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LOWRY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2006-04-27 published
Jean LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY,
Nurse And
Union
Organizer (1931-2006)
In 1957, the year she completed training, Ontario nurses were
overworked, underpaid, undervalued and expected to stand when
a doctor entered the room. She decided to do something about it
By Ron CSILLAG,
Special to The Globe and Mail, Page S7
Toronto -- Asked about working conditions for nurses in Ontario
in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Anita
ABDULLAH chuckles in
that exasperated way. "We were indentured servants," sighs the
London, Ontario, nurse, who began working in 1970. "Little more
than glorified slaves." In 1973, newly minted registered nurses
earned $7,736 a year. No health benefits. No occupational safety
provisions. No notice or severance required for layoffs. Overtime
of 30 minutes or less a day was unpaid -- and it added up.
And is it true that a nurse who happened to be sitting was obliged
to stand when a doctor entered the room? Mrs.
ABDULLAH doesn't
pause. "You're darn right. If you didn't, you were disciplined."
Nurses were overworked, underpaid, and undervalued. So, Mrs.
ABDULLAH's
friend and colleague, Jean
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY, set out to change that -- but
not before she duly noted that the plight of nurses was not completely
the fault of management.
"I was concerned about the apathy of nurses at the time with
respect to working conditions," Mrs.
LOWRY observed a few years
ago. "The nurses complained constantly over coffee and lunch
but didn't feel comfortable complaining to a higher authority.
They worried about losing their jobs. They didn't have the nerve
to take action. The question for me was, what could be done to
help the situation."
Fortunately for nurses in Ontario, Mrs.
LOWRY had nerve to spare.
On October 13, 1973, in a landmark meeting in Toronto, more than
300 representatives of 85 independent nurses' organizations from
across the province joined forces to form the Ontario Nurses'
Association, with Mrs.
LOWRY installed as founding president.
Just nine months later, after a brief but noisy labour dispute,
the Ontario Nurses' Association reached an 18-month agreement
with Queen's Park covering 10,000 registered nurses in 41 hospitals,
boosting starting salaries to $10,200 annually and maximum salaries
by a healthy 50 per cent.
Eventually, the union would bring together 104 separate nurses'
associations.
It was while working as a nurse herself that Mrs.
LOWRY realized
many of her colleagues were unhappy with their hours, shift work,
low pay and lack of prestige. "When attempts to work with management
to set standards failed, she and others decided that collective
bargaining was the answer," related Ontario Nurses' Association
chief executive officer Lesley
BELL. "
Thousands of registered
nurses have benefited from her efforts since."
Mrs. LOWRY served two, one-year terms as president of the Ontario
Nurses' Association, today a powerful union representing more
than 51,000 registered nurses and allied health professionals
in hospitals, community health, long-term care, Canadian Blood
Services, clinics and industry. For 16 years, she worked at several
staff positions at the association, retiring in 1991 as an honorary
member.
For a time, she was also director and acting chair of the Ontario
Health Coalition.
Over the past 30 years, the Ontario Nurses' Association has spearheaded
great strides for nurses in pay, layoff provisions, overtime,
parental leave and recognition of previous experience, to name
a few areas.
Mrs. LOWRY would note with satisfaction the changes brought about
over the years, not only in the strength and power of the nursing
collective, but in how nurses regard themselves. "Today, nurses
don't hesitate to go up to the mike and speak their peace," she
said recently. "Nurses are now much better educated and know
how to achieve a particular goal, whether it concerns working
conditions or any other issue."
The eldest of six children born to farmers in the Caledon region
outside Toronto during the Depression, she was among 14 psychiatric
nursing graduates of the Ontario Hospital in Whitby in 1951,
finishing her studies on time despite a broken hip suffered in
a car accident. Six years later, she received her certification
in public health from the University of Toronto.
It was while nursing in the community-health sector that she
joined a committee formed to hear complaints about working conditions.
In the early 1960s, Mrs.
LOWRY went to work for the Etobicoke
Health Department at a time when nurses in Peel and Halton counties
were beginning to form their own associations and gain certification
for the purpose of collective bargaining, which proved useful
when they did not get anticipated raises.
Given the low wages and status the job was saddled with in her
day, why did people -- women, back then -- enter the profession
at all?
"The prestige came from the satisfaction we got from making our
patients feel better," offers Mrs.
ABDULLAH. "Adjusting a pillow,
washing somebody's face, cleaning their teeth, rubbing their
back, sitting and holding their hand, listening to them cry in
pain and trying to soothe them -- that's what made it all worthwhile."
So didn't Mrs.
LOWRY and other nurses who entered the labour
end of things, locking horns with adversaries, miss that compassion?
"While you missed that gratification of being at a bedside, how
you rationalized [that] was you hoped that through your skills
and your activism, you were able to make a bigger contribution
to your profession," said Mrs.
ABDULLAH, who worked alongside
Mrs. LOWRY at the Ontario Nurses' Association for a decade.
Mrs. LOWRY's accomplishments were acknowledged in Ontario's legislature
earlier this month. George Smitherman, Minister of Health and
Long-Term Care, no stranger to the fortunes of nurses in the
province, said the profession today "can proudly claim to be
respected, strong and united. [Nurses] are, as they have always
been, the heart and soul of health care. Today, they are recognized
as such, which is something that they have not always been. Thousands
of nurses have benefited from the efforts made and the example
set by Jean
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY. As a result of that, hundreds and thousands
of patients have as well."
Another dimension to Jean
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY was her love of playing nickel
slots at casinos. "In the last few years, she played just from
her winnings," Mrs.
ABDULLAH smiles.
Lamentably, for a nurse, it was a long-time smoking habit that
resulted in the lung cancer that finally claimed her. "She said
to me a couple of weeks ago, 'Ironic isn't it'? recalled Mrs.
ABDULLAH.
" 'All the years I was a public-health nurse advising people
to quit smoking…' "
Jean Marilyn
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY was born in the Caledon region of Ontario
on September 23, 1931, and died in Toronto on April 3, 2006,
of lung cancer. She was 75. She leaves her long-time partner,
Fred
Barthel, daughter Marylin Bailey and son Paul
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY, two
grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
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LOWRY o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-04-01 published
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY,
Doctor▲
R.
Neil▲
Noted consultant to the pool industry in Canada and the United
States, passed suddenly Tuesday, March 28, 2006. The Newmarket,
Ontario resident had just returned home from a day long session
at a Toronto hotel teaching water chemistry to pool operators
when he collapsed. He was 67. At the time of his death, Doctor
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY
was serving as principal-in-charge of Lowry and Associates, a nationwide
distributor of specialty chemicals which has exclusive representation
of Taylor Technologies' water-testing products in Canada; owner
and chief educator for the Lowry School of Pool and Spa Chemistry
and a contributing writer and commentator for numerous trade
publications, most notably Pool and Spa Marketing magazine. He
was an active member of the Pool and Hot Tub Council of Canada
and the only Canadian voting member of the Association of Pool and
Spa Professionals' Recreational Water Quality Committee whose
water quality guidelines are followed by public pools and spas
throughout North and South America. He also served as an advisor
to the board of directors of the Professional Pool Operators
of America. Doctor
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY's ability to make a complicated subject
understandable for the average person was coupled with an enthusiasm
for his subject matter that most people could not resist, and
this made him a sought-after public speaker. Most recently he
took part in a panel discussion on preventing recreational water
illnesses at the 26th annual Canadian Pool and Spa Conference in
Toronto.▲
Said▲
Richard▲
HUBBARD, the Markham, Ontario-based publisher
of Pool and Spa Marketing, "Neil was one of the pool industry's
finest and most respected educators, and one of its greatest
Friends. He was passionately devoted to elevating the understanding
of water chemistry among aquatic facility managers, public health
inspectors, and pool builders, service companies, and pool supplies
retailers. He always said, 'Over ninety percent of pool problems
are caused by poor water chemistry.' Without him, the level of
discourse in our industry will be diminished." His influence
on Canada's $1.2-billion-a-year pool and spa industry is pervasive.
Dr. LOWRY contributed to the present regulations for public spas
under the auspices of the Ontario Ministry of Health. He also
designed the model labels for pool products regulated under the
federal Pest Control Products Act. He was the original author
of "Pool and Spa Chemistry: A Testing and Treatment Guide," widely
regarded as the Bible of water quality management. Over the course
of 26 years, thousands across Canada became certified pool water
technicians by his pool school. Robert Neil
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY was born in
Windsor,
Ontario, to Mac and Marjorie
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY and was a loving
big brother to David Kent
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY and Lynda Jane
PARKER. He earned
a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University
of Western Ontario in nearby London; a doctorate in inorganic
chemistry from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York; and a
master's in business administration from the University of Michigan
in Ann Arbor. But Neil
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY was no ivory tower academic. He
spent the early part of this career with three Canadian chemical
companies: first in pool chemical sales at Kert Chemical Industries,
Inc., then as pool chemical products manager at Swan Recreational
Products Limited, and finally as technical services director
for Mursatt Chemicals Limited. He established Lowry and Associates
in 1985 with his wife Gabriele as his business partner. Lowry and
Associates became the master distributor for Taylor Technologies
in Canada in 1989, but the two firms' relationship goes back
even further. "Neil and I worked together for 26 years," said
a saddened Paul
WOODEN, president of Taylor. "He was more than
a trusted business associate. He was a good friend to me, and
to many others at Taylor. He was an incredibly smart man and
so funny! We loved spending time with Neil at the end of a long
day at a trade show; he kept us in stitches with his jokes and
parlor tricks. His sudden passing has left us all numb with grief."
One of his Friends at Taylor was marketing Vice-President Patricia
FITZGERALD. "Dr.
LOWRY had a fierce intellect and a blunt manner
of speaking that took some getting used to. He was an avid reader,
a student of history, and always up on current events. In a debate
of any kind he took no prisoners. But if he had the roar of a
lion, he also had the heart,"
FITZGERALD reminisced. "I will
miss him greatly." He met Gabriele
ADELMANN in Boston, Masssachusetts,
and the pair married shortly thereafter in July 1972. While growing
their business together they also grew a family, producing sons
Michael and Derek, now ages 30 and 28 respectively, and daughter
Sarah, age 17. He was a devoted husband and father. When Mackenzie,
3, Andrew, 18 months, and Erik, 1 month, were born to Michael
and his wife Jennifer, the grandchildren became his pride and
joy. Derek
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY and his spouse Sheila
STARRETT are both involved
in running Lowry and Associates; Michael
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY too is following
in his father's footsteps by being a part of the industry. "We
all have not only lost a loving husband, father and grandfather
we have also lost our very best friend." A memorial service will
be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, April 3rd, at the Old Mill Inn,
21 Old Mill Road, Toronto, in the Brule A Room on the first floor
(416-236-2641). All Friends and colleagues are welcome. In lieu
of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Church
of Christ Scientist, Etobicoke, where Doctor
LOWERY/LOWREY/LOWRIE/LOWRY was a member.
Arrangements entrusted to the Roadhouse and Rose Funeral Home,
Newmarket, (905-895-6631) www.roadhouseandrose.com
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LOWTHER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-01-01 published
MAJURY,
Douglas
H.
(Retired C.N.R., Mason, Shriner)
After a brief illness on Friday, December 30, 2005 at the Humber
River Regional Hospital, Church Site in his 81st year. Beloved
husband of Violet for 57 years. Loving father to Donna Arlene
CARRINGTON. Dear brother of Marion
LOWTHER "Aunt Pidge". Douglas
will be deeply missed by all his family and Friends. Friends
may call at the Ward Funeral Home, 2035 Weston Rd. (north of
Lawrence Ave.), Weston from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday. A
private family funeral will be held on Thursday. Interment Prospect
Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Salvation Army
would be appreciated by the family. Condolences may be sent to
douglas.majury@wardfh.com
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LOWTHER o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2006-01-03 published
KENNEDY,
Ruth
Passed away on December 31, 2005 at Scarborough General Hospital
in her 80th year. Beloved wife of the late William. Loving mother
of Jeff and his wife Laura. Cherished Grammy of Jocelyn and Madelaine.
Dear sister of Jean
LOWTHER of Kirkcubright, Scotland and sister-in-law
to Mabel WORKMAN of Ballyclare, Northern Ireland. Family will
receive Friends at the McDougall and Brown Funeral Home, (2900
Kingston Rd., Toronto) Scarborough Chapel 416-267-4656 from 2
to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Chapel service will be held
on Wednesday, January 4, 2006 at 11: 00 a.m. Private family burial
will be held at Pine Hills Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations
to the Canadian Diabetes Association would be appreciated by
the family.
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LOWTHIAN o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2006-06-10 published
LOWTHIAN,
Bill
In loving memory of our dear Bill. Beloved husband, father, son,
brother and best friend, who passed away June 12th, 2005.
Some say there is a reason,
They say that time will heal,
But neither time nor reason,
Will change the way I feel,
For no one knows the heartache,
Behind the smiles I hide,
No one knows how many times,
I have broken down and cried,
I want to tell you something,
So there won't be any doubt,
You're so wonderful to think of,
But so hard to live without.
Love you always, Cathy, Erica and Jason, Kyle and Sarah, Mom
and Gayle.
We miss you so much!
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