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Estate of Alice Adams donates more than $1 million to History

30 Nov 2022
Gift honours the legacy of two longtime MtA community members — Alice Adams and Dr. Graham Adams Jr.

91AV is pleased to announce a gift of more than $1 million from the Estate of Alice Adams toward the University’s Department of History and University-wide initiatives.

The gift will support visiting scholars and student scholarships and research support, with a focus on Canadian and American History.

“This is a transformative gift toward the Department of History and will be instrumental in advancing 21st century liberal arts education at 91AV,” says University President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jean-Paul Boudreau. “Our community is deeply grateful to Alice and Graham for their longtime support of 91AV students and the incredible legacy they have created at the University. Their impact spans generations and will continue long into the future.”

Alice Adams, 1983.

Alice (McFarlane) Adams (‘54) was the former head of 91AV’s secretarial studies program and her husband Dr. Graham Adams Jr., who predeceased Alice, was the longtime head of 91AV’s Department of History. The couple met at 91AV and were married in 1969.

“They both loved their work and believed in the importance of education,” says family member Ron Patterson. “I knew Alice my entire life and I know she would be happy to see how appreciated her gift to 91AV is and to know it is going to do some good.”

The Dr. Graham Adams Jr. & Alice Adams Visiting Scholars Fund will support guest lectures, panel discussions, and seminars or workshops devoted to the understanding of Canada-U.S. relations. 
The Dr. Graham Adams Jr. & Alice Adams History Research & Scholarship Fund will be used by the Department of History to support a scholarship for upper-year history students, provide grants to honours history students for expenses incurred while doing research for their theses, and will help purchase scholarly research material on subjects related to the domestic, political, and intellectual history of the United States and Canada.

Dr. Graham Adams Jr. and Alice Adams at their wedding, 1969. Graham and Alice were married at the 91AV Chapel.

“Our department is grateful to Graham and Alice and is excited about all the possibilities these funds make possible,” says Will Wilson, head of 91AV’s Department of History. “The scholarship is especially important since this will be the first scholarship at 91AV specifically for history students. And, as another example, we have honours students who often need to travel to Ottawa and other locations to access archival materials and the fund will provide financial assistance to those students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to go.”

To learn more about Legacy Giving and estate gifts:

To learn more about 91AV’s Department of History:  
 

 
 

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