Madeline Florence (Austin) Freeman (1914 - 2006)

Born 4 Feb 1914 in Calgary, AB

Ancestors

Wife of Arthur Francis Patrick Freeman — married 5 Jun 1940 in Calgary

Died 13 Jul 2006 at age 92 in Toronto, ON

Problems/Questions Profile manager: David Brock [send private message]

Biography

Note: When Madeline was born, her Austin aunts were in Florence, Italy -- hence her middle name! A 1935 graduate of the University of Alberta, and lifetime active member of Kappa Alpha Theta, Madeline had her own radio show and was responsible for writing the commercials at CFAC until her 1940 marriage. In 1949 the young family moved to Toronto, where Madeline was a founding member of Northlea United Church. She also founded and led a very popular large CGIT (Canadian Girls in Training) group. The family returned to Alberta each summer until they "discovered" Lake Muskoka, where they acquired a cottage on its own island. As a young widow at 51, Madeline resumed writing, focusing on children's literature. She wrote many stories, articles and poems, for magazines and textbooks, as well as the book "A Horse for Running Buffalo", reflecting her love of Indian culture. Madeline also taught writing to adults and school children, and was a book club member for over 50 years. She co-founded CANSCAIP, was an early member of the Writer's Union of Canada, and was an active member of the Toronto Arts and Letters Club's Literary Roundtable, the Women's Press club, and the Canadian Authors Association.

Sources

• Unsourced family tree handed down to David Brock.
• "Canada, Prairie Provinces Census, 1916," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KM5D-SS8 : 23 February 2021), Madeline Austin in household of Arthur Austin, Alberta, Canada; citing p. 19, line 33; Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2,434,964.