Katherine Dewar will be presented with the Frances O. Perry Good Neighbour of the Year Award at the start of the monthly Summerside council committee meetings at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Due to COVID-19 regulations, anyone wishing to attend must register by calling 902-432-1246 or by emailing [email protected] as numbers will be limited.
The event will also be livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel.
Mayor Basil Stewart praised the nominating committee for selecting Dewar.
"She has made many valuable contributions to the City of Summerside, especially with regard to preserving and highlighting the city’s rich history.”
Dewar was born and raised in Summerside and during her younger years was prominent in the fields of nursing and nursing education in the city. She co-authored This Caring Place: A History of the Prince County Hospital and School of Nursing with Wayne Wright. This book garnered the first of several P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation awards that she has received.
The committee noted that Dewar has devoted a significant part of her life to helping others and instilling in others a sense of caring for people and has made contributions to researching, communicating and preserving the history and culture of Summerside, and all of P.E.I.
Dewar has a great appreciation for how history and heritage strengthen the cultural fabric of a community and is skilled in communicating this through the books and magazine articles she has written and published, presentations given to various groups, and collaboration with a number of Summerside’s major resources such as the Eptek Art & Cultural Centre, MacNaught History Centre & Archives and the Lefurgey Cultural Centre.
She has also contributed to the culture and heritage of Summerside by donating photographs, books, time and support.
At a glance
- The Good Neighbour of the Year - Frances O. Perry Memorial Award is awarded to individuals, organizations, businesses or communities based outside of the City of Summerside who have been “Good Neighbours” to our community and who have contributed significantly to the overall good of the City of Summerside.
- This award is usually presented on the City’s birthday on April 1, however, due to the pandemic City Hall was closed at that time.
- In one of many letters of support for this year's recipient, Frances O. Perry’s granddaughter Kitty Wiley wrote to say, “It is wonderful news about Katherine. She has accomplished a lot in her life (and) is a very worthy recipient.”
