Frances V. Blue (1914-1992) has been one of Canada’s first female landscape architects. A Torontonian by birth, she was educated at Havergal College in Toronto, le college feminine de Bouffémont near Paris, and the Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture in Groton, Massachusets (now the Lowthorpe Department at the Rhode Island School of Design), where she graduated in 1937.

Frances became a full member of CSLA in 1939 and Vice-President of CSLA in 1940. She has held various positions as CSLA Secretary und Treasurer from 1941 to 1966, when she became the permanent Historical Secretary and recorded much of CSLA’s early history. In 1966 she was also inducted a Fellow of CSLA for “her extensive and valuable service to the Society”.

Considering her profound dedication to our profession, perhaps it was no surprise, that even after her death in 1992 landscape architecture greatly benefited from her thoughtfulness. Between 1992 and 2003 her estate directed over $223,000 to the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation, which amounts to two thirds of all donations ever received by LACF.

Have we ever officially or otherwise recognized this enormous generosity? Sadly, the answer is no, and I believe it is high time that we correct this oversight. I would suggest that it should be something fairly significant, more than just establishing a scholarship in her name.

I was thinking of having a building or facility at the Universities of Toronto or Guelph named after her. I believe she would have preferred Guelph as she used to donate regularly to the UoG School of Landscape Architecture’s book awards. My proposal is to set aside $50,000 over a five year period and try to arrange an agreement with UoG to perhaps upgrade an existing facility, which upon completion would be named after Frances Blue. As we have two prominent leaders of the profession and of LACF as faculty members at Guelph , I am sure we can call on their expertise to investigate the visibility of such undertaking. If approved, such project can also serve LACF as targeted fund raising drive in the coming years.

Of course, there may well be other good ideas how to fittingly recognize our most significant benefactor. You are welcome to share your proposals with the Board.

Gunter A. Schoch, FCSLA
Treasurer