The UPEI Library joins with the University community and the Island community at large in extending condolences to the family and many friends of the late Catherine Hennessey.
A tireless activist and advocate for historical preservation and research, Hennessey was instrumental in establishing the Prince Edward Island Heritage Foundation in 1970, and served as its first Executive Director until 1982. In the ensuing decades, she remained a singularly prominent and effective voice in the field of Island heritage, and was also a dedicated researcher, authoring numerous books and articles, a selection of which, drawn from our PEI Collection, are shown here.
Although Hennessey received many honours and awards for her work — including Heritage Canada’s Lieutenant Governor’s Medal (1988), the Order of Canada (2001), and the Order of Prince Edward Island (2017) — is is notable that one of the first high-profile recognitions extended to her was an honorary degree (LL.D.) from UPEI, presented at the University’s May, 1987 Convocation. The degree citation praised Hennessey as one of those individuals who can be be called a “born teacher”, due to their: “enormous energy, eyes that see and appreciate, [and] an innate ability to transfer the appreciation and love that they feel to their listeners.”
Image: Catherine Hennessey at UPEI 1987 Convocation -- UPEI Magazine. vol. 3, no. 3 (Spring 1987) ** available in print from UPEI Archives [call # LE3.P82U64] and online.
If you would like to learn more about any of the materials on display, or about other holdings in our special collections, please contact:
Simon Lloyd | Librarian - University Archives & Special Collections
slloyd@upei.ca * 902-394-1301 * Library Office # 261