Mary Dyma was born in Ukraine in 1899 and emigrated to Winnipeg in 1920. She was an orphan of the First World War and came to Winnipeg to live with her aunt, Joanna Westlake. She enrolled in St. Mary’s Academy at the Gr. 11 level to learn English. She obviously learned quickly because she graduated with a B.A. from the University of Manitoba in 1923, having done four years’ work in three! She was the first woman of Ukrainian descent to graduate from a Canadian university. She taught in Stuartburn for one year and was school principal in Ethelbert the following year. In 1925 she married Dr. Bronislaw Dyma, a Winnipeg physician and surgeon. They had two sons. Women were not usually allowed to teach after marriage. Her career in teaching was short but, like many other women teachers, she used her skills and knowledge in other areas. With her husband’s support, she ran as an Independent candidate for the Winnipeg School Board and was elected. She served as a trustee from 1931 -1935. During that time she also became President of the League of Women Voters, working with such Winnipeg leaders as Margaret McWilliams. Mary Dyma was very active in the Ukrainian community. In 1928 she organized the Ukrainian Handicraft Guild (affiliated with the Canadian Handicraft Guild); in 1944 she became one of the founding members of the Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League of Canada and was its first national president. In 1944 she was a founding member and first national president of the Ukrainian Canadian Women’s Committee (an umbrella organization uniting all Ukrainian Women’s organizations in Canada.) She was president of the organization from1944-46; 1951-53 and 1961-64. A Ukrainian chapter of the I.O.D.E. was established in her honour and she attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London. She and Dr. Dyma helped many displaced persons to settle in Canada. She received many awards for her service to the community – the Shevchenko Medal, a Centennial Medal, and a papal medal, “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice”. The Mary Dyma Education Foundation assists girls/women pursuing religious studies in Canada, United States and Europe. She was featured on the Manitoba Women’s Directorate poster as an outstanding contributor to life in Manitoba. Mary Dyma died October 12, 1998