Benidickson, Agnes McCausland

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Benidickson, Agnes McCausland

1920-2007

Born on 19 August 1920, at Chaffeys Locks, Ontario, Agnes McCausland Benidickson, was raised in Winnipeg, the daughter of the grain merchant, financier, and Queen's Chancellor, James Richardson (who served in that capacity from 1929-1939). She was educated at Queen's (BA 1941, LLD 1979) and lived in Ottawa, where her husband, the late William M. Benidickson, served as a Liberal MP for Kenora/Rainy River, and as a Senator.
Agnes Benidickson was elected to Queen's Board of Trustees in 1969, and was its Vice-Chair from 1975 until 1980. Queen's Chancellor from 1980 to 1996, she was the first woman elected to the position, and also the first to follow in a parent's footsteps in holding the post. In October 2010, the Board of Trustees approved the dedication of the East Wing of Summerhill as Benidickson House in recognition of the lifetime contributions she made in support of Queen’s. The Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award, the highest honour awarded for student service at Queen's University, is named in her honour.
She devoted considerable time to public causes, beginning with work for the Canadian Red Cross during the Second World War. She was president of the Canadian Council on Social Development (1972-1974), president of the National Association of Canadian Clubs (1979-1983), and for six years served as Canadian representative of the Volunteer Committee of Art Museums of the United States and was co-chair in Canada. She was also a director of James Richardson and Sons Ltd, and for 14 years was on the Board of the National Trust and Mutual Life. In 1987 she received an LLD from the University of British Columbia, and in 1991, was awarded the Order of Ontario. She was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1987, and elevated to a Companion in 1998.
Agnes McCausland Benidickson died, at her home in Ottawa, on 23 March 2007.

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