The Mount Allison University Archives welcome you to this virtual exhibition, which pays tribute to Allisonian "firsts."
Learn more about Grace Annie Lockhart, the first woman in the British Empire to earn a Bachelor's degree; Frank Parker Day, the university's first Rhodes Scholar; Margaret (Fawcett) Norrie, the first female Senator from Nova Scotia appointed; or Felix Orville Goodman, the first Black graduate of the Bachelor of Fine Arts. The remarkable lives of these and many more individuals are detailed in subsequent pages.
The content that appears on this website was gathered from various sources held by the Mount Allison University Archives, including yearbooks, academic calendars, photographs, and more. While we have done our best to properly identify all individuals, it is possible that we have misattributed certain achievements. We are committed to continue searching our holdings for presence of individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC), and others we haven't recognized.
We hope to continue adding to this website as we learn more about the noteworthy achievements of our Allisonian community. If you have any information that you would like to share, or to correct misspellings, incorrect or missing dates, misidentified individuals, places, or events, or to point out outdated or harmful language, please contact us. Archival description is an iterative process. We expect that descriptive language preferences will change over time, and we welcome feedback from users.
In order to facilitate navigation, we have curated different lists based on potential areas of research. Individuals may reappear in different lists depending on which criteria apply to them.
First President of all three Mount Allison institutions
First female Preceptress of the Mount Allison Female Academy
1857
Martha Louisa (Knight) Allison
First female professor at Mount Allison University
Josiah Wood and Howard Sprague
First Mount Allison University graduates
First international student to graduate from Mount Allison University
First honorary degree recipient from Mount Allison University
1869
John Warrener Gray
First professor of Fine Arts at Mount Allison University
First female bachelor's degree in the British Empire
First female Bachelor of Arts in Canada and in the British Empire
1884
First female doctor licensed to practice in Nova Scotia
First female Master of Arts from Mount Allison University
1890
First female instructor of elocution at the Mount Allison Ladies' College
1892
First Japanese student to attend Mount Allison
1894
First female editor of The Argosy and first female valedictorian
1898
First female Chartered Public Accountant in the United States
1900
Raymond Clare Archibald
First member of faculty at the Mount Allison institutions to hold a PhD
First female PhD from a Canadian University
Recipient of the first doctorate in psychology conferred by the University of Toronto
1905
First Rhodes Scholar from Mount Allison University
Mabel Outerbridge, Annie Smith, & Bessie Young
First certificates in Household Science from Mount Allison University
1912
Margaret (Harris) Fraser
First certificate in Arts & Crafts from Mount Allison University
First Bachelor of Music from Mount Allison University
First Bachelor of Science in Home Economics from Mount Allison University
1929
First certificate in Finance and Commerce from Mount Allison University
1930
First woman to stand for and win a seat in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
1932
First Acadian to graduate from Mount Allison University
1936
First Bachelor of Education from Mount Allison University
1937
First Asian woman to graduate from Mount Allison University
First female full professor at Mount Allison University
1938
First female honorary degree recipient from Mount Allison University
Phyllis MacPherson & Bertha Warren
First Bachelor of Fine Arts in Canada
First female editor of the Allisonian yearbook
1944
First female recipient of an Engineering Certificate from Mount Allison University
1945
Christine (MacKinnon) MacInnes
First female Registrar at Mount Allison University
First Black Bachelor of Fine Arts from Mount Allison University
1953
First female senator from New Brunswick
1954
First Bachelor of Commerce from Mount Allison University
1955
First Black Bachelor of Commerce from Mount Allison University
First Chinese man to graduate from Mount Allison University
Leonard St. Hill & Donald Maxwell Nicholson
First recipients of the Don Norton Memorial Award
1956
Violet Bailey and Aileen Lois Sabean
First female Bachelor of Commerce from Mount Allison University
1957
First Chinese woman to graduate from Mount Allison University
First Canadian of Asian descent to be named Rhodes Scholar
First female MLA in New Brunswick
1970
First female cabinet minister in New Brunswick
1972
First female senator from Nova Scotia
1979
First Canadian elected to the Human Rights Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
1981
First female Rhodes Scholar from Mount Allison University
1986
First female Chancellor of Mount Allison University
1987
Brig. Gen. Sheila Hellstrom
First female regular force member to achieve the rank of brigadier-general
1990
First female President of Mount Allison University
1994
First female Lieutenant-Govenor of New Brunswick
First President of all three Mount Allison institutions
First female Preceptress of the Mount Allison Female Academy
1857
Martha Louisa (Knight) Allison
First female professor at Mount Allison University
1869
John Warrener Gray
First professor of Fine Arts at Mount Allison University
1890
First female instructor of elocution at the Mount Allison Ladies' College
1900
Raymond Clare Archibald
First member of faculty at the Mount Allison institutions to hold a PhD
First female PhD from a Canadian University
Recipient of the first doctorate in psychology conferred by the University of Toronto
First female full professor at Mount Allison University
Christine (MacKinnon) MacInnes
First female Registrar at Mount Allison University
First female Chancellor of Mount Allison University
First female President of Mount Allison University
First Mount Allison University graduates
1866
First international student to graduate from Mount Allison University
First female bachelor's degree in the British Empire
First female Bachelor of Arts in Canada and in the British Empire
First female editor of The Argosy and first female valedictorian
First Rhodes Scholar from Mount Allison University
Mabel Outerbridge, Annie Smith, & Bessie Young
First certificates in Household Science from Mount Allison University
First certificate in Arts & Crafts from Mount Allison University
First Bachelor of Music from Mount Allison University
First Bachelor of Science in Home Economics from Mount Allison University
First certificate in Finance and Commerce from Mount Allison University
1930
First woman to stand for and win a seat in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
First Acadian to graduate from Mount Allison University
First Bachelor of Education from Mount Allison University
First Asian woman to graduate from Mount Allison University
Phyllis MacPherson & Bertha Warren
First Bachelor of Fine Arts in Canada
First female editor of the Allisonian yearbook
First female recipient of an Engineering Certificate from Mount Allison University
First Black Bachelor of Fine Arts from Mount Allison University
1953
First female senator from New Brunswick
First Bachelor of Commerce from Mount Allison University
First Black Bachelor of Commerce from Mount Allison University
First Chinese man to graduate from Mount Allison University
Leonard St. Hill & Donald Maxwell Nicholson
First recipients of the Don Norton Memorial Award
Violet Bailey & Aileen Lois Sabean
First female Bachelor of Commerce from Mount Allison University
First Chinese woman to graduate from Mount Allison University
First person of colour to be named Rhodes Scholar from Mount Allison University
First female MLA in New Brunswick
1970
First female cabinet minister in New Brunswick
1972
First female senator from Nova Scotia
1979
First Canadian elected to the Human Rights Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
1981
First female Rhodes Scholar from Mount Allison University
1986
First female Chancellor of Mount Allison University
1987
Brig. Gen. Sheila Hellstrom
First female regular force member to achieve the rank of brigadier-general
1994
First female Lieutenant-Govenor of New Brunswick
First female Preceptress of the Mount Allison Female Academy
1857
Martha Louisa (Knight) Allison
First female professor at Mount Allison University
First female bachelor's degree in the British Empire
First female Bachelor of Arts in Canada and in the British Empire
1884
First female doctor licensed to practice in Nova Scotia
First female Master of Arts from Mount Allison University
1890
First female instructor of elocution at the Mount Allison Ladies' College
1894
First female editor of The Argosy and first female valedictorian
1898
First female Chartered Public Accountant in the United States
1903
First female PhD from a Canadian University
Recipient of the first doctorate in psychology conferred by the University of Toronto
1905
Mabel Outerbridge, Annie Smith, & Bessie Young
First certificates in Household Science from Mount Allison University
1912
Margaret (Harris) Fraser
First certificate in Arts & Crafts from Mount Allison University
First Bachelor of Music from Mount Allison University
First Bachelor of Science in Home Economics from Mount Allison University
1930
First woman to stand for and win a seat in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly
1932
First Acadian to graduate from Mount Allison University
1937
First Asian woman to graduate from Mount Allison University
First female full professor at Mount Allison University
1938
First female honorary degree recipient from Mount Allison University
Phyllis MacPherson & Bertha Warren
First Bachelor of Fine Arts in Canada
First female editor of the Allisonian yearbook
1944
First female recipient of an Engineering Certificate from Mount Allison University
1945
Christine (MacKinnon) MacInnes
First female Registrar at Mount Allison University
First female senator from New Brunswick
1956
Violet Bailey & Aileen Lois Sabean
First female Bachelor of Commerce from Mount Allison University
1957
First Chinese woman to graduate from Mount Allison University
First female MLA in New Brunswick
1970
First female cabinet minister in New Brunswick
1972
First female senator from Nova Scotia
1979
First Canadian elected to the Human Rights Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
1981
First female Rhodes Scholar from Mount Allison University
1986
First female Chancellor of Mount Allison University
1987
Brig. Gen. Sheila Hellstrom
First female regular force member to achieve the rank of brigadier-general
1990
First female President of Mount Allison University
1994
First female Lieutenant-Govenor of New Brunswick
First Japanese student to attend Mount Allison
1937
First Asian woman to graduate from Mount Allison University
1951
First Black Bachelor of Fine Arts from Mount Allison University
1955
First Black Bachelor of Commerce from Mount Allison University
First Chinese man to graduate from Mount Allison University
First recipient of the Don Norton Memorial Award
1957
First Chinese woman to graduate from Mount Allison University
First Canadian of Asian descent to be named Rhodes Scholar