Volunteers. Team. Community Builders.
Lucy Maud Montgomery Museum and Literary Centre Norval
The Lucy Maud Montgomery Museum and Literary Centre Norval (Museum) owns the Manse, Caretakers Cottage and Barn property effective December 18, 2019. The Museum is a Charitable Organization that forms the governing body of the Museum and the Literary Centre, responsible for overseeing the operations and the overall initiative. Through marketing operations, a formal capital campaign, donation solicitation and grant applications, Museum charity will ensure the financial viability and sustainability of the operations, and oversee the planning for growth and evolution.
Kathy Gastle, Chair
Kathy Gastle was born and raised in Norval and has always had an unwavering interest in the history of this small hamlet. Her grandmother Barbara Macdonald Brown took part in the Old Thyme concerts directed by “Anne of Green Gables” author Lucy Maud Montgomery who lived in Norval from 1926-1935, and her mother Beatrice Joan Carter authored “Norval History 1820-1950”. Kathy has spent over 30 years documenting and compiling treasured photographs and information about Norval’s most famous former citizen. The beautiful village of Norval was very dear to L.M. Montgomery and she photographed and recorded in her personal journals, her favourite walking paths along the Credit River and the Russell Hill of Pines. Always a champion of local interests, history and the environment, Kathy was first elected to Halton Hills Council in 1992, where she served for 11 years including Regional Councillor and Mayor from 2000 to 2003.
Kathy Gastle
Chair
Mark Rowe, Vice Chair
Mark Rowe is an enthusiastic promoter of local history, presenter and author. He was recognized by the Province of Ontario with a lifetime Heritage Award in 2008 and was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in October 2012. He was the Glen Williams Citizen of the Year for 2017.
Mark is a member of the Esquesing Historical Society and has written several local history publications and articles. He is the Archivist for the Society. Mark is currently a member of the Heritage Halton Hills, the Halton Hills Sports Museum, L.M. Montgomery Society of Norval, the Heritage Foundation of Halton Hills and the L.M. Montgomery Museum and Literary Centre.
Mark is a former teacher and Catholic School Trustee for the Halton. He is married with four children and four grand children and resides in Glen Williams, Ontario.
Mark Rowe
Vice Chair
Al Fraser, Treasurer
Alexander (Al) Fraser grew up in Toronto. He graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Toronto. Upon graduation, he joined Shoppers Drug Mart and in 1978, he moved to Georgetown when he was offered the opportunity to own his own store in the Georgetown Marketplace. In addition to his business activities, Al has a lifelong passion for military history. He is a well-known expert in the weaponry and battlefield tactics of the Great War and has considerable expertise in WWII history as well. In 1988, Al became the volunteer President of the Georgetown Hospital Foundation. He was instrumental in helping to save the Old Armoury from demolition, while volunteering with Globe Productions. Al was a Stage Manager and Lighting Designer on countless productions with Globe, GLT and the Georgetown Children’s Chorus for over 25 years. Al was also President (5 years) and Treasurer (2 years) of the Georgetown Revolver Club. He has led several Battlefield trips to Europe as a volunteer. Al is co-owner of Fraser Direct Distribution Services and, along with his wife Lois, he has raised a family of 5 children, in Georgetown.
Alexander (Al) Fraser
Treasurer
Laura Rees, Secretary
Laura Rees, President of Teamwork Business Solutions Inc., is a consulting professional specializing in project management, strategic planning and analysis, communications, public relations, and special event planning. She contributes her business expertise to the project as the Secretary of the Society, preparing and implementing business, strategic and funding plans, supporting the branding and marketing initiatives, and collaborating with strategic partners in developing the museum and literary programs for sustainability. Laura is an active community volunteer supporting the Norval Community Association and currently serves as an executive member of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Norval, the Council for Clean and Reliable Energy and LeanCor Canada Inc., and a director of the Heritage Foundation of Halton Hills. She is a former executive member of the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre, Georgetown Skating Club, and former member of the Halton Hills Sports Museum and Resource Centre and Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee.
Laura Rees
Secretary
Directors
Jason Brass
Lois Fraser
Madison Miller
Laurent Thibault
Featured LM Montgomery Scholars and Authors
Dr. Mary Henley Rubio
Mary Henley Rubio is University Professor Emeritus at the University of Guelph. With her colleague, Dr. Elizabeth Waterston, she co-edited The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery (five volumes between 1985 and 2004) and co-authored Writing a Life: L.M. Montgomery (1995). In addition, she edited Harvesting Thistles: The Textual Garden of L.M. Montgomery and has contributed her scholarship to numerous critical editions of Anne of Green Gables.
In the 1970s, on the advice of Elizabeth Waterston, she tracked down L.M. Montgomery’s second son, Dr. Stuart Macdonald, in Toronto. His mother had bequeathed her journals to him and he was hoping to publish them one day as a retirement project. Before he passed away in 1982, he passed the journals on to Dr. Rubio and requested she write a biography on his mother. After decades of research, the biography titled Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings was published in 2008.
In her retirement, Dr. Rubio remains active in the L.M. Montgomery community as a valued member of the L.M. Montgomery Heritage Society of Norval. She shared with Polish blogger Bernadeta Milewski that: “I have never been bored with her [L.M. Montgomery] in my 40 years of giving her a lot of my research attention.”
Dr. Mary Henley Rubio
Professor Emeritus
University of Guelph
Dr. Elizabeth Waterston
Dr. Elizabeth Hillman Waterston is a pioneering Canadian scholar who was appointed to the Order of Canada for her contributions to scholarship on Canadian literature in 2018. In 1967, she published the first scholarly article on L.M Montgomery titled “Lucy Maud Montgomery” where she was told by a colleague to “not waste any more time writing about Montgomery” if she wished to “advance up the academic ladder.” Undaunted, she taught at universities across Canada before becoming the Chair of the English Department at the University of Guelph and later Professor Emeritus.
Her pioneering research on early women writers included Isabella Valancy Crawford, L.M. Montgomery, Sarah Jeannette Duncan, and Marshall Saunders. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s she and her colleague, Dr. Mary Rubio, co-edited five volumes of L.M. Montgomery’s journals. They also co-wrote a short biography on Montgomery titled Writing a Life: L.M. Montgomery in 1995. In 2008, her research on Montgomery and children’s literature culminated in the book Magic Island: The Fictions of L.M. Montgomery.
Waterston is also a Member of the Order of Ontario and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. After a successful academic career, Waterston has now “happily swung” into writing novels, specifically later-life romances.
Dr. Elizabeth Waterston
Professor Emeritus
University of Guelph
LM Montgomery Museum Feasibility Study
In 2019, a museum feasibility study was undertaken by members of our board and volunteers. This study has guided the planning and operations for the future Museum. In particular, this study has assessed the financial demands and community involvement required to establish the Norval Manse as a heritage site dedicated to Lucy Maud Montgomery’s life and career.
Laura Rees, Project Director
Laura Rees, President of Teamwork Business Solutions Inc., is a consulting professional specializing in project management, strategic planning and analysis, communications, public relations, and special event planning. She contributes her business expertise to the project as the Secretary of the Society, preparing and implementing business, strategic and funding plans, supporting the branding and marketing initiatives, and collaborating with strategic partners in developing the museum and literary programs for sustainability. Laura is an active community volunteer supporting the Norval Community Association and currently serves as an executive member of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Norval, the Council for Clean and Reliable Energy and LeanCor Canada Inc., and a director of the Heritage Foundation of Halton Hills. She is a former executive member of the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre, Georgetown Skating Club, and former member of the Halton Hills Sports Museum and Resource Centre and Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee.
Laura Rees
Project Director
Dr. Mary Henley Rubio, Advisor
Mary Henley Rubio is University Professor Emeritus at the University of Guelph. With her colleague, Dr. Elizabeth Waterston, she co-edited The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery (five volumes between 1985 and 2004) and co-authored Writing a Life: L.M. Montgomery (1995). In addition, she edited Harvesting Thistles: The Textual Garden of L.M. Montgomery and has contributed her scholarship to numerous critical editions of Anne of Green Gables.
In the 1970s, on the advice of Elizabeth Waterston, she tracked down L.M. Montgomery’s second son, Dr. Stuart Macdonald, in Toronto. His mother had bequeathed her journals to him and he was hoping to publish them one day as a retirement project. Before he passed away in 1982, he passed the journals on to Dr. Rubio and requested she write a biography on his mother. After decades of research, the biography titled Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings was published in 2008.
In her retirement, Dr. Rubio remains active in the L.M. Montgomery community as a valued member of the L.M. Montgomery Heritage Society of Norval. She shared with Polish blogger Bernadeta Milewski that: “I have never been bored with her [L.M. Montgomery] in my 40 years of giving her a lot of my research attention.”
Dr. Mary Henley Rubio
Advisor
Kathy Gastle, Advisor
Kathy Gastle was born and raised in Norval and has always had an unwavering interest in the history of this small hamlet. Her grandmother Barbara Macdonald Brown took part in the Old Thyme concerts directed by “Anne of Green Gables” author Lucy Maud Montgomery who lived in Norval from 1926-1935, and her mother Beatrice Joan Carter authored “Norval History 1820-1950”. Kathy has spent over 30 years documenting and compiling treasured photographs and information about Norval’s most famous former citizen. The beautiful village of Norval was very dear to L.M. Montgomery and she photographed and recorded in her personal journals, her favourite walking paths along the Credit River and the Russell Hill of Pines. Always a champion of local interests, history and the environment, Kathy was first elected to Halton Hills Council in 1992, where she served for 11 years including Regional Councillor and Mayor from 2000 to 2003.
Kathy Gastle
Advisor
Lois Fraser, Advisor
Lois Fraser
Lois Fraser
Advisor
Feasibility Study Team
Left to Right: Rebecca Smithers – Project Manager, Luke Stempien – Exhibit Design Researcher, Jessica Young – Curator & Historian, Mark Rowe – Museum Researcher, Lisa Cox – Experiential Learning Researcher
LMM Literary Feasibility Study
In 2021, the Museum and Literary Centre embarked on a pivotal feasibility study to assess its learning, research, initiatives, and the required revenues to accomplish them. The team consisted of researchers, learning specialists, and curators who made significant contributions to the completion of the project. The work of Lord Cultural Resources was especially invaluable in assisting with the articulation of this project and its objectives.
Kathy Gastle, Project Director
Kathy Gastle was born and raised in Norval and has always had an unwavering interest in the history of this small hamlet. Her grandmother Barbara Macdonald Brown took part in the Old Thyme concerts directed by “Anne of Green Gables” author Lucy Maud Montgomery who lived in Norval from 1926-1935, and her mother Beatrice Joan Carter authored “Norval History 1820-1950”. Kathy has spent over 30 years documenting and compiling treasured photographs and information about Norval’s most famous former citizen. The beautiful village of Norval was very dear to L.M. Montgomery and she photographed and recorded in her personal journals, her favourite walking paths along the Credit River and the Russell Hill of Pines. Always a champion of local interests, history and the environment, Kathy was first elected to Halton Hills Council in 1992, where she served for 11 years including Regional Councillor and Mayor from 2000 to 2003.
Kathy Gastle
Project Director
Laura Rees, Project Director
Laura Rees, President of Teamwork Business Solutions Inc., is a consulting professional specializing in project management, strategic planning and analysis, communications, public relations, and special event planning. She contributes her business expertise to the project as the Secretary of the Society, preparing and implementing business, strategic and funding plans, supporting the branding and marketing initiatives, and collaborating with strategic partners in developing the museum and literary programs for sustainability. Laura is an active community volunteer supporting the Norval Community Association and currently serves as an executive member of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Norval, the Council for Clean and Reliable Energy and LeanCor Canada Inc., and a director of the Heritage Foundation of Halton Hills. She is a former executive member of the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre, Georgetown Skating Club, and former member of the Halton Hills Sports Museum and Resource Centre and Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee.
Laura Rees
Project Director
Dr. Mary Henley Rubio, Advisor
Mary Henley Rubio is University Professor Emeritus at the University of Guelph. With her colleague, Dr. Elizabeth Waterston, she co-edited The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery (five volumes between 1985 and 2004) and co-authored Writing a Life: L.M. Montgomery (1995). In addition, she edited Harvesting Thistles: The Textual Garden of L.M. Montgomery and has contributed her scholarship to numerous critical editions of Anne of Green Gables.
In the 1970s, on the advice of Elizabeth Waterston, she tracked down L.M. Montgomery’s second son, Dr. Stuart Macdonald, in Toronto. His mother had bequeathed her journals to him and he was hoping to publish them one day as a retirement project. Before he passed away in 1982, he passed the journals on to Dr. Rubio and requested she write a biography on his mother. After decades of research, the biography titled Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings was published in 2008.
In her retirement, Dr. Rubio remains active in the L.M. Montgomery community as a valued member of the L.M. Montgomery Heritage Society of Norval. She shared with Polish blogger Bernadeta Milewski that: “I have never been bored with her [L.M. Montgomery] in my 40 years of giving her a lot of my research attention.”
Dr. Mary Henley Rubio
Advisor
Lois Fraser, Advisor
Lois Fraser
Lois Fraser
Advisor
Mark Rowe, Advisor
Mark Rowe, visits local and international museums and creates detailed reports on the aspects that could be incorporated into the future L.M. Montgomery Museum & Literary Centre.
A former teacher and school trustee, Mark is an enthusiastic promoter of local history, presenter, and author. He was recognized by the Province of Ontario with a lifetime Heritage Award in 2008, was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, and was named the Glen Williams Citizen of the Year in 2017.
Mark is also a member of the Esquesing Historical Society as an Archivist and has written several local history publications and articles about the Halton Hills area, including “Georgetown: Reflections of a Small Town” and “Acton: The History of Leathertown.”
John Mark Rowe
Advisor
Lord Cultural Resources
Contributors – Dr. Brad King (Vice-President), Sean Stanwick (Director, Facility Planning), Lisa Wright (Principal Consultant)
Get in Touch
Address
Lucy Maud Montgomery Museum and Literary Centre Norval
402 Draper Street
Norval, Ontario
Canada L0P 1K0
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