Annie Maude "Nan" McKay (October 10, 1892 – July 27, 1986) was a Métis librarian. In 1915, she became the female Indigenous graduate of the University of Saskatchewan. McKay worked as a librarian at the university for 44 years.
Nan McKay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 10, 1892  Fort de la Corne |
| Died | July 27, 1986 (aged 93) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Librarian |
| Employer |
|
Early life and education
editAnnie Maude McKay was born into a prominent English Métis family on October 10, 1892, at Fort à la Corne.[1] Her father, Angus McKay (born 1858), worked for the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), which had a trading post at Fort à la Corne.[2][1] Her mother, Annie Maud Mary Fortescue McKay, was born in 1867, and her father also worked for the HBC.[3] Nan's mother died in 1907 following an operation for appendicitis; her father remarried in 1910.[1] The family moved frequently within Saskatchewan because of Angus's reassignments, including to Green Lake in 1899, Île-à-la-Crosse in 1907, and La Ronge in 1909.[1]
Nan and her siblings were homeschooled as children.[4] After her mother's death, her uncle, judge and House of Commons member James McKay, enrolled her and her sister at St. Alban's Ladies College, a distinguished Anglican private school in Prince Albert.[1] She was awarded a $200 entrance scholarship to the University of Saskatchewan and used her mother's inheritance to pay tuition at the university.[1]
She was active in extracurricular activities at the university, including serving on the student council as well as the board of the school's group for female students, Penta Kai Deka.[5] She was the staff artist of The Sheaf, the school's student-run newspaper.[5] McKay was a figure skater and played for the university's varsity ice hockey team as a student, continuing to play on the university's teams well into the 1920s as an alumni member.[1]
When she graduated with Honours in English and French in 1915,[1] she was the school's first female Aboriginal and Métis graduate.[6]
Career at the University of Saskatchewan
editShortly after her graduation in 1915, McKay was hired into a temporary position as assistant librarian at the University of Saskatchewan Library.[1] She would remain employed at the library until her retirement in 1959.[2] With little formal training in librarianship, McKay learned primarily on the job.[3] She served as a "right-hand man" for a series of male university librarians throughout her career.[4]
With many students serving overseas during World War I, McKay and another recent alumnus were appointed editors of The Sheaf.[1] As editors they gauged interest in forming an alumni association and in 1917 founded the University of Saskatchewan Graduates' Association, of which McKay was elected to the position of secretary-treasurer.[1] McKay also served as a volunteer nurse at the university during the 1918 influenza pandemic.[1]
Death and legacy
editAfter her retirement, McKay spent time gardening and reading.[1] McKay died on July 27, 1986, at the age of 93.[7]
In 2007, she was named one of the University of Saskatchewan's "100 Alumni of Influence."[4]: 76 As part of the university's centennial commemorations, a photo collection was reviewed and a 1915 photo of McKay and fellow student Hope Weir embracing and kissing was discovered.[4] Scholars such as Valerie Korinek have discussed the photo, and McKay's life and friendships in general, as evidence of early queer community at the university.[8] The photo of McKay and Weir became the cover for Korinek's award-winning 2018 book Prairie Fairies: A History of Queer Communities and People in Western Canada, 1930-1985.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Spafford, Duff (2013). "Annie Maude (Nan) McKay". University of Saskatchewan Library. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ a b "McKay family fonds" (PDF). University of Saskatchewan Library. 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Barkwell, Lawrence J., ed. (2019). Metis dictionary of biography: volume M. Winnipeg: Louis Riel Institute. pp. 48–49. ISBN 9781927531228. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Korinek, Valerie J. (2018). "A Kiss Is Never Just a Kiss: Saskatchewan Queer History". Prairie fairies : a history of queer communities and people in western Canada, 1930-1985. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 68–110. ISBN 978-0-8020-9777-4.
- ^ a b "Nan McKay". Canada 150 @ usask. University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ Donovan, Keighlagh (June 13, 2015). "Ahead by a century: The legacy of Nan McKay lives on at U of S". The Sheaf. University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ "Item A-3254 - Annie Maude (Nan) McKay - Portrait". MemorySask. Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Boklaschuk, Shannon (June 7, 2019). "A 'queer-eye view' of prairie life". Arts&Science. University of Saskatchewan College of Arts & Science. Retrieved July 4, 2021.