Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Meikle, Christine
Campbell, Christine M.
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Christine M. Campbell, 1908-1997, was born in Glasgow, Scotland. She moved to Canada in 1927, first to Montreal, Quebec where she studied nursing, then to Calgary, Alberta in 1928. In 1929 she married William McMunn Meikle, ?-1979, and they had eight children, Malcolm James, ?-1997, Robert David, Roderick "Roddy", 1946- , Peggy (Shaw), Christine (Herman), Lenore (Gilfillan), William Lyle, and Audrey (O'Neil). When it was discovered that Roddy had Down's Syndrome, Christine dedicated her life to the education and advancement of the mentally handicapped. In the absence of other facilities, she started her own school, to educate her son and other children with mental disabilites, when Roddy reached school age. It was called the Kitchen School, as it was housed in the Meikle's kitchen. In 1958 the Calgary School for Retarded Children opened at 64 - 12th Street NE, with Christine as the principal. It was Canada's first government-funded school for the mentally handicapped. In 1969 the school, now called Christine Meikle School, came under the auspices of the Calgary Board of Education. Christine studied social work and psychology part time at the University of Calgary throughout this time. She was founding president of the Calgary Association for Retarded Children (now the Developmental Disabilities Resource Centre), and also helped found the Alberta Association for Community Living, and the Vocational and Rehabilitation Research Institute (VRRI). She received many awards for her work, including Calgary's Citizen of the Year, 1960; Honorary Doctorate from the University of Calgary, 1971; Order of Canada, 1973; and Alberta Achievement Award for outstanding service in Special Education, 1980. After her first husband's death, she married Anthony E. Harris, 1904-1987. She spent her last years in the Scottish Extendicare Nursing Home. For further information see "Christine Meikle" in Alberta Originals : Stories of Albertans who made a Difference / Brian Brennan. -- Calgary : Fifth House, 2001, p. 120-122.