Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SANDAL

Date Range From

2010

Date Range To

2017

No. Pieces

2

Length

26.3

Width

9.3

Description

PAIR OF WHITE SANDALS, LADIES’ SIZE 8.5. SANDALS HAVE ANKLE STRAP WITH SILVER BUCKLE AND TOE STRAP WITH A CENTER STRAP CONNECTING TOE STRAP TO ANKLE; INSIDE OF SANDALS IS SILVER; BOTTOM OF SANDALS IS BROWN. LABELS INSIDE SANDALS READ “GEORGE” ON BOTTOM, “8 ½, 29 PADDY, MADE IN CAMBODIA, FABRIQUE EN CAMBODGE, 030829470 36131215 S14” INSIDE ANKLES. INSIDE LININGS HAVE RED/BROWN GRIME BUILDUP AROUND EDGES; ANKLES OF SANDALS ARE WORN AND DISCOLOURED; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

CLOTHING-FOOTWEAR

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

PERSONAL CARE

History

ON FEBRUARY 22, 2017, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED WILMA WOOD, DAUGHTER OF DOROTHY TAYLOR, ABOUT HER DONATION OF TAYLOR’S ORDER OF ROYAL PURPLE REGALIA. THE REGALIA REPRESENTED TAYLOR’S 50-YEAR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE ORDER OF ROYAL PURPLE FROM BRANDON, MANITOBA TO LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA. ON THE SANDALS, WOOD ELABORATED, “THESE ARE RELATIVELY NEW SHOES [ABOUT FIVE OR SIX YEARS OLD] THAT WE GOT WHEN SHE WENT TO PARK MEADOWS BECAUSE SHE COULDN’T HAVE HEELS ANY MORE, OR ANY HEIGHT. SHE AND I WENT OUT AND WE FOUND THESE SHOES THAT SHE COULD WEAR TO THE MEETINGS.” WOOD DISCUSSED HER MOTHER’S TIME IN THE ORDER OF ROYAL PURPLE, STATING, “SHE CONSIDERS [THESE OBJECTS IN ACTIVE USE]. SHE IS VERY MUCH A PERSON WHO VALUES THAT SOCIETY. IT HELPED HER A NUMBER OF TIMES. AS YOU GROW OLDER, ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU DISCOVER THAT YOUR BRAIN ISN’T AS ACTIVE AS IT SHOULD BE AND THE MEMORY IS GOING. SHE WOULD PUT HERSELF INTO POSITIONS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION INCLUDING BEING PRESIDENT, THREE OR FOUR TIMES. SHE HAD TO BE AN ORGANIZER, SHE HAD TO GET HER BRAIN AND KEEP HER BRAIN FUNCTIONING, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS VERY ADMIRABLE FOR A WOMAN HER AGE BECAUSE…SHE WAS IN HER EIGHTIES. SHE RECEIVED HER 50 YEAR PIN, I THINK IT WAS TWO YEARS AGO OR THREE.” “SHE JOINED [THE ORDER OF ROYAL PURPLE] IN BRANDON, MANITOBA WHERE [MY PARENTS] WERE LIVING AT THE TIME, AND MY DAD RETIRED THERE. THEY MOVED HERE TO LETHBRIDGE BECAUSE MY BROTHER LIVED HERE, AND MY UNCLE ART GOOD…HE LIVED HERE AND THEY WANTED TO BE CLOSER TO FAMILY. THEY MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE AND MY DAD DIED SHORTLY AFTER THAT.” “[SHE JOINED] BECAUSE OF HER FRIENDS. SHE HAD A FRIENDSHIP GROUP AND THEY BELONGED. THEY RECRUITED HER.” “WHEN SHE WAS VERY ACTIVE, SHE WAS A MAJOR RECRUITER. SHE WENT OUT AND FOUND YOUNG WOMEN BUT THEY FELL BY THE WAYSIDE BECAUSE OF LIFE. SHE WAS CERTAINLY VERY ACTIVE IN THEIR PROJECTS, ONE OF WHICH WAS FINDING FINANCES TO EDUCATE YOUNG PEOPLE. WHATEVER THEY WERE [DOING], SHE WAS INTO IT FULL TILT BECAUSE THAT’S THE KIND OF PERSON SHE IS…WHATEVER SHE DOES IS FULL BLAST, FULL BORE. SHE NEVER TOLD ME ANY DETAILS ABOUT THE SOCIETY BECAUSE IT’S ONE OF THOSE SECRET SISTERHOODS. SHE WAS ALWAYS VERY PROUD TO BE A MEMBER OF IT.” “THIS [CHAPTER] DID A LOT OF EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT…SHE TRAVELED WITH THEM BECAUSE IT WAS A CANADIAN ORGANIZATION, SO THEY HAD THEIR ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS ALL OVER CANADA. SHE CAME OUT TO VANCOUVER TO A MEETING AND I WENT OVER TO VANCOUVER TO MEET HER AND SAY “HOWDY”. SHE WENT OUT TO THE PREMIER’S, AT THAT TIME WAS VANDER ZALM, AND HE HAD THE BIG GARDENS OUT NEAR STEVESTON. SHE WENT OUT THERE AND SHE MET HIM.” “A YEAR AGO ABOUT THIS TIME, THAT’S WHEN [THE ORDER WAS] FOLDING. THE ALBERTA CLUBS WERE ALL IMPLODING, AND I THINK THERE’S ONLY ONE LEFT IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA. IT WAS THE ISSUE THAT THEY WERE ALL OLD PEOPLE AND YOUNG PEOPLE DID NOT WANT TO JOIN THESE KINDS OF ORGANIZATIONS ANY LONGER…[THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE] I THINK WE HAVE MORE LEGAL SUPPORT. THE GOVERNMENT HAS SET UP HEALTH CARE, COMMUNITIES HAVE SET UP ASSISTANCE FOR WOMEN WHO ARE ABUSED, THERE’S DRUG ASSISTANCE. THERE IS MUCH MORE ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE. IN THE EARLY DAYS ON THE PRAIRIES, IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR, WHO MIGHT BE TWENTY MILES AWAY, YOU WERE IN DEEP DOO-DOO IF YOU HAD A BIG PROBLEM. THAT’S WHAT THESE SOCIETIES CAME OUT OF WAS THAT NEED. THE NEED PRETTY WELL HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF, I THINK. THERE ARE STILL CLUBS BUT THEY’RE DIFFERENT KINDS OF CLUBS NOW.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT HER MOTIVATION FOR DONATING HER MOTHER’S REGALIA TO THE MUSEUM, WOOD NOTED, “MY MOTHER HAS TURNED 99 YEARS OLD IN JANUARY. SHE HAS DEMENTIA AND SO WE’VE HAD TO MOVE HER FROM HER SENIOR’S LODGE ROOM INTO A MORE SECURE ROOM. CONSEQUENTLY THE LAST OF THE THINGS THAT SHE TREASURED OR VALUED MUST BE DISPERSED. MY BROTHER AND I DECIDED THAT, SINCE THE ELKS AND THE ROYAL PURPLE MEANT SO MUCH TO HER, THAT [THESE WERE] THE [OBJECTS] WE WOULD LIKE TO DONATE TO THE MUSEUM. IT DEPICTS A PERIOD OF TIME WHEN THE WOMEN USED THESE ASSOCIATIONS AS A SUPPORT GROUP FOR THEMSELVES. IT WAS ANOTHER ONE OF THESE SECRET SOCIETIES, WHEN IN FACT THEY WERE SISTERHOODS. THEY WERE MEANT MAINLY FOR THEM TO HAVE PEOPLE TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER. SINCE THIS ORGANIZATION HAS BASICALLY COLLAPSED, I THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE MUSEUM SHOULD HAVE BECAUSE IT DOES SHOW THAT PERIOD OF TIME IN THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF CANADA.” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20170007001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20170007006

Acquisition Date

2017-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail