Memorable Manitobans: Emily Irene Morphy Craig (1884-1968)

Emily Irene Morphy Craig Click to enlarge

Drama teacher, broadcaster, writer, historian.

Born at Toronto, Ontario on 3 August 1884, daughter of Henry Edmund Morphy and Miriam Pellatt, she married engineer John Dixon Craig on 15 August 1908, at Toronto, and moved with him to Winnipeg in 1921. She aided him in developing the Winnipeg Little Theatre into the outstanding organization that it became. After the death of her husband, in 1946, she took over his classes as well as her own at United College (later the University of Winnipeg) and St. John’s College. She co-wrote with Helena Macvicar the book Tales and Trails of Western Canada (1947). She also wrote The First Twenty-Five Years of the Drama League (?) and Flags and Formalities (1958). She died at Uxbridge, Ontario on 23 May 1968 and was buried in the Union Cemetery at Oshawa.

Her articles for the Manitoba Historical Society:

Grease Paint on the Prairies: An Account of the Theatres, the Plays and Players of Winnipeg to 1921
MHS Transactions, Series 3, 1946-1947 Season, April 1947

The Coat of Arms
Manitoba Pageant, April 1956

Red River Surveys
Manitoba Pageant, April 1956

Place Names
Manitoba Pageant, April 1956

The Golden Boy
Manitoba Pageant, September 1956

Place Names
Manitoba Pageant, September 1956

Alexander Henry’s Hen
Manitoba Pageant, January 1957

Lopsticks
Manitoba Pageant, January 1957

The Lady of the Lamp
Manitoba Pageant, April 1957

Early Visitors
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 3, Number 1, September 1957

When Bobby Came to Main Street
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 3, Number 2, January 1958

The Man Who Make Birch Bark Talk
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 4, Number 2, January 1959

Manitoba’s Floral Emblem
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 4, Number 3, April 1959

Those Women
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 5, Number 1, September 1959

Pioneer Shopping
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 6, Number 1, September 1960

Utilities Now and Then
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 6, Number 2, January 1961

The Crocus-Loving Consul
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 7, Number 1, September 1961

Sources:

Ontario birth registration [Emily Morphy], Ancestry.

Ontario marriage registration, Ancestry.

1921 Canada census, Ancestry.

“Drama League will honor Mrs. Craig,” Winnipeg Free Press, 25 April 1964.

Obituary [E. Irene Craig], Winnipeg Free Press, 24 May 1968, page 29.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 26 July 2023

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!