Rosemary Malaher

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Rosemary Malaher
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Community activist, historian.

Daughter of Flora Stewart Armstrong (1902-1982) and Alfred McLaren “Clare” Stevens (1902-1976, son of Alfred Edwin Stevens), granddaughter of James William Armstrong, she grew up in Winnipeg attending Kelvin High School and the University of Manitoba, attaining BA and BPed degrees. She taught for one year in England (1959-1960) and traveled in Europe before returning to Winnipeg.

While raising her two children, she was involved in many volunteer activities including the Junior League of Winnipeg and St. Andrew’s River Heights United Church. The family enjoyed downhill skiing and she and husband David Malaher worked as officials at the Canada Winter Games, held in Manitoba in 1979, and at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. A desire to be active in community affairs led to the Winnipeg Council of Women and an appointment to the Manitoba Environmental Council, both of which she chaired.

She was Executive Director of the Manitoba Historical Society (1977-1983) and subsequently served on its Council and Executive. Rosemary has written articles for Manitoba History and The Beaver and co-edited Stories Houses Tell, a collection of articles written by Lillian Gibbons. For the benefit of the Manitoba Historical Society, she prepared and conducted several walking tours in Winnipeg. From 1988 to 1990, she was President of the Society. She was elected as Manitoba’s representative to the board of the Heritage Canada Foundation (1990-1996). In 1992, she received the Prix Manitoba Award for her work in promoting local, regional, and provincial heritage.

She retired to British Columbia in 1995 and volunteers at the Whistler Museum and sings with the Whistler Singers. Her most recent walking tour was prepared for Centre for Rupert’s Land Studies Colloquium in Kenora in May 2004. She enjoys music, travel handicrafts, and skiing.

Her articles for the Manitoba Historical Society:

A Walking Tour of Armstrongs Point
Manitoba History, Number 5, 1983

Winnipeg Public Schools, Household Science Department
Manitoba History, Number 6, Fall 1983

Historical Tour: Highway 26
Manitoba History, Number 8, Autumn 1984

Historical Tour: Morden, Manitoba
Manitoba History, Number 9, Spring 1985

Historical Tour: Carberry, Manitoba
Manitoba History, Number 14, Autumn 1987

Historical Tour: The Pas, Manitoba
Manitoba History, Number 15, Spring 1988

Noteworthy Manitobans: James L. Parker
Manitoba History, Number 18, Autumn 1989

The Naming of a Town - Melita
Manitoba History, Number 19, Spring 1990

Historical Tour - Crescentwood, Winnipeg’s Best Residential District
Manitoba History, Number 24, Autumn 1992

Crossing Western Canada by Car, 1925
Manitoba History, Number 41, Spring/Summer 2001

Doctor Beyond the End of Steel
Manitoba History, Number 43, Autumn/Winter 2003-2004

A Trapper’s Diary from Northern Manitoba, 1928-1946
Manitoba History, Number 68, Spring 2012

Sources:

Obituary [Mary Armstrong], Winnipeg Free Press, 22 May 1969, page 32.

Obituary [Flora S. Stevens], Winnipeg Free Press, 8 July 1982, page 50.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 19 August 2022