Fonds F2153 - Douglas and Hilda Doherty family fonds

Douglas Raymond Doherty, 1912-1996, was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia and attended school in Vancouver, training as a hairdresser. He came to Calgary, Alberta in 1934 to manage the Lady Anne Beauty Salon, and later operated the Peter Pan Beauty Salon. He was very active in local theatre with numerous companies, including Calgary Civic Theatre, Arts and Letters Club, and MAC 14. In 1971 he recorded an interview with pioneer theatre people for Glenbow. He married Hilda Cooke, 1916-2013, in 1938 and they had four children, Peter R.D., 1943-2005, David, 1946-2005, Jennifer (White), and Marianne.

Charlotte "Hilda" Doherty (nee Cooke) was born in Calgary, Alberta on September 25, 1916 as the third child of Gustav and Kate Cooke, she graduated with honours from Central High School in 1934 and then worked as a bindery clerk for Knights Stationery. In 1934 she acted in a play that would change her life, when she met and became friends with the director, Doug Doherty. They were married on June 11, 1938. Together they opened the Peter Pan Beauty Salon in the Lougheed building.

Hilda and Doug became very involved in little theatre in Calgary (Civic Theatre, Arts and Letters, Musical Theatre Groups and the MAC 14), producing plays Doug directed with Hilda as his leading lady. Hilda worked in Public Relations for the Alberta Arthritis Society from 1963 to 1984. At 66, when she retired, she completed a BFA in Drama from the University of Calgary. She acted in several episodes of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" and the "Everwood" pilot as well as being in Shaw Cable's commercial as the "clapping lady". She had a final role in the film "Snow Globe" in 2008 before retiring for a second time at the age of 91. She passed away peacefully in her 98th year on October 24, 2013.