Ravenhill, Alice, 1859-1954

Born in England, Alice Ravenhill educated herself in the subjects of public health, home economics and child care. She held many positions, including Secretary of the Royal British Nurses' Association (1894-1897), and university lecturer on Home Economics at the University of London, through which she helped advance social welfare in Britain. In 1910 she came to Canada where she organized womens' institutions in B.C. and helped generate interest in home economics and school hygiene. In the late 1920s Ravenhill's new interest in Indian culture and art led to her lecturing about Indian arts and crafts and to publishing The Native Tribes of B.C. (1936) as well as to founding the Society for the Furtherance of B.C. Indian Arts and Crafts (1940). In 1948 she was honoured with the degree of D.Sc. from the University of British Columbia and in 1950 she received an honourary degree of Doctor of Home Economics from the American Association of Home Economics.