Groves, Dorothy Helen

Dorothy Helen White, 1924-2004, was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She completed a business course at Maritime Business College, Halifax in 1941, nursing training at Victoria General Hospital, Halifax in 1947, and a nursing teaching diploma at McGill University in 1950. At McGill, she met Trevor Keith Groves, and after their marriage the couple were actively involved in various theatrical productions in Montreal. When Trevor accepted a position at the University of Calgary in 1966, the family moved to Calgary, Alberta. While she raised six children, Dorothy also volunteered her time in the community and became involved with various women’s organizations, particularly the University of Calgary Faculty Women’s Club, the Calgary Local Council of Women and the Calgary Status of Women Action Committee. Her interest in women’s issues led to her involvement in the campaign to establish the Alberta Advisory Council on Women’s Issues and to her appointment to the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women in 1978. Her interest in public health issues led to her involvement in Planned Parenthood and the Calgary Birth Control Association, and her appointment to the Calgary Health Board in 1989. Her interest in politics and support for the Liberal Party led to her (unsuccessful) candidacy in the 1971, 1975 and 1979 Alberta provincial elections for the riding of Calgary North Hill and to her active electioneering on behalf of other Liberal candidates over the years. Among her many honours, Dorothy Groves was nominated by the Calgary Local Council of Women for the YWCA’s Women of the Year award in 1983, she was nominated for a Governor General’s Award in 1996, she received a certificate of recognition from the Secretary of State (Status of Women) in 1999 for her “outstanding and tireless contribution to women’s equality,” and she received a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002.