/ M. Ellen MacGillivray, 1925-2006." Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Canada 38, 2 (June 2006): 68-69.
- [UNB Honorary Degrees Database]
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